User:Pokelego999/sandbox/Agent Stone

Agent Stone is a character appearing in the Sonic the Hedgehog film series. Initially appearing in the first film, Stone is a government agent who acts as main antagonist Dr. Robotnik's assistant. Stone is portrayed by actor Lee Majdoub in both of his film appearances. Majdoub worked alongside Robotnik's actor, Jim Carrey, in order to further develop the character of Stone both in the first film and its subsequent sequel. Since Stone's debut, he has been met with a positive reception for both his role and his relationship with Robotnik.

Creation and conception
Agent Stone was a character created entirely for the Sonic the Hedgehog film series. According to Majdoub, Stone was initially conceived solely so Robotnik could have someone to talk to in his scenes. As Carrey and Majdoub worked with the director, the character of Stone began to evolve. Carrey would often suggest slight alterations to Majdoub's performance, and through collaboration, Carrey and Majdoub were able to develop Stone's character in relation to Robotnik. The pair also considered Stone's relationship with Robotnik, considering why Robotnik, a character who despises other humans, kept Stone around, leading to the development of Stone's deep admiration for Robotnik. Carrey would also do improv, with Majdoub often doing the same alongside Carrey's performance. Stone's personality was largely developed in the first movie, with it receiving further implementation and development in the second film. Majdoub used past henchman of Robotnik in the video game series to inform his role as the character, seeking to be a more unique portrayal of a henchman to Robotnik from pre-existing ones. Majdoub has stated that the "larger than life" portrayals of the non-human characters in the series resulted in both him and Carrey doing the same, with the result allowing for the human characters to better blend with the non-human ones.

In a scene in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Stone brews coffee with Robotnik's face in them using Austrian goat milk. This was a result of Majdoub doing research on Reddit about the "most pretentious coffee orders," leading to a barista who mentioned a customer wanting Austrian goat milk. It was subsequently included as part of the coffee scene.

Appearances
Agent Stone first appears in Sonic the Hedgehog, where he is a government agent who acts as Dr. Robotnik's henchman and assistant. He plays a relatively small role in the film. After Robotnik is transported to an alternate world at the end of the film, Stone takes over a coffee shop. Following Robotnik's return in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Stone works with him to try and defeat Sonic. He later helps pilot Robotnik's mech at the end of the film, but is knocked unconscious. It is later shown that he managed to infiltrate G.U.N after the destruction of the mech.

Reception
Since his inception, Agent Stone has been met with a positive critical response, especially with fans of the series, being cited as a fan favorite. A large shipping community between Robotnik and Stone has resulted from the close relationship between the two characters, which Majdoub has responded positively to. Large amounts of fanworks- most prominently fanfiction- depicted the pair in a romantic relationship. Stone's lack of role in the first film, in conjunction with his "queer-coded" interactions with Robotnik were considered causes for the flourishing of the ship. Despite not being actively called attention to in the film, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 's expansion on the relationship between Robotnik and Stone was met with significant praise. The popularity of Stone was considered to be a surprise, and he has been highlighted as one of the film's breakout characters. Robotnik's relationship with Stone was praised, with his role and chemistry with Robotnik being praised. Stone's role in conjunction with Robotnik has been highlighted as highly unique due to the fact that Stone's heavy admiration for Robotnik is partially reciprocated by Robotnik, unlike other characters who use similar archetypes, such as Waylon Smithers. The pair were later used in promotional material for Valentine's Day.

Stone's actor, Lee Majdoub, also believed the representation Stone provided was highly positive. Majdoub believed Stone provided positive Middle Eastern representation, highlighting a poster used in promotion for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 depicting Stone, stating that "I didn't have a brown man up on a poster or starring in movies. It's thinking about kids now and being able to see that and realise that it is attainable. You can do it. You just got to go for it and trust your heart and your soul." He praised the fact that Stone's ethnicity was not called attention to in the films, which he believed help show equality and that it was a part of the world.