There are more than 800 Pokémon in the franchise but one featured in Detective Pikachu hints at a larger world that could be explored in the future.
Mewtwo was revealed as a pivotal character in the second Detective Pikachu trailer but their involvement in the plot and how they fit in the larger Pokémon world is connected to its origins in the anime and video games.
Spoilers for Detective Pikachu follow.
The plot of Detective Pikachu involves Tim Goodman (Justice Smith) teaming up with the titular Pokémon to find Tim's father, Harry. Along the way, viewers learn that Mewtwo has something to do with Harry's disappearance.
After some red herrings and swerves, it's revealed that Mewtwo actually saved Harry and Pikachu from anthropologist and entrepreneur Howard Clifford (Bill Nighy), who wanted to use Mewtwo's power to put his consciousness in a Pokemon.
Clifford explains that he hired Harry to go and find Mewtwo in the Kanto region. He brought it back and Clifford's team captured it to use it for experiments and to enact his grand plan. When Harry found out what Clifford had planned, he helped Mewtwo escape.
The mention of the Kanto region is significant to Pokémon fans and to the larger live-action universe.
The first Pokémon games took place in the Kanto region and Mewtwo was a Legendary Pokémon that could only be caught after the player defeated the Elite Four. In the game's lore, a band of scientists including Mr. Fuji found remnants of the Mythical Pokémon Mew and used its DNA to clone Mewtwo in the Pokémon Mansion on Cinnabar Island.
However, Mewtwo was too strong and escaped to the Secret Cave to the west of Cerulean City.
In the Pokémon anime, Mewtwo was created by Team Rocket with the leader, Giovanni, using it in his Gym Battles. However, like the games, Mewtwo would escape and leave. This leads to Pokémon: The First Movie where Mewtwo brought Pokémon trainers - including Ash, Brock and Misty - to his island to amass a clone army to take over the world.
After battling, Mewtwo learns that not all humans are as despicable as Team Rocket and he leaves with his Pokémon clone army.
Detective Pikachu is set in a different universe from the anime and games, but Mewtwo and the mention of Kanto means that the other regions from the games are also present in this world. It also means Team Rocket is likely a part of it.
If we were to get a sequel or spin off to the film, Pokémon fans could be traveling to another region and facing off against a new threat.
Detective Pikachu is in theaters now.
What did you think of the movie? If another movie was made, what would you want to see? Let us know in the comments section below.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Phillip Martinez is a game and culture reporter for Newsweek. Prior to joining Newsweek in 2018, he was a reporter ... Read more
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