I find funny how people despise Movie!Gerald for how overtly he manipulates Shadow but give Game!Gerald a pass despite having brainwashed Shadow, clearly without any consent since he was most likely unconscious. Both incarnations put Shadow into a genocide-suicide run at the end of the day, his agency be damned. Man, what difference in execution (no pun intended) does to a character.
I had been hoping for Jim Carrey Gerald since February of last year and I am so happy it happened. I liked Gerald, though due to the twist we don't get him as much as I would have liked.
Honestly, Gerald is such an interesting character because he, as well as Shadow, proves about how wickedness is thrust upon people. He was a well meaning man before the ARK. A bit self-absorbed and vain but he was a man who tried to do the best with his intellect. He made the ARK as a way to research in the stars, but his funding requested more from him than intended. It gave him a way to look more into things he probably wouldn't have while looking for Maria's cure, such as dealing with the Black Arms.
However, once Maria is gone, Gerald kinda regresses in only thinking about how he was pretty much used and blamed for everything. He saw the worst in humanity since that's what humanity gave them. But due to the immense grief that he was unable to process due to being held in captivity after the events in the ARK, he develops in what he became.
In Battle, it's stated the Maria's soul is embedded into Shadow after the ARK raid because Maria's last words were "Bring Hope To Humanity" according to a GUN agent. Even after her death but during the time he was working on Shadow and Emerl he still believed that there was something to save within Earth and humanity. The reason why Gerald went insane and just went straight into editing/manipulating Shadow with disregard is because that was actually his final work. He had no hope for the future because there was no way out for him, he was at the end of the line. And so he became the monster we see.
However, in the Gerald's Journal from SXS, that was changed to being after the events of Emerl's attack but before the Raid and while it still says "Bring Hope To Humanity" it's not relevant on who says it. So I would just say captivity made him evil. In movie 3, what I love is that the Eclipse Canon was a calculated attack. It took 50 years give or take to build it because Gerald was only freed until it was finished. What I want to know is how long was Gerald on the base to get it working to free Shadow and to lure Eggman. He had to take his time to find him, as seemingly not even Walters knew where Shadow had gone. How long did he have to look at his destroyed lab? What was left of Maria? (Which brings me to one point on where Shadow found Maria's skates, as they were very in the view and not as wrecked as everything else in the lab. Did Gerald place them there for him to find?) Gerald also had to program all of the Eggdrones. He probably knew about Sonic already, since he had stolen some of Eggman's tech. (Gerald and Sonic were such a missed duo...)
Anyways, by the time they were all the ARK ready to leave of course Gerald made Shadow see things as he did. Gerald had 50 years of enclosure, while for Shadow, Maria died yesterday.
Gerald had grieved and the world still didn't change. He continued to work for people who killed his family and HE STILL GOT NOTHING. He's an old man. He knows most if not everything.
Why Does Shadow Trust Gerald Blindly In Movie 3?
Shadow is not stupid. He grabs onto concepts and analyzes quite quickly. Which is something that is noted very subtlety through the movie. We see it through the star scene where Maria is just stating facts and Shadow actively creates a conclusion. (Engineering teaching background here, this is actually really hard for kids to do) and also he works for a lab filled with really smart people. Gerald was in charge of Shadow, both as the head of Project Shadow and due to his relationship with Maria. He was one of the smartest people in the world according to his best friend. Gerald taught Shadow and Maria all there is to know about the Earth. Like of course Maria taught Shadow but who taught Maria, Gerald. (WHICH IS WHY I HATED GERALD ERASURE) When they were running Gerald was the one running behind all them so they could get to safety. Gerald was the one who called them "kids" because Shadow was his science kid, in all realities.
There is no reason for Shadow not to trust him, and besides he's all of Maria he's got left. What I love about movie Shadow is that he kinda comes to his own realization of "Would've Maria wanted this?"
He still hears her because she died yesterday.
Which is kinda the same deal with Shadow in StH '05. He doesn't care because he has no memories. He sees humanity, he sees the aliens and he could actively not care. He only cares because it's actually in relation to him. That's Gerald. Maria disappeared from his mind 10-20 years give or take. You know all those comics of Shadow forgetting what Maria looks like or sounds like, that's Gerald.
Gerald doesn't even remember his granddaughter anymore, he only remembers the pain.
And if anything, using Shadow to destroy the world is actual revenge on Shadow himself. Shadow wasn't necessary for the movie mission. Gerald could've just blown up GUN and used Eggman tech. He brought Shadow back because it could blow everyone up at once. If Shadow had never landed then nothing of this would've happened, so I would assume Gerald also grew a small hatred for our dear Shadow, but he's smart. Gerald knows not to get on Shadow's bad side. He is but a mere tool from here on out. (Which is why I think Gerald never refers to Shadow as son, that and never having created him too) Gerald literally tells him about how he used to be useful.
THOUGH I HATE THAT WE DON'T GET A SHADOW/GERALD CLOSURE.
The executions while quite different (I don't like his fart death, I thought it was real stupid, why did Tails cheer?? tf) I think his purpose for the story was there.
Gerald is a dark mirror of Shadow's future. He could be continued for 50 years due to his powers/intelligence and contain his anger or he can accept the lemons he was given and live with it. Which is Maria, in either canon she wasn't in a place where she expected to be but she made it worth it.
Anyways. I like to talk about Gerald.