Highlights
- Twisted Metal season 2 will introduce new characters from the video games, bringing mayhem to the Peacock series.
- Showrunner Smith promises to remain faithful to the compelling nature of the characters and explore their emotional dimension.
- Season 2 will focus more on the tournament itself, raising the stakes and connecting scenes back to the competitive storyline.
Twisted Metal season 2 characters will include a roster of newcomers from the video games who are finally set to unleash mayhem when the Peacock series returns.
The Twisted Metal series follows John Doe, an amnesiac man with a mysterious past, played by Anthony Mackie. Doe is offered the chance to turn his life around if he can successfully deliver a mysterious package across the post-apocalyptic wasteland. Additionally, bringing Twisted Metal‘s dangerous world to life is Stephanie Beatriz in the role of a car thief named Quiet, while Thomas Haden Church suits up as the ruthless Agent Stone, hellbent on taking Doe down.
Twisted Metal season 2 showrunner Smith confirmed the characters Calypso, Dollface, and Axel will join the roster in a recent interview with NBC Insider. Smith stated that the writers plan to remain faithful to what makes the characters so compelling. He also promised a deeper dive into the emotional dimension behind their insane or sadistic exteriors.
“I’m excited for fans to see these characters come to life and see what makes them funny and what makes them heartbroken. I think it’s gonna be fun to dive into these people … We introduced a lot of these characters — Preacher, Bloody Mary, John, Quiet, Watts — it’s gonna be fun to put them all in a [single] place at the tournament and have them interact. I’m excited about seeing how does Preacher react to Bloody Mary? How does Grimm react to Sweet Tooth?’ There’s a lot of really fun, interconenctive character headspace stuff that I’m really excited to dive into. It feels like a new toy box.”
When asked what percentage of season two will focus directly on Calypso’s competition, Smith played coy about unveiling too many specifics, wanting the tournament action to surprise viewers. However, he revealed that, unlike the first Twisted Metal season, which dealt more with the interpersonal consequences of the characters’ actions, the second season revolves around the tournament itself. He explained that even scenes not directly related to the fights will somehow connect back to and raise the stakes for the competitive storyline.
For the unaware, Axel is among the most iconic vehicle combatants in the Twisted Metal tournament lore. First introduced in Twisted Metal 2 in 1996, he is a skilled and ruthless driver connected on a psychic level to his two-wheeled vehicle. Dollface first appeared in Twisted Metal Black as a mysterious female killer wearing a cracked porcelain doll mask. She ambushed Quiet in the season 1 finale in pursuit of information about John Doe. Finally, Calypso, introduced in the closing moments of season 1, is the series’ longest-running antagonist and twisted mastermind behind the competition.
Although Twisted Metal season 1 received mixed reviews, it was a surprise hit, becoming Peacock’s most-binged original series of the year. It consciously separated itself from the games with a grounded tone and expansive worldbuilding. While Twisted Metal season 2 will undoubtedly continue building out characters and locations, putting the tournament first suggests a shift closer to embracing the franchise’s signature brand of vehicular mayhem. However, visually translating Axel’s distinctive man-machine hybrid form to live action poses intriguing design challenges for the show’s creative team. Whether they will capture the essence of Axel’s unique persona and effectively bring this dynamic character to life on screen remains to be seen.
Twisted Metal season 1 is available for streaming on Peacock.
Source: NBC Insider
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