The Cast & Characters of Twisted Metal Season 2, Explained

Sequels always go bigger, and Twisted Metal Season 2 is no exception.

When the hit show returns to Peacock on Thursday, July 31, it will do so with the introduction of several fan favorite characters from the original video games — namely Dollface, Mr. Grimm, Vermin, the tire-handed Axel and more. They’re just a few of the ravenous racers looking to collect the fabulous prize waiting at the end of the titular tournament hosted by Calypso.

RELATED: Twisted Metal Boss Reveals Season 2 Plans For Peacock Series: “It’s Gonna Be Wild”

“I like to think of the show as Mad Max meets The Simpsons,” showrunner and executive producer Michael Jonathan Smith (an alum of Cobra Kai) explained in the official production notes. “We’ve got this wild, unpredictable comedy with larger-than-life characters in this insane world, but at the end of the day, it’s always about the characters. You never know what’s going to be said or what’s going to happen, but we also wanted to make sure it feels true to who these people are and what their point-of-view is. We put the characters in funny situations and look at what the funniest and most entertaining version of the scene can be.”

With so many fresh faces pulling up to the starting line, we thought it might be helpful to quickly go through all of the Season 2 actors (both returning and new) and who they’re playing…

The cast and characters of Twisted Metal Season 2, explained

Anthony Mackie as John Doe

An amnesiac delivery man, John Doe agreed to make a dangerous run across the Divided States of America on behalf of New San Francisco leader, Raven (Neve Campbell). Upon his successful return with a package that turned out to be nothing more than a pint of ice cream, John was granted a permanent place in Bay Area society.

After years of chasing a true sense of belonging, however, he still felt lost and decided to leave the city in order to seek out Quiet, with whom he had fallen in love during his road trip. Raven did not permit this plan to go through, instead telling John that his ice cream run was an audition of sorts and that he would compete in Calypso’s competition on her behalf. Season 2 finds the character navigating his relationship with Quiet after seven months apart, while reuniting with a sister he lost years before.

Where you’ve seen/heard Mackie before: Synchronic, The Banker, Captain America: Brave New World

Stephanie Beatriz as Quiet

A badass car thief who developed feelings for John throughout the events of Season 1, Quiet enters Calypso’s tournament with the goal of ending inequality between the comfortable citizens living within walled cities and the destitute Outsiders. It’s an admirable aspiration, but one that stands in direct contrast to the aims of the man she loves.

“These two people cared about each other and were torn apart, so what happens when they come back together,” Beatriz says in the studio press notes. “Are they still a unit? Have things changed too much? Are they still going to be on the same team? Do they still wanna bone?”

Where you’ve seen/heard Beatriz before: Brooklyn Nine-Nine, In the Heights, Encanto

Will Arnett & Joel Seanoa (aka “Samoa Joe”) as Sweet Tooth

A former child star who went insane in front of a live studio audience, Sweet Tooth once held court in the ruins of Las Vegas. The hulking clown with a penchant for chaos really comes into his own with the onset of the Twisted Metal tournament, which promises to fulfill the character’s limitless appetite for blood and carnage. Entering with his iconic ice cream truck, Sweet Tooth hopes to come out on the other side as the most notorious murderer in the Divided States of America. “He’s on a rampage,” teases Seanoa. 

Where you’ve seen/heard Arnett before: Arrested Development, The Lego Batman Movie, BoJack Horseman

Where you’ve seen/heard Seanoa before: Transformers: Power of the Primes, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

Mike Mitchell as Stu

Once a highway officer under the purview of Agent Stone (Thomas Haden Church) in Season 1, Stu somehow found himself as Sweet Tooth’s unwitting best friend and mentee. In Season 2, the character must confront his past and identity before deciding what kind of person he wants to be. So the real question: “Will he stay Stubert? Or become Stu.0?”

Where you’ve seen/heard Mitchell before: Love, The Tomorrow War, Killing It

Anthony Carrigan as Calypso

The mysterious creator and host of the titular tournament, Calypso invites the toughest killers, mercenaries, and joyriders to compete in his twisted (pun intended) game for the chance of having their deepest wish come true. What does Calypso gain from the vehicular battle royale, aside from a front-row seat to all the destruction? You’ll just have to watch and find out!

“My take on Calypso is he’s a little bit of everything from the games. He’s always three steps ahead. He’s got great grand plans for the tournament,” Smith explained to IGN. “He’s a showman. He really loves showing off. I think this is a version of Calypso where he’s a performer. He’s got a little bit of P.T. Barnum in him where he loves to have those twists

Where you’ve seen/heard Carrigan before: Barry, Superman (2025), Death of a Unicorn

Tiana Okoye as Dollface, aka Krista

John Doe’s long-lost sister, Dollface (aka Krista) leads the Dolls, a gang of masked women who seek justice on behalf of Outsiders. Frustrated that her brother has no memory of their childhood together, the violence-prone Krista will stop at nothing from jogging John’s memory — or creating some new recollections at the very least.

“What’s great is that Krista has sort of been on the outside and she’s had a different experience than John,” Smith told IGN. “Krista has seen the inequality between the Insiders and Outsiders, and she doesn’t like it. She has decided to fight against it and really wants to find a balance between the Insiders and Outsiders.”

Where you’ve seen/heard Okoye before: Mrs. Davis, The Good Place, Panhandle

Michael James Shaw as Axel

Perhaps the most anticipated new character in Season 2, Axel doesn’t drive a vehicle — he is the vehicle. Described as “a shirtless mountain of a man with impressive pecs mounted on gigantic wheels,” is a formidable opponent, one you don’t want to be on the wrong side of. But underneath the machismo lurks a dark secret and forlorn past.

“Axel’s going to be a challenge, to have a character tied to two giant wheels,” Smith told NBC Insider in 2023. “For me, We have to get Sweet Tooth right and we have to get Axel right. 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.”

Where you’ve seen/heard Shaw before: The Walking Dead, Limitless, Avengers: Infinity War

Richard de Klerk as Mr. Grimm

A personal favorite of showrunner Michael Jonathan Smith, Mr. Grimm truly lives up to his name by capturing the literal souls of his victims. While the tournament holds the promise of more additions to Grimm’s macabre collection, there’s one soul he covets above all others: his old foe Sweet Tooth.

“When we find him, he’s been locked away and we don’t know why,” the showrunner explained. “He’s got a thousand souls in his body, and he’s collecting these souls. He and Sweet Tooth also have a past, and we play that out.”

Where you’ve seen/heard de Klerk before: Motive, Supernatural, Strange Empire

Saylor Bell Curda as Mayhem

A chatty teenage con artist who came of age after the world ended, Mayhem forges a connection with Quiet. “We call her an ‘apo baby’ because she grew up in the apocalypse,” Smith says. “We had a lot of fun with what her experience has been like, as well as exploring what it’s like for Quiet to be a role model and how she might fill the gap in her life left by the death of her brother.”

Where you’ve seen/heard Curda before: Walker, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Henry Danger

Lisa Gilroy as Vermin

True to her name, Vermin, once an exterminator from the Florida Swamplands, dreams of a world ruled by insects. With that said, her aggressive nature and animus toward humanity is merely a front for an emotional vulnerability lurking just below the surface.

Where you’ve seen/heard Gilory before: Black Mirror, Very Important People, Interior Chinatown

Patty Guggenheim as Raven

Turns out the Raven we met in Season 1 was one of several lookalikes. The real Raven prefers to stay in the shadows, pulling strings from behind-the-scenes. Nevertheless, her end goal remains the same: have John win the competition on her behalf so she can collect on Calypso’s fabulous prize.

“The more we talked about Raven in the writers’ room, [the more] we loved this idea of having multiple Ravens handling public life, allowing Raven to be in multiple places at once,” Smith shared in the press comments. “We then landed on introducing a new, gothic, Howard Hughes-type Raven, the boss who puppeteers everything, including her doppelgängers from behind-the-scenes. This fit perfectly into the voodoo doll theme of the character, and I think the fans will also love some of the callbacks and references we brought into her backstory, which will be instantly recognizable to anyone who played the games.”

Where you’ve seen/heard Guggenheim before: She Hulk: Attorney at Law, iCarly, Matlock

The first three episodes of Twisted Metal Season 2 debut on Peacock Thursday, July 31. Stream Season 1 here!