Over the course of its 25-year long history, the Twisted Metal franchise has developed a reputation that's consistently lived up to its name. Under the care of various studios and developers, Sony's cult classic car-combat series has explored some truly dark subjects, characters, and places. From murderous clowns to demonic entities, and everything else in between, it appears that Twisted Metal has left no subject on the cutting room floor.
With the franchise now finally making its way to the small screen, a unique opportunity has arisen for some of its more disturbing stories to be translated into live action. Even though the Anthony Mackie-led series will seemingly employ a more comedic tone, as it explores a Mad Max inspired post apocalyptic wasteland, there's still a wealth of dark source material out there that would translate perfectly to the setting.
Sweet Tooth's Horrific Origins
No Twisted Metal adaptation would be complete without the flame-haired clown that's appeared on all of the franchise's video game covers so far. For that reason, it's no surprise that Anthony Mackie's John Doe will be stalked throughout his quest by Needles Kane, aka Sweet Tooth. With law and order likely to have disintegrated completely thanks to the apocalypse, a perfect opportunity has been created for PlayStation Productions to lean heavily into some of the character's darkest storylines.
Over the course of the franchise's history, Sweet Tooth has established himself as one of the most prolific serial killers in gaming. The entries that have cemented this in particular, and should subsequently form the bedrock of his on-screen characterization, are Twisted Metal: Black and 2012's Twisted Metal. In the former PS2 entry, the clown's insatiable desire to be the world's greatest murderer and the trail of chaos he sowed whilst pursuing this goal really came to the forefront of his personality. While it isn't hard to envision this forming the starting point for his motivations within the TV show as well, the narrative that was explored within the latter PS3 installment would likely translate better to the small screen from a story perspective.
During the events of that game, it's revealed that Sweet Tooth was once a family man who was driven insane by his mundane life. After savagely murdering his own wife and son, the clown embarked on a quest to kill the only person who had ever evaded his wrath, his daughter Sophie. Of all the characters that have stalked the franchise, Sweet Tooth is one of the most irredeemable due to the fact that he openly enjoys spreading tragedy like this. Adapting this story in particular would go a long way to creating a disturbing villain for the show that audiences would likely dread. With the live action incarnation of John Doe said to be transporting some form of package, there's a perfect opportunity for the writers to actually make Sophie the cargo, simultaneously justifying Sweet Tooth's pursuit of the protagonist in the process.
Mr. Grimm's Haunted Past
Throughout the Twisted Metal series, Mr. Grimm is one of only three names that has popped up in every installment to date. Besides their shared Grim Reaper-inspired motifs and preference for using motorcycles, there actually exists several different incarnations of the character that are all distinct from one another. While each can claim to have their own tragic backstory, the Mr. Grimm that players control in the PS2's Twisted Metal: Black is by far the most disturbing of the whole bunch.
At the age of 18, this version of the character was forced to fight in the Vietnam War alongside his friend, Benny. After surviving several battles, the pair were captured by the opposing forces and placed within a giant 25-meter hole. Faced with dying of starvation, Mr. Grimm eventually succumbed to cannibalism and ate his recently departed comrade. If that series of events wasn't deeply disturbing enough all within itself, the surviving soldier then fashioned a helmet from Benny's skull. Once freed, Mr. Grimm undertook a campaign of revenge via the Twisted Metal contest, but was constantly plagued by the fact he'd developed a taste for human flesh. Naturally, a live action adaptation of these events would add an extra terrifying dimension to the apocalyptic stakes that already await Anthony Mackie's John Doe.
Dollface's Human Tragedy
If the live action adaptation of Twisted Metal is anything like its source material, there's a decent chance that a lot of the show's cast will be virtually irredeemable killers. It's for this reason that PlayStation Productions might want to consider including characters that have more sympathetic aspects to their stories. One of these that would fit the bill, whilst still offering a disturbing and genre-appropriate tale, would be Twisted Metal 2012's incarnation of Dollface.
Within this version of the Twisted Metal universe, Dollface was a supermodel who was injured in a horrible car crash. Even though she was able to get reconstructive surgery, the character was tragically unable to move past her accident. After embarking on a quest to restore her former life, which involved a bloody feud with Sweet Tooth's clown-themed cult, she was eventually crushed by an airplane after making an ill-worded wish to the devilish Calypso. Unlike a lot of the supernatural-themed stories found throughout the Twisted Metal franchise, Dollface's is one of the more genuinely human and tragic. Including her within the TV show would not only therefore provide audiences with a character to root for, but would also provide the show with a chance to offer her a happier ending.
Twisted Metal is in development at PlayStation Productions.