Likely the most iconic vehicular-combat series of all time, Twisted Metal is a series that even non-gamers can recognize. This is partially because it's a great game, but also because of the recognizable mascot of the series: Sweet Tooth.
With a Twisted Metal show on the horizon, there's no doubt that Sweet Tooth will be prominently featured in the series. With this being the case, there has never been a better time to look back at some of the pieces of lore that even some of the biggest fans of the franchise have missed.
10 The Car's Name Is Sweet Tooth, Not The Clown
It really is a Frankenstein and Frankenstein's monster situation with the famous serial killer clown. While many call the clown Sweet Tooth (even the characters in the game sometimes make this mistake) the driver of the car's real name is Needles Kane. Considering he's named after the biblical Cain, it certainly gives him a certain sense of murderous mystique.
9 It's The Only Car With The Same Driver In Every Game
Driver consistency isn't common in Twisted Metal with Sweet Tooth being the rare exception. Despite Mr. Grimm and Warthog also appearing in every game, Sweet Tooth is the only vehicle to always have the same driver at the wheel. It's impossible to imagine anyone but Needles Kane at the helm, except maybe the Insane Clown Posse.
8 He Had A "Cameo" On Spongebob
It's okay, read that over twice, it's hard to believe. Still, Twisted Metal did get a shout-out in the famous children's television show in Season 8. In Demolition Doofus, a character named "The Cackling Cruiser" is a clown competing in the demolition derby.
Considering Needles Cane and his famous car are best known for destroying other vehicles, this is an obvious parody of the Twisted Metal franchise. Both of them are vicious clowns behind the wheel after all! Despite this, we don't think he'll be making a cameo in Nickelodeon Kart Racers any time soon.
7 Mr. Kreel Created His Mask
Many fans of the franchise have wondered who created Needles Kane's mask and never realized this was actually revealed in one of the games. In Twisted Metal: Black, one of Dollface's cutscenes shows her former boss, Mr. Kreel, making the iconic mask. There's never an explanation as to why or how Needles got the mask, but it at least provides some details on this long-running mystery.
6 He Was Almost In Mortal Kombat
It's hard to dispute that Mortal Kombat has had amazing guest characters but it's still a shame that Needles Kane was potentially on the roster but didn't make the cut. Ed Boon confirmed that he was being considered for inclusion in Mortal Kombat (2011) but was eventually replaced by Kratos.
While both characters were created by David Jaffe, we can't help but feel the wrong one was possibly chosen in this case. We guess fans will have to live with the one other fighting game where Needles appeared as his only foray into the genre for now.
5 There Was One Game Where He Wasn't A Serial Killer
That's right, not everyone is born and immediately starts murdering people! We'd dare say that almost no one does so. Still, it's hard to imagine Needles's time before he became the manifestation of coulrophobia we all know and love today.
In Twisted Metal: Small Brawl, we get to see Needles in his childhood days as nothing more than a mischievous child. If they only knew what would happen when he grew up someday...
4 The Car Was Referenced In An Adult Game
We don't want to imagine what Needles Kane would do to someone who decided to copy his car, but the folks at Shady Corner Games decided to take that risk. In their 18+ game Shady Lewd Kart, it's possible to unlock a secret kart named Twisted Terry. It's an armored Taco Truck with a flaming raccoon clown head on top of it.
This wasn't even the only character they decided to add in the game as a parody. Metal Shades is an obvious reference to Metal Sonic and Terry Trashette is a reference to Terry Bogard's gender-bent side (sometimes known as Cutie Terry).
3 He Was Inspired By A Real Serial Killer
While never officially confirmed by the developers, it's impossible to imagine that Needles Kane wasn't inspired by famous serial killer John Wayne Gacy. His lack of remorse mentioned in his medical files in Twisted Metal: Black shows Needles has no remorse and homicidal tendencies, just like the other famous killer clown. Even the death of the character's youngest son mimics that of John Wayne Gacy's making the inspiration hard to deny.
2 Twisted Metal: Black Takes Place In His Mind
Not everyone is a completionist so it's easy to miss bits of hidden lore snuck into games. Anyone that didn't unlock Minion in Twisted Metal: Black might have missed that in his story, it's revealed that all of the events in the game happen within the clown's mind. This actually creates some confusing lore issues in later titles that never quite got addressed.
1 His Favorite Ice Cream Flavor Is Strawberry
After a day of murdering innocent people in a decked-out ice cream truck, even a serial killer deserves a small treat, right? Maybe not? Either way, if Needles Kane is sitting down to eat some ice cream it's got to be strawberry. In every game he has appeared in that has him holding a cone, it shows the signature pink scoop with tiny bits of fruity goodness. It's even a major part of his storyline in Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale.