The Hidden Meaning Behind The Cast Of Twisted Metal: Black | Twisted Meta

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NotThatBaconGuy
For the lack of a better title, this is the third (technically fourth) entry into my Twisted Meta series. The series where I examine the hidden meanings behind each of the cast of Twisted Metal: Black. Thankfully, I'm not the first one to think of this, so I don't feel nearly as pretentious.

[@ScarletSho]

What if John Doe actually represents Marcus Kane and Sweettooth's desire to kill his good side. Given John Doe drives Roadkill and that vehicle tends to be driven by Marcus himself, that could be why Calypso kills John Doe in the Roadkill ending.

[@salmon_wine]

I think it's representing Marcus Kane's fears of being discovered, as John Doe's ending is essentially the same as if Sweettooth discovered Marcus was still present in his mind. I imagine Marcus being "brought to the front" of Sweettooth's mind, for a moment, only to metaphorically be "killed off" Edit: spelling. Also, the fitting in with a gang of identical skinheads, and having the classic "unidentified man" name, both feel like the kinds of tactics Marcus would have to use to keep himself secret

[@salmon_wine]

@@SECONDQUEST gonna make my own comment with a brief take on each character but also I feel like Agent Stone is similar, except his is actually Marcus' regret of what he/Needles have done, but his ending basically reveals that piece of Marcus to Needles who then kills it off. I always felt like the guy who shoots Stone looked a lot like Calypso, which would make sense if unmasked Calypso is just Unmasked Sweettooth

[@BigSlick98]

Was gonna comment the samething so I agree.

[@KarnageClown]

This

[@Hitomora]

I think John Doe is what remains of Marcus Kane when Needles Kane is in Control. No matter how hard Needles Kane tries to snuff out Marcus Kane, a piece of Marcus' psyche will remain in the form of John Doe. it's like Needles Kane & Marcus Kane are constantly battling each other for control of the Physical Body AKA John Doe (The Blank Canvas) and once one of the IS in control of the body the other personality has to fight through a Mental Twisted Metal Tournament to regain Control and since each contestant recognizes Minion (Marcus Kane) as the Winner of last year's Tournament shows that Marcus is Currently in Control of the body while Needles is Fighting to gain control.

[@ScrawnySum6906]

For me personally, I think that the Preacher's story could represent how helpless Marcus feels against Needles. Basically, Jebidiah is Marcus & the Demon in his head is Needles and Needles is like a demon that possessed Marcus, and he is trying everything he could to get rid of it. When the Preacher put the curse onto Sweet Tooth, it could be Marcus trying to stop or at least weaken Needles, but he is just to strong. Marcus tries everything he could to stomp out that voice, but nothing could work. Which the same could be said about Manslaughter and how Black could represent just how unstoppable Needles is. No matter what you throw at him, he just keeps going and going.

[@BlackHoleSoul13]

Yellow jacket could also represent needles killing off his former responsible normal adult self, and the kid is the only sane part of him left that's still connected to the original Marcus, his inner child personality. Like a part of him frozen in time as a child when Marcus died as an innocent responsible adult.

[@DioBrandoWRYYYYYY]

I kinda feel like not all of the characters were meant to be mental projections of Needles and another thing that I think might be possible is that maybe some of them are at least partial projections of Marcus as well, and Marcus would feel guilt over things Needles doesn't.

[@mqfii8992]

Could also mean Needles' personal views over either some drivers, like how he sees Axel, or the idea of some cars, like Outlaw and law enforcement.

[@Doombringer_r]

Well they weren't, David Jaffe has said multiple times that the stuff with Minion and all of his loading screens were stuff he made at the very last minute because he forgot to write Minion's stuff. Black taking place in Needles' mind was an afterthought in every possible definition of the word lol.

[@pop000690]

​@Doombringer That would explain a lot of things from some items from Black appearing in the 2012 game and also the explanation in the canned sequel to Black where Manslaughter was sent from another dimensions Calypso to kill Twisted metal Black's Calypso

[@v.k.rt.m.6030]

@@Doombringer_r if it is I don't dislike it. I like the whole thing being the result of that. Because it's like a mental struggle. Also sequel got canned so. Jaffe can yap about not finishing it all he wants but it's already done.

[@super8bitable]

Maybe Axel could be interpreted as Marcus’s regret over his other persona (Needles) killing a loved one while Cage could represent Needles wanting to get rid of the part of him that makes him feel guilt (Marcus) so that he doesn’t feel guilt for his crimes.

[@talkinghoorse6936]

I think that Black represents Needles's desire to kill Calypso but inability to do so. In addition, the bomb with the "screw you" on it, could be a very overt interpretation of how Calypso's wishes are twisted to harm the user.

[@Ghostguy693]

It could also be the opposite at the same time, Sweet Tooth's perception of his inability to be stopped or put down by what's thrown at him, even (or especially) by Calypso. I'd view it more like a "Calypso can't escape me forever" sort of thing.

[@armyofuno8196]

I feel like some can be metaphorical and literal. I imagine Mr Grimm is actually representing Marcus's time in Vietnam and how it made him go insane, and would explain his use with weaponry, meanwhile crazy 8 could represent how he lost his eye and why he wears a mask.

[@D3athL1vin]

it could be marcus was abused by a priest as a child, then later went to serve in vietnam where he became even more traumatized both mentally and physically. his wife cheats on him and he snaps, killing her and changing forever

[@armyofuno8196]

@@D3athL1vin I think when he lost his face and when he returned home his wife was distraught so in a fit of rage he killed her, I think this is true because crazy 8 mentioned he went on a rampage, then I'm assuming junkyard dog represents her getting killed and axel shows his guilt.

[@vtmarik]

Cage makes me think of the whole 'I want the part of my brain gone that makes me sad' as Needles' desire to be rid of the Marcus Kane side of his personality. Black could also be how Needles views the Marcus side of his personality, as just this threat that he has to deal with constantly in the back of his mind and reminding him that he's at war with himself.

[@Archaline]

For me, Black is the representation of the easy way for absolute control over Needles' mind like to delete Calypso entirely without effort. If he does "kill" Calypso then it will give way to Needles as the one above at least in his head effortlessly but sadly Black can never win over Calypso. It must be Needles himself who would bring end to Calypso.

[@kagemushashien8394]

I like how Calypso says "screw you" like a mischievous person.

[@nathanielgarza9198]

I took the game to mean each character is Sweet Tooth’s desires So they black would be his desire to kill Calypso

[@shonenjumpmagneto]

Nice

[@Ghostguy693]

What

[@KamenRaiden]

Yeah fr. Dude had me until he said brain cancer lmfao

[@BungerBugSnax]

The interpretation of No-face being a physical representation of mental scars kinda reminds me of Kratos and how he is permanently scarred with the ashes of his dead family. Both characters were also made by David Jaffe

[@grimsside7796]

John Doe could also represent Sweet Tooth's desire to forget his "weak" past self. The normal guy he used to be. The amnesia would be him trying to bury his old self and compartmentalizing whereas he eventually realizes he needs to kill the person he was not just try to forget, with John Doe's awakening from amnesia and his immediate death symbolizing Needles coming to grips with who he once was and being able to firmly put that side of himself to rest. In a way that could be thought to represent Marcus in the same way.

[@dianalawnder5282]

An interesting thing especially with the idea of Cage and Axel representing guilt (the wish to be rid of it and the fear it will destroy him respectively) its possible the flame on Sweet tooth's head is also representative of this, it is directly caused by his evil actions and it causes him pain, as it was brought upon him by a catholic priest may mean Marcus was a faithful man and he is ashamed he strayed from god's path. Needles finds out the only way to be rid of this guilt is to repent, to ingest blood (similar to catholic mass) and to repent and change his ways, Needles rejects this and kills off calypso for daring to suggest it, accepting the guilt in return for continuing his ways. Its also important to remember that Axel in this universe put himself in the contraption as the pain eases his own guilt for not saving his wife, similar to religious flagellation as a form of repentance and his outstretched arms somewhat resemble crusifixion. Truly I think the religous angle is something worth exploring.

[@Fxrrxt2x]

You have a good interpretation! As a Catholic, the thing about a lot of story-telling and literature is that it is heavily inspired by the Bible. Even if the writers didn't intend for it to be so. All of their literary knowledge stemmed from this very foundation, so we're likely to see these parallels, imagery and themes. Could be it *was* what they were going for, though. Sorry to bring up such an old post 😅

[@thatonequeergundamfan71]

This is actually one great take

[@OrpingtonFeller]

I like the idea of No Face representing several deeper aspects about Needles. His therapy file is also very telling as he isn't receiving any treatment to rehabilitate him but rather just isolate and keep out of society. How do you even rehabilitate someone who's lost so much of themselves after all? Overall he could also represent things like the futility of trying to change his ways and the ineptitude of people that try anyways. No face's closed off eyes and mouth could also be a metaphor for this.

[@nathanielgarza9198]

I see each character as the personification of Sweet tooth’s desires So no face could be his rage, maybe his anger towards the monster he became blaming it on others around him The idea of being isolated showcases he’s unwanted by society and that makes him mad

[@Kyle-nm1kh]

No Face is, imo, a glimpse into sweet tooth's real life state as he imagines all this. And Black is perhaps the one who put sweet tooth into that state. Hence the similar name to the asylum and the title. Just my guess

[@ayeliiife]

I had a physical copy of the game as a kid and an interesting thing about the game was the guide that came with it was acutally No Face's journal. It had doodles, side notes, and all types of things a "personal" journal would. I'm not sure if what's written in the journal is cannon but if that's a case maybe each character is just a made up personality of Sweet Tooth with their own lore and story and the journal written by No Face was actually written by Sweet Tooth while he was in that headspace. I'm also high as shit so don't take this seriously.

[@sweetpepino1907]

Perhaps No Face is a representation of how Needles is scarred to a fully unrecognizable degree. He can never be the person he used to be again, he's fully beyond help like it says in Sweet Tooth's patient profile. Also I'd like to say this is probably the most sound interpretations I've ever heard for the theory of "All characters are aspects of Needles' personality". Very well done.

[@WhipLashJimmyFrank]

I would argue that Brimstone instead the personification of being justified for gain. Brimstone claims he has been trying his whole life to silence the demon in his head when in reality he was just crazy. The truth was that he tried to find an excuse for it. In Sweet Tooth’s story we even see Preacher attempt to curse Sweet Tooth, was this just an attempt by Preacher to pass on the demon into Sweet Tooth’s mind in a selfish attempt for Preacher’s insane ways to be over for good?

[@theycallmetiger7340]

This guy is singlehandedly reviving my love for this franchise, I'm apart of the small few that says small brawl and head on are tied for the best games in the series Black would be number one if it had more production time :'

[@hangyuI]

I love small brawl so bad even with the tonal shift

[@theycallmetiger7340]

@@hangyuI microplastic enjoyer loves small brawl!! We're onto something. I think I have thermal brain damage

[@Migaloo00]

Yo. What makes small brawl your favorite entry in the series? Is it its lightheartedness, the gameplay, the callback to older fan favorite drivers? I find it hard for my head to wrap around lol. I will say the trampoline stage is in my top 5 stages of the entire series.

[@boxtank5288]

It would NOT have actually. The time Black released was the same year as the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on September 11th: 2001. The fact it released when it did meant the game actually got to exist, otherwise? Well look at the PAL version of the game.

[@theycallmetiger7340]

@@Migaloo00 good question!! Of course I have to say a lot of it is nostalgic bias but I do love the game a lot! I think it has a lot in common with my other favorite game, head on! Trapper is really similar to cousin Eddie in the way that it's a mid boss that isn't minion, and I always find new bosses to be fun! And piecemeal is like darktooth! I adored getting all of the secret characters by blowing up secret areas, and some of the jokes were hilarious as a kid haha! Again lots of nostalgic bias from playing it with my brothers as a kid but I've gone back to it year after year and still love it to this day!

[@SpiritxTower]

You can still run with the Cage theory, when he says “better than the clown,” it still lines up with Sweetooth trying to be better than himself / his previous self.

[@MisterMistea]

There's a theme going on with a lot of the characters that I think could represent something greater. The majority of the regular, average people characters were wronged, and it lead them to insanity. Many in different ways. I think they all represent, at least in a way Needles might view it, that insanity is not discriminatory. No matter how they were wronged, whether it be by an intentional act, something that indirectly affected them, or pure happenstance, they all went crazy from being wronged. Perhaps it's how Needles views the world; that everybody, no matter the appearance, age, status or anything, is just as guilty as he is once they reach their breaking point.

[@MisterMistea]

I also think, to add onto your theory about Cage, that Needles could see himself becoming Cage as him without limits. The whole ending line of his campaign may be Needles saying that he finally rid of Marcus, as Cage, would be a greater force for murder than he could ever be attached to Marcus.

[@mikeoxlong1395]

So "he's not a monster, he's just ahead of the curve." He only lives in a society?

[@lordofthesages]

For Black, I’ve always interpreted as him being the actual Black from TM1 coming back to kill ALL of the Calypsos for controlling him, even if’s it’s simply a variant inside of the mind. TM Black: Sweet tooth’s world Calypso: The man organizing it all Minion: The one to awaken from the world Black: Sent to destroy the world

[@J-G9991]

If you take Billy killing his wife first as also true to Needles Kane, Axel might just be the part of Marcus that regrets It. On the subject of this hypothetical wife, I think Spectre's might be Needles contempt for his wife's attachment/love for him, represented by Bloody Mary's personality. Might even just be what caused her to get killed off by Needles. Her love annoyed him. Raven's story for me is maybe more literal, about Marcus wanting revenge on Needles for killing his loved ones. My interpretation of Preacher is also more literal than yours, I think he might be Marcus's attempts at getting rid of his dark side through religion. Imagine everything that happened to Jebediah, but with Marcus instead. Jebediah's suicide is Marcus giving up/losing power after this failed attempt. Cage's Twisted Metal Lost bio might just be Needles finally reaching his ideal self, which is some form of self control, as he defeats his made up rival (Cage) but decides to keep him alive. Also, think about his name, Cage. He feels caged by something in his current form.

[@SeedemFeedemRobots]

i like to think that Axel's story represents Sweet Tooths final moments at the hands of a relative of one of his victims or atleast all the enemies he has made who want him dead. For Preacher, he represents how he may believes he has been possessed by a demon to make him do horrific acts as a coping mechanism, but then comes to terms with becoming a monster, and he knows god will never forgive him, and his flaming head "curse" is to represent his final destination in hell(represented by him falling from a buildingtop down). Bloody Mary's aspect rather then a disdain for love, is that she represents how he never experienced love from either being denied it or the concept of its simply foreign to him and i think Cage's name is also a meaning as his "conscious" is what is restricting him and his desire to be free from guilt and sorrow.

[@salmon_wine]

Interesting takes in the video here. Personally, I feel like many more of the characters exist to showcase the dynamic between Needles, Marcus, and Calypso. Agent Stone: A piece of Marcus, his regret at what he/Needles have done. The ending showcases Needles killing off another part of Marcus. Mr. Grimm: Defenitely a representation of Sweettooth's trauma as a whole. This would be why Calypso gives him everything on a silver platter, no strings... Because Calypso is a part of Sweettooth, and shares that trauma, it's probably as satisfying to him as it would be to Needles. John Doe: An example of the tactics that Marcus uses to hide himself from Needles, as well as Marcus' fear of what will happen to him when he is discovered; to be killed just as he's realizes what's going on, who he is. Bloody Mary: Needles justification for his isolation. It's also sort of how he sees love, through his lense. He knows love is desire, but he can't think of any desire unlike his desire to kill. Mary seeks love like Needles seeks blood, but you can tell which characters represent aspects of Needles because they tend to devolve into gruesome murder. I know, shocking. Doll face: Video pretty much hits the nail on the head. It's how Needles came to exist and why he has stuck around. Raven: Raven is cool because she is a mutual aspect of Needles and Marcus. She is rebellion, the most human part of Needles. Her suicidal musings are like Marcus knowing he could end himself easily. However, she's also Needles defiant desire to kill Marcus. Her license plate refers to Ash, Mr. Ash is confirmed to be Satan, so maybe there's something there too. Needles Kane: See; Tactical Bacon Production's content discussing this ending. Bill Ray: Pretty much what's stated In the video as well. I imagine Billy Ray is to Marcus what Doll face is Needles, if that makes any sense. Preacher: A manifestation of Marcus' desire. Naturally, it doesn't go untouched by Needles "special" way of thinking. Preacher's suicide, to me, represents Marcus losing hope that he'll ever purge his own demon. Could also be mutual. No Face: I don't entirely buy that No Face is how Needles "sees the world"... I think he is what Marcus physically feels he is in the brief moment he regains control over Needles. No Face is to Marcus what Sweettooth is to Needles. It would conceal his identity, while also fitting Marcus' desire for revenge against Sweettooth. Plus, Marcus used to be self-aware that he was in a video game; and TM:Black's manual is said to be No Face's journal, so maybe Marcus wrote the manual in a moment of lucidity? Charlie Kane's Son: Probably the aftermath of Marcus' childhood memories after Needles found them. Sort of pumps up Stone and John Doe being parts of Marcus with the line "Dad said I should always respect police... But they want to take father away... I can't let that happen" Axel: pretty much spot on what's said in the video. Cage: pretty self explanatory. The name "Cage" could come from how Needles feels trapped by those human emotions. Because Marcus has done a good job hiding, Needles doesn't know that it's really Marcus he wants to remove. Black: final piece of the puzzle. It's the thing inside himself that Needles doesn't understand. I think he is Marcus' plan to kill Needles/Calypso, and maybe himself. Although some lore states Mr.Ash created him, it could be that it's the void left by a piece of Marcus' own soul, which he sold to the devil to give him some tool to fight Needles. Black, himself, is that tool. Why it doesn't work? Well, Marcus' hope, the Preacher, is dead. Now maybe THAT is reading too much into things

[@CdogofNod1]

I mostly agree but I think Axel is another fragment of Marcus. His guilt over doing nothing in stopping Needles from killing his wife. "Your wife, she didn't die easy. You should know! She begged for you as I killed her."

[@guillermoleon0216]

Love someone is making TM content!! This is my favorite franchise ever. I personally think Axel doesn't personalize guilt but actually maybe a fear of revenge from any of his victims' families. He knows he's human after all and isn't unkillable. He knows everyone knows him and hates him and maybe this threat feels everyday more tangible.

[@chasemef1]

Your twisted metal content is so good and your killing it in these videos, personally I can’t wait for a new game to be announced. When that happens your going to BLOW UP! Keep going and great work 😄

[@dr.pepperphdindeliciousnes1396]

Firesprite studios is currently working on a new game. Hoping it's fairly decent since no one from the original development team is involved. Praying the game actually comes through on the PS5. This series has been put on the back burner for too long

[@coca-colatrackhousewarrior9925]

2:15: Outlaw (Agent Stone) 3:31: Shadow (Raven) 4:31: Junkyard Dawg (Billy Ray Stillwell) 5:53: Crazy 8 (No Face) 6:51: Roadkill (John Doe) 8:50: Spectre (Bloody Mary) 9:58: Darkside (Dollface) 11:03: Mr Grimm 12:23: Brimstone (Preacher) 13:35: Yellow Jacket (Charlie Kane) 14:34: Warthog (Cage) 16:28: Axel 17:55: Manslaughter (Black)

[@funnyspeedrun84]

here’s a little additional part to your theory. what if characters being hidden/unlockable in game is a representation of them being hidden in Needles’s Head? Needles is a very simple man, all he really cares about is killing, so all he ever cares about, all he ever sees is the surface level, the basics, the base roster as it were. His old Greif about his wife with Axel, His Probably Complicated feelings about his family with YellowJacket, The man he used to be in Minion, all of these are parts of a good man, a regular good man, something the Needles doesn’t care about at best, and actively hunts down at worst, hiding away where they can’t be hurt, simply stuck, along for the ride, knowing that they can’t do anything anymore. Not sure how Warthog fits into this, seeing as he’s basically all that Needles wants to be, but i’ll just say that it’s some primal itch in Needles psyche that believes that those aspects that Needles thought he killed were still there, trying to Hunt down the last remnants of what good the man used to have.

[@karisasani7006]

As for Manslaughter aka Black?

[@funnyspeedrun84]

@@karisasani7006 not exactly sure. best i can guess it’s like he said, a physical manifestation of a brain tumor, and Needles just doesn’t know he has it

[@nathanielgarza9198]

@@funnyspeedrun84 maybe black and manslaughter is what Sweet Tooth can’t accept Manslaughter what if also meant that he can’t be better and will always be held back by a slight inclination to his conscious. While someone comes along like Manslaughter who isn’t becomes the best killer And Black being a tumor of course makes tweet tooth realize he isn’t invincible that he can die

[@metrixbab4254]

Its crazy seeing you dive so deep into this game! I played this game a long time ago, and fie a brief period of time, but this makes me want to get the game again! I love the dissecting of these characters and what they could represent, especially with Cage and Axel! It makes me pretty sad that Harbor City/Lost never got released, as I would love to see how this speculation could be driven further, as I love this idea that each character is but a mere fragments of Needles, and what he is and believes.

[@doomdimensiondweller5627]

Oh my God I had a similar theory for the longest time. I believed that the entire Twisted Metal Tournament happening in Black represented different parts of Sweet Tooth fighting for control. I had one for every character. My theory on who represents what goes as follows. I think Billy Ray represents the simple life that Needles doesn't live and maybe even a past relationship Needles has that went bad. I think Preacher represents Needles view on religion and his distain towards it. Preacher killed a bunch of people thinking he was possesed and it turned out he was crazy and using that as an excuse almost. Could represent how Needles thinks religious people use religion as an excuse for everything. Also Preacher shows up in Needle's back story so more evidence there. Also I think the flaming head represents Needle's religious guilt. I think Bloody Marry represents Needles negative view on women and his inability to find love and his distain for the concept of love I think Outlaw represents his hatred of Law enforcement and Outlaw accidentally killing innocents because of his own rage shows how to Sweet Tooth cops are no better then he is I think Noface represents Needle's not liking doctors. Noface had his face destroyed by a doctor and maybe this reflects a past experience Needle's had I think John Doe is the most interesting one. He drives Roadkill. You want to know who drove Roadkill in all the previous Twisted Metal games ? Marcus Kain. I think John Doe represents Needle's inability to remember his past as Marcus and his lack of identity resulting from it. Also John Doe is killed at the end representing Needle's attempt to scrub away anything having to do with Marcus I think Dollface represents like a lack of identity in life and in the workplace. Dollface had a Mask nailed to her face by her boss (it was meant to be her father initially) and your face is your identity. This could represent how Needle's feels deindividualized in the modern world and Dollface's ending where she embraces her new face could represent Sweet Tooth embracing hit outcast status. Or maybe it reflects his killing desire. Dollface had the mask forced on her and wanted it removed for the longest time before embracing it. This could maybe be how Needle's took to killing. He was almost forced to kill and didn't want to but then eventually embraced it all the way represented in Sweet tooth's ending where he kills Calypso. Maybe Raven could represent a sense of justice inside of him or society's treatment of outcast. Maybe Mr Grim could be a metaphor for the way like society and the military consumes people and throws them away the second they are no longer of use metaphorically shown through Mr Grim's literal cannibalism. I think Charlie Kain and his younger brother represent Sweet tooth's family life. His dead is dead and as in dead to him and the unamed younger sibling could represent Needle's younger sibling and the younger sibiiling controlling Charlie could represent how it felt like the younger brother always got what he wanted. I think Cage is how Needle's sees his competition. Cage to Needle's is a fake and a pussy who talks a big game of being a hardcore killer but is actually really emotional. I think Axel represents the people Needle's effects by killing. Axel hurts himself over the death of his wife instead of moving on and Needles views that as pitiful. I honestly don't have anything for Black.

[@Qvmmy]

great analysis

[@doomdimensiondweller5627]

@@Qvmmy Thanks man

[@rishnix]

Lots of interesting takes there. The Dollface one reminds me too much of real life. How so many people were forced to put on masks and now here we are years later, and a bunch of them are refusing to ever take them off. As for Black, I see it as Sweetooth recognizing that everyone wants to kill Calypso, but he thinks that he's the only one that can ever pull it off. It's his narcissism of how he thinks he's better than everyone else.

[@doomdimensiondweller5627]

@@rishnix Also about Sweet Tooth's ego. Sweet Tooth is the only one to win over Calypso in his ending wear he just kills him. Also another thing is the fact that Calypso is only number 2 on FBI's most wanted with Sweet tooth being number one. Realistically speaking Calypso should be number one. He is magic and the collateral damage from Twisted metal would prboaly kill more people then Sweet Tooth who in Black only killed 36 people iirc.

[@nathanielgarza9198]

I like your interpretation but I like more to imagine each character is a desire that Sweet tooth has Sweet tooth wants internally redemption, love, revenge for what he is, an identity, but he also knows he’s insane that all these concept are too far gone from him like the characters

[@daltonbecker4494]

How about a video that is about how the car relates to the driver symbolically? Like how Axel feels guilty about letting his wife die so his car is less of a "car" and more of a torture device for himself. Or how as a car made out of random parts Roadkill doesn't really have a past so to speak, Just like John Doe. But harder ones are like Doll-face driving Darkside, what connections do her and a Big Rig have? Or Black Driving a giant earth mover?

[@LonelySpaceDetective]

Something I've seen pointed out (idr by whom, I thought it was in TBP's endings video but apparently not, maybe it was in the comments) is that Dollface's story could be read as her having had the desire for revenge against Kreel the entire time; just not having been aware of it until Calypso provided her the opportunity. Either way, with how fast she takes the key away and triggers the death trap Kreel's in, it's apparent that (if possibly only over the course of the tournament) she's learned that Kreel is truly the one who did wrong and is capable of delivering justice onto him. Not to mention how her ending implies she's off to become a vigilante after Kreel's death. With that in mind, perhaps her driving a big rig is meant to represent her hidden depths; the who she is that other people are not aware of and even she herself may not be aware of. You probably wouldn't expect a young girl with severe self-loathing and depression to drive a huge truck, but what about one who may have desire for vengeance and justice brewing underneath the surface? If it matters, the manual reveals she got the truck by hijacking it from a trucker she hitched a ride with, though considering the manual still has references to an early backstory for her that doesn't present at all in the final game, it's subjective how much you want to trust it. EDIT: Now that I think about it, none of this is actually relevant to the video subject of what the drivers represent _regarding Sweet Tooth,_ which is probably what you meant. Welp. For what it's worth, it also just occurred to me that my own hypothesis plays nicely with her being the driver of _Darkside_ specifically rather than just any big rig truck.

[@NoirMouse]

One thing I really like about Dollface's ending is how similar it is to Sweet Tooth's ending. They are both the only contestants to refuse their prize. And in Dollface's case, it is to keep the mask she's wearing. There is also the fact that she heavily implies she will go on to kill more people.

[@Scout-Fanfiction]

This was genuinely interestig to watch and listen to. I've been a fan of the series since the first game, and it's always nice seeing folks diving deep into one of the best games in the series. Thanks man. Got me pondering the characters in a new light, much appreciated.

[@huuuuuumpy]

Algo brought you to my attention and I'm glad for it. I'm enjoying more than just the TM stuff it showed me. Good voice, pacing, and editing. I'd suggest seeing if you can chop down some of the more popular content to their most interesting 60 seconds and upload shorts to help grow and feed the algo. Well done so far.

[@killerbouquet3220]

YES YES I love when you go into these topics! The psychology of twisted metal black video is one of my favorites ever! Where you discuss it all being in Sweet tooth's mind

[@willowmcintire21]

I have my own interpretation of Yellow Jacket's ending. I believe the unnamed Kane child isn't Sweet Tooth's brother, but a young Marcus Kane. Charlie was intended to be groomed as a servant of Calypso if the lost ending in the first game is anything to go by. But given his lack of involvement in subsequent titles, it's obvious that he didn't survive the vetting process of the competition. So, Calypso settled for Sweet Tooth when he saw how eager Needles was to kill indiscriminately. This is why Sweet Tooth typically gets exactly what he wants for his wishes rather than having them twisted like most; it's more convenient to keep him around and happy than to screw him over. It's also why he kills Calypso in his ending; because as much as he likes getting rewarded for murder, he detests being second fiddle to someone else. Hell, usurping Calypso is the basis of his Head-on ending and the entirety of TM4. Yellow Jacket represents the relationship between Sweet Tooth and Calypso and his hatred of him.

[@CdogofNod1]

One of the dialogues when you fight dark tooth in TM2 basically describes Charlie Kane as the driver of dark tooth. Kinda lends credence to the idea that Charlie won the first TM and the lost ending is canon. Edit: typo with TM.

[@willowmcintire21]

@@CdogofNod1 That would seem to lend credence to my theory, just not in the way I imagined. If Charlie was the big boss of TM2, that suggests that he definitely became an immortal servant of Calypso. Thus depriving Marcus of a father and Needles of a kill. He's still robbing Sweet Tooth of a father.

[@CdogofNod1]

@@willowmcintire21 it definitely gives more credit to your theory. Could literally look at it as Calypso saying "well if I can't have the father be my toy, then I'll make you do it". Only for Needles to be more of a problem.

[@Charnel_Heart]

One thing I thought about dollface is that while Billy Ray may represent that 1st kill which was obviously a passionate kill, doll face seems to represent sweet tooth deciding coldly and seriously seriously to resign himself to that lifestyle. Whether it is her start sound sounding scared scared and unsure and like the circumstance was thrust upon her, by the end she almost sounds sure of herself and ready to enter a new phase. Ultimately I feel she represents a sense of initial remorse, and then the rejection of that remorse

[@bigwalrus2706]

Something neat I realized, the song in No Face's cutscenes is an opera about a clown who discovers his wife is cheating, but the clown cannot be upset as the show must go on. Does anyone think this could play into Junkyard Dog's theory?

[@mn_twisted4319]

Nice video again man. My fav twisted metal content maker. Keep it up

[@jtallen6406]

I like to imagine that Axle is a lot more straightforward in terms of what he represents, in that he represents those close to the people he’s killed, the grief that he’s caused them and the idea that even in the event of his death, that grief will always be with them because of his actions.

[@TuxKamen]

I personally saw Cage as representing Sweet Tooth's conscience and Black personifying his rage. I always saw the little boy as his inner child

[@brandondegraw6945]

I think it's a combination of both theories. They both share the "lost cause" line in the treatment section of their respective profiles. Axel may be manifested guilt executing sweet tooth in the perfect way(in his mind anyway).

[@LimitBreakr424]

I really enjoy your Twisted Metal content

[@TheRogDawg05]

I absolutely love your twisted metal videos. especially Black. to me, this is the best game in the series by far. and everything in it is so interesting and fascinating

[@zzmarkus8788]

Hello! I’d like to say that I’m a recent subscriber and I adore your content, I’ve been watching your God of War and Twisted Metal videos over and over again as background noises and goes up there as one of my go to! Keep up the quality and fantastic content! ❤️

[@BJI82a]

This game is so deep and fun we really need a true sequal to this diamond in the series. I thought black was a call back to the first twisted metal ending where his demon form was shown and fans wanted to play as him besides minion. Like you said the game could be a fever dream and black could be cancer or a tumor, or maybe the fire is destroying his brain and he could be the start of dementia or altimaers since in his intros he says he only knows 3 lessons but can still drive.

[@WhyDisciple]

I knew TM Black was a narrative masterpiece for its time, this solidifies it for me.

[@ATMAnubis]

Here is my interpretation of the meaning behind Raven: Raven is a representation of Sweet Tooth's sanity before he became what he is. Her friend Kelly represents a remnant of Sweet Tooth's former personality as Marcus Kane. The two jocks are an embodiment of Sweet Tooth's split personality of Needles Kane that emerges and ultimately drowns what was left of Marcus Kane aka Kelly. Blackfield Asylum could represent Sweet Tooth's mind in a prison of darkness. Raven's parents could represent Sweet Tooth's memories of his former self that he despises. The Voodoo Dolls are Sweet Tooth's way of repressing anything that reminds him of who he once was.

[@fromvault801]

My theory on John Doe is Sweet Tooth no longer knowing who he was after what he became. I also thought that the Asylum was Sweet Tooths head and all the different inmates were just split personalities. Honestly unless Jaffe or someone else says something all we're doing is creating our own versions. And when people start doing that they unknowingly are fixing the problems/holes instead of understanding there's nothing extra there.

[@boltthunder2061]

your view behind john doe makes sense seeing the previous drivers of outlaw mainly the twins they joined the twisted metal tournament ether with supervisors permission seeing as how the people who are killed in the crossfire could be seen as martyrs for the greater good as the tournament is over and it wont claim anymore lives. Or without their supervisors permission thinking they would be forgiven for ending something that takes almost as many lives as the purge seeing as how the drivers of outlaw can get away with taking part in twisted metal if its for the greater good.

[@butterknutts5888]

Well David Jaffe did create this story so seems plausible, I always took his stories as seeing how fake the world is depending on how "You/We" look at it.. and how it can all change in an INSTANT. It's like i always say "You're only one day away from turning your life around." For better or for worse.

[@Rad1antGeneralZelcina]

I see Axle more as Sweet Tooth revelling and enjoying being the cause of misery for people’s lives that were affected by the people Sweet Tooth has killed. Him being chained up and shot by Axle could also represent what these affected people want to do to Sweet Tooth, getting cold hard revenge.

[@lucasborba611]

U still making content about that series man, thank you a lot

[@MelancholyRequiem]

My theory for this game is that there is a real Twisted Metal Tournament happening, and this game is how Sweettooth views his competitors. Like, he knows what the car is called, and he knows just the smallest amount about who is driving the car, and using that, he imagines what must be motivating them through his own bias. Like, of course a guy like Billy Ray would want to take revenge on a cheating wife. Goth girl? She must be a witch. Etc. This was my personal explanation as to why all the stories seemed much darker than in previous entries.

[@alexanderkreczkevich8100]

I've been a twisted metal fan since I was 11 (26 years ago DAMN I'm feeling old) and I love your deep dives into the series , even if you are a newcomer. Keep up the good work and MAY AXEL REIGN SUPREME EVERY TWISTED TOURNAMENT! =P

[@dougwalker8068]

The idea of Black surviving may also have to do with cancer cells still persisting after death. I believe I remember hearing about that, but I may need to double check.

[@fivecent4614]

Looking at Axel, I personally think he is both the internalized crushing guilt and the ideal eventual death that he seeks as an end to his mad rampage. He could also potentially be an extension of Marcus that is meant to, at the least, distract the clown while the main portion of Marcus finds an opening to blitz in and seize control, seeing as Minion has a large vehicle with some good armor while Axel is exposed.

[@fivecent4614]

Going further into Axel and my thoughts about him, Axel's ending could be what Marcus wants to do to Needles/Sweet Tooth completely. Getting rid of the clown by metaphorically ending his existence within his mindscape would mean that there would be no more homicidal clown vying for control, which would most definitely be something Marcus desires. Really, thinking on it now, any ending where the clown is dead is Marcus's deepest desire, but as seen with the child controlling the corpse, there could be no way of escaping fate and permanently being rid of Needles. As it appears, Needles will always find a way to come back and Calypso taking the child with him could be Needles being reborn through another death of innocence. That could also point to the possibility of outside interference that is working to keep Needles, aka Sweet Tooth, active.

[@GinGojira]

Perfect. Just got done with studying and now enjoy yet another great video from you

[@bobsapdagger]

It's possible that Black is a personification of Needles' desire to snuff out the very last fragment of his conscience. If Calypso is the ego it stands to reason that Needles would see that as one last barrier to making sure that Markus Kain is erased. That would also connect with Sweet Tooth's insomnia. He knows that Markus Kain is still within him, that's why he refuses to sleep and he views his Ego as a possible barrier, someone actually protecting the last bit of his humanity.

[@Rdotmop]

I think there is a chance that Twisted Metal Black is at least sort of real, given that even in other games Marcus doesn't think the world he's in is real. Granted, Black in general is still likely not what it seems no matter what way you could interpret things just due to the fact that neither Marcus or Needles is exactly stable and that it seems to be shown through their point of view

[@rahcollier7006]

My theory is that this is how Needles interpreted the very first twisted metal. This is what he projected onto the other competitors.

[@jankemjunkie6564]

Gotta love how this game’s story is still keeping us speculating.

[@tigersympathiser2265]

I feel like Black is either through the form of cancer, an additional trigger for Sweet Tooth's snap, or maybe an evolution of Cage, the final apotheosis of discarding any humanity

[@nathanielgarza9198]

Maybe it’s Sweet Tooth’s innate desire to kill everything

[@Heattokun]

Something I thought of - what if in Head On, Sweet tooth swapped places with Calypso, calypso offed himself, then Sweet tooth hopped dimensions and got placed into Sweet tooth’s body in the black universe, was captured, and then he asked himself for a wish - one last twisted metal tournament - that all happens in his head EDIT: also, I’d say Small Brawl’s sweet tooth has a similar slasher smile to Son in the Mr.Kane & Son duo

[@mqfii8992]

Another way to see this Is to how Needles Kane sees the drivers or at least the overall role of each recurring car and driver, like how he sees Axel as a person or Outlaw and its drivers.

[@marcrutzou716]

i have been waiting more than 6 months for another twisted metal lore video frome you

[@bloodrunsclear]

Guilt seems to be ironically a theme of Sweet Tooth. His head being set on fire by a preacher is pretty implicit on that front.

[@MrRonald327]

What can I say, Needles is a man of many faces. Freud could write a best-seller on Needles.

[@RastadasPT]

My guy out here uploading video after video on Twisted Metal. I'm not a fan of the genre, nor I ever played the game... But your videos always tell a story and I love watching them!

[@YungStinkyWinky]

Outlaw/John Doe could also be symbolic of Sweet Tooth losing his grip on who he is/was, the amnesia and mind-splitting from his life prior to being Sweet Tooth? So now all he is is Sweet Tooth, while having personalities within him that would perhaps remember the past (Minion etc)

[@TheRedRaccoonDog]

Charlie Kane and son are almost a metaphor for Marcus and Needles. Charlie is a corpse piloted by his son, Marcus is (as far as Needles knows) is dead and piloted by Needles.

[@Yaboybaddog]

I was waiting for someone to explain the meaning of the characters. Thank you

[@stevensigl]

Thank you for this content, can you believe as a pre teen this was my first PS2 game I got for the system. Been in love with it ever since, hell I still own that copy with the original case and booklet.

[@TheHomieLew]

Never played this game but good video. From what I gathered here I think you could take the topic of the psyche you mentioned earlier and apply it to Black. Killing Calypso would essentially sever the superego from the id, causing Needles to go completely insane. Seeing as Black is an outside force he could possibly represent the society that made him that way, or even the passing of time as his sanity slips. Like his ending, these things march on after "Calypso" is dead and gone

[@Hitomora]

I think John Doe is what remains of Marcus Kane when Needles Kane is in control. Marcus is snuffed out and left with no memory of who he is and has to take on the persona of Minion to fight back and regain control of his body while Needles (in the Real World) wrecks havoc in their body killing people until Marcus/Minion regains control. think of it this way: Every time Needles Kane is in control of the Main Body, Marcus Kane has to fight in a Twisted Metal Tournament to win back Control of the Main Body. which is why the Twisted Metal games can take MANY shapes and forms over the years with different continuities (going from a wacky circus like TM4 or becoming a Super surreal environment like TM:Black).

[@clarencegutsy7309]

It's also worth noting some cars have underlying themes to them through various games. Shadow for example is driven by those out for revenge, Spectre is (mostly) driven by those consumed by their own vanity, Darkside is driven by those that had something taken from them and so on.

[@Rdotmop]

I'm not sure what to make of it, but it does stand out to me that Sweet Tooth talks about the Preacher during one of his loading screen messages. "Damn preacher. Pious bastard. Think he never did wrong? You dig up his past, you'll be sickened by the truth..."

[@logicallayman2267]

I think I have an alternate explanation of No Face and John Doe, the first represents those that Sweet Tooth killed that he directly did not get to see so to speak the multitude of bystanders in the twisted metal contests, while the second is those that he got to see died but never knew their names. That's why their names are No Face and John Doe.

[@BlooTeg]

Having just finished the series only makes these video even greater

[@Diabetic64]

Y'know now that I think about it, if this is all in Needle's head, then this whole thing is him just killing off all his traits so that he can just be a cold blooded killer. Cause he's killed off all his "minor traits" as moreso regular opponents, but Minion gets a whole boss fight because he's not just a random aspect, hes he's literally 1/3 of Sweet Tooth. And that's why killing Calypso is so easy at the end, cause he's too strong to be stopped at that point. Plus, his wanting for his fire head to be gone could also be symbolized by this. He just wants to be a murderer and feel nothing else, hence the desire to be rid of it. And the Preacher in the cutscene could just symbolize a therapist or prescription meds. And that's what the blood he's offered really is, the Ego, trying to make one last peaceful negotiation for Needles to accept that he's human. And the fire could also be a metaphor for "The Last embers and light" of his humanity, cause without it, there would only be darkness

[@aciura3964]

Twisted Metal Black Was Lowkey A Masterpiece If You Actually Think About it and is my favorite of the franchise

[@nikoenciso01]

Up there with Super Mario World Mortal Kombat 3 Metal Gear Solid Golden Eye Like it one of Classics Console Defined by these titles like if ya had a PS2 ya had or played Black 😢I miss that era

[@johnlucas2838]

I always thought John Doe was Sweet Tooth successfully scrubbing Marcus from his mind, which is why the driver of Roadkill is an Amnesiac. And if John Doe were to regain his memories, Sweet Tooth would kill him. Meaning Sweet Tooth would kill Marcus if Marcus were successful in regaining his mind and or body.

[@GrifterTheBoyIdiot]

Thank you TBP for your content

[@Issac_The_Last_N7]

I would have never thought this was a theory, really cool actually

[@lightninstriker10]

I could see John Doe being an amnesiac as the psyche of Needles/Marcus not knowing for real who he is, or who is actually in control, John's moment of clarify and joy at remembering his identity as an upstanding "good guy" is immediately shattered by Calypso shooting him, as if Marcus having a similar moment of clarity, one of seldom few in his life, is immediately torn asunder by the emergence of Needles tearing it all away as he realizes what's really going on in his head.

[@blastboy8000]

I think that the Black universe was made by the other versions of Calypso because Sweet Tooth kept taking over their competitions/bodies, so now every time he wants to take over in any given universe he wins in they just send his mind there as that Calypso.

[@toastingtoasterful]

For me I like to thing black represents the unknown. Like we don't know what fate has in store for anyone and we can die of something simple and there nothing we can do to stop it. And that's something sweet tooth would hate

[@Nickles4]

It’s a good day when TBP uploads a twisted metal video

[@thefirkman7400]

I always though Black represented Needles' most primal urge to kill, seeing as killing Calypso is his one single desire, the thing he was "made" for. The bomb could've been Marcus' hail mary attempt to try to suppress his urge when he's awake, to destroy Black, but no matter what Marcus does, Needles always takes control, and Black will always survive.

[@vagranthippopotamus2738]

So cool that people are still giving attention to this franchise. Loved playing them as a kid and Black specifically scared the crap out of me lol

[@noogie9700]

The way you talk about Junkyard Dog working an honest job and proceeding to kill for the first time makes me think of the duality of sweettooth working as an ice-cream man while murdering. Possibly could be the dichotomy of an honest job leading to a gruesome kill.

[@jneal1347]

I feel like No Face represents identity crisis and loss of meaning in life, and Dollface represents imposter syndrome and loss of ambition.

[@Agentshadling]

Black is also a callback to Black from TM1 as an entity that Calypso stole from Mr. Ash but was taken back, Mr. Ash could've been the one to send Black to kill Calypso.

[@elijahliles2476]

You know I thought of something about mr Grimm maybe he’s the aspect of his survival instincts kicking in order for him to survive and what ever he has to do in order to survive

[@seanmiller4170]

Here's a question worth being discussed. Perhaps not as a video, but down here in the comments. Why does Marcus Kane take the guise of Minion in this mental world? Is disguising himself as a literal demon the only way Marcus could think of to avoid suspicion from Needles? Or it some weird metaphor of Marcus having a demon inside him that has broken through?

[@fnafking4154]

One year ago and back for more, we missed you

[@Hwje1111]

I think that Axel represents how Needles sees his victims and their families. Relishing in the delight of their suffering and seeing them as wrecks that are irrelevant to him.

[@brawlmaster7]

Great video! hahah, a few funny side / foot notes is that, inna interview with david jaffe about Twisted Metal Blacks ' Characters, is that, there was only a FEW that were.. pretty much just made for the game, and the depth (while can be interpreted) is pretty nondescript for the most part, minion's character & his truck was mainly created for a boss in the game, and minions ' story line was conceptualized cause jaffe was sick one day and just decided to say "ahh screw it" and made a fun little code for the players to decode and add a small twist to the gameplay xP pretty cool! as for manslaughter / black, he was pretty much just a throw away character that ended up being paired with the construction vehicle / Bell-40, so they're pretty much there just for entertainment purposes xP cool shit though!! P.S dollface is the cutest & has the best character prologue, and epilogue, (DON'T AT ME >:D)

[@AlmostCoolGuys]

I wasn't prepared for the allegorical explanation of a death match game. I'm glad to be around during this gilded age!

[@dylanwight7807]

You deserve more subs man quality content!

[@StriderStryker]

I wonder when TBP talks about the live action adaptation…

[@TBP]

I'll talk about it when there's something to talk about.

[@pingassuck7149]

I think that roadkill's theme, about the hypocrisy in law enforcement, is reenforced by one of sweet tooth's loading screen monolouges. In which he says something along the lines of "I'm a murderder but so is the freak who cursed me".

[@fennecwolfox]

I could see John Doe as representing Needles as a whole: A good and evil side entangled and against each other, with the good side forgotten and hidden away, like how Marcus is to Sweet Tooth. And like Marcus, if discovered, he dies.

[@AmyraCarter]

"Oh, I said 'Bloody Mary' three times." I imagine that you weren't in front of a silver framed mirror, in near darkness when you uttered the name of the wraith. You're fine, lolz