“I Just Saw A Mustache & I Was In”: Talking Dispatch’s Shady Superheroes With The Cast

The Dispatch cast reveals the chaos, comedy, and redemption of rehabilitating super-villains, the focus of the new AdHoc and Critical Role game.

AdHoc Studio and Critical Role’s new interactive narrative game, Dispatch, offers gamers a unique, chaotic, and hilarious take on the superhero genre. The game puts players into the world of the Z-Team, a motley crew of rehabilitated super-villains forced to perform everyday hero tasks under the watchful – and often bewildered – eyes of their dispatchers. The power to influence the story and forge relationships with this deeply flawed, yet endearing, cast of characters is at the heart of the game’s appeal. The decision-based format gives the game high replay value (Yes, I have already played the first four episodes through multiple times).

Mama’s Geeky recently sat down with several members of the star-studded cast – Laura Bailey (Invisigal), Erin Yvette (Blonde Blazer), Alanah Pearce (Malevola), Mayanna Berrin (Coupe), Thot Squad (Prism), Travis Willingham (Phenomaman), Joel Haver (Waterboy), and the hilarious in-character Lance Cantstopolis (also known as Flambae) – to discuss what drew them to the project, their characters’ designs, and the diversity that a branching narrative offers.

Navigating The Branching Narrative Of Dispatch

The replayability of Dispatch is a major draw for those who get invested in the games they play. The branching narrative allowing players to make dramatically different choices on subsequent playthroughs – and yes, it is really, really fun! This design choice, reminiscent of classic narrative games, was a key factor for the cast.

Travis Willingham, who voices the intergalactic hero Phenomaman, notes the immediate addiction: “I, too, played halfway through the game, went back, played it a second time, played it through to completion, and then started my third playthrough. So I know the pain.”

Erin Yvette, the voice of superheroine Blonde Blazer, spoke about the thrill of this narrative style as both a gamer and a voice actor. “I grew up playing branching narrative games,” she shared. “I’m the type of person who platinumed Heavy Rain. I played through Heavy Rain… I love this sort of storytelling because it puts a huge onus on the player to have fun and explore and wonder… But as a voice actor, it’s so fun to be a part of that story for people.”

She also highlighted the artistic joy of recording the different emotional paths: “Just even as a voice actor to be in the booth and just do so many different ways, like something will happen and then you get to do it five different ways. You’re sad, then you’re angry, is fun as a performer.”

The unique structure demands immense organizational effort, which Mayanna Berrin (Coupe) credits to the AdHoc team. “It can be really tough, keeping track of different directions things are heading in and being reminded of where your character is at a certain time,” she admitted. “But the team at AdHoc was just so good about making sure we knew where we were and what we were doing or what choices had happened in context.”

The Art & Comedy Of Superhero Messes

A key element that sets Dispatch apart is its gorgeous animation and its commitment to comedic chaos. The creators, including former Telltale veterans Nick Herman and Pierre Shorette, sought to break new ground both narratively and visually.

“I love when artists free themselves of their shackles to do something new and exciting,” Yvette explained. Seeing the early animation tests, she knew the project was special: “This is so new for video games to have this high fidelity of hand made animation… it’s really exciting to be involved with a game that is pushing the boundaries narratively and also visually in such a beautiful way.”

The inherent humor of putting flawed, superpowered individuals into mundane yet critical situations is a recipe for laughs. Lance Cantstopolis (also known as Flambae) described the game as “effed up superheroes meets The Office.” This blend of superheroics and workplace comedy clearly resonated with the cast.

Travis Willingham’s character, Phenomaman, even serves as the hilariously stilted voice of the in-game tutorial, a role he relished. “They were very keen on him not understanding the subtlety of that and being very stilted in the read, like trying to put on a powerful voice. But his emphasis is falling in wrong places… That that was so fun and interesting to me because it helps not just the in-game tutorial move by faster, but if we can make you laugh while it’s happening, then it’s sort of serving double duty.”

Getting To Know The Z-Team

During our interview, cast members also revealed what they love most about the chaotic heroes they bring to life.

Laura Bailey as Invisigal

Laura Bailey’s Invisigal (a cool assassin who uses psychic knives) is described as deeply guarded and working against herself. Bailey explains the core of her character: “She has a mask up, right, of a self-defense of just, like, I don’t want to get hurt, and therefore I’m going to hurt before you have the opportunity to come at me.” She cherishes the moments when the player’s choices can penetrate that façade.

And, of course, a fun, meta moment came up when discussing the game’s origin. The interviewer mentioned that Travis Willingham was convinced to join the project after seeing Laura’s work. To this, Bailey lightheartedly quipped:

“I figured I probably broke a couple NDAs with allowing him to see that, but thank goodness I did. I think it really changed the trajectory of even like Critical Role’s [involvement], what we did because of that vertical slice.”

Bailey also touched on the joy of working with her Critical Role friends on other projects: “It’s always a blast… anytime we get to work together outside of Critical Role, it’s like, ‘Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.’ You know, you feel like your buddies are joining the cast. It’s the best.”

Erin Yvette as Blonde Blazer

Erin Yvette views her character as the superhero ideal: “I think Blazer’s what a lot of people have in their heads as the quintessential super heroine… She’s a do-gooder. She sees the good in everyone… and then she also gets to have this really human side of her, which is the desire to not always be seen as the superhero, but also a woman of many qualities.”

Alanah Pearce as Malevola

For Alanah Pearce, the appeal of her character, Malevola, was beautifully simple: “There are many cool things about Malevola, but I think a hot demon lady with a giant sword who can teleport through portals. Yeah. It’s pretty awesome. You can’t really go wrong.”

Mayanna Berrin as Coupe

As both a writer and actor on the project, Mayanna Berrin had a unique perspective on Coupe: “I think the thing I love about Coupe is that if you do get a chance to get to know her well, you find there’s little things about her that are really sweet and warm that she maybe isn’t comfortable sharing with everybody.”

Thot Squad as Prism

Thot Squad’s character, Prism, is defined by her absolute self-confidence and refusal to compromise.

“I love my character, her, I don’t give a f–k, I do not care attitude. I don’t know what the rules are. She’s going to say what she wants when she wants. She’s going to do what she wants… She doesn’t shrink down for nobody. That’s my favorite thing. She’s herself.”

Thot Squad also shared a touching personal reflection on seeing a Black character in the game who looks like her, who is “allowed to exist in a world where she’s not being told to be anything other than what she is,” highlighting the importance of representation.

Travis Willingham as Phenomaman

Travis Willingham’s Phenomaman is a classic, big superhero type, but with a twist. The hero is from another planet and “doesn’t understand subtlety.” Willingham admits that after seeing what his wife, Laura Bailey, was working on, he called up the AdHoc team, asked them everything he could, and was “just absolutely smitten”.

Travis goes on to explain, “They were like, ‘we actually have this other character Phenomaman… He’s got that big, typical superhero type sound… Are you interested?’ And I was like, yes, I don’t know what that means. But yes, let’s dive in.” He adds that the first time he saw Phenomaman, he was thrilled. “I just saw a mustache and I was in. I am a sucker for a power stache.“

Joel Haver as Waterboy

Waterboy, voiced by Joel Haver, is described as lanky and awkward.

“My guy is lanky and weird. I like how his arms are always dangling by his side.”

The Relatability Of The Misfits

Part of the charm of Dispatch is the group of misfits that, even though they are terrible at times, you just cannot help but love them. During the interview I asked the cast what it is about a group of misfits that draws people in.

Willingham summed up the sentiment perfectly: “We’re all misfits. We’re all just trying not to f–k it up too much and string together a couple of wins if possible.” He contrasted this with traditional superhero narratives: “There are plenty of superhero stories over the decades where people are altruistic… It’s 2025, man. Everything’s a mess. People are intricate and complicated. And I think there’s so much humor in there as well that when you throw these personalities together from all these various backgrounds… there’s got to be interesting humor that ensues.”

The idea of redemption also heavily features, as Joel Haver noted: “Playing a game like this reminds you you can get back on top… The redemption is possible. And that’s a beautiful theme… Every character in this game shares that same feeling, which I think is the theme that brings us all together.”

Dispatch Is A Video Game Like You’ve Never Seen Before

If someone hasn’t heard of the game, how would the cast describe it?

Travis Willingham offered a succinct summary: “It is a unique take on the superhero genre where you take crackpot supervillains being rehabilitated as superheroes and set out on everyday tasks.”

Mayanna Berrin elaborated on the player’s role: “It’s a call center for if you need help from superheroes, but they’re all kind of shady. And you have to try to help this team of misfits do the right thing and hope they don’t burn houses down.”

With its stunning animation, laugh-out-loud writing, and a narrative that genuinely reacts to player choices, Dispatch is set to be a standout title. As the cast members – who themselves are eager to continue their own playthroughs – attest, this is one superhero call you’ll want to answer again and again.

Dispatch releases on October 22nd. Be sure to check out our full Dispatch interview for even more fun anecdotes and behind-the-scenes details.

NEXT: Critical Role Campaign 4 Interview: “The Unpredictability Of It Is Really Exciting And Fun.”