View source for Twisted Metal/Characters

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The list of drivers for the ''[[Twisted Metal]]'' franchise.

== Recurring characters ==
=== Calypso ===
[[File:Calypso smiling 5130.png|frame]]
{{quote|"I am Calypso. And I thank you for playing Twisted Metal!"}}

The mysterious host of the Twisted Metal contest. Few details are known of his [[Backstory]], except his whole family died in a car accident years ago and his wish-granting powers were stolen from Minion, allowing him to survive. He's been holding Twisted Metal for 10 years, with the second game being the 11th entry. He's in all games, but only once as a car driver.

* [[Actually Pretty Funny]]: Despite being a complete [[Jerkass]] with granting wishes, Calypso can be pretty funny in really making them as ironic as possible.
* [[A God Am I]]: His powers allow him to fulfill any wish, from [[Time Travel]] to [[Reality Warper|warping reality]]. He's, however, unable to use them to fulfill his own desires, and can't deny a contest winner his/her own, even if he doesn't want to or harms him. Fortunately for him, [[Literal Genie|he can get around that most of the time...]]
* [[Badass Longcoat]]: ''Head-On''.
* [[Bald of Evil]]: ''Black''
* [[Big Bad]]
* [[Big No]]: Minion's ''Twisted Metal 2'' ending.
* [[Cheshire Cat Grin]]: ''Twisted Metal 2''.
* [[Cool Airship]]: His blimp, which he uses as a hideout in both ''2'' and ''3''.
* [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]]: Depending on the game, he is presented as such. The reboot makes it more explicit by portraying him as the CEO of Calypso Industries.
* [[Dead Little Sister]]: As detailed in the comic tie-in for ''2'' (see [[Mysterious Past]] entry), his sister's death is what sets off the events that'd turn him into Calypso. She's also referenced by Minion in his ending.
** [[Death Seeker]]: Following from the above, having accidentally killed his sister made him this for most of his life.
* [[Deal with the Devil]]: How he got his powers in the comic tie-in. After besting Minion in a race, the devil (a demolition derby fan) allowed him to return to Earth in exchange of doing annual competitions to give him and his cohorts plenty of souls to play with in Hell.
* [[Depending on the Artist]]: Calypso's appearance varies within the series. In the live-action endings to ''Twisted Metal'', Calypso's facial burns are the most extreme, making his face look like hamburger meat wearing a wig. In ''TM 2'', Calypso's facial scars are much less prominent, and in ''3'' and ''4'', he didn't seem scarred at all. ''Black'' is an alternate continuity, where his scarring is absent, but he's bald and missing an eye. In ''Head-On'', his hairline is receding and he is missing an eye, looking like a cross between his ''2'' and ''Black'' incarnations. Finally, in the [[Play Station 3]] version, he is portrayed as being in his 30's with no scarring, both eyes intact, and a head full of shoulder-length black hair.
* [[Depending on the Writer]]: The source of Calypso's powers varies multiple times. In the original, he had stolen a demon, Black, from Mister Ash, and the demon was the one granting wishes. In ''2'', it's his powers were stolen from Minion. ''4'' handwaved it as a magic ring.
* [[Evil Twin]]: Main-Calypso seems to treat ''Black''-Calypso like this, going by Black's ''TM:Lost'' profile. [[Evil Versus Evil|And since he's no saint either...]]
* [[Even Evil Has Loved Ones]]: Calypso ''will'' screw up your well-intended wish, unless you happen to be his daughter...
* [[Eyepatch of Power]]: ''Head-On''.
* [[For the Evulz]]: Thus far, this seems to be Calypso's motivation to create a [[Deadly Game|bloody tournament]] which leaves destruction on its wake.
* [[Good Scars, Evil Scars]]: In the first games, his ''whole face'' is burnt from the car accident.
* [[Karma Houdini]]: Canon-wise he keeps the tournament going without any punishment, and in most endings he suffers no punishment, with a few exceptions.
* [[Large Ham]]
* [[Like a Badass Out of Hell]]: Calypso got his wish-granting magic by stealing a demon (Minion)'s powers on the way to Hell, after the car crash that killed his family.
* [[Literal Genie]]/[[Jackass Genie]]: Mostly the former.
* [[Manipulative Bastard]]
* [[Mysterious Past]]
** A comic tie-in for ''2'' revealed a large amount of info on his past. He was an unbalanced demolition derby driver with suicidal tendencies in life, and after the car accident, managed to [[Badass Driver|outdrive]] [[Lightning Bruiser|Minion]] in Hell. The Devil allowed him to return to Earth, in exchange for Calypso running an annual contest, sending both drivers and bystanders alike to Hell.
* [[Narrator]]: He himself narrates most endings in ''Twisted Metal 2'' and ''Head-On''.
* [[Player Character]]: Only during ''Twisted Metal 4''.
* [[Reality Warper]]
* [[Red Eyes, Take Warning]]: His newest incarnation's eyes glow red when he grants wishes.
* [[Ring of Power]]: ''Twisted Metal 4'' attempted to explain his powers with one.
* [[Self-Made Orphan]]: According to the comic tie-in for ''2''. In his first attempt at suicide, he grabbed at his father's head and forced a multi-car accident, killing both his parents.
* [[Shock and Awe]]: Some games portray him using lightning as part of his wish-granting powers.
* [[Tragic Keepsake]]: In the comic tie-in for '2'', the doll that belonged to his dead sister.
* [[The Voiceless]]: In ''Black'', he's never shown speaking onscreen (or even moving, save for a brief instance in Sweet Tooth's flashback movie).
* [[You Nuke'Em]]: His Special in ''Twisted Metal 4'' is a mini-nuke.

=== Needles Kane ===
Driver of '''Sweet Tooth''', an ice cream truck. A [[Ax Crazy|deranged]] [[Serial Killer]] dressed as a [[Monster Clown|clown]]. A former mental patient that escaped and turned into a mad serial killer. He appears in all games. The reboot dwells more into his origins and his quest to [[I Will Find You|find "the one who got away".]]

* [[Art Shift]]: Dramatically shifted across the series. In the original, he had green hair. The sequel gave him a burning scalp, while ''3'' and ''4'' had much more ornate costumes. In ''Black'', rather than have facepaint, Needles wore a mask. He also wore polka-dotted pants with suspenders and no shirt. ''Head-On'' adopted the design from ''Black'' for the main games (though his ending shows the mask as being [[Expressive Mask|expressive]]), and the 2012 game also reused it.
* [[Ax Crazy]]
* [[Bad Humor Truck]]
* [[Circus of Fear]]: ''Twisted Metal 4'' has him running one.
* [[Complete Monster]]
* [[Creepy Child]]: In ''Small Brawl''.
* [[Cursed with Awesome]]: In ''Black''.
* [[The Cameo]]: He appears as a secret character in War of the Monsters and Hot Shots Golf 2 due to his unofficially being the [[Mascot]] for Sony.
* [[Evil Mask]]:  {{spoiler|In the 2012 game, Needles managed to overtake Marcus's personality only after Marcus carved the mask. His son eventually dug up the mask, and Calypso had one made for Sophie when he resurrected her.}}
* [[Evil Laugh]]: His iconic laugh in ''Twisted Metal'', ''2'', and ''Small Brawl''.
* [[Evil Versus Evil]]: He doesn't really like Calypso and wouldn't mind unseating him (which he does in ''4'' and his ending for ''Head-On'') but don't think if he took over that he'd be any more well-meaning than Calypso...
* [[Expy]]: Of [[The Joker]], at least in the first game. Later adopted an original image in the sequels, with ''Black'' finally making him a unique breed of [[Monster Clown]].
* [[Find the Cure]]: His wish in ''Black'' is a cure for his head-on-fire curse. {{spoiler|In the ending, he changed his mind. Since he would have to stop killing. He ''does'' have his priorities.}}
* [[Flaming Hair]]: Beginning with ''Twisted Metal 2''.
* [[Imaginary Friend]]: His best friend in ''Twisted Metal'', {{spoiler|a brown paper bag named Crazy Harold the Wacky Lunch Sack}}.
* [[Game Breaker]]: Taken to absurd levels in ''4'' where he's an SNK boss. Damn that cheap special weapon!
* [[Guest Fighter]]: He has been made a playable character on ''[[PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale]]''. Given his E-rated co-stars in the game, his violence-level has been severely toned down.
* [[I Am Not Shazam]]: Sweet Tooth is the car's name, but it's commonly used to refer to the driver as well. Worth noting there are a few instances in-game where he's referred to as Sweet Tooth, implying that he assumed it as his murderer name or Clown Name..
* [[It's Personal]]: Needles mentions before the [[Boss Fight]] that Warhawk was the one who captured him 3 months ago. And he's not happy about that.
{{quote|"Well boys 'n girls, it's payback time."}}
* [[I Will Find You]]: His motive in the reboot is to find "the one who got away" (Marcus's daughter Sophie) and kill her, finishing what he started.
*  {{spoiler|[[Killed Off for Real]]: In the reboot, although his son is there to take his place...}}
* [[Mental World]]: {{spoiler|Marcus claims ''Black'' is all in Needles' head.}}
* [[Monster Clown]]
* [[Red Eyes, Take Warning]]
* [[Red Oni, Blue Oni|Red Oni]]: Of Marcus.
* [[Series Mascot]]: Has been the iconic image for the franchise since the start.
* [[Slasher Smile]]
* [[SNK Boss]]: In ''4'', mostly due to his insane special that is extremely difficult to dodge and is likely to kill the player if it connects.
* [[Start of Darkness]]: The 2012 reboot finally gives him one.
* [[Sympathetic Murderer]]: Needles has been stabilished as a ruthless [[Serial Killer]] as the series progressed, but the scenarists never really went into detail about the murders, or what kind of people Needles likes to kill, with this the killer clown comes out favorably in the fandom. The [[Play Station 3]] reboot is even going to give him a backstory where he once was a nice family man and adored ice cream truck driver.
** Averted, since his goal in the [[Play Station 3]] Twisted Metal is to find [[Final Girl|the woman who escaped his original spree of murders]] and wants to use his wish to find her.
* [[That Man Is Dead]]: In the reboot,  {{spoiler|he keeps pestering Marcus into personifying him as the clown mask. After he was done making the mask, Needles pretty much [[Split Personality Takeover|took over]] and declared that he killed him.}}
** This exchange in particular
{{quote|Wife: "Marcus! No!"
Needles: "Marcus does not live here anymore." }}
* [[Transforming Mecha]]: His car special in ''Black'' makes it turn into a giant clown-esque robot. The alternate special for the Sweet Tooth vehicle in the 2012 reboot keeps this.
* [[Villain Protagonist]]: He's easily the most popular and iconic character in the game.

=== Marcus Kane ===
Driver of '''Roadkill''', a beat-up car made of spare parts. A homeless man who claims the world to be false, and enters the contest seeking to be released out of it. In ''Twisted Metal 2'' and ''3'' he was played as a crazy man, but ''Head-On'' {{spoiler|reveals he's the [[Split Personality]] of Needles Kane}}. In ''Black'', {{spoiler|he is revealed to be Minion's driver, trapped inside Needles' head.}}

* {{spoiler|[[All Just a Dream]]: His ''Twisted Metal 2'' ending. [[Or Was It a Dream?]]}}
* [[Badass Beard]]: Sorta.
* [[Bedlam House]]: He's sent to one in his ''Twisted Metal 3'' ending.
* [[Red Oni, Blue Oni|Blue Oni]]: Of Needles.
* [[Breaking the Fourth Wall]]: In his ''Twisted Metal 2'' profile, he address the player directly, claiming he can see the player sitting up in his living room playing his little video game. [[Justified Trope|Justified]] by his story.
* [[Cypher Language]]: His method of communication in ''Black''.
* [[First Contact]]: In ''Twisted Metal 3'' he claims he got contacted by aliens who told him he's going to win the contest.
* [[Hobos]]: He's been living in his car for 10 years.
* [[Precision-Guided Boomerang]]: His special in ''2'' and ''Head-On''. The boomerang would do triple damage if it hits the target on its way back.
* [[Mental World]]: He believes so in ''Head-On''.
* [[Only Sane Man]]: As perceived by him.
* {{spoiler|[[Split Personality Takeover]]: The end result that led to the existences of Dark Tooth and Tower Tooth in ''Head-On''.}}
**  {{spoiler|What happens to him in the 2012 reboot, with Needles taking him over after convincing him to carve him (Needles) as a mask.}}
* [[You Have to Believe Me]]
* [[Your Mind Makes It Real]]: He's convinced the whole contest is in his mind in ''Head-On''.

=== Mr Grimm ===
Driver of '''Mr. Grimm''', a motorbike. [[The Grim Reaper]] himself, who either seeks Calypso's soul or something related to his addiction to souls. Appears in all games, though not always is the same character story-wise. In ''4'', he's replaced by a skeletal pirate named ''Captain Grimm'', who plays largely the same. In ''Black'', he's a [[The Vietnam War|Vietnam]] veteran that has become [[I Am a Humanitarian|cannibal]] after being forced to eat his friend during their time as POWs, and enters the tournament seeking revenge on the Vietnamese officer that drove him to do it. The reboot is another reinvention, as this version of Grimm is a stuntman turned gang leader seeking to [[Set Right What Once Went Wrong|go back to the past and save his father from that tragic stunt accident.]]

* [[Badass Biker]]
* [[Badass Grandpa]]: He's got to be at least in his 50s during Black if he's been locked up in the asylum for 30 years since 'Nam.
* [[Collector of the Strange]]: The first game states he's a collector of souls.
* [[Deal with the Devil]]: Implied to have one with Calypso in his ''Twisted Metal'' ending.
* [[Dreadlock Rasta|Dreadlock Biker]]: His latest incarnation.
* [[Expy]]: [[Ghost Rider]]
* [[Fantastic Drug]]: Souls are just that for him.
* [[Flaming Hair]]
* [[Flaming Skulls]]: He throws these as his Special.
** [[Sinister Scythe]]: In Black, it's these. [[Kill It with Fire|Still on fire though.]]
** [[Chainsaw Good]]: In the [[Play Station 3]] game, he chucks these instead. [[Kill It with Fire|Can also be on fire, if he drags it along the road first.]]
* [[Glass Cannon]]: Drives the car with the lowest defense (no surprise given its motorcycle), but compensates it with high speed and the most damaging Special.
* [[Kill'Em All]]: In his ''Twisted Metal 2'' ending, {{spoiler|he asks Calypso to speed up the death rate so he can feast on plenty of souls. Calypso does so, engulfing the planet into senseless murder and conflicts, thus supplying Grimm with a flood of souls to feast on. This, however, only lasts so much and soon the Earth is left uninhabited and Grimm hungrily longing for more.}}
* [[Pirate]]: His (awful) ''Twisted Metal 4'' rendition, aptly named Captain Grimm.
* [[Scary Black Man]]: His latest incarnation.
* [[The Grim Reaper]]: Duh!
** Except in ''Black'', the bios in ''TM:Lost'' explaining what happened to characters after Black state he went insane started to think he's [[The Grim Reaper]].
** Except in ''Twisted Metal (2012)'' as well, the skull face paint is in honor of his late father.
* [[No Party Like a Donner Party]]: In his ''Black'' ending, Calypso offers him a mano-a-mano with the officer who put him in the situation to begin with... and Grimm realizes he acquired a taste for long pork. No explanation needed for what comes next.
* [[Shadow Discretion Shot]]: Mr. Grimm eating his squadmate Benny in ''Black''.
* [[Shell-Shocked Veteran]]: ''Black''.
* [[Tragic Keepsake]]: In his ''Black'' incarnation, Mr. Grimm kept his friend's skull and ''wore it as a mask.''
* [[The Vietnam War]]
* [[The Voiceless]]: Captain Grimm doesn't speak at all...
** [[Talking Animal]]: ...It's his parakeet the one who does the talking. Huh.

=== Preacher (Jebediah) ===
Driver of '''Brimstone''', an El Camino. An evangelist who believes he's possessed by a demon during an exorcism, who then forced him to murder. Wants to get rid of it. ''TM:Lost'' has him return to his car {{spoiler|after he killed himself}} searching for those who wronged him. He makes a couple of appearances in the 2012 reboot.

* [[Badass Preacher]]: Jebediah in "Black". Though also averted, as he admits in his intro:
{{quote|"I wasn't even a real preacher... I was just an evangelist, rejected by the church!"}}
* [[Back from the Dead]]: In ''TM:Lost''.
* [[Demonic Possession]]
* {{spoiler|[[Driven to Suicide]]: In his ending, after he discovers the bitter truth.}}
* [[Hand Cannon]]: Sports a S&W 500 in some promo pics and in the character selection screen.
* [[Hearing Voices]]: The demon speaks in his mind.
* [[Holier Than Thou]]: Taken to [[Nightmare Fuel|unspeakable levels]].
* [[Scary Shiny Glasses]]
* [[Sinister Minister]]
* [[Shout-Out]]: His appearance in the 2012 reboot has him wearing red shades similar to [[Hellsing|Alucard's]]. He also looks like Anderson, if Anderson had long hair.
* {{spoiler|[[The Killer in Me]]: When he's told the truth about the incidents.}}
* [[You All Look Familiar]]: His middle FMV uses Billy Ray and his wife's models in place of a generic couple.
* [[Why Am I Ticking?]]: Brimstone's Special consists of throwing explosive-strapped followers into enemy cars.

=== Dollface ===
Driver of '''Darkside'''. A young teenage girl who spilled coffee on important papers for her boss, and as punishment he nailed a mask onto her head. She wants to get rid of it. In ''TM:Lost'' she decides to keep it as it never ages, but since she's still growing up, its starting to press against her skull. In the reboot, Dollface is a completely re-imagined as a supermodel obsessed with beauty and being the absolute best supermodel in the world. Things went screwy after she got into a car accident which left her with a minor cut in her cheek...

* [[Adaptational Villainy]]: Dollface in ''Black'' and Krista Sparks from ''2'' and ''Head-On'' are arguably the most sympathetic characters in the series. [[Ax Crazy|Krista Sparks as Dollface in the 2012 game is an entirely different story]].
* [[Animesque]]: She seems to have a strong anime vibe to her in the reboot, what with her having a [[You Gotta Have Blue Hair|pink hairdo]] and being the pilot of her own [[Humongous Mecha]], Iron Maiden. The fact that she's pretty [[Ax Crazy]] makes her look like some psycho anime chick you see in those rather gory ecchi animes/mangas.
* [[Ax Crazy]]: The reboot's Dollface.
* [[Body Horror]]: How she sees herself in the reboot after her accident is similar to Two Face in [[The Dark Knight]] but divided horizontally with the scars on the bottom
* [[Clingy Costume]]: Her mask is kept in place with nails and a specially crafted lock.
* [[Disney Villain Death]]: Gets one ( {{spoiler|actually two}}) in the reboot during Grimm's boss fight against her. After damaging the Iron Maiden enough, she loses control of the mech and ends up sending it crashing into the bridge. She manages to grab hold on to the bridge and the final battle begins there. Then after the battle, she starts to lose her grip and eventually falls to the depths of the canyon while screaming,"[[Atomic F-Bomb|FUCK YOU]] [[Say My Name|MR GRIMM!!]]"
** It then turns out to be a [[Rasputinian Death]]. In an obvious [[Shout-Out]] to ''Twisted Metal 2'', the Iron Maiden's [[One-Winged Angel]] form is  {{spoiler|it's head!}}. Only after you destroy it does she play this trope straight, again.
* [[Disproportionate Retribution]]: What her boss did to her just because she spilled coffee on some spreadsheets. They must have been some pretty damn important files to justify locking an intern's head in a torture device.
* [[Drop the Hammer]]: In the opening cut scene of her story in the reboot she takes a swing with a weapon at a rival but the business end is in shadow, her final video has an extended version of the scene showing it's a sledgehammer.
* [[Evil Is Sexy]]: [[The Woobie|Definitely not]] in ''Black'', played straight in the reboot.
* [[The Faceless]]
** We actually do see her face prior to the mask.
* [["Friend or Idol?" Decision]]: Slightly modified. {{spoiler|She has to choose between the key for her mask or the life of the cruel maskmaker who put it in her to begin with.}}
* [[Improbable Age]]: She's just ''14 years old'' when she ''graduated from'' colleage, had a job and driving a semi.
* [[Name's the Same]]: In the reboot, her real name is Krista Sparks. Most would immediately recognize that name as the name of Calypso's estranged 15 year old daughter who's long dead. Unlike her, this Krista is a grownup supermodel who's an [[Ax Crazy]] obsessed with being the fairest of them all. with no mention of any connection to Calypso at all.
* [[No Name Given]]
* [[Ramming Always Works]]: The special attack in this game takes what Darkside used to do in Twisted Metal 1 and add a turbo function onto it. One can do extra damage with her special attacks by performing T-Slides and such.
* [[Small Girl, Big Gun|Small Girl, Big Truck]]: She is just a petite little girl who happens to drive a huge 18-wheeler which has a police cruiser for a bumper.
** The new game pairs her up with The Juggernaut. Similar to Darkside, but comes complete with a box trailer.
* [[White Mask of Doom]]
* [[The Woobie]]: "I'm going to be punished forever and ever..."
** [[Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds]]
* [[You Gotta Have Blue Hair]]: Bright pink in the new game.
* [[You Remind Me of X]]: Her boss reminded her of her [[Abusive Parents|father.]]

=== Carl & Jamie Roberts ===
Drivers of '''Outlaw''', a police car. Carl was Outlaw's driver in ''Twisted Metal'', and sought to end the tournament's bloodshed once and for all, but was trapped in space after Calypso [[Exact Words|literally granted]] his wish. His sister Jamie, driving Outlaw-II, saved him during ''Twisted Metal 2''. They drive together in ''3'' and ''Head-On'', working to stop Calypso.

* [[Brother-Sister Team]]
* [[Genre Savvy]]: Jamie in ''2''. She came prepared to take advantage of Calypso's word-twisting in order to save her brother, who was trapped in space.
* [[Idiot Ball]]: In ''Head-On''.  {{spoiler|Carl should know better that Calypo's quite a [[Literal Genie]]...}}
** Then again  {{spoiler|He was planning on just shooting Calypso until Jamie tried stopping him}}
* [[Legacy Character]]: For a short time, Outlaw-II was this.
* [[Police Are Useless]]: Subverted.
* [[Shock and Awe]]: Their car's trademark Special: an electric bolt coming out of the car's siren which zaps any enemy on its radius.
* [[Spell My Name with an "S"]]: For some reason, ''Twisted Metal 2'' and ''3'' changed Carl's name to Buzz. ''Head-On'' rectified the mistake.
* [[Wipe That Smile Off Your Face]]: Jamie in Outlaw's ''Head-On'' ending, which is an obvious [[Shout-Out]] to Neo's de-mouthing in ''[[The Matrix]]''.

=== Axel ===
Driver of '''Axel''', a contraption formed by a platform and two monster truck tires, of which he's attached to. He's been living 20 years stuck in this machine, and enters ''Twisted Metal 2'' wishing for the strength to face his father. In ''Head-On'', he realizes he can't live outside his machine, and returns to it with the help of a doctor, who ask in return for his right to a wish should he win the contest. In ''Black'', he's out to get [[Revenge]] over the one who killed his wife.

* [[Abusive Parents]]: Axel's father is the one who bounded him into his vehicle, because he was too stupid and needed to be taught a lesson.
* [[Artificial Limbs]]: In ''Head-On'', he has his missing arms and feet replaced with mechanical implants, that also allows him to control his vehicle.
* [[Badass]]
* [[Bald of Awesome]]
* [[The Blacksmith]]: His father.
* [[Calling the Old Man Out]]: In his ''Twisted Metal 2'' ending.
* [[Car Fu]]: He has a secret special in ''Black'', where he joins both of his truck tires together and then proceeds to ram his enemies.
* [[Cool Shades]]: In ''Black'', and later adopted in ''Head-On''.
* [[Cyborg]]: Possibly in ''4'', since he appears coated in metal.
* [[Demoted to Extra]]: In the 2012 reboot. While Axel himself doesn't appear, his vehicle is available as DLC.
* [[The Determinator]]: Shows some in his ending in ''2'', where upon his father's negative to release him, {{spoiler|he tears his own limbs away from the contraption}}.
* [[Finger in the Mail]]: His ''Black'' self received his wife through mail, ''piece by piece''.
* [[Idiot Ball]]: Who do you think killed his wife?
* [[It's All My Fault]]: In ''Black'', he blames himself for his wife's death.
** [[Cool and Unusual Punishment]]: He creates his vehicle and straps himself in it as punishment for her death.
* [[Mad Scientist]]: The doctor from ''Head-On''.
* [[Meaningful Name]]: He is literally the axel between his two giant tires.
* [[Reluctant Warrior]]: It's been stated in both ''Twisted Metal 2'' and ''Head-On'' he doesn't want to fight, but there's no other choice for him to escape his personal hell. {{spoiler|His ending in ''Head-On'' has him trying to make up for all the chaos. It didn't work.}}
* [[You're Not My Father]]: Axel claims as much in his ending.
{{quote|"And you're no longer my father!"}}

=== Minion ===
Driver of '''Minion''', a [[Cool Tank]]. A demon whose powers were stolen by Calypso. He's the [[Final Boss]] in ''Twisted Metal'' and [[Mid Boss]] in ''Twisted Metal 2'', ''3'', ''4'' and ''Black''  {{spoiler|(although replaced at the steering wheel by Marcus Kane.)}}

* [[Artificial Stupidity]]: An easy way to deal with him in ''Twisted Metal 2'' is to get into one of the temples around the arena. The AI will just drive back and forth in front of it, exposing itself to the player's arsenal of weapons and specials.
* [[Composite Character]]: While in ''TM1'' Minion wasn't given any sort of backstory besides being the previous tournament's champion, ''TM2'' turned him into a mix between two characters of the first: Mr. Ash, Darkside's driver and a demon seeking to take back a demon Calypso stole from him; and {{spoiler|Black, the demon he sought and who actually made the wishes happen.}}
* [[Demon Lords and Archdevils]]: He's either the ruler or one of many rulers of Hell.
* [[Ditto Fighter]]: In ''Twisted Metal'', his car's Special throws every special in the game at you at once. Not as effective as it should be though.
* [[Face Framed in Shadow]]: His ''Twisted Metal 2'' bio image.
* [[Lightning Bruiser]]: Minion is usually one of the fastest and most durable vehicles in the game, with a powerful special attack. There's [[Game Breaker|a reason]] why he usually has to be unlocked. His only weakness is sheer size can make him more vulnerable to hazards in certain levels.
* [[Hellfire]]: ''Twisted Metal 2''.
* [[Hell Gate]]: Opens one in his ending in ''2'' and throws Calypso into it.
* [[Hell Seeker]]: In ''3'', according to his ending (and despite what he claims in his profile).
* [[Homing Projectile]]: His Special consists of 3 missiles and a freeze missile (named "Serpent" in ''Twisted Metal 4''), ALL homing on the target at once.
** Going on an editing binge; his "Serpent" has a possible chance of setting your car on fire if the freeze missile misses.
* [[Place Worse Than Death]]: Minion tells Calypso that he wishes to return to Hell in ''3''. Calypso sends him to Hell, Michigan.
** Almost as bad as [[Kentucky Fried Movie|Detroit]].
* [[Puzzle Boss]]: In ''Black'', before being able to hurt him, you need to [[Attack Its Weak Point|attack his shield's weak points.]]
* [[Revenge]]: Against Calypso, who stole his "birthright".
* [[Secret Character]]: All his appearances starting with ''Twisted Metal 2''.
** [[Promoted to Unlockable]]

=== Bruce Cochrane ===
Driver of '''Thumper''', a purple Impalla. A gangster from South Central that has been fighting all his life. Appears in the first three games, seeking first to stop the violence in his neighborhood and later to rule the world.

* [[Cool Shades]]
* [[Gang-Bangers]]
* [[Gangsterland]]: His South Central neighbourhood, justified as the game takes place in [[Los Angeles]].
* [[Leitmotif]]: In ''Twisted Metal 4'', there is a beat that plays whenever you shoot his special attack.
* [[Musical Assassin]]: His car's Special in ''Twisted Metal 3'': a soundwave blast.
* [[Pet the Dog]]: While Calypso usually screws everyone else over with his [[Literal Genie]] powers, Thumper was one of the few exceptions to be granted a genuinely ''satisfying'' ending (at least at face value with the text of the ending). Thumper explains how he's lived all his life in South Central under the shadow of violence in his neighborhood brought about by gang wars and such. All he wanted was for his neighborhood to be free of violence and hate. Calypso says he granted his wish, but Bruce is suspicious. Calypso tells him to go see for himself. He finds that, as the ending text puts it, ''"Calypso was not lying."'' It seems that Calypso changed the past so that the violence and hatred never happened in the first place.
* [[Playing with Fire]]: His car's Special in the first two games: a flamethrower.
** In [[TM 4]], it's a dual flamethrower: Complete with a [[Leitmotif]]!
* [[Pyrrhic Victory]]: His ''Twisted Metal 2'' ending. {{spoiler|His wish was to rule the earth, but during the tournament, he and the other drivers ''killed everyone else''.}}
* [[Save the Princess]]: His original backstory, as seen in the "Lost Videos".
* [[Scary Black Man]]
* [[Sidekick]]: As seen in the "Lost Videos", Bruce was originally going to have a co-pilot with him, but for some reason he was removed. Going by ''Small Brawl'', he may be named Vinnie.
* [[Take Over the World]]: His wish in ''2''.
* [[Token Minority]]: Only black guy in the first game.
* [[Tuckerization]]: He's named after one of the beta testers, Bruce Cochran.
* [[Video Game Flamethrowers Suck]]: Averted, specially in ''Twisted Metal 2''.

=== Krista Sparks ===
Driver of '''Grasshopper''', a dune buggy. At first presented as a girl looking to make her father pay, she's later revealed to be Calypso's daughter, thought to be dead in a car accident years ago. She debuts in ''Twisted Metal 2'' and later returns in ''Head-On''.

* [[Action Girl]]
* [[Artificial Human]]: How she survived the accident. {{spoiler|the LAPD turned her into a cyborg in order to get close to Calypso so they could detonate a bomb inside her and kill him.}}
* [[Back from the Dead]]: Returns as a ghost in ''Head-On''.
* [[Calling the Old Man Out]]: To Calypso in her ''Head-On'' ending:
{{quote|"What's the problem? You didn't want to help me! You just want another contestant to kill all those innocent people! You destroy everything and run around like you own the world!"}}
** While Calypso had it coming, what he tries to explain to her is that he can only use his powers if he's granting a wish, but she doesn't listen.
* [[Car Fu]]: The most representative out of the whole cast.
* {{spoiler|[[Conveniently Unverifiable Cover Story]]: Her ending for in ''2''.}}
* [[Cute Ghost Girl]]: Head-on.
* [[Hair of Gold]]
* [[Improbable Age]]: She's the first(?) teenage Twisted Metal combatant in the series, at age 15. But then age probably didn't matter to her, since {{spoiler|she was a cyborg in ''2'' and a ghost in ''Head-On''}}
* [[Missing Mom]]: Not much is known about her. According to the comic tie-in for ''2'', her name was Joanie, and was killed during one of Calypso's derbies after being hit by a bouncing tire.
* [[Our Ghosts Are Different]]: ''Head-On''.
* {{spoiler|[[Why Am I Ticking?]]: The LAPD made her a human bomb to get rid of Calypso.}}

=== Simon Whittlebone ===
Driver of '''Mr. Slamm''', a bulldozer/loader. An architect fired from his job for attempting to build a tower tall enough to reach the heavens, he only desires to fulfill his greatest dream. He debuts in ''Twisted Metal 2'' and later returns in ''Head-On''.

* [[A God Am I]]: {{spoiler|His ''Twisted Metal 2'' ending has him claiming that after he finished his tower}}.
* [[Art Shift]]: In ''Head-On'', he looks completely different to his appearance in ''2''.
* [[Back from the Dead]]: Returns as a ghost in ''Head-On''.
* [[Dual Boss]]: Super Slamm and Super Auger in ''Twisted Metal 4''.
* [[Funny Foreigner]]: Well, not really "funny", but he's notably the only non-American contestant in ''Twisted Metal 2'', supernatural beings not-withstanding.
* [[In Name Only]]: Super Slamm.
* [[Mighty Glacier]]
* [[Our Ghosts Are Different]]: ''Head-On''.
* [[Shout-Out]]: His ''Head-On'' ending is quite similar to Twisted Metal 3's Buster Cobb, the construction vehicle's driver who replaced him.
* [[Star Scraper]]: His wish in ''Twisted Metal 2''.

=== Captain Rogers ===
Driver of '''Warthog''', a military HUMVEE. An old decorated soldier wanting to be young again. Appears in ''Twisted Metal 2'' and ''3''.

* [[Badass Grandpa]]: He claims so, and he's right.
* [[Cool Old Guy]]
* [[Fountain of Youth]]: What he aims for.
* [[Homing Projectile]]: His "Patriot Missiles" special.
* [[In-Series Nickname]]: He used to be called "Old Iron Guts".
* [[Old Soldier]]: At 105/107 years old, and still kicking ass.
* [[Losing Your Head]]: ''Twisted Metal 3'' ending.
* [[Shell-Shocked Veteran]]

=== Charlie Kane ===
Driver of '''Yellow Jacket''', a taxicab. He sought out his missing children in ''1'', and discovers it's Needles Kane. It's also [[The Un-Reveal|implied]] he is the driver of [[Final Boss]] '''Dark Tooth''' in ''Twisted Metal 2'', as Dark Tooth claims to be Sweet Tooth's father. In ''Black'', he's a [[Our Zombies Are Different|zombie]] remote-controlled by his younger son (not Needles), seeking out a better life. In the reboot,  {{spoiler|Charlie is now presented as Marcus/Needles' son. The clown spared him knowing that he'd make a good replacement should anything happen to him. He's now the new Sweet Tooth.}}

* [[Ax Crazy]]: ''Twisted Metal'' "Lost Video" ending.
* [[Came Back Wrong]]: In ''Black''.
* [[Child Prodigy]]: His young son, who created a remote control to control his zombie father!
* [[Creepy Child]]: The young son.
* [[Jack of All Stats]]: All of Yellow Jacket's stats in ''Twisted Metal'' are 3/5.
* [[Improbable Age]]: His son's age was never revealed but he appears to be between ''6 and 8''. Very young for a necromancer and a Twisted Metal combatent (''Small Brawl'' notwithstanding).
* [[In the Blood]]: In ''TM:Lost'', both Charlie and his younger son decide to kill Needles and then themselves, to stop their line of psychopath murderers.
** In the reboot,  {{spoiler|Charlie becomes Needles' successor. Apparently he was spared as he was the perfect replacement.}}
* [[I Will Find You]]: His motivation in ''Twisted Metal''.
* [[Molotov Cocktail]]: His Special in ''Twisted Metal''.
* [[Nerf]]: The vechile Dark Tooth, is considerably weaker and competitive friendly in Head-On than its original TM2 incarnation; a given since it is now playable, not the [[Final Boss]] anymore, and driven by his "sons" instead.
* [[No Name Given]]: His young son, apart from his other 'two' sons.
* [[Papa Wolf]]: As Dark Tooth, he gets angered after claiming you killed Sweet Tooth. Alternatively, he was really close to his younger son in ''Black''.
* [[One-Winged Angel]]: Dark Tooth's 2nd form in ''Twisted Metal 2''.
* [[Ramming Always Works]]: His ''Black'' Special, which releases spikes all over his car, is better used through ramming than firing it as missiles.
* [[People Puppets|Zombie Puppets]]: ''Black''.
* [[What Happened to the Mouse?]]: So far, there has been no mention or reference of the young son in later sequels.

=== Mortimer ===
Driver of '''Shadow''', a purple hearse. A mysterious graveyard keeper that carries missions of revenge for the souls of the deceased. Appears in ''Twisted Metal 2'' and ''Head-On'', where he's awakened from his eternal slumber and desires to go back to it.

* [[Casting a Shadow]]: His special is a remote-controlled bomb shadow.
* [[Grave Robbing]]: In ''Head-On'', two guys robbing his own grave awoke him.
* [[Ominous Pipe Organ]]: Every time his car's Special is launched.
* [[Ravens and Crows]]: Has one always perched on his shoulder.
* [[Revenge]]: He carries out revenge for those who died.
* [[Undead]]

=== Amanda & Miranda Watts ===
Drivers of '''Twister''', an Indy racing car. Amanda is in ''Twisted Metal 2'', a racer obsessed with speed who wishes to drive at the speed of light. Her twin sister Miranda came in ''Head-On'' looking for her disappeared sister.

* [[Backup Twin]]
* [[Blow You Away]]: Twister's Special. With a dose of [[Everything's Better with Spinning]].
** In Small Brawl, it simply generates a tornado above her car.
* [[Came Back Wrong]]: In ''Head-On'', Miranda Watts uses her wish to bring back her twin sister and gets {{spoiler|a zombie, as Amanda had died millions of years ago, as her car traveled back in time after passing light speed.}}
* [[Faster-Than-Light Travel]]: Amanda's wish.
* [[Fragile Speedster]]
* [[I Will Find You]]: Miranda's goal.
* [[Trapped in the Past]]: Amanda's fate.

== From Twisted Metal ==

=== Mr. Ash ===
Driver of '''Darkside''', a black truck. A mysterious figure from Hell, bent on recovering what rightfully belongs to his. He returns as a [[Mid Boss]] in ''Twisted Metal 3''.

* [[The Cameo]]: In the intro of ''Twisted Metal 2'', a beaten-up Darkside appears on the side of the road. He's also seen in the background of the options menu.
* [[Frickin' Laser Beams]]: His rather mediocre Special.
* [[Mighty Glacier]]
* [[Playing with Fire]]/[[An Ice Person]]: His special in ''Twisted Metal 3'' is a combination of the Freeze attack and a flamethrower.
* [[Ramming Always Works]]: More like the only option for him.
* [[Retcon]]: ''Twisted Metal'' has Mr. Ash claiming as his prize {{spoiler|Black, a powerful demon Calypso stole for himself and whose powers he uses to grant the wishes}}, while Minion is just said to be the previous tournament's winner. Come ''Twisted Metal 2'', Minion claims Calypso has stolen ''his'' powers 11 years ago.
* [[Sinister Silhouettes]]: He's represented as that, thought his "Lost" ending had him as a normal, if sinister man.
* [[Video Game Flamethrowers Suck]]: If you are frozen by his special, then it's averted. Otherwise, he can't do much with it.
* [["Wake-Up Call" Boss]]: In ''Twisted Metal 3''.
* [[What Could Have Been]]: He would've appeared in ''Twisted Metal 2'' as the boss of Los Angeles.

=== Agent Stone ===
Driver of '''Crimson Fury''', a red sports car. He's seeking an object that could "liberate the world".

* [[British Accent]]: He speaks in this in the finished game ending.
* [[Expy]]: Of [[James Bond]]. Played more obviously in ''Small Brawl''.
* [[The Faceless]]: His "Lost Video" ending was filmed in [[POV Cam]] (in a similar manner to James Bond nemesis Ernst Blodfeld). Though he's fully seen entirely in the player-select screen.
* [[Fragile Speedster]]
* [[Frickin' Laser Beams]]: His Special.
* [[La Résistance]]: He's hired by an underground freedom organization.
** The finished game ending suggests they're from England.
* [[McGuffin]]: The item he looks for.
* [[Name's the Same]]: He shares the same name with ''Black''-Outlaw's driver, even though they are completely unrelated.
* [[The Rival]]: Commander Mason.

=== Dave & Mike ===
Driver of '''Hammerhead''', a monster truck. Two college drop outs who are participating only for the thrill of battle.

* [[Bowdlerise]]: Comparing their wish in the early "Lost Video" to the finished game ending. In the first they ask for girls (after thinking for a moment since they hadn't actually thought about a wish), prompting Calypso's harem to get into Hammerhead; the latter has them ask for...a new set of tires, because they are expensive.
* [[The Big Guy]]: Granted Hammerhead is a monster truck, but it is HUGE compared to the other characters. Future installments tone down the size.
* [[Those Two Guys]]

=== Angela Fortin ===
Driver of '''Pit Viper''', a dune buggy. A mysterious woman with a double life who wants [[Greed|a millon dollars]].

* [[Action Girl]]: When she reveals her true objective.
* [[Briefcase Full of Money]]: In her "Lost Video" ending.
* [[Career Killer]]: Her true identity is revealed as Agent Amanda X, freelance assassin.
* [[Dropped a Bridge on Him|Dropped a Bridge on Her Car]]: Pit Viper is the only one of the 10 original cars to have never returned in a sequel.
** {{spoiler|In her "Lost Video", she was shot by Calypso.}}
** Also, her car [[Suspiciously Similar Substitute|had its special and color scheme changed to become Grasshopper]].
* [[The Gunslinger]]
** [[Guns Akimbo]]: In her "Lost" ending.
* [[Hollywood Acid]]: Her special.
* [[Just for Pun]]: The way Calypso says "Ass-ass-in" in the "Lost Video" ending...

=== Captain Spears ===
Original driver of '''Roadkill'''. A former military man filled with grief as he feels that his own cowardice led his squadron into an enemy trap back in the "[[Great Offscreen War|Jungle Wars of South America]]". He wants to be able to set the past right.

* [[A Father to His Men]]
* [[Blade on a Stick]]: His special is a makeshift spear thrown at high speed.
* [[The Captain]]
** [[The Good Captain]]
* [[My Greatest Failure]]
* [[My Greatest Second Chance]]: He wishes to be sent back in time to the war where he can set things right. {{spoiler|He is so caught up in realizing that his wish was granted that doesn't realize he is in the middle of a battle, and is promptly killed by a South American soldier.}}
* [[Set Right What Once Went Wrong]]
** [[Make Wrong What Once Went Right]]: {{spoiler|He gets his wish, then gets himself killed and most likely the rest of his platoon. Zero Gain there buddy.}}

=== Scott Campbell ===
Driver of '''Spectre'''. A man recently killed who wants to live again.

* [[Back from the Dead]]: What he wants.
* [[Downer Ending]]/[[Kick the Dog]]: His "Lost Video" ending, where Calypso brings him back to life, and then shoots him.
{{quote|''"I givith, and I taketh away. Try again next year, driver!"''}}
* [[Homing Projectile]]: What'd become the trademark special of the car, the "Ghost Missile" will track the target whoever it is, even ''going through walls to get to it''. To balance this, the missiles themselves are very weak.
* [[Man in White]]: Appears so in his "Lost Video" ending.
* [[Our Ghosts Are Different]]
* [[Tuckerization]]: He's named after the game's producer.

=== Commander Mason ===
Original driver of '''Warthog'''. Seeks the same item as Agent Stone under government orders.

* [[Armies Are Evil]]: He and the military are certainly portrayed as "evil" in their search of the item. Even in his "Lost Video" ending he sends a platoon as a back up measure should Calypso fail to fulfill his wish.
* [[Brown Note]]: {{spoiler|The Black Box of a plane shot down by aliens}}. For the U.S. government, the world's not yet ready for it.
* [[Dirty Coward]]: In his "Lost Video" ending. After acting all high ad mighty in front of Calypso, he runs away in ''fear'' after seeing what he did to the squad team he sent to get him.
* [[Government Conspiracy]]: Avoiding said item to fall into the hands of Agent Stone and his freedom organization is Mason's main directive. He's also content knowing people will sleep peacefully, completely in the dark about things they're not yet able to understand.
* [[The Neidermeyer]]
* [[The Rival]]: Agent Stone.

== From Twisted Metal 2 ==

=== Mike & Stu ===
New drivers of '''Hammerhead'''. Much like before, two high school dropouts with much free time.

* [[Flight]]: Their desire, but only so they can [[All Men Are Perverts|see down women's shirts]]
* [[One Steve Limit]]: Possibly averted, though its hard to say if the Mike from the first game and this one aren't the same guy.
* [[Those Two Guys]]
* [[Too Dumb to Live]]: In their ending, they wish to fly. Calypso says "Wish granted." The pair runs off the nearest cliff...and promptly falls to their deaths, as a dumbfounded Calypso stands there with a pair of plane tickets in his hand and thanks that their refundable.

=== Ken Master  ===
No, not [[Street Fighter|that one]]. New driver of '''Spectre'''. An actor who wants to be famous.

* [[Continuity Nod]]: In ''Small Brawl'', {{spoiler|the kid controlling Spectre gets, as his wish, the keys of his father's vehicle, which is revealed to be the main series' Spectre.}}
* [[Cool Loser]]
* [[Fragile Speedster]]
* [[Homing Projectile]]
* [[Name's the Same]]: To reiterate: he's not a [[Street Fighter|blonde rich guy who's trained in martial arts, is a master of flaming uppercuts and has a constant friendly rivalry with a japanese world-traveler who's also his former training partner]].
* [[Opaque Lenses]]: In his bio pic.

== From Twisted Metal: Black ==

=== No-Face (Frank McCutcheon) ===
Driver of '''Crazy-8''', a rally bug. A small-time boxer who was [[Curb Stomp Battle|beaten to the point of needing surgery in one match]], and could only afford a back alley doctor that he was told was a fan of the fights. The doctor however, lost a considerable sum of money betting on him and sewed his eyes and mouth shut (and eyes and tongue removed). He's out seeking good ole' [[Revenge]]. In ''TM:Lost'', he's trying to restore his face (by removing the parts off others he deems evil) so he doesn't scare his baby daughter.

* [[Curb Stomp Battle]]: His last official boxing match. He himself describes it as one-sided.
* [[Crowning Moment of Funny]]: His last line in the game after he gets his prize.
{{quote|"Ya know, that was the first time I ever knocked someone out with one punch."}}
* [[Extreme Melee Revenge]]: His ending. He asks his wish of [[Revenge]] against Dr. Hatch, and the next scene shows the doctor bound and gagged, while No-Face puts on a boxing glove with dozens of scalpels and knives taped to it. As No-Face rears up for a haymaker to the doctor's face, the credits start rolling just before his fist makes contact.
* [[Eye Scream]]
* [[Mad Doctor]]: Dr. Hatch.
* [[Nightmare Face]]
* [[Disability Superpower]]: The explanation for how he drives.
* [[In-Series Nickname]]: He's adopted "No Face" as this.
* [[Pay Evil Unto Evil]]: ''TM:Lost''.
* [[Red Boxing Gloves]]: With dozens of sharpy things.
* [[Shock and Awe]]: His Special, which works similar to the other game's Outlaw.

=== Agent Stone ===
Driver of '''Outlaw''', now a SWAT truck. A police sniper who let anger get the best of him and got a mother and her daughter killed alongside his target. He's seeking a second chance to fix his mistake. In ''TM:Lost'', he's trapped in a loop after he won the tournament, and is forced to relieve that day every night.

* [[Cold Sniper]]
* [[Driven to Suicide]]: He attempts this right after he realizes his mistaken, but...
** [[Bungled Suicide]]: ...his rifle was out of bullets.
* [[Empathy Doll Shot]]: The bloodied teddy bear.
* [[Groundhog Day Loop]]: According to ''TM:Lost'', {{spoiler|After winning the tournament, he's trapped in relieving that fateful day every night, with him saving the family but not killing the thug in time before he puts a bullet into his head.}}
* [[Improbable Aiming Skills]]: His ''Black'' ending.
* [[Last Breath Bullet]]: In his ending.
* [[More Dakka]]: His Special Attack, a machinegun frenzy on a single, locked-on enemy.
* [[Pink Mist]]: {{spoiler|"All units! Target is not down! Target is still hot!". *[[Boom! Headshot!]]*}}
* [[Scary Black Man]]
* [[Set Right What Once Went Wrong]]
* [[Unstoppable Rage]]: What clouds his judgement and leads to tragedy.

=== Billy Ray Stillwell ===
Driver of '''Junkyard Dog''', a tow truck. He found out his wife was cheating him and beats her to death with a hoe. He now wants to find her lover and [[Revenge|make him pay too]]. In ''TM:Lost'', he's just taken a liking to killing, but even if he wants to he's yet to kill another human 10 years after.

* [[Black Widow]]: Annie has her pilot lover attempt to kill Billy by spraying some chemicals over him as he's checking his crop, so they can later cash on the life insurance.
* [[Evil Feels Good]]: In his ending he finds he likes killing after getting revenge on the pilot, and decides to become a serial killer in ''TM:Lost''.
* [[The Grotesque]]: Due to the chemicals thrown at him.
* [[Love Hurts]]
* [[Your Cheating Heart]]: It was Annie the one cheating though.

=== John Doe ===
Driver of '''Roadkill'''. An amnesiac man looking for his identity. ''TM:Lost'' reveals there's a police unit of identical John Does that seeks Calypso's downfall.

* [[Amnesiac Dissonance]]: He finds out in the end that {{spoiler|he's an undercover FBI agent, and saved dozens of lives in a bombing incident. He is, in fact, a hero... and he's standing in front of one of the world's most wanted criminals, who shoots him dead.}}
* [[Backup Twin]]: According to ''TM:Lost'', there's a whole divison of the police conformed by Backup Twins.
* [[Bald of Evil]]: He believes he can't be a good guy with how he looks.  {{spoiler|Switches to a [[Bald of Awesome]] when his past is revealed.}}
* [[Big Damn Heroes]]: The reason of his amnesia.
* [[Cult]]: He was part of one.
* [[Depopulation Bomb]]: {{spoiler|The cult set up a bomb within the city's Disease Control Center, claiming its destruction would spread diseases all over the world.}}
* [[Fatal Family Photo]]: {{spoiler|It is shown to the player just after he's shot...}}
** {{spoiler|[[I Have a Family]]: His last words.}}
* [[Laser-Guided Amnesia]]
* [[Macross Missile Massacre]]: His special, a rack of 12 missiles that can be [[Charged Attack|charged up]] for more damage.
* {{spoiler|[[Oh Crap]]}}
{{quote|{{spoiler|"That's right, I am a hero. A hero undercover agent standing in front of #2 on America's Ten most wanted list. In other words, a dead man."}}}}
* [[Quest for Identity]]

=== Bloody Mary ===
Driver of '''Spectre'''. A girl with a past of rejections, who just breaks out on a friend's wedding and ends with Mary killing her and donning her bloodied dress. Enters to ask for the perfect man. In ''TM:Lost'', she has lost her hold of reality and just wants to find someone who'd kill her.

* [[Ax Crazy]]
* [[Blood-Splattered Wedding Dress]]
* [[Daddy's Girl]]: Her father's view on women's beauty seems to be partly responsible for Mary's own screwed-up mentallity.
* [[Death Seeker]]: ''TM:Lost''.
* [[Fragile Speedster]]
* [[Homing Projectile]]
* [[Love Hurts]]
* [[Love Makes You Evil]] ''and'' [[Love Makes You Crazy|Crazy]]
* [[Yandere]]: Probably one of the most extreme examples. Unlike other yanderes, Mary doesn't have a specific lover. All she wants is a man to love her, be it a rich guy, a family man or even a hobo off the streets. True to being a yandere, rejecting her love would only [[Berserk Button|piss her]] [[Ax Crazy|off]].

=== Raven ===
Driver of '''Shadow'''. A gothic girl who's put in the Asylum after witnessing her friend's death by drowning. Wants to get even at the two guys who caused it. In ''TM:Lost'', she has turned into a night vigilante, killing the evildoers of the city.

* [[Deadly Prank]]: What sets things off; two boys testing if her friend, mocked for her like of occultism, is a witch by [[Burn the Witch|throwing her down the pier and seeing if she drowns.]]
* [[Goth]]
* [[Tarot Motifs]]: Including the obligatory [[Foreshadowing]] by drawing the "Death" card.
* [[Voodoo Doll]]: She gets one as her wish. {{spoiler|She uses it to gouge out the eyes of the two boys.}}

=== Cage ===
Driver of '''Warthog''', now a stationwagon attached to tank threads. A [[Serial Killer]] who feels remorse every time he kills. He participates seeking to have the part of his brain that makes him feel sorrow removed. In ''TM:Lost'', he attempted to overthrow Sweet Tooth as the biggest [[Serial Killer]], but only gets his arms and legs chopped off.

* [[Artificial Limbs]]: A bonus he gets from Calypso.
** [[Blade Below the Shoulder]]
* [[Bald of Evil]]
* [[Cool Shades]]
* [[In Name Only]]: Compared to all other cars, Warthog looks the least like its previous incarnations.
** Justified in that originally it was an unrelated car named "White Knight".
* [[Lampshade Hanging]]: In ''TM:Lost'' it is said how no one is sure how a head and torso is able to drive a vehicle.
* [[Playing with Fire]]: Flamethrower Special.

=== Black ===
Driver of '''Manslaughter''', a dump truck. A mysterious monster that's out to get Calypso. ''TM:Lost'' states he comes from another world ordered by another "more colorful" Calypso to kill his darker self.

* [[Another Dimension]]: ''TM:Lost''
* [[Immortality]]
* [[Hulk Speak]]
* [[The Juggernaut]]
* [[Nigh Invulnerability]]: Able to withstand explosions without even a scratch.

=== Warhawk ===
The [[Final Boss]] of ''Black'', a hi-tech helicopter who's flown by a police officer in an attempt to stop the contest.

* [[No Name Given]]: The cop driving it.
* [[Puzzle Boss]]: His shield can only be deactivated by blowing up Minion mock-ups, which the player has to defeat first, as he flies over them.
* [[Shout-Out]]: Warhawk was a 1995 [[PlayStation]] game created by SingleTrac.
* [[Stop or I Will Shoot]]: His pre-fight intro video.
* [[Supercop]]: I don't think that helicopter of his is a Midtown P.D. normal-issue vehicle.
** Maybe not, but what can qualify him for the trope was that he was the guy who {{spoiler|caught Needles Kane aka Sweet Tooth}}
* [[What Could Have Been]]: There are screenshots showing he was at one point planned as a selectable car.

=== Severed Sam (Sam Boomer) ===
Driver of '''12-Pac''', a racing car. Exclusive for ''Twisted Metal: Lost'', he's a racer who was decapitated in a big car crash. He now looks for the crazed fan who took his head in the incident.

* [[Headless Horseman]]
* [[Macross Missile Massacre]]: His Special attack, a rack of up to 10 missiles aimed directly at the enemy.
* [[Our Ghosts Are Different]]

== From Twisted Metal: Head-On ==

=== Agent Shepherd ===
New driver of '''Crimson Fury'''. A FBI agent out to get Calypso.

* [[Badass in a Nice Suit]]
* [[CIA Evil, FBI Good]]: The second half, atleast.
* [[Fragile Speedster]]
* [[Frickin' Laser Beams]]
* [[Genre Savvy]]: His ending, enough said.
* [[The Men in Black]]
* [[Only Sane Man]]
* [[Shut UP, Hannibal]]: Delivers a great one in his ending.

=== Catfish ===
New driver of '''Hammerhead'''. A hunter that wants to hunt the best prey: humans.

* [[Egomaniac Hunter]]
* [[Hunting the Most Dangerous Game]]

=== Chuckie Floop ===
New driver of '''Spectre'''. A guy who gets Specter as a prize from a radio station. He's not sure what he wants yet.

* {{spoiler|[[Greed]]: He ends up wishing for ''a lot'' of money.}}
* [[Homing Projectile]]
* [[Unfazed Everyman]]: He's just a normal guy who happens to win a ticket into the contest.

=== Angel ===
New driver of '''Thumper'''. Wants to outshine her brothers and friends with the best customized car.

* [[Playing with Fire]]: It's Thumper afterall.
* [[Video Game Flamethrowers Suck]]: Averted.

=== Colonel Hall ===
New driver of '''Warthog'''. A military man that wishes to get the ultimate weapon, a weapon that'll allow him to stop the evildoers of the world.

* [[Homing Projectile]]: Keeps the "Patriot Missiles" special.
* [[Infinity+1 Sword|Infinity Plus One Gun]]: He basically asks for one as his wish.
* [[Pay Evil Unto Evil]]
* [[Scary Black Man]]

=== Gene Ruttish ===
Driver of '''ATV'''. One of Cousin Eddy's colleagues that enters separately. He wants to become the "most desireable man on Earth".

* [[Chick Magnet]]: His wish.
* [[Fragile Speedster]]: Possibly even more than Mr. Grimm.
* [[Mook]] of Cousin Eddy
* [[The Unintelligible]]: The guy ''has'' to be inspired by [[King of the Hill|Boomhauer]]. The game even provides complimentary subtitles for him.

=== Cousin Eddy ===
Driver of '''Cousin Eddy''', a beatup RV. A retarded hillbilly that likes two things: shiny stuff and breaking things. The contest's just his playground. [[Mid Boss]] of the game.

* [[Attention Deficit Ooh Shiny]]
* [[The Brute]]: He forced everyone in his town to set up his RV by brute strength.
* [[Dumb Muscle]]: His ending reveals that Calypso didn't invite him to tournament, he just entered because he thought it looked fun, and when Calypso refuses give him anything for winning, Eddy [[Neck Lift]]s him and threatens to pummel if he doesn't.
* [[Expy]]: He's just a poor man's Minion. Including the same [[Playing with Fire|Special Attack]] and [[Puzzle Boss]] [[Attack Its Weak Point|battle.]]
* [[Fat Bastard]]
* [[Man Child]]: His brain stopped developing at age 3.
* [[Mooks]]: Before fighting him, one has to deal with 4 of his hillbilly friends riding [[ATVs]].

== From [[Canon Discontinuity|Twisted Metal 3]] ==

=== Amber Rose ===
Driver of '''Flower Power''', a beetle car. An environmentalist that seeks to "cover the world in flowers".

* [[The Ditz]]
* [[Fan Service]]: There's a special code to turn her mugshot profile into an "ass-shot".
* [[Granola Girl]]
* [[Green Aesop]]
* [[Homing Projectile]]: A rose-shaped missile that homes in the enemy.
* [[Police Are Useless]]: She claims so in her profile.

=== Buster Cobb ===
Driver of '''Auger''', a construction vehicle with a drill on its front. He's pissed off at the tournament bringing down his buildings, but he wish others to see "his inner child".

* [[Ensemble Darkhorse]]: He's probably the only ''Twisted Metal 3'' character (or rather, car) that has atleast some semblance of fan-following.
* [[Expy]]: The driver of Slamm in ''Small Brawl'' looks much closer to a younger Buster than Mr. Slamm's original driver, Simon Whittlebone.
* [[Dual Boss]]: Together with Super Slamm in ''Twisted Metal 4''.
* [[Mighty Glacier]]
* [[This Is a Drill]]: His Special.

=== Club Kid ===
Driver of '''Club Kid''', a micro car. Some dude who wants to party all night.

* [[The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard]]: While most cars in ''Twisted Metal 3'' are certainly cheaters in the [[Harder Than Hard|Insane Difficulty]] setting, not all have a Special Attack as irritating as him. His Special consists of a whirling void that attracts all nearby cars to its center, spinning them around for damage before exploding. Considering that he spams 4-5 as he drives by, and how all other CPU cars keep on firing at random even while trapped, you can stay trapped on this all the way from full health to death.
* [["Have a Nice Day" Smile]]: He and his car have this painted all over.
* [[No Name Given]]

=== Damien Coles ===
Driver of '''Firestarter''', a hot rod. A pyromaniac.

* [[Ax Crazy]] + [[Pyromaniac]]
* [[Evil Redhead]]
* [[Playing with Fire]]: The only reason Thumper got cheated out of his original Special.
* [[Video Game Flamethrowers Suck]]: Unlike Thumper, Firestarter's Special isn't that much useful. Though using more than one with rear attacks while the enemy is frozen is a very effective tactic.

=== Lance Wylder ===
Ex-New driver of '''Spectre'''. Wants to be a famous.

* [[Badass Longcoat]]: He looks quite cool on his portrait. [[Polygon Ceiling|His 3D model, on the other hand...]]
* [[Casanova]]: He comes out as this in his biography.
* [[Expy]]: He looks very similar to the previous Spectre driver, Ken Masters.
* [[Fragile Speedster]]
* [[Homing Projectile]]

=== Granny Dread ===
Ex-New driver of '''Hammerhead'''. Wants to stop the contest from disturbing her neighborhood's peace.

* [[Batter Up]]: She has one in her bio pic.
* [[Never Mess with Granny]]
* [[Ramming Always Works]]: Her Special was turned into this: using it propels Hammerhead forward with great force.

=== Primeval ===
[[Final Boss]] of the game, driving a hunting jeep. Only addressed as an acquaintance of Calypso.

* [[Bald of Evil]]
* [[Ditto Fighter]]: Sort of. His special is a mesh of Roadkill, Mr. Grimm, Warthog and Flower Power's Specials. The manual, however, claims he has [[Informed Ability|the power of all other contestants.]]
* [[SNK Boss]]: His Special is deadly powerful, painfully homes in and has such pushback force that it makes your car slide all over the place. He's also prone to spam it like there's no tomorrow, and combined with his aggressive AI, there's little chance of survival on a face-to-face confrontation. Fortunately there's also that [[Bottomless Pits|lovely lower floor opening into open sky]]

== From [[Canon Discontinuity|Twisted Metal 4]] ==

=== Orbital ===
A British secret agent who wants to restore his face after being half-deformed. Drives a sleek sports car.

* [[An Ice Person]]: His Special is a spherical ball which pulls the enemies into it and freezes them.
* [[Expy]]: Of Crimson Fury.
* [[I Just Want to Be Normal]]: His motivation to enter the contest.
* [[Two-Faced]]: A rare non-villainous one.

=== Pizza Boy ===
A pizza delivery boy/street racer who wants the most powerful car that he can use to beat all street racers. Drives a [[Rice Burner]].

* [[Deadly Disc]]: His special fires a pair of buzzsaws that home into the target.
* [[Expy]]: A blond, white [[Hip Hop]] guy. [[Eminem|Sounds familiar?]]
* [[Nitro Boost]]: His wish is to have a highly tuned car so powerful he could easily win races. Said car was equipped with a [[Nitro Boost]] so powerful that it caused his car to ''fly off'' out to space and into a blackhole.
* [[Totally Radical]]

=== Quatro ===
A four-armed alien cop tasked to apprehend Sweet Tooth. Drives a Xeon hoverbike.

* [[Badass Biker]]
* [[Big Damn Heroes]]: When Quatro was obviously outgunned and outnumbered by Sweet Tooth's gang, an Inter-galactic police department hovercar suddenly appears outside telling the gang that they're surrounded and ordering them to surrender. The Clowns promptly drop their guns and put their hands above their heads.
* [[Bond One-Liner]]: Right after the clowns surrender,
{{quote|Quatro, "Your move, Sweet Tooth."}}
* [[Bounty Hunter]]: Described to be one by Sweet Tooth's assistant.
* [[Expy]]: Of Outlaw.
* [[Ensemble Darkhorse]]: probably the only character introduced in ''4'' that fans like.
* [[Genre Savvy]]: Like Agent Shepard in ''Head-On'', he doesn't make a wish and instead [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|outright tells Sweet Tooth he's under arrest]].
* [[Guns Akimbo]]: Pulls of a double guns akimbo when he confronts Sweet Tooth and his gang.
* [[Shout-Out]]: To ''[[RoboCop]]'', after he pulls out his guns, he's to Sweet Tooth "One way or another, your coming with me," reference the line "Dead or Alive, your coming with me."
* [[Supercop]]
* [[The Unintelligible]]: He speaks in some sci-fi alien effect, which requires subtitles in his ending to be understood.

=== The Jones ===
A family of Twisted Metal fanatics who want to take Sweet Tooth on a holiday with them. Drives a station wagon.

* [[Big Screwed-Up Family]]: One could only wonder what Mr and Mrs Jones thought their kids that made them fans of a [[Blood Sport]].
* [[Expy]]: Its Special, "Hornets", is practically Warthog's old Patriotic Missiles.
* [[Taking You with Me]]: An annoyed Sweet Tooth drives the family's RV off the cliff, possibly killing himself and the family.

=== Microblast ===
A leprechaun who has grown tired of everyone bullying him due to his small size and wants to get back on them by being bigger. Drives a life-size toy car.

* [[Joke Character]]: He is among the weakest (or possibly THE weakest) in the game, having little armor and a special weapon which is just Speed missiles with laughing sound effects. He does make up for this with his [[Fragile Speedster|agility]].
* [[Kaiju]]: He became a giant and terrorized the city. Unfortunately, before he could wreak havoc, he became a giant statue.
** [[Taken for Granite|Taken For Gold]]
* [[The Napoleon]]

=== Thrash Man ===
A [[Captain Obvious|garbage man]] who wants to turn the whole world into a habitat his pets could live in. Drives a garbage truck.

* [[The Brute]]
* [[Dumb Muscle]]
* [[Fat Bastard]]
* [[Mighty Glacier]]

=== Meter Maid ===
A [[Ms. Fanservice|sexy]] parking attendant who wants Sweet Tooth to pay his parking summons. Drives a 3-wheeled meter car.

* [[Ms. Fanservice]]
* [[Genre Savvy]]: She doesn't make a wish but instead fines Sweet Tooth with parking summons.
* [[Shock and Awe]]: Her special weapon, the Electro Ray (adapted from Outlaw's Tazer), which has an additional ability to suck the health of opponents into her own.
* [[Good Cop]]: Does a parking attendant count as a cop? She did manage to make the [[Monster Clown]] Sweet Tooth, the crazy guy staging the tournament, do a little bit of community service by taking up driving lessons. And she didn't even get screwed over whatsoever unlike other cops (except Quatro).
* [[Take a Third Option]]: Her ending has her giving parking summons to Sweet Tooth worth millions. She does however promises him that she'll clear the summons if he did a little community service. Rather then paying the fines or shutting her up some way, Sweet Tooth decided to do some community service in the form of driving lessons.

=== Goggle Eyes ===
A pest exterminator who wants to kill all bugs. Drives a pest exterminator van.

* [[Goggles Do Nothing]]
* [[Jack of All Stats]]: His states are all 3/5, although his special weapon is 4/5.
* [[Orifice Evacuation]]: {{spoiler|Happens in his ending, when all bugs in the world come out of his body as he wished to "contain them all" to catch.}}
* [[Video Game Flamethrowers Suck]]: Mighty averted, although its not really a flamethrower. The Greentox has fairly long range, does a quite a lot of damage and it sets opponents on fire.

=== General Warthog ===
An old-fashioned army general who dislikes the army's usage of computers and electronics for modern warfare. He wants to command a powerful old-schooled army unmatched by any modernized military. Drives a [[WW 1]] tank.

* [[Authority Equals Asskicking]]
* [[Kill Sat]]: His special weapon, the Ion Blast has him planting a marker in which could be detonated like a remote bomb. This causes an ion cannon satellite to shoot at where the marker was planted. A direct hit (difficult to pull off) sets the unlucky bastard on fire. The weapon itself might be a [[Shout-Out]] to [[Command & Conquer]].
* [[The Neidermeyer]]
* [[Schizo-Tech]]: He drives a [[WW 1]] tank filled with an arsenal of modern weapons and has a futuristic [[Kill Sat]] as his special weapon.
* [[Tank Goodness]]: It may be [[Schizo-Tech|ridiculously outdated by now]] but that is a [[wikipedia:Mark IV tank|Mark IV tank]] he's driving there. He probably chose this tank to fit in with his 'old-schooled military' persona.

=== Drag Queen ===
A [[Drag Queen]] who wants to become a pop star. Drives a tricked out Camaro hot rod.

* [[Dude Looks Like a Lady]]
* [[Enormous Engine]]: [[Kill It with Fire|A flamethrower]] even shoots out from the blowers!
* [[Fat Bastard]]: And he seems to be able to fit in that [[Cool Car|hot rod]] of his somehow...
* [[Meaningful Name]]: As explained [[Drag Queen|here]]. Also Drag Queen's car is modified for drag racing (as seen in Pizza Boy's ending).
* [[Video Game Flamethrowers Suck]]: Averted.

=== [[Rob Zombie]] ===
A.K.A Mr Zombie. An [[Undead]] musician who wants the world to hear his awesome music. But you've probably already heard a good number of his songs since ''3''...

* [[As Himself]]
* [[Expy]]: Stats-wise, he's very similar to Orbital. His special weapon is also the same, except that instead of freezing you on explosion, it scorches you.
* [[Nice Hat]]
* [[Our Zombies Are Different]]
* [[Playing with Fire]]: His Special's shockwave sets enemies on fire.
* [[Shout-Out]]: He drives the Munster Koach from [[The Munsters]]. Oddly though its called the Dragula (the other awesome lookin' hot rod in the show) ingame. The Munster Koach was used in Rob Zombie's music video for the aptly titled Dragula. Coincidentally, Hot Rod Herman's remix of that song is used for the Construction Yard arena.
* [[The Voiceless]]: He has his floating head henchman speak on his behalf.

=== Crusher, Moon Buggy and RC Car. ===
Three new cars that appear as stage bosses in tournament mode. Neither of them are given an actual driver or any backstory, there are just there. Crusher is a tank-threaded scrap crusher, Moon Buggy is a 6-wheeled moon trekker and RC Car is a life-size...[[Department of Redundancy Department|RC Car]].

* [[Fragile Speedster]]: RC Car.
* [[Frickin' Laser Beams]]: RC Car's Special.
* [[Lightning Bruiser]]: Moon Buggy is quite fast for a car his size.
* [[Mighty Glacier]]: Crusher.
* [[Shock and Awe]]: Moon Buggy's Quasar Special.

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