How Twisted Metal Changes Raven's Backstory & Makes Her Far More Dangerous
This article contains spoilers for "Twisted Metal" Season 1
Peacock's "Twisted Metal" adaptation is full of high-octane thrills that embody the smash-em-up spirit of the video game franchise. Of course, like most adaptations, the series takes a few liberties with the source material. For example, the show's creators have reimagined Raven — the gothic teenager who was introduced in 2001's "Twisted Metal: Black" — as a grown-up leader who's more dangerous than she initially seems.
Raven (Neve Campbell) debuts in Episode 1 as New San Francisco's chief figurehead. She tasks John Doe (Anthony Mackie) with retrieving a mysterious package from New Chicago and bringing it back in exchange for safe harbor when he returns. Of course, that's easier said than done as Doe's Season 1 adventures bring him into contact with killer clowns, corrupt cops, and other citizens of the Divided States of America.
This iteration of Raven is also introduced as a wife and mother, but that turns out to be a charade to impress Doe. That said, she's entirely different from the character presented in "Twisted Metal: Black," who plays with voodoo dolls and doesn't need to recruit anyone to do her bidding. At the same time, Campbell's version of the character has other qualities that make her formidable — and dangerous.
The original Raven is a gothic vigilante, but Neve Campbell's version is a tyrant
In the gaming lore, Raven is a troubled gothic teenager who's obsessed with the bird she's named after. The troubled character is originally introduced as an inmate of the Blackfield Asylum. She spends her days playing with voodoo dolls and dreaming of the day when she can execute her enemies. However, she's eventually recruited to join the Twisted Metal Tournament by Calypso, who promises her revenge against the bullies who killed her best friend.
Raven also drives a hearse that contains the souls of the dead people who've passed through its doors in the past. This makes her an antihero of sorts, as she represents the voiceless and helpless. This idea is further solidified in "Twisted Metal: Lost," which reimagines her as a vigilante who protects the citizens of Midtown. Granted, Raven still enjoys unleashing carnage, but she's one of the sanest and least evil people in the gaming franchise's chaotic universe.
Neve Campbell's version of the character might be different from the O.G., but she's still interesting in her own way. The Peacock series portrays her as powerful and ruthless; for example, in Episode 10, she tells John that he's going to be her driver in an upcoming demolition derby tournament that boasts big rewards for the winner. If he rejects her request, she'll have him killed. Raven's essentially a tyrant here, and that's way more dangerous than a vigilante who plays with dolls.