The Mighty Nein continues the dominance of Crucial Position within the nerdy leisure sphere. Constructing out of a house sport of Dungeons & Dragons and evolving into an enormous sprawling epic, The Mighty Nein is the second animated adaptation of the group’s RPG campaigns.
Whereas attending the purple carpet premiere of The Mighty Nein in Hollywood, Display screen Rant bought the prospect to talk with showrunner Tasha Huo, in addition to the assembled stars of the present (Laura Bailey, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, Matthew Mercer, Liam O’Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, Travis Willingham, and Khary Payton) about Crucial Position’s legacy and the fun of D&D.
Bringing Mighty Nein To Life
As a fan of Crucial Position earlier than taking over the Showrunner function for The Mighty Nein, Tasha Huo fortunately defined how she retains “having to pinch herself” over this job. “You get to get up on daily basis and speak story. In contrast to every other job, you get to truly speak to the characters. ‘Hey, Caleb, why did you do that factor?“
On the core of the manufacturing course of was a want to verify The Mighty Nein felt like a distinct present from The Legend of Vox Machina. “We undoubtedly wished to make it one thing completely different. We wished to verify Vox Machina felt like its personal factor, and that Mighty Nein was completely different.”
Describing the present as extra mature and grittier than the extra simple fantasy journey of Vox Machina, Huo defined that “we’re telling a extra refined story. It is enjoyable as a result of it exhibits the depth of the world that Crucial Position has created. You possibly can inform a narrative like this and a narrative like [Vox Machina], nevertheless it’s nonetheless the identical house.“
Mighty Nein Celebrates 10 Years Of Crucial Position
The Mighty Nein is not the one factor that Crucial Position followers must have fun. Past the brand new Prime Video present, there’s additionally the upcoming fourth season of The Legend of Vox Machina, the launch of their huge Marketing campaign 4, and the tenth anniversary of the franchise.
“It is insane,” Matt Mercer famous. “It appears hackneyed at this level, at each single yr that goes by, we’re all going ‘how is that this occurring?!’ We’re simply grateful. You notice how uncommon one thing like that is, so we’re simply attempting to place all of ourselves into it, yr after yr. Generally it is tiring, however we’re so proud and so grateful.“
“I really feel like we’re pinching ourselves on daily basis,” Marisha Ray concurred. “Nothing is taken with no consideration. After we began this ten years in the past, it wasn’t essentially the intent to create a nerdy empire, however oops, guess we did that. All of us really feel like we’ll sleep once we’re lifeless. Within the meantime, what else can we do?“
That growth nonetheless catches Taliesin Jaffe without warning. “It’s onerous to have expectations, as a result of none of this makes any sense. Every thing is that this explosion of pleasure. Everyone who ever performs D&D is all the time like, I want I had motion figures and cartoons. Now we’ve two cartoons! I’ve bought to provide you with new targets. Perhaps a theme park?“
Jaffe’s Bizarre Children co-host Ashley Johnson agreed, saying that “it by no means will get previous. Every time we get to do one thing like this and launch a brand new undertaking, hear the response and all that, it all the time feels new and thrilling and wild that we get to do that. We’re all past grateful for each second of this journey.”
If we may help different creators deliver their tales ahead, that is one thing we’re all the time going to need to do.
Reflecting on The Mighty Nein particularly, Laura Bailey famous that “it was like seven years in the past once we first began enjoying these characters… It is wonderful to see all this.” Travis Willingham concurred, noting that it is simply “a superb factor to observe all of it simply form of rise on this tsunami, one factor after the opposite.“
Bailey and Willingham additionally seem in Dispatch, from AdHoc Video games. Now working with Crucial Position Productions on a brand new sport, Willingham and Bailey defined that “We love that we have been capable of deliver these tales ahead due to our viewers. Now, if we may help different creators deliver their tales ahead, that is one thing we’re all the time going to need to do.”
“We’re so fortunate,” Sam Riegel famous with a smile. “We’re so fortunate to have the ability to inform these tales and convey this world to our viewers. We identical to hanging out with one another. It has been 10 years of being with my finest pals, and that is the best factor that you can ever hope for. It is actually the dream job.”
Liam O’Brien mirrored on his youthful ambitions, noting, “I had a dream for my life, and what has occurred is that my pals and I overshot it. I reached some extent the place I used to be rising up and throwing infantile issues away. I simply got here full circle, and used my nerdy passions for the artwork, and I am having the most effective time.”
Returning To The Wildemount Wilds
One of many thrilling components of a present like The Mighty Nein for the forged is that they get the prospect to revisit characters they have not performed in years. Operating from 2018 to 2021, the second main Crucial Position marketing campaign featured a wild bunch of criminals, runaways, and misfits to play with.
“We do get to maneuver issues round slightly bit, which I am fairly comfortable about, Jaffe famous. Chatting with how the foreknowledge to the arcs of characters like his Mollymauk “Molly” Tealeaf impacted the present, Jaffe embraced the way it “has given us extra time to hit factors and polish issues up, which I am tremendous excited. And one other jacket.“
We bought to make changes inside the story to make all of it make sense.
Revisiting Beau was nice for Ray, saying “it has been actually nice to discover extra of her backstory and the place she got here from. Additionally, if you’re enjoying D&D, I strive my finest to explain another way every time how you can throw a punch. It has been actually wonderful seeing her preventing model be dropped at life by the animators.“
Recalling how Yasha was difficult throughout Marketing campaign 2 by different commitments, Johnson famous how “we bought to make changes inside the story to make all of it make sense. I am excited to see individuals who have not watched the marketing campaign. Yasha can be one in all my favourite characters I’ve performed. I used to be glad to return to her.“
Evaluating it to the preliminary joys of returning to Vox Machina, Mercer defined, “you notice how a lot you miss these characters. To have the ability to step again in with them and re-experience what it is like within the story — for us, as performers, we’re simply excited to share it with everyone.” Mercer can be personally excited to play Essick.
“Taking [characters like Fjord] again to the beginning,” Willingham defined, “which was years and years in the past, has been nice. Simply remembering the place they have been, discovering these feelings once more as all of them meet one another for the primary time, it has been nice.”
Bailey concurred, with the married couple joking collectively concerning the “gravitational pull” of Bailey’s character, Jester. “It is onerous to fake that is not there,” Bailey laughed, highlighting the influence that the fan-favorite character has on the season.
For Riegel, the true problem of revisiting Nott got here within the vocal efficiency. “She is a ball of nerves, and he or she screams rather a lot, so I needed to heat up my voice to do all that yelling. It is simply so nice to play a personality who lets their feelings out on a regular basis.“
In the meantime, O’Brien lamented his character decisions, joking, “I needed to shake myself. Why did I do that?! Caleb has an actual tough time.” That is in line with the arc for Caleb Widogast within the present, which is a reasonably constantly powerful time for the Wizard.
Khary Payton, who appeared in Marketing campaign 2 as Shakäste and has a job in The Mighty Nein, recalled how “I had by no means performed Dungeons & Dragons earlier than I performed [Shakäste]. For me, this is sort of a homecoming. I can not thank these guys sufficient… I had by no means recognized rolling cube may really feel like a soccer sport.“
A Roll Of The Cube And A New Character Sheet
Due to the character of Crucial Position, it appeared prudent to ask the expertise to create a brand new character on the spot. “That is the precise sort of query I like,” Huo remarked with fun. “I believe I might do a Wizard. I might be a Tiefling too, as a result of I need to futz with some demon backstory.”
“I have never been an Elf shortly,” Jeffe famous, and defined that “I am digging Sorcerers.” Neither of them was the one potential participant to go the magic-caster route, both. “I am going Sorcerer,” Bailey proudly claimed. Willingham concurred, noting that he’d “decide Wizard. We’re each squishy.” Bailey additionally expressed pleasure over one other Elf character. “They’ve so many bonuses!“
“I really like Bards a lot,” Riegel admitted, noting that he would like to play “one thing that does not appear like me. So perhaps a turtle bard?” In the meantime, O’Brien was excited concerning the thought of enjoying a “gnome druid, flowers in his hair, mud on his face.”
Mercer and Ray, who’re additionally married in actual life, each cited Dwarf as their alternative of latest race. “A Bard, too, let’s make it simple, Mercer joked. For Ray, a part of that stemmed from her enjoyment of enjoying a Dwarf character in Marketing campaign 4. “A Dwarf Barbarian would even be a whole lot of enjoyable.”
Johnson admitted that “if we’re simply enjoying instantly proper now, I might in all probability go Barbarian. I sort of perceive all of it straight away. I am going with Dwarf, as a result of I’ve by no means performed a Dwarf.” Payton had an analogous response, noting, “I’d go forward and be a Fighter. I have been a Barbarian. Perhaps I am going to see how I do with out rage.“
The Mighty Nein
- Launch Date
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November 19, 2025
- Community
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Prime Video
- Writers
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Tasha Huo
- Franchise(s)
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Crucial Position
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Liam O’Brien
Caleb (voice)
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