The Mighty Nein Star On New Role After Vox Machina Villain Voices

The Mighty Nein's Major Villain Actor Reflects On Bigger New Role After Voicing Numerous Vox Machina Characters Essek Thelyss looking somewhat melancholic in The Mighty Nein episode 2 By  Nick Bythrow Published 35 minutes ago Nick Bythrow is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant. He has been writing for the site since September 2022. He graduated from Hampshire College in 2022, where he triple majored in Journalism, Communications, and Media Studies. When he's not writing about TV and movies for ScreenRant and his blog, Frayed Branches, Nick is penning speculative fiction and poetry on Amazon. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

The Mighty Nein star Matt Mercer reflects on his major new role after voicing numerous villain characters in The Legend of Vox Machina. The cast of The Mighty Nein consists of returning stars from the original Critical Role campaign. Mercer, who served as the Dungeon Master for the campaign, voices the drow wizard Essek Thelyss in the adaptation.

In an interview with ScreenRant's Grant Hermanns, Mercer spoke about what it was like to have a major role in The Mighty Nein after his previous roles in The Legend of Vox Machina. The voice actor was excited to have a lead role in the show, explaining how excited he is to dive into Essek's complexities as a character:

ScreenRant: Matt, you were still involved in Vox Machina with various voice work, but you actually have a proper main character this campaign. I'd love to hear what that's like, getting in the vocal booth a little more for this show compared to Vox.

Matt Mercer: It's nice. It's nice to feel like I'm amongst my buds this go-round. I love being the ancillary character; I love being the villain who pops in for an arc or two. Those are joyful, but this really is the first chance that I get to enter the room as a cast member with them. To be able to live in a - I can't really say a protagonist arc, but a prolonged arc, hopefully, if the series continues on for a long time - is very fulfilling as a performer. That's also delightful, but it's just been so much fun. I love my complicated little Dunamancer, and getting to delve into a lot of the reasons for those complications has been a delight.

Liam O'Brien: He's so naughty!

Mercer has been part of The Legend of Vox Machina's cast since the start, originally voicing Vax's pet grizzly bear, Trinket. He went on to lend his voice to various villain roles, including the vampire Sylas Briarwood, the demon Orthax, and the black dragon Umbrasyl. This reflects how he'd portray said villains as Dungeon Master in the Critical Role campaign.

Essek Thelyss looking surprised in The Mighty Nein episode 2

However, The Mighty Nein's Essek is a more concrete, long-term character that intersects with the rest of the heroes. In the original Critical Role campaign, Essek is considered an NPC, with Mercer voicing him as he does all other non-player characters. However, he has a key part to play in multiple arcs of the campaign, which the adaptation will reflect.

In the show, Essek's role is bigger from the start. Hailing from the Kryn Dynasty, he is involved in dealings between both them and the Dwendalian Empire at a time of major tensions between the two. He's also harboring a dangerous secret: his mother has typhros, a neurological disease for which people in the Dynasty are executed.

The fantasy streaming series has given Mercer the ability to flex his voice acting abilities beyond one-off characters thanks to how important Essek is to the campaign's larger tale. The show has been exploring his story more than the campaign had, adding to his backstory prior to when he becomes more relevant as the series will progress.

Mercer's larger role is clearly one he's excited for, especially since The Mighty Nein will have a greater opportunity for him to participate as a complex yet close ally to the rest of the team. As the show progresses, his importance will no doubt remain crucial to how events unfold, especially due to his role in the Dynasty.

New episodes of The Mighty Nein arrive Wednesdays on Prime Video.

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The Mighty Nein

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• Laura Bailey Jester
• Marisha Ray Beau

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