After 12 explosive episodes, Twisted Metal Season 2 has come to a close. More heartfelt than Season 1, central to the story of Season 2 was John Doe’s (Anthony Mackie) journey of self-discovery, not only with his literal family, but also with his chosen family of his true love, Quiet (Stephanie Beatriz), and their shared younger protegee, Mayhem (Saylor Bell Curda). In the Season 2 finale, this trio almost gets a happy ending, before everything goes to hell again. But does the cliffhanger ending mean we’ll get a third season? And, did Anthony Mackie really blow up that many cars in real life?
The answer to the first question is maybe. And the answer to the second question is definitely.
“It’s very practical and that’s something we’ve always held true to since the first meeting,” Mackie tells Men’s Journal. “We do a little green stuff for backdrops. But everything else, we built. And if you don’t believe me, you can call the police department of Hamilton, Ontario, and they will tell you we blew that city to sh*t!”
Twisted Metal Season 2 was for real
Although Mackie has plenty of experience with stunts and action work because of his role as Sam Wilson/Captain America in various Marvel projects, he does note that Twisted Metal has a very realistic production process, especially when it comes to destroying cars.
“I really enjoy the idea of doing all of this stuff for real,” he says, though he admits he didn’t always do all of the stunt driving. “My stunt driver, Aaron [Parker], he actually did that first big crash at the end when you see Roadkill go through and flip. But he lets me do as much as possible. A lot of the driving is me. I learned from literally one of the best drivers in the world. “
Related: Exclusive: ‘Twisted Metal’ Clip Reveals John’s Hilarious Secret
In the first episode of Season 2, Mackie’s John Doe is training how to drive by playing old Twisted Metal video games, but for the actual driving on the show, nothing could be further from the truth. “No, it’s nothing like that!” Makie says with a laugh. “The real driving training is our mechanic screaming at me from across a runway while I was ripping up transmissions and blowing out tires.”
Stunts weren’t the only thing Anthony Mackie did for real. At the start of Season 2, his character gets hooked on reading vintage Baby-Sitters Club books. Did Mackie become a Baby-Sitters Club fan while filming?
“You know what? I would read some chapters in between setups, and I was really impressed,” Mackie admits. “I had heard of The Baby-Sitters Club, but I had never read any of ’em. I was a Hardy Boys kid. I’m like, this is the high school soap opera that all the boys missed. This is amazing.”
Anthony Mackie’s hopes for Twisted Metal Season 3
Peacock
As of now, Twisted Metal Season 3 is unconfirmed, but Mackie feels that the ending of Season 2, combined with the passion fans have for the show, could and should lead to more of the story.
“I hope we do a Season 3. I really love playing John Doe,” Mackie says. “I feel like the show has truly found its audience, and people just enjoy these characters and the spectacle of the world that they live in. I really hope we get a Season 3 simply because people love these characters so much.”
Related: ‘Twisted Metal’ Season 2 Review: Bloody, Hilarious, and Nostalgically Heartfelt
The ending of Season 2 makes a pretty strong case for a hypothetical Season 3. John, Quiet and Mayhem have all been singled out by the government, and Calypso (Anthony Carrigan), meaning now, it’s these three against the world. Mackie says that Carrigan’s performance alone demands more screen time and that if Season 3 does happen, a showdown between John and Calypso is inevitable.
“I think if we go after Calypso, I’m interested to see what that season would be like,” Mackie says, while praising the performance from Carrigan. “What John knows about Calypso, and what Calypso knows about John, I don’t see anything holding me back from leading the gang to take him out.”
