- "I don't think I like the man I'm turning out to be."
- —John Doe, Twisted Metal: Black
John Doe makes appearance in Twisted Metal: Black and Twisted Metal: Lost as the driver of Roadkill. He is a mysterious character, as his story is him trying to figure out who he was. His true name is never revealed, aside from clues hinting towards Ed. A character with the same name also appears in the 2023 TV series by Peacock as the main protagonist.
Twisted Metal: Black[]
- "John Doe can't remember who he is, what he did, or whom he did it to. The only thing he knows is that his body is covered in tattoos that could possibly reveal the past to him, but it doesn't help much. John sometimes suffers from the fury of being lost in his own existence. One day he's going to discover the truth... but will he like what he finds?"
- —Twisted Metal: Black - Instruction Manual
Story[]
John Doe was once in a gang of look-a-like thugs, low-life nobodies that that got by with random beatings and robbery. Determined to become well-known, the gang devised a plan: detonate a powerful bomb in the Midtown Center for Disease Control building, potentially spreading numerous diseases around the world. However, something happened to John which caused him to acquire amnesia, and he was sent to Blackfield Asylum afterwards. For a length of time, John and the doctors at the asylum were at a loss; no one could figure out who he was. One day, John gets a visitor, a man going by the name Calypso, who makes John an offer. If John competes in his contest, Calypso can show him the truth about who he truly is. He then shows John a picture of himself in a suit; nice and neat, like he's actually somebody. Determined to find out who he is, John enters the contest, tired of spending the rest of life as a nobody.
Loading Screen Dialogue[]
- I've been lost for so long. Calypso says he knows who I am...but if I win, will I have the guts to face the truth?
- One battle down. That wasn't so bad. For some reason, this killing; it comes so easy to me. I wish I knew why...
- My God. I'm starting to remember my past. I see others like me. And a bomb. I see the end of the world. Jesus, who am I?
- Minion won this contest last year. But...from the looks of my tattoos, I've dealt with my share of badasses.
- So I'm a terrorist. But something inside says there's so much more to the story...
- This battleground is small and full of enemies. I gotta keep moving if I want to survive this.
- This is it. The last battleground in the contest. If I win, I'll get the whole story. I'll find out who I really am.
- I don't know why...I feel like I shouldn't fight this guy. But I want my life back.
Ending[]
John went to Calypso to claim his prize, to finally know who he was. Calypso tosses John a wallet, containing an I.D. that reveals that John was an undercover FBI agent trying to take down a cult hellbent on destroying the world. After the cult planted the bomb in the CDC building and left, John rushed back inside to dismantle it. But due to a lack of time and desperation, he threw it outside through a nearby window. The force of the explosion knocked John back against a wall, causing him to black out and lose his memory. John's pride of his heroic actions are soon greeted with horror when he remembers that Calypso is number two on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list. Calypso then points a handgun at John, thanks him for participating, and bids him farewell before shooting him multiple times in the chest. In his last dying moments, John remembers that he has a family consisting of a wife and two kids.
Twisted Metal: Lost[]
- "An undercover cop trying to bring down the Twisted Metal contest. The original John Doe was killed by Calypso at the end of Twisted Metal: Black™. Rumor is, Midtown P.D. has a whole team of John Does, all with the same mission: take down Calypso."
- —Twisted Metal: Lost - Roadkill's Bio
John Doe has returned for Twisted Metal: Lost, but, as stated in his bio, he is not the real John, who was executed by Calypso in his ending for Twisted Metal: Black. It is said that the Midtown FBI have an entire team of "John Does", all with the same mission: to hunt down and kill Calypso, meaning this contestant is a body double behind the wheel of an identical vehicle.
Taken at face value, this may also imply the original character from TM:B was just one of these interchangeable John Does, though it does also refer to him as "the original."
Twisted Metal TV Series[]
- Main article: John Doe (TV Series)
John Doe is the protagonist of the 2023 Peacock TV series Twisted Metal. John is an amnesiac like his previous incarnation. He is tasked by Raven to deliver a package across the Divided States of America to an unknown individual. If he does so successfully, he'll get a chance at a better life. He used to drive a 2003 Subaru he named Evelyn, but after it was destroyed in an explosion caused by Preacher, he instead drives a junk car that Quiet, his partner, would name Roadkill.
Trivia[]
- Although John Doe's true name is never revealed, part of it can be seen on his FBI identification card. His signature of his first name looks as though it starts with an "E".
- Adding to the previous trivia, John Doe's beta name was Ed, likely because the inspiration for John Doe's design was the actor Edward Norton. Particularly his role on the infamous '90s gang film American History X, where he plays former neo-Nazi Derek Vineyard.[1]
- In the demo version of TM:B, the tattoo on John's arm contained the message, "One race, one country." In the final version of the game, the message is absent due to its connections to White supremacy, though the message can still be seen in some shots from his cutscenes.
- In Mr. Grimm's middle cutscene in Twisted Metal (2012), there was a police badge in Calypso's trophy case. It is assumed that it is the same police badge that was given to John Doe before Calypso kills him in his ending.
- In Agent Stone's middle scene, the terrorist he kills looks identical to John Doe.
- As Calypso is listed as the second on the Most Wanted list, it can be assumed that number one is Needles Kane.
- The name "John Doe" is a law enforcement term referring to a male individual whose identity is unknown (Jane Doe for females). This hints at his law enforcement background.