Popverse's top stories

• A Marvel Studios exec thought they would be "lynched" at San Diego Comic-Con in 2008 for the Next Avengers cartoon movie - but says people "embraced" it
• What to Watch October 2025: Halloween is just around the corner, and Netflix's Monster: The Ed Gein Story, Prime Video's Hazbin Hotel, and HBO's IT: Welcome to Derry are just a few ways to stream and scream
• Steve Englehart and Joe Staton re-invented DC Comics' Guy Gardner 40 years ago, and now they are finally getting the credit (and money) beginning with the Superman movie this year

Now is the time of monsters. And not just because the old world is dying and a new one is struggling to be born, but because there's a new Critical Role adventure on the way! Campaign 4, if you somehow aren't already aware, debuts in just a few scant days, and with Halloween also just around the corner, we're keeping an eye out for all the scary and monstrous things on their way from the mysterious new setting of Aramán. And who better to tell us all about those monsters than creature-expert Alex Ward?

Popverse readers will recall that we've already spoken about Ward's enigmatic (and perhaps Frankenstein-ian?) character Occtis Tachonis, but those readers should also know Ward has experience with monsters beyond the TTRPG liveplay space. Ward has played (amongst others) the vampiric Mr. Barlow in Salem's Lot, Pooka in Hulu's Pooka Lives, and the Addiction Demon in American Horror Story season 5. So when Popverse got the chance to speak with him, we wanted Ward to tell us what kind of creepy crawlies await us in Critical Role Campaign 4.

"I often find," Ward responded, "And this is going to disappoint everybody, but the worst monsters are people."

Ward was right, the answer did disapooint at least the other Critical Role castmates in the interview with him (those being Laura Bailey, Robbie Daymond, Matthew Mercer, Aabria Iyengar, Marisha Ray, and Sam Riegel) a few of whom booed the response - and not in a fun, ghosty way.

"But," Ward continued, "there have been a few things Brennan [Lee Mulligan, GM] has described to help us that I think would I have an absolute blast getting to do in a real life format."

So it's not exactly as specific an answer as we could've hoped for, but hey, that's the Addiction Demon himself saying that Aramán's monsters are exciting enough that he'd hop in a rubber suit. With not. very long to wait until Critical Role Campaign 4 actually drops, we suppose that's enough of a tease to sustain us. 

That said, we better start seeing some pretty gnarly art for those beasts here soon.

Critical Role's Campaign 4 debuts on October 2 on Critical Role's Beacon, YouTube, and Twitch channels. 

From the lands of Exandria to your very own smartscreens, Popverse has everything you need to know about the TTRPG phenomenon that is Critical Role. Here you'll find:

• Popverse's Critical Role watch order
• An interview with GM Brennan Lee Mulligan
• The cast's appearance at C2E2 '25

...and more. Roll initiative, player. Adventure awaits.