Popverse's top stories

• Chainsaw Man anime was fully funded by MAPPA so the studio could have full creative ownership of the manga adaptation
• Greg Capullo is quietly retiring from drawing comics after the break-up of his Batman era art team
• Even DC is surprised by the success of both the mainline Batman series and Absolute Batman

If you've been following Popverse's coverage of Critical Role's The Mighty Nein, you've almost certainly heard talk about how the hour-long episodes have allowed the creators to include more story. Indeed, the animated adaptation of Critical Role's Campaign 2 seems primed to work in much more than its predecessor, The Legend of Vox Machina, got to do with season 1. Still, with 550+ hours of D&D actual play becoming an animated TV series, there's bound to be a lot left on the cutting room floor - and in a recent discussion between the show's creators, we learned of one particular moment that didn't make it.

The discussion in question took place on Critical Role's Beacon streaming service, during their regular Fireside Chat talk series. And the creators in question were none other than Mighty Nein showrunner Tasha Huo and head of animated adaptations/OG cast member Sam Riegel. As with every episode of Fireside Chat, the Rolers took questions from subscribing Critters, and in this episode, one of those questions amounted to - what did you have to cut from The Mighty Nein?

"Do you remember," Huo began, addressing Riegel, "There was Gnoll fight pretty early, and then you guys went into a cave and you killed a manticore and its baby?"

"I do remember that," Riegel answered, "It was great."

In case you didn't watch Critical Role's campaign 2, which became the basis for the Mighty Nein series, Huo and Riegel are referencing a moment in that campaign's seventh episode, titled 'Hush.' In that session, the titular group of antiheroes wonder into the cave of the human/hyena hybrid creatures known as gnolls and catch the ire a mighty manticore, a sphinx-like beast from the annals of Dungeons & Dragons history. During the battle, it is revealed that a manticore cub (if that's the right word to use here) is also in the cave, and it's Sam Riegel's own goblin character, Nott the Brave, that kills it.

It's unclear from their discussion whether Huo and Riegel actually saw this scene recorded and then witnessed it get the axe, or if the idea died before ever making it into the voice booth. But what we can say, however, is that the fact that the scene didn't make it into this season doesn't mean it won't appear later.

"Maybe we could pay homage to it in later seasons," said Riegel, "Thatss something we try to do on the show - if we can't get a scene in because it doesn't make sense, [...] we keep it in our back pocket for later."

"Or we take the essence of how the scene was funny," joined Huo, "In this case, the manticore kill, and try to put it on something that definitely makes sense in the show. That way, we still get the fun feeling of what it was, but just slightly different."

"I still want that manticore baby death," she concludes in a whisper. And I guess we... wish you luck? I don't know, gang, I have to imagine whatever Exandria's answer to PETA is is gonna be upset when they hear this.

The Mighty Nein season 1 is streaming now on Prime Video.

With two animated series on Prime Video, Campaign 4 in full swing, and so much more Exandrian lore to come, Critical Role is showing no signs of slowing down. That's why the adventuring party at Popverse are here to bring you everything we can from those nerdy-ass voice actors & Bo., including:

• Critical Role's Campaign 4 characters ranked
• How to watch Critical Role in order
• Ways for you to relive the Critical Role panel from ECCC '26
• Taliesin Jaffe on playing Mollymauk Tealeaf for Campaign 2 vs. playing him for Prime Video
• Matt Mercer's homebrew warrior class (created originally for Vin Diesel)

...and much, much more. Roll initiative, player. Magic awaits.