Don't be surprised if, despite her iron abs, Dispatch demon Malevola displays a strong taste for high fructose corn syrup. Her character design was apparently inspired by a '90s Pepsi advertisement.
"She represents 'sexy demon lady,'" Dispatch art director Derek Stratton tells IGN about Malevola – if you were wondering whether her blood-red lipstick and itsy bitsy cutoffs might have some more metaphorical meaning. She's supermodel Cindy Crawford meets fitness influencer LeanBeefPatty.
"Out comes Cindy Crawford in a white bodysuit and cut-off jean shorts, and high heels," Stratton continues, recalling the notorious 1992 ad where Crawford patronizes a vending machine with undeniable sex. "Everybody lost their mind. And that's what Malevola was based off of." The down-to-earth demon wears Crawford's same outfit, just with her bodysuit hiked a bit higher to better suit her razor blade hips...
Which brings us to fitness Instagram. Because, yes, Malevola "is Cindy Crawford from that commercial," says Stratton, but she's also a "'hot rod demon lady.'" This naturally requires Dispatch developers at AdHoc Studio transplant "the body type of LeanBeefPatty, who is, like, an influencer, who is, like, ripped." I think LeanBeefPatty's "body type" is best characterized as that of a woman who could break your fingers like celery sticks. So, yeah, in that sense, Stratton's right – AdHoc has figured out a good formula for "sexy demon lady."
I'm sure its ungodly magic certainly has helped AdHoc's episodic superhero game Dispatch in achieving 2 million players, too. But I do have one problem with the developer's idea of Malevola. There's no way she wouldn't drink Diet Pepsi over regular, right?
