Paramount+’s “Twisted Metal” is a goofy and violent show, but as fans of the long-running video game series it’s based on know, the streaming series can barely scratch the source material’s surface. There are dozens of imaginative characters in the “Twisted Metal” games, all of whom are fighting for the chance to attain their greatest wish from the contest’s organizer, Calypso.

Because of the sheer amount of available characters, the “Twisted Metal” series has a fitting avatar for every aspiring virtual death derby driver. But which of them stands head and shoulders above the rest? Here’s TheShockNews’s ranking of the 10 best “Twisted Metal” characters.

Just like Anthony Mackie’s live-action version of the character, John Doe is an amnesiac who drives a cool-looking Jack of all stats vehicle called Roadkill. Unlike the show’s charming driver, though, the playable version of John Doe is deliberately bland, with few distinguishing features apart from some mysterious tattoos. Watching him slowly and painfully figure out his real identity as an undercover agent is a fun ride as “Twisted Metal: Black” character arcs go — and that’s before “Twisted Metal: Lost” starts hinting that the FBI has a whole bunch of identical, fully expendable amnesiacs it keeps throwing at the tournament.

The character roster of “Twisted Metal III” features demons. It has tormented souls, brutal killers with flaming heads, and the physical manifestation of death itself. And then there’s Club Kid. 

Club Kid drives a tiny Austin Mini with a smiley face paint job, which he also calls Club Kid. He’s a fully normal (club) kid who likes to party and whose most offensive trait is his tendency to wear the same tacky party clothes for ages. New players will fully expect him to be a joke character — then he casually unleashes his thoroughly nasty Vortex special attack, sucking his supernatural enemies’ heavily armed war mobiles into an exploding tornado. Whoops.

Minion is a champion hellbeast who wreaks havoc upon the mortal world by driving powerful armored trucks and tanks in a really aggressive manner, which is a unique demonic ability no human in history has ever thought up. While vehicular mayhem may seem like somewhat bland behavior for a demonic entity, the sheer power and armor of his assorted namesake vehicles make him a natural addition to this list.

We do give him bonus points for his intro text in “Twisted Metal III,” which gives Minion a glimmer of personality by having him declare in full seriousness that his goofy skull loincloth makes him far more fashionable than any other character in the game. 

Yes, this is that Rob Zombie. The singer-songwriter’s shock rock persona is actually a better fit for “Twisted Metal 4” than many of the characters created for the game. His own lore even provides his combat vehicle, Mr. Zombie, which looks similar to the Munster Koach from “The Munsters” and the singer’s car in the music video for “Dragula.”

Inserting a real-life figure into the “Twisted Metal” universe is a surreal but fun experience. Perhaps the best thing about this one-game cameo is that “Twisted Metal 4” doesn’t even bother to pretend that Zombie has a deep-seated reason to be there. His backstory simply suggests that the rock star was driving around when he noticed some car-fighting weirdos and decided to join in.

Preacher is a trigger-happy fanatic who’s sometimes a ghost and sometimes a gang leader. Apart from the stern manner and striking aesthetic that come with his “fallen man of faith” schtick, he gets extra credit for not driving the obvious hearse. Instead, he emphasizes his DIY evangelist nature with Brimstone, a rusty coupe utility vehicle with a stained glass windshield and some jerry-rigged religious imagery.

Despite its beat-up appearance, his vehicle is quite fast and handles well, with a particularly visceral special attack that straps explosives to a cultist follower and hurls them at his opponent. We’ll also award some bonus points for the show’s Jason Mantzoukas, who somehow manages to deliver an even more deranged live-action version of the character than we get in the games.

Mr. Grimm, aka the Grim Reaper himself, feeds on souls and plans to wish for death and destruction if he wins the tournament. Thanks to his day job, he has access to a massively overpowered Death Spawn attack. His vehicle of choice is an agile but flimsy motorcycle that he uses to take on large, armored cars, because really, what’s anyone going to do about it? Kill death?

In practice, Grimm is just as beatable as everyone else in the game, but the image of Death messing about in the tournament is wild. Since he’s the embodiment of a natural phenomenon, Grimm is technically miles above every other competitor and can effectively operate on cruise control while snacking on souls and secretly hoping that he can get Calypso to do his job for him. This suggests that he views his job like a bored service industry professional, which actually makes Death the most relatable character in the “Twisted Metal” franchise.

Many of the female characters in “Twisted Metal” are fairly one-dimensional. But while Dollface has her issues, too, her “Man in the Iron Mask”-inspired survivor story gives her more depth than most.

Depending on the game, Dollface is either locked in the mask as an adult by a boss who got mad after she spilled some coffee — yes, really — or has been wearing the mask since she was a little girl. Her journey turns her from a victim to a full-on avenger, and she uses the powerful Darkside truck to maim her opponents. Dollface’s character design is one of the most memorable in the series, and her introduction at the end of “Twisted Metal” Season 1 implies that she will be an instrumental part of the show’s Season 2.

Calypso is the requisite overarching Big Bad of the “Twisted Metal” series. Apart from his crucial role in hosting the car-smashing tournaments, his main gimmick is that of a wish-fulfilling genie of the Monkey’s Paw variety, which allows for some creatively ironic endings for the tournament winners.

The character’s downside is that he’s fairly inconsistent, even by “Twisted Metal” standards, and tends to look wildly different from game to game. Fortunately, the show has already taken steps to fix this by casting “Barry’s” Anthony Carrigan to play what, let’s face it, is probably destined to become the definitive version of the character.

Say what you want about “Twisted Metal,” but turning a giant serial killer with a clown mask and a flaming head into the franchise’s mascot is a flex. Evil clown Needles “Sweet Tooth” Kane is instantly recognizable, completely ridiculous, and such a larger-than-life character that pro wrestling icon Samoa Joe and comedy icon Will Arnett had to combine their talents to portray him in the live-action “Twisted Metal,” Darth Vader style.

It doesn’t hurt that Sweet Tooth’s eponymous vehicle is also one of the better cars in the games. After all, utterly dismantling your opponent with a kooky ice cream truck is always good for that extra element of humiliation.

No “Twisted Metal” character captures the franchise’s spirit as well as Axel. He’s usually depicted as a guy whose father physically grafted him between a pair of giant wheels when he was young, turning him into a literal axle. Instead of clumsily cartwheeling his way to the Child Protective Services’ auto mechanic department, he solves the issue by joining a tournament for armored vehicles and drives his squishy body-and-wheels combo toward the nearest fiery-bladed truck at full speed.

Interestingly, whenever he manages to free himself, Axel invariably ends up between the wheels again, likely voluntarily. In short, he’s the physical embodiment of the Twisted Metal tournament’s sheer, gleeful ignorance of common sense, and his shockwave-delivering vehicle provides one of the franchise’s most immediately recognizable visuals.