Rayman: Beyond Darkness

Rayman: Beyond Darkness is an adult animated cyberpunk action-adventure drama thriller webseries produced by VPZPictures, Ubisoft Film & Television, Bootleg Universe, Touchstone Television, and Amazon MGM Studios, and created by Ethan Vasquez for the streaming service Amazon Prime Video. Set 13 years and a half after the events of Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix (2023), the series centers on the story of Rayman (played by Jeremy Renner), a former media personality and current private investigator who, along with Globox (played by Dave Bautista) and his allies, enters the underworld of rebellion and begins to plan a pacifist revolution to overthrow the government of the superstate of Eden, an alternate history version of the United States that has been taken over by a system of fascist dictatorship.
Rayman: Beyond Darkness premiered on September 1, 2025 to celebrate 30 years of the release of the first Rayman game. Its first season, consisting of ten episodes, concluded on November 3, 2025. Following the season one finale, Amazon renewed the series for a second and third season.
The second season, also consisting of ten episodes, released on October 29, 2026 to celebrate 27 years of the release of the second Rayman game, Rayman 2: The Great Escape, and concluded on December 31, 2026. The third and final season, also consisting of ten episodes, released on February 21, 2028 to celebrate 25 years of the release of the third Rayman game, Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc, and concluded on May 8, 2028 with the two-parter feature-length film, Battle of Eden, which serves as a series finale. It also takes place in the VPZverse, as the second installment of the "Genesis" series.
The series has received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise towards its animation, fast-paced action sequences, story, voice performances (particularly Renner, Bautista, Fanning, Holland and Ortega), worldbuilding, Reznor and Ross' musical score, and emotional weight, while criticism was aimed towards the excessively graphic violence, and political commentary.
==Premise ==
===Setting===
Set in an alternate history where humans and anthropomorphic animals known as "hybrids" coexist, the United States has been occupied by Eden, an ultra-nationalist fascist government living under a totalitarian dictatorial regime that severely restricts the civil rights of hybrids.
Rayman: Beyond Darkness also takes place in Earth-RAY'92 (also known as the "Laserverse"), which is a universe located in the VPZverse, where the events from Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix (2023) take place.
===Synopsis===
In the New Year celebration for the year of 2006, thirteen years and a half years has passed after the death of Dolph Laserhawk, and a former media personality and current private investigator named Scott Raymond (known as Rayman, and now renamed Evan Conroe), suddenly reunites with his old friend, Trevor Wilson (known as Globox).
When they reunite after long years of no contact, they both begin to enter into the underworld of rebellion, and begin to recruit a political organization of rebellious hybrids and trustworthy humans with the goal of overthrowing the dictatorship of Eden and reestablishing the United States as a new democratic country named "New America" ​​(or "New American Republic"), by using pacifist tactics to confront the oppressors of society and fight for freedom and peace for both hybrids and humans alike.
==Cast and characters==
===Introduced in Season 1===
====Main==== 
*Jeremy Renner as Scott Raymond / Evan Conroe / Rayman / Ramon / Agent GHOST / RAY-006: A 49-year-old "thingamajig special hybrid" refugee born in Dimension X, who was rejected by humans for being from a different dimension. He was constantly discriminated against before Eden took over the United States of America. They would promise him a purpose in life. Rayman acted as one of Eden's most popular newscasters—and their primary means of propaganda. Unbeknownst to him, his likeness was used for various child solider enlistments and to promote discrimination against hybrids for decades, until Eden's propaganda schemes were revealed to Rayman's eyes by Bullfrog, turning Rayman from Eden's iconic mascot to Eden's number-one public enemy. He currently works as a private investigator accompanied by Vincent DeLongo.
*Dave Bautista as Trevor Wilson / Globox / GLBX-006: A 51-year-old sensitive alcoholic blue frog hybrid who is emotionally involved with his human wife, Barbara, and their daughter, Marina. After Barbara kicked him out of the house in an argument six months before the events of the show, he changed significantly, using more defensiveness and responsibility to solve problems and is also seen developing a surrogate father-daughter bond with Penny Fitzgerald throughout of the show. He is also morbidly obese, weighing around 400 pounds.
*Elle Fanning as Penny Fitzgerald: A 26-year-old young yellow female shape-shifting "deer-fairy special hybrid" who was recently orphaned after the lives of her family were taken by Eden's military forces. She also broke up with Gumball Watterson five years prior the events of the show and currently tries to escape from Eden's genocidal plan towards hybrids, and to also help Viktor's mental stability, eventually resulting in a romantic relationship between the two.
*Tom Holland as Viktor Soares / Cyberkill: A 27-year-old human hacker who was physically abused by his father and stepmother and most of the classmates during a horrific childhood which resulted in his "Cyberkill" alter-ego, which is an alter-ego where he gains cybernetic superhuman abilities whenever enraged or agitated. After he had considered that he has "had enough", he eventually killed his parents as revenge after Viktor's dad killed Viktor's only friend, Emma, ten years prior the events of the series. He is also the current boyfriend of Penny Fitzgerald.
*Jenna Ortega as Jenny Wakeman / XJ-9: A sentient XJ-series gynoid automaton humanoid robot designed as a young adult woman of about 21 years of age, in design and mentality, despite being created eight years prior to the show.
*Ariel Winter as Kiff Chatterley: A 24-year-old female squirrel hybrid who is a fugitive after she escapes prison and is accepted to stay as a refugee in one of the hidden rooms located in a secret refugee shelter for endangered hybrids under a bar owned by Pablo Rogers, one of Rayman's friends.
====Recurring ====
*Andy Serkis as Pablo Rogers: A 62-year-old blue penguin hybrid who owns a bar located in the middle of the countryside outside of Mega City. His bar also hides beneath it a refugee shelter for endangered hybrids whose lives are being threatened by Eden's military forces.
*Channing Tatum as Bullfrog: A rebel frog hybrid who is a member of the Assassin Brotherhood that almost got executed before Rayman saved him from his death more than 13 years prior the events of the show. After he is accepted into Pablo's secret hybrid refugee shelter, he becomes friends with Rayman and joins the main cast from Season 2 onward. He also speaks with a heavy French accent.
*Keanu Reeves as Dante Robotnik / Shadow: An anti-heroic anthropomorphic red-striped black hedgehog who is a secret "hitman" who is considered the successor to Rayman's previous "hitman" career, which lasted from 1995 to 2004, before Rayman became a private investigator. He was created by Professor Gerald Robotnik through genetic engineering fifty-four years before the events of the series, in October 1951, as part of an experiment to cure his granddaughter Maria, whose death prompts Shadow's vow of revenge. He also joins the main cast from Season 2 onwards.
*Tom Felton as Jason Wakeman / XJ-10: The only male robot of the XJ-series. He is introduced as a villain in the season one episode "Advanced Menace", after Eden steals the robot whose creator, Dr. Nora Wakeman, has recently finished development. Eden then starts to control XJ-10 to obey their orders, but after he suffers a short-circuit, he then breaks out of Eden's control over his behaviour, making him an ally of the group that joins the main cast from Season 2 onward.
*Simu Liu as Liang Min: A psychopathic, sadistic and narcissistic politician who serves as the extremely powerful dictator of Eden, and the one who plans Eden's ultimate genocidal plan to eliminate every single hybrid that inhabits all of Eden's territory. He is also the biological son of Pagan Min.
*Adam Driver as Vincent DeLongo: Rayman's 39-year-old private investigator partner who works at the Hybrid Defense Bureau (HDB).
*Cameron Diaz as Barbara Wilson: Globox's ex-wife and Marina's biological mother.
====Minor==== 
*Billy West as Murfy / Joseph Murphy: A green frog-fly "special hybrid" who is the helper of Rayman in all worlds. He can also transform into a human at will, with his human name being "Joseph Murphy". He is introduced in the season one episode "I Told You".
*Sadie Sink as Emma Hansley: Viktor's childhood best friend, who was one of only two people, besides his biological mother, who would emotionally support Viktor in his mental stability. She was eventually murdered by Viktor's abusive father, Tony Soares, in October 1995, causing Viktor to kill his own father in an act of revenge.
*Nicholas Hoult as Rayman / RAY-001: An alternate version of Rayman who comes from Earth-R'95, which is the same universe where the first Rayman game takes place. He, alongside the other versions of Rayman, are introduced in the season one episode "Me, Myself, and I".
*Daniel Radcliffe as Rayman / RAY-002: An alternate version of Rayman who comes from Earth-R'99, which is the same universe where the second Rayman game (Rayman 2: The Great Escape) takes place. He, alongside the other versions of Rayman, are introduced in the season one episode "Me, Myself, and I".
*Robert Pattinson as Rayman / RAY-003: An alternate version of Rayman who comes from Earth-R'03, which is the same universe where the third Rayman game (Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc) takes place. He, alongside the other versions of Rayman, are introduced in the season one episode "Me, Myself, and I".
*Andrew Garfield as Rayman / RAY-004: An alternate version of Rayman who comes from Earth-R'11, which is the same universe where both Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends takes place. He, alongside the other versions of Rayman, are introduced in the season one episode "Me, Myself, and I".
*Hugh Jackman as Rayman / RAY-005: An alternate version of Rayman who comes from Earth-R'84, which is the same universe where the cancelled Rayman 4 takes place. He, alongside the other versions of Rayman, are introduced in the season one episode "Me, Myself, and I".
*Mike Myers as Globox / GLBX-002: An alternate version of Globox who comes from Earth-R'99, which is the same universe where the second Rayman game (Rayman 2: The Great Escape) takes place. He, alongside the other versions of Globox, are introduced in the season one episode "Me, Myself, and I".
*Jon Favreau as Globox / GLBX-003: An alternate version of Globox who comes from Earth-R'03, which is the same universe where the third Rayman game (Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc) takes place. He, alongside the other versions of Globox, are introduced in the season one episode "Me, Myself, and I".
*Jack Black as Globox / GLBX-004: An alternate version of Globox who comes from Earth-R'2011, which is the same universe where both Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends takes place. He, alongside the other versions of Globox, are introduced in the season one episode "Me, Myself, and I".
*Vincent D'Onofrio as Globox / GLBX-005: An alternate version of Globox who comes from Earth-R'84, which is the same universe where the cancelled Rayman 4 takes place. He, alongside the other versions of Globox, are introduced in the season one episode "Me, Myself, and I".
*Josh Brolin as Tony Soares: Viktor's abusive childhood father who was murdered by Viktor himself, after Tony killed Viktor's friend, Emma.
*Liv Tyler as Hannah Soares: Viktor's biological mother who worked as a firefighter, and also was one of only two people, besides Emma, who would emotionally support Viktor in his mental stability. She eventually died in a car accident in February 1994, when Viktor was 15 years old.
*Megan Fox as Britanny Angel: Viktor's stepmother who works as a prostitute, and was also Tony Soares' new wife. She ended up being murdered, along with Tony Soares, both at the hands of Viktor Soares, in an act to avenge the death of his best friend.
* Millie Bobby Brown as Marina Wilson: Globox's 17-year-old biological daughter.
===Introduced in Season 2===
====Main==== 
*Griffin Gluck as Lincoln Loud: A 22-year-old white-haired young male human who is the only one survivor of the family after they were all killed due to partaking in pacifist protests against Eden's police brutality. He is Ronnie Anne's ex-boyfriend.
* Dafne Keen as Ronnie Anne Santiago: A 22-year-old Hispanic young female human who was separated from the Casagrandes after they were kidnapped by Liang Min's supporters. She is Lincoln's ex-girlfriend and is currently Marco's girlfriend.
*Maddie Ziegler as Star Butterfly
*Xolo Maridueña as Marco Diaz
*Aaron Paul as Dipper Pines
*Natalie Portman as Mabel Pines
*Kirsten Dunst as Pacifica Northwest
*Liam Hemsworth as Finn Miller
*Emma Watson as Phoebe Ember
*Bella Ramsey as Hilda Folkenberg
==== Recurring==== 
*Mark Hamill as André Grimley
*Ralph Fiennes as Damien Ember
*Brie Larson as Fionna Miller
*Elliot Page as Gumball Watterson
*John Boyega as Darwin Watterson
* Billie Eillish as Carrie Krueger
*Caleb McLaughlin as Clyde McBride
*
*Jennifer Connelly as Betina
*Paul Bettany as Carlos "Cookie" Luvagetto
*Rowan Atkinson as Lawrence McDonald / Lac-Mac
*Bob Odenkirk as Inspector Grub
*Matthew Lillard as Simon Petrikov
====Minor==== 
*Willem Dafoe as Professor Gerald Robotnik
*Peyton List as Maria Robotnik
==Episodes==
===Season 1 === 
#"Hello, Friend" (released September 1, 2025)
#"Endangered Runaways" (released September 8, 2025)
#"Late Gift" (released September 15, 2025)
#"It's Time to Take Action" (released September 22, 2025)
#"I Told You" (released September 29, 2025)
#"Me, Myself, and I" (released October 6, 2025)
#"Advanced Menace" (released October 13, 2025)
#"The Diary of Viktor" (released October 20, 2025)
#"Tears of Blood" (released October 27, 2025)
#"Between Heaven and Hell" (released November 3, 2025)
=== Season 2=== 
#"We May Now Begin" (released October 29, 2026)
#"I Am All of Me" (released November 5, 2026)
#"Fantasy or Reality?" (released November 12, 2026)
#"Russian Roulette" (released November 19, 2026)
#"The Ballad of Agent GHOST" (released November 26, 2026)
#"Spread the Message" (released December 3, 2026)
#"Calling All Units" (released December 10, 2026)
#"The Burning of Innocence" (released December 17, 2026)
#"There's Light at the End of the Tunnel" (released December 24, 2026)
#"Or Is There?" (released December 31, 2026)
===Season 3 === 
#"Unknown Caller" (released February 21, 2028)
#"Hoodlums' Valley" (released February 28, 2028)
#"Book of Prophecies" (released March 6, 2028)
#"The Rabbids Strike" (released March 13, 2028)
#"The Min Dynasty" (released March 20, 2028)
#"Father and Daughter" (released March 27, 2028)
#"Let Them Come" (released April 3, 2028)
#"Darkness Unleashed" (released April 10, 2028)
#"Journey to Victory (Battle of Eden - Part 1)" (released May 1, 2028)
#"My Name Is Rayman (Battle of Eden - Part 2)" (released May 8, 2028)
==Parental Guidance==
===Classification=== 
*Australia: MA15+ (most episodes) 
**Australia: M (some episodes)
**Australia: R18+ (one episode)
*Brazil: 16 (most episodes)
**Brazil: 14 (some episodes)
**Brazil: 18 (some episodes)
*Canada: 14+ (most episodes) 
**Canada: 18+ (some episodes)
*Denmark: 15
*Finland: 16 (most episodes) 
** Finland: 18 (some episodes)
*France: -16 (most episodes) 
**France: -18 (some episodes)
*Germany: 16 (most episodes)
**Germany: 18 (some episodes)
*Mexico: B-15 (most episodes)
**Mexico: C (some episodes)
*New Zealand: 16 (most episodes) 
**New Zealand: M (some episodes)
**New Zealand: 18 (some episodes)
*Norway: 15 (most episodes) 
** Norway: 18 (some episodes)
*Portugal: 16
*United Kingdom: 15 (most episodes) 
**United Kingdom: 18 (some episodes)
*United States: TV-MA (most episodes) 
**United States: TV-14 (some episodes)
===Sex and Nudity (Moderate)=== 
*Mature themes such as pornography, sexual assault/abuse, pedophilia, strip clubs, prostitution, etc. are occasional topics of discussion but are never shown.
* Sex scenes are not explicit, and usually cut away quickly or show only the end of the act.
*Scenes showing partial nudity such as revealing clothing, buttocks and female breasts can be seen in some episodes.
*Globox can be seen masturbating in one episode, while watching porn. You can only see his hand movements (no nudity, he's clothed) and when he climaxes.
*Globox is implied to be addicted to pornography.
*Viktor and Penny initiate sex during a scene in season two. Sides of Penny's breasts and Viktor's buttocks are visible in the scene but the majority of the scene shows only their heads. Moaning is heard during this scene.
*The sexual content is overall moderate.
=== Violence and Gore (Severe)=== 
*Violence is not frequent at first, but becomes very present as the show progresses. Many scenes are quite graphic, intense, and bloody, but what makes the violence in the show have a greater impact is its realism and disturbing nature. Suicide and implications of sexual violence are also depicted throughout the show. Most of the violence is very sudden, unexpected, and shocking rather than gory, but there are some gory scenes such as when Rayman investigates certain crime scenes during his detective career depicted in some episodes from the first season.
*The violence becomes increasingly more intense as the show progresses. Almost every scene of violence in the show is unexpected and shocking.
*The first season has a few violent scenes while the last 2 seasons have lots of violent, bloody and even gory scenes.
=== Profanity (Severe)=== 
*Frequent swearing. Constant uses of "f*ck". alongside several uses of "sh*t", "damn", "bit*h", "hell".
*The middle finger gesture is often used.
*Language is constant, strong, and extremely vulgar. From mild profanity, such as "hell", "bastard", "crap" and "ass", to strong language like "b*tch/son of a b*tch", "goddamn", "d*ck", "assh*le", "pr*ck" "p*ssy", "tits", "c*ck", "wh*re", "douche/douchebag", "sh*t", and "f*ck/motherf*cker". There are also many derogatory slurs like "f*ggot" and "r*tard".
===Alcohol, Drugs and Smoking (Moderate)=== 
*The protagonist, Rayman, is a cocaine addict and is seen frequently snorting it. His other addictions like smoking cigarettes and alcoholism is also frequently shown.
*Globox is an alcoholic who is frequently seen drinking either bottles of beer or whiskey.
===Frightening & Intense Scenes (Severe) ===
*The show is very graphic and touches on heavy themes of control, hacking, mental health, consumerism, corruption, trauma, capitalism, loneliness, and many more. The third season is notably intense, with very high stakes, shocking plot twists, and tension.
* Viktor is shown to be a very tragic character due to him suffering from trauma from his past, where it is seen in the season one episode, "The Diary of Viktor", that when ever since childhood, he has suffered child abuse, bullying, and psychological abuse.
==Trivia== 
*Rayman: Beyond Darkness was originally conceived to be an open-world GTA-style interactive story video game, previously called Rayman 4, and later renamed to Ramon. VPZPictures, however, changed the project's format from an interactive video game to a YouTube webseries due to the video game format and overall gameplay style being too ambitious.
* In Australia, "The Diary of Viktor" is the only episode of the whole show to be rated R18+ for its extreme content.
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