Dispatch: Which comic book characters inspired the Z-Team 

Dispatch is a game that wears its inspirations on its sleeve, a superhero office comedy that focuses as much on character dynamics as on fighting crime. The game is also a love letter to DC and Marvel Comics, with many of its characters referencing some of the most popular heroes and villains of all time. 

While Dispatch isn’t quite as vicious in its send-up as The Boys, it is far more adult than its source material, especially in terms of violence and suggestive content. While these characters might have won over the video game audience, they might not be suitable for kids to read about in actual comic books. 

The Escapist recaps

• Dispatch is an eight-episode superhero management simulation, incorporating visual novel elements. 
• The protagonist of Dispatch is Robert Robertson, a former hero known as Mecha Man who fights inside a giant robot suit.
• When the Mecha Man suit is almost destroyed, Robertson joins the SDN (Superhero Dispatch Network), which offers to pay for its repair.
• Robertson is tasked with leading The Phoenix Project, informally known as the Z-Team, composed of former villains trying to go straight. 
• Meanwhile, Shroud, the villainous leader of the Red Ring organization, is hunting for the Astral Pulse, which is the power source of the Mecha Man suit. 

The definitive guide to Z-Team’s character origins and inspirations

The Z-Team are the knuckleheads the player will need to whip into shape in Dispatch. These former crooks will struggle to get along at first, but if Robertson can keep them together, then a few adventures might beat them into the best superhero team of all time. Here are the Z-Team character origins:

Mecha Man: The protagonist of Dispatch is a blend of Iron Man from Marvel and Steel from DC, though the idea of humans fighting inside robot suits applies to tons of comic book characters. His real name, Robert Robertson, also references Stan Lee’s use of alliterative names for many of his characters (Bruce Banner, Peter Parker, Reed Richards, etc.). 

Coupe: There are a surprising number of former assassins who have turned into superheroes over the years, with Coupe’s inspiration likely being the Huntress from DC comics. Her powerset is likely inspired by Archangel from the X-Men, who can fly and fire metal feathers.

Flambae: Flambae is a mixture of the Human Torch from the Fantastic Four and Sunfire from the X-Men.

Golem: Golem’s appearance and powerset are partly inspired by Clayface, a Batman villain who is made of clay and can shapeshift, as well as make himself as hard as stone.

Invisigal: We finally get to an anime reference, at least in terms of power. Invisigal’s ability to turn invisible when she holds her breath is shared by Meleoron from Hunter x Hunter, a lizard-like Chimera Ant who becomes a vital ally of the main characters during their attack on the Chimera Ant King.

Malevola: Malevola is a reference to Nightcrawler from the X-Men, who has a similar devilish appearance, teleportation powers, and fights with a sword. She could also be a reference to Nocturne, Nightcrawler’s daughter with Scarlet Witch from the Avengers, who debuted in a different reality before moving to the main Marvel continuity. 

Phenomoman: Phenomoman is inspired by Superman, the greatest superhero of them all. 

Prism: Prism is a mixture of Dazzler and Jubilee from the X-Men, possessing the career and light-controlling powers of the former, and the destructive abilities of the latter. 

Punch Up: Punch Up is one of the more obscure references, essentially an Irish version of Puck from Alpha Flight, Canada’s premier superhero team. They are both small guys who are far stronger and more agile than they look. Punch Up’s acrobatics in Dispatch Episode 8 are a direct shout-out to Puck. 

Sonar: Sonar is an easy one, being a literal bat-man. He’s clearly inspired by Batman and Man-Bat, with the twist that he didn’t inherit money, but earned it through shady cryptocurrency dealings. 

Waterboy: a reference to Aquaman, especially the name, with the main difference being that one is a janitor and the other is a king. 

Who inspired Dispatch’s Red Ring?

Every hero needs a villain, and the Dispatch team has an entire organization against them. The Red Ring, led by Shroud, is the main antagonists in Dispatch, especially in the final chapters, when their wicked plan comes to fruition. 

Shroud: Shroud’s appearance is heavily inspired by Doctor Doom and Red Hood, replacing his green color scheme with red. His power set is a reference to Prometheus, a Batman villain who uses a computer in his head to overcome his foes. 

Toxic: Toxic’s appearance and powers are likely a reference to Blight, the main villain of Batman Beyond. 

Armstrong: Armstrong’s mechanical limbs are likely a reference to Doctor Octopus, the famous Spider-Man villain who uses robotic arms to fight in battle. 

Lightningstruck: The concept of a villain who fights with electric gauntlets could come from either Electrocutioner from DC Comics or the Shocker from Marvel Comics. 

Psychic: Psychic was initially planned to be a member of the Z-Team, but was cut during development and reworked as a member of the Red Ring. Her design appears to be inspired by Rogue from the X-Men, especially from the gothic version from the X-Men: Evolution cartoon.

Who inspired Dispatch’s other heroes & villains?

There’s surprisingly little information given about the wider superhero world of Dispatch. This is because the developers focused entirely on Los Angeles, so we are not aware of the other teams beyond references to the Brave Brigade. 

Dispatch has plenty of scope to expand its universe beyond what we’ve already seen in Season 1. That being said, there are a handful of other essential characters in Dispatch, and unlike with the Z-Team’s character origins, they’re a bit more obvious. 

Blonde Blazer: Blonde Blazer is inspired by golden-era superheroes, with Supergirl and Wonder Woman being the most likely candidates. 

Chase/Trackstar: There are a few super speedsters in American comics for Trackstar to be inspired by, though the Flash/Kid Flash. 

Royd: There are a few potential candidates for Royd, as a technical genius with superstrength isn’t exactly uncommon in comic books. One possible candidate is Doc Samson, a recurring character in The Incredible Hulk series, whose super strength is matched by his genius. 

Ask The Escapist