Meet Matt Mercer, the Voice Behind Dispatch’s Shroud — From Fallout 4 to Batman: Arkham Origins
Shroud’s voice reveal in Dispatch sent shivers for a reason: the Mercer Effect. Matthew Mercer makes a villain unforgettable with barely a word, stealing the spotlight from an already star-packed voice cast.
If that voice reveal for Shroud in Dispatch gave you goosebumps, same here. That slow-burn menace? Textbook Matt Mercer. Call it the Mercer Effect: even a few lines from him can make a character feel twice as big as the screen allows.
'The age of heroes is over, Mecha Man.'
So, who is Shroud? And yes, that is Matt Mercer
Shroud is the villain in Dispatch, the new project from AdHoc Studios. He does not say much in the reveal, but Mercer makes every syllable land. And this is in a cast that already includes heavy hitters like Laura Bailey, Aaron Paul, and Erin Yvette. Still, Mercer cuts through the mix. Of course he does.
The quick Mercer refresher
Professionally, he goes by Matthew 'Matt' Mercer, but his full name is Matthew Christopher Miller. He was born June 29, 1982, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, which makes him 43 right now.
Showbiz was kind of in the air at home: his dad worked as a musician and audio engineer, his mom was an actress. Odd twist, though — he was advised not to chase acting. So he aimed at animation instead... and friends in that world told him not to do that either. The pivot: he landed in games, first as a QA tester and then as an associate producer at Sound Source Interactive and TDK Mediaactive. From there, he started booking voice work — cartoons, video games, radio — and that part of his career took off.
Why his voice feels familiar (because it is)
- Anime: Levi Ackerman in Attack on Titan, Trafalgar Law in One Piece, Leorio in Hunter x Hunter, Kagaya Ubuyashiki in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
- Games: Anarky in Batman: Arkham Origins, MacCready in Fallout 4, Jack Cooper in Titanfall 2, Ganondorf in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Cole Cassidy in Overwatch
- Tabletop/streaming: Dungeon Master and co-creator on Critical Role, the creator-owned Dungeons & Dragons show that helped coin that whole 'Mercer Effect' expectation bar
About that 'Mercer Effect'
If you are new to the term, it is basically fans and players expecting top-tier storytelling and performance because they have seen what Mercer does weekly on Critical Role. Hearing him as Shroud is a reminder of why that reputation exists. Even with minimal dialogue, he paints the character in your head. It is unfair to everyone else, but also kind of awesome.
Where Dispatch fits in
Mercer is bringing that same precision to Dispatch, and people are already impatient to hear more from Shroud. With a cast this stacked and a villain performance that lands this hard in seconds, expectations are high. Again.
What is your favorite Matt Mercer performance — anime, games, or otherwise? I have a soft spot for Levi and Ganondorf, but I am not going to argue with anyone who says Jack Cooper or Cole Cassidy.