Critical Role’s Vox Machina season 2 trailer includes one oddly satisfying draconic retcon

A new trailer for Critical Role’s The Legend of Vox Machina season 2 is here, with more ribald comedy and high-fantasy action than ever before. The first three episodes will air Jan. 20 on Amazon’s Prime Video service, with three more each week for the full 12-episode run.

Critical Role began as a Dungeons & Dragons actual play series starring actors Laura Bailey (The Last of Us: Part II), Taliesin Jaffe (Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn), Ashley Johnson (The Last of Us), Liam O’Brien (Star Wars: The Bad Batch), Marisha Ray (Final Fantasy XV: Comrades), Sam Riegel (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), and Travis Willingham (Marvel’s Avengers). Led by Dungeon Master Matthew Mercer (Overwatch), it’s since grown into a popular brand with a massive online following with its own publishing imprint and many tie-ins and promotions.

While season 1 focused on a devilish vampire, season 2 finds our heroes going up against a coterie of powerful dragons known as the Chroma Conclave. Longtime fans of the actual play series have naturally glommed on to the show, but Mercer and company are doing their best to make things more interesting even for the most dedicated fans. To whit, this new trailer ends on a strangely satisfying retcon of a storied battle against the ancient black dragon known as Umbrasyl.

A big draw this season, aside from outdoing Ant-Man and reprising one of fans’ favorite story arcs, is a cavalcade of guest star appearances. Fans should keep an ear out for the voice talents of Will Friedle (Boy Meets World), Billy Boyd (The Lord Of The Rings), Henry Winkler (Barry), Lance Reddick (John Wick), Cree Summer (Rugrats / The Patrick Show), Alanna Ubach (Euphoria), Cheech Marin (Up in Smoke), Troy Baker (The Last of Us), Sendhill Ramamurthy (Beauty and the Beast), Ralph Innerson (The Witch), and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence). Returning guest cast include Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Encanto), Indira Varma (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Game of Thrones), Gina Torres (911: Lone Star), Kelly Hu (BMF), and Esme Creed-Miles (Hanna).