Dungeons & Dragons Teases Venger and 1980s Cartoon Characters in Upcoming Adventures (Exclusive)

ComicBook got some new details on what's in the works for Venger and other characters from the 1980s D&D cartoon.

Dungeons & Dragons has plans for Venger, the nefarious villain from the 1980s cartoon. Earlier this summer, Wizards of the Coast revealed a redesigned Venger on the cover of its new Dungeon Master's Guide, which will be released later this year. Wizards previously noted that Venger would appear in an upcoming campaign adventure, but ComicBook wanted to know if anything besides Venger's look had changed during the nearly 40-year gap between appearances. 

When speaking with Chris Perkins, one of the two game architects for Dungeons & Dragons, ComicBook asked about Venger and what we could expect out of this creepier, more dangerous version of the character. "As usual, Venger has it out for adventurers," Perkins said. "He's always after their magic items, of course. He has also a bone to pick with Tiamat, for some reason." Perkins noted that Wizards wanted to make Venger wanted to be an iconic villain like Vecna that can pop up "anywhere" instead of being tied to a specific setting. 

The 1980s cartoon characters will make more appearances in upcoming Wizards of the Coast products, including artwork found in the Core Rulebooks. Additionally, Wizards of the Coast designed adventures meant for convention play that include the option to play as the grown-up versions of the heroes of the cartoon. "You get to rescue Uni the unicorn from her latest kerfuffle," Perkins said of the adventure. Perkins also confirmed that the group has aged several years within D&D lore since the events of the game (Bobby is now 18 years old) and that Eric the Cavalier (who wasn't present in a piece of artwork showcasing the other characters) is still "around" and hasn't met some kind of tragic fate in the lore of the game. 

There's one other new addition to the Dungeons & Dragons canon spinning out of the 1980s cartoon. "Another fun concept that we've been playing with is they were not the only group who was brought into that world, that there are others," Perkins said. "We have even actually created a new character, Nico, a cleric, who was part of another group that went to the Realm, had dealings with Venger, and she has now sort of crossed paths with the core group." Perkins mentioned that there are several other adventurers "to fill out the ranks" including a new Warlock character.