The Team Behind Helluva Boss Reveals Which Villain Could Never Be Redeemed [Exclusive]

Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel have quickly risen far beyond their initial status as cult favorites, with the shared universe of underworld escapades becoming a hit for Prime Video. That connection with the fans never feels stronger than at events like the LVLUP Expo, where crowds gathered to celebrate the shows during panels featuring the creatives and stars. That includes Brandon Rogers (who co-writes and stars in Helluva Boss as Blitzo) and Morgana Ignis, who became a fan favorite after appearing as Sallie May.

It’s a sign of the confidence the creatives have in the shows that they already know how everything will play out, with Helluva Boss set to conclude with season 4, while Hazbin Hotel will close up shop after season 5. That means the creatives know the direction the finale will go in and what happens to everyone. During interviews with ComicBook at LVLUP, Brandon Rogers even revealed which character they’d be most shocked to get an actual redemption arc in the franchise.

CB: Is there anyone in the show’s universe that you don’t think could be redeemed?

Brandon Rogers: I would be shocked if Katie Killjoy could be redeemed. Here’s the thing: Katie Killjoy is representative of Viv’s antagonists in life. Katie Killjoy was specifically created because VIV deals with people who spin her words in the press, people who twist what she says. I don’t know if Viv would ever write a character who’s inspired by those people to ever redeem themselves. I think Katie’s gonna die in a fiery wreck [Laughter].

The rest of our interview with Brandon Rogers and Morgana Ignis continues below, diving into crossover potential for Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss, the importance of natural representation, and tease the major dynamics of season 3.

Congrats on Helluva Boss! The reception has been great, especially here at LVLUP.

Brandon Rogers: It feels like we aimed at a target and then we didn’t just hit it, but we obliterated it. I’m very thankful. And we still have two more seasons! We’re still only halfway through this bitch.

Morgana Ignis: I believe this is our fourth year at the LVLUP Expo, and every year it feels like more fans are trying to pack themselves like little sardines into the main auditorium to see us. It’s blown up so massively, from just a little indie animated cartoon on YouTube into this worldwide cultural phenomenon… my fiancée and I got engaged in Japan last October, and while we were there, I had a Helluva Boss backpack with me; it had all the characters on it. I step off the train, and right as I step off, somebody runs up and is excited about the backpack. I said thank you, and she recognized my voice [from the show]. How wild is it that on the other side of the world, in a country I’ve never been to before, this person, who I don’t speak the same language as, remembered a character of mine — and was a fan of a character of mine! It’s mind-blowing.

That’s the core of what you want from something like this. It’s the dream of any performer to see their work resonate. Especially for Helluva Boss — you didn’t join an indie animated series because you’re like, ‘I’m going to make so much money!’ You do it because it sounds fun, and that’s exactly what it was. I did it because it was fun and because my friends were doing it, so I jumped into it with them. Then it ended up becoming the biggest thing I’ve done in my acting career. Look at Sallie May, who has not had a ton of screen time yet. But what little she has had has also resonated with fans on a level I couldn’t possibly imagine. I think the lesson there is follow the fun versus trying to make a buck off of everything.

Brandon, what has surprised you the most about Blitzo?

Brandon Rogers: Well, I didn’t think a character this similar to me would ever be as loved as he is. There’s something kind of validating about that. Almost the whole cast on both shows, Viv casts people who are very adjacent to their characters, and it makes it easy and fun. You’re not really trying to bend yourself out of shape to fit in that role. It feels like you’re wearing a suit that’s been tailored for you, and that kind of cancels out a lot of the imposter syndrome. I was cast for this role for a reason. They saw something inherently in who I am and how I talk and how I behave that fits this part. When the music plays, you just start dancing.

What has really surprised me is just how good the animation’s gotten. That’s why we did a new pilot. We don’t want the first episode that new audiences see to be one that represents our production quality from years ago. We want to showcase how we’ve evolved up to now… This is the era of really telling execs in Hollywood to be scared. Now there’s stuff that’s made with love, because the people who grew up on the shit you fed us are making it with more heart than you ever did. You’re just trying to keep up because we are eliminating the middleman. This, Iron Lung, Backrooms, every time a new thing that comes out that does well for the mainstream, that’s made by an independent person, that’s another middle finger to Hollywood.

Just give us your money and shut the fuck up. Just let us do it! Anytime you have someone’s money to make something, that person’s entitled to tell you exactly how to make it, even if they’re not a creative person. They didn’t get that money by being creative. They’re businesspeople. But businesspeople don’t like to stay in their lane. They like to tell us, ‘Oh yeah, no, maybe try this.’ The beauty of Helluva Boss on Prime Video is that they were like, ‘Just make what you make. You’ve already proven you can do it. You know your audience, you know what they like. Have fun!’

Morgana, what has caught you by surprise about Sallie?

Morgana Ignis: Her heart. I didn’t get to see the way she looks until the show fully came out. I hadn’t seen a design or anything. It was awesome seeing her. She’s hot as fuck, which is great to see; that really resonated with people. But on top of that, it’s her confidence, especially being an openly trans character. I’m an openly trans actress playing her, which is a rare thing to find in any medium still. She’s a very self-assured, confident, funny, snarky, trans character who is very confident within her own body and who owns her identity. That’s hit with so many people. I know so many fans who have come up to me and said that this character helped them discover themselves and their own identity. I met fans who came out four years ago at the first LVLUP we did, and I’m seeing them four years later after that discovery. The representation aspect of this show can be life-changing. It’s more than just a novelty. You’re seeing that this has actually changed people’s lives, even just seeing a character that they can project on… I don’t think we’ve used the word “trans” or “transgender” in the show, because the characters are just allowed to exist. We deal with social and political hierarchies and things like that in our shows, not so much homophobia or transphobia.

With Sallie, just the fact that we were able to tell a story with her character that didn’t have to be that — and that’s so often all the character can be. It’s just a trans story. It’s about coming out; it’s about wanting to be accepted. Sallie has all that already. So we got to get into a storyline — which I was lucky enough to write for our first short, “Hell’s Bells,” — where it’s the first time Sallie May comes and visits Imp City. You’ve seen this huge contrast between the Wraith Ring, which is very rural. Then there’s Imp City, which is a big city and has a lot of different creatures in it. We got to get into stuff like Millie having asked Sallie to visit the city, and Sallie kept putting it off, and then they had a great time. Clearly, they’re close. But by the end of it, Sallie May’s insecurities really boil up, because she’s seeing everything she feels her sister left her for, and she’s comparing herself to that. She was almost afraid. It’s almost like this is what Millie left her for. They have a very emotional conversation at the end of it, where they recognize that when you become an adult, you build these lives, and sometimes you accidentally lose connection with people.

Nothing happened; no fight broke out or anything. But you have adult responsibilities to these new lives you’re building, and all of a sudden, you realize that you haven’t spoken with your sibling in six months. By the end of the episode, they decide that they both need to put the effort into this thing that means so much to us. My favorite thing about that episode is the number of people who have come up to me and said that after watching that episode, they called a family member they missed. The good thing about doing that episode, too, is that we get a big reveal with Millie by the end of season two, where she tests positive for pregnancy. The first person she calls is Sallie. Before “Hell’s Bells,” you wouldn’t have necessarily put together that she would be the first person she calls. But by the end of that episode, we know Sally would be the person that Millie would confide in. I think the show is really good at building those relationships so that fans know them.

What can you tease for Season 3 of Helluva Boss?

Brandon Rogers: I think Stolis being at a low point is such an interesting plotline. We’ve only ever seen him in this sense of nobility. The beauty of having him here is that we get to see new sides of him — or at least the Imps get to see sides of him that they didn’t necessarily see before. In the trailer, we can see Millie opening up to him and having a heart-to-heart. Those moments wouldn’t have happened if he were still in his place. I like it because now he’s one of the gang. He’s always been part of the core cast, but now that he’s actually part of the gang, I think that there’s so much more juice for him. Let him get dirty with us.

Morgana Ignis: Without getting into spoiler territory, I can say that the conversation that [Millie and Sallie] start having at the end of season 2 will continue. They’re definitely going to talk a lot more about it.

We know Helluva Boss will come to an end with season 4. How has that impacted your approach to writing the show?

Brandon Rogers: We’ve known since day one how this series ends. We’ve known what’s going to happen in the last season and what’s going to happen in the last episode. We know what happens to all the characters. With every TV show, there are some fans who go, ‘They’ve lost this character. This character doesn’t feel the same anymore. They don’t know where they’re going to go.’ Every decision that every character makes is to advance them further toward the endgame that we have in mind for them.

We know very much where the story is going. Everything is intentional, and I think that’s the best kind of story writing because you don’t really have any filler. You know what the next move is. You know where you’re going. So I’m just happy that we have a showrunner who cares this much about the series.

How do you approach the tonal balancing act?

Brandon Rogers: I think you just kind of know the ebb and flow of what you like. We’re all nerds, and we all ingest a lot of movies and TV shows, and we know like the back of our hands. How long do we need to stay sad after a character dies? When does it feel unnatural for a character to be happy again? I think the show does have a lot of sad and a lot of funny, both of them, but I’ve never really seen us take into consideration how the tone should shift.

We just kind of always know what the next step is. This scene happens. So then this scene is going to happen. The things we really get hung up on in the writers’ room are just the verbiage and how they word certain things. We constantly take into consideration. How are the fans going to break this line down? How are they going to scrutinize it with a fine-tooth comb? That’s where we spend the most time, just making sure that these characters are wording their sentences in a way that doesn’t fuck anything up.

What’s it like seeing Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss crossover?

Brandon Rogers: I can’t say what happens or how the shows cross over, but it’s weird showing up to work and seeing a script and seeing a Helluva Boss character mixed with a Hazbin Hotel character. Having them talk to one another has been a hell of a thing. You see characters who should not necessarily know each other know each other, and that’s kind of cool, seeing how they react. I think that the shows are merging in a very interesting way. No one has guessed how it happens yet. I think it’s the perfect way to have these two things collide.

Who would your dream crossover pairing be?

Morgana Ignis: Cherry Bomb, for sure… They are exactly the right kind of chaotic energy for one another. I would love to see Sally Mae and Cherry Bomb hit the town. I think that would be such a blast!