‘The Mangler’ Revisited: Tobe Hooper, Stephen King and Robert Englund’s Sinister Fairytale

One of the most memorable faces in horror history, Robert Englund remains a rare example of a genre actor that no director would dare to hide under a mask. Sure, his signature role as the clawed dream demon had Englund performing under several layers of intricate makeup, but it was still his iconic expressions and mannerisms that turned Freddy Krueger into a household name.

However, one of the actor’s many talents is rarely acknowledged when looking back on his decades of contributions to genre media, and that would be his penchant for villainous voice-acting. For decades now, the sultry sounds of Robert Englund have been bringing all manners of animated characters to life in cartoons and videogames. And with #RobertEnglundDay finally upon us, we’ve decided to come up with a list celebrating six of Robert’s most memorable voice roles.

In order to keep this list varied, we won’t be including any animated versions of Freddy Krueger, as the character has shown up in everything from Mortal Kombat to The Simpsons over the years and could honestly be the subject of his own specific list.

With that out of the way, don’t forget to comment below with your own favorite voice performances by Robert Englund if you think we missed particularly a good one.

Now, onto the list…

6. Adrian Toomes/Vulture – The Spectacular Spider-Man

An underrated Marvel adaptation that was sabotaged by Disney’s fateful acquisition of the company, Greg Wiseman and Victor Cook’s The Spectacular Spider-Man was an incredibly memorable show that stood out with its updated depictions of Spidey’s iconic rogue’s gallery. In fact, the writing team would often add layers of depth to even minor antagonists, turning henchmen into supervillains over the course of season-long arcs. And among these modernized antagonists was a more vengeful incarnation of Vulture voiced by none other than Robert Englund.

While some fans weren’t crazy about the character’s red redesign (meant to distinguish the flying fiend from other green-suited Spider-Man villains), there was near-unanimous praise for Englund’s cocky demeanor when voicing the iconic character in the very first episode of the series.

5. Edward Nigma/Riddler – The Batman

My personal favorite rendition of what was once a joke character in comics, it’s pretty clear that Englund added a bit of horror flair to The Batman’s goth-adjacent redesign of Riddler. A darker and decidedly more unhinged take on the master of mystery, Englund’s imposing voice is simply the cherry on top of an already-unique re-imagining of a decades-old villain.

While this version of Riddler still relies on over-the-top schemes to brainwash Gotham citizens as he teases authorities with cunning enigmas, his sociopathic antics seem decidedly less comical when he’s being depicted as a bona fide terrorist on the edge.

4. Felix Faust – Justice League

He may be a minor villain in the grand scheme of DC’s expanded universe, but the iconic Justice League show still went the extra mile when casting the dark sorcerer Felix Faust for the small screen. Here, Englund voices a revamped version of the villainous character who learned arcane secrets from Hades himself in exchange for helping to release the god of Death from Tartarus – making him a terrifying foe for the Justice League (and Wonder Woman in particular).

While this new origin wasn’t quite as intimidating as Felix’s demon-summoning backstory from the comics, the character was still popular enough to reappear in Justice League Unlimited, where Englund reprised an undead version of the role out for ghostly vengeance.

3. Dr. Crane/Scarecrow – Injustice 2

Robert Englund had already lent his voice talents to NetherRealm Studios in the past, having voiced Freddy Krueger in the aforementioned 2009 iteration of Mortal Kombat (which was bafflingly forced to use Jackie Earle Haley’s likeness for the character), but he would later return in 2017 to bring another iconic character to life in the DC-based fighter, Injustice 2.

Here, Englund voices a suitably demonic incarnation of Scarecrow, with the Batman villain’s fear-gas making his enemies perceive the fragile Doctor Crane as a supernaturally strong monster – allowing this decidedly human villain to face off against godly foes.

2. Anti-Pops – Regular Show

Cartoon Network’s Regular Show isn’t exactly remembered for its moments of cosmic horror, but leave it to J.G. Quintel to end his (implied) stoner comedy opus with an epic battle against an intergalactic foe voiced by Freddy Krueger himself. The apocalyptic Anti-Pops (also known as Malum Kranus) is Pops’ illegitimate brother and the only one who can rival his power, with their inevitable fights usually ending in a complete reset of the universe.

Funnily enough, Englund had already been featured on the show as a recurring forest guardian known as the Stag-Man – which was basically a kid-friendly Wendigo. Naturally, since the production team already had access to the legendary actor, it makes sense that they’d invite him to voice another terrifying character in the finale.

1. Himself – Call of Duty: Black Ops (Zombies Mode)

From JFK to Bruce Campbell, the Call of Duty Zombies spin-offs have had their fair share of celebrity cameos, but the original expansion that began this trend still remains one of the best. Featuring a homicidal George A. Romero directing a horde of undead foes, the Call of the Dead map allowed players step into the shoes of horror icons like Sarah Michelle Gellar, Danny Trejo, Michael Rooker, and Freddy himself, Robert Englund.

Making plenty of Nightmare on Elm Street references as he shoots his way through a zombie-infested Siberia, Englund makes the most of this absurd crossover by playing an exaggerated version of his own Hollywood persona. His character also sports a friendly rivalry with Trejo, making the game even more entertaining when the two begin to bicker during bloody shoot-outs.

Celebrate #RobertEnglundDay with SCREAMBOX Original documentary Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, streaming now.