Alanah Pearce reveals heartbreaking meaning behind her Dispatch character’s name

GamingbyNathan WarbyPublished: Nov 02, 2026, 15:18AdhocAdd as a preferred source on GoogleFollow on Google News

Dispatch actress Alanah Pearce has revealed the touching story behind her character’s name, explaining how the developers helped her pay tribute to her late stepfather.

The superhero comedy game became one of 2025’s breakout hits, with its mix of workplace humor and quicky but memorable characters winning over players.

Pearce voices Malevola, a demon who is part of Z-Team, a group of former villains trying to turn their lives around. But while the character is best known for her fiery personality, there’s a much more personal story behind her full name.

As Pearce recently explained, Malevola’s surname, Gibb, was inspired by someone incredibly important to her.

Malevola’s surname in Dispatch was tribute to Alanah Pearce’s stepdad

During an appearance on Dexerto’s Fall Damage series, Pearce recalled how the developers had originally been unsure whether Malevola should have a surname at all.

They considered leaving her without one or giving her something ordinary like Smith, finding the idea of a demon having such a normal name amusing.

However, when Pearce was asked for suggestions, she decided to use her stepfather’s surname.

“And at the time, my stepdad was quite sick with cancer, and so I used his last name, Gibb,” she explained. “He was a very supportive man, very encouraging of my entire career, and I think I owe a lot to him.”

Her stepfather passed away before Dispatch was released, and Pearce had completely forgotten about the conversation during recording. It wasn’t until she encountered the scene in the finished game that she remembered what she’d suggested.