Thanks to Cart Boy for help with edits, PhantomZ2 for the header, and @NickDaDroid for designing this series’s template.
After a year-long hiatus, MultiVersus—a platform fighter starring Warner Bros. mascots—has returned to mixed reception. It’s leagues slower than its beta, sports overbearing microtransactions, and adds a new bug with each patch, but it’s as fun as ever and scratches that character speculation itch we’ve felt in the absence of Smash. The latest newcomers haven’t disappointed, ranging from iconic villains like Agent Smith and Jason Voorhees to Cartoon Network mainstays like Samurai Jack and, for whatever reason, Adventure Time’s Banana Guard. Bit too early for a joke character, but a freebie’s a freebie. And since the cartoon reps tend to be my favorite additions, I’ll be tackling one for my first go at a “Dream Icon.” Might as well start strong, so I’m going with my favorite character from one of my favorite shows in recent years: the most combative and uptight Smiling Friend, Allan Red!
Who Is Allan?
Premiering on Adult Swim in 2020 (before making its proper debut two years later), Smiling Friends centers around a charity whose employees help people smile. Usually, episodes follow coworkers Pim and Charlie as they meet clients and help them with whatever’s got them down. Whether they’re solving a brotherly dispute or questing through a knockoff Middle Earth, the show’s unique brand of chaos is always ready to send things off the rails. But despite all the ridiculous gags and bizarre visuals, there’s a sincerity to the characters and setting that elevates them beyond randomness for the sake of it. Some of the most iconic clips are just mundane arguments between friends, after all, and this precise balance between absurdity and authenticity is why Pim, Charlie, and all their acquaintances are so beloved.
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That brings us back to Allan, a secondary Smiling Friend who’s present in almost every episode. Rather than going on adventures or helping people directly, he holds down the fort and maintains the office. And that’s the perfect role for him, because although he’s a hard worker, he’s also far from the nicest guy in Pennsylvania. The twentysomething gets along with the stars, as well as fellow minor leaguer Glep and the kooky Mr. Boss, but has no problem picking fights or putting people he doesn’t like down. This personality’s on full display in “A Allan Adventure,” an episode dedicated to him and made famous for his clashes with the likes of Armzo and Mr. Landlord. Overall, thanks to his apathetic nature and deadpan humor, Allan proves he’s a master at making us smile and deserving of his fan-favorite status.
Importance to Warner Bros. & Series
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As of now, MultiVersus is stacked with some of the most famous characters of all time. It’s hard to stand out next to Superman, Shaggy, and Bugs Bunny, so it’s no wonder a property that got its start this decade isn’t all that likely. That being said, Player First Games is making a clear effort to keep the roster relevant and diverse. Sometimes, that’s to a fault (looking at you, Black Adam), but it fuels speculation. From that lens, you could make a much wilder guess than a series that’s as big a hit as Smiling Friends. Both the first and second seasons made waves online with each episode, and while it’s still too early to know where the show might go from here, more of it’s already been greenlit. And it wouldn’t be the first time an Adult Swim original made the crossover; just look at Rick & Morty. True, that show left too big an impact to ignore, but since there’s precedent, there’s no reason to pretend Smiling Friends is out of MultiVersus’s scope.
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Allan’s show might be in the running, but why cover him over Pim or Charlie? Heck, there’s arguably a greater push for one-hit wonder Gwimbly than our red critter of interest. Admittedly, I’m just biased. I wanna pitch a fighting game moveset for one of the funniest characters I’ve ever seen. But more than that, Allan’s relative knack for violence and vast moveset potential deserve our attention. Like with Smash, it can feel very limiting to narrow our scope to just the leads of a given universe, and “Dream” articles have always been the perfect avenue to get a little more creative. Besides, let’s not forget that this game added Velma before Scooby Doo, so deuteragonists are definitely fair game.
Design & Variants
Adapting two-dimensional characters to 3D can get complicated, and that’s especially true for those from Smiling Friends. Charlie, for instance, has a massive schnauzer between his two eyes, so the show simply puts both of them on whichever side’s facing the screen. The fact his puppet depictions feature four eyes total is proof enough that he’s hard to translate to other contexts. Allan would fare better, but he still ought to emulate his 2D look and stance as much as possible (only one eye visible at a time, arms and legs spread out, and so on). Aside from that, his design’s simple and hard to mess up: red, lanky, and wearing nothing but a light-blue tie. You might not like it, but this is what peak character design looks like.
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As for Allan’s voice actor, it wouldn’t even be worth bringing him to MultiVersus if Michael Cusack wasn’t voicing him. Co-creator of Smiling Friends and the voice behind both Pim and our subject, his line deliveries are a massive part of his characters’ appeal. In Allan’s case, the way he pronounces words like “com-posst” and “say-tan” is just too iconic. Oh, and some character-specific lines I’d like to hear include comparing Harley to Dr. Monster, calling Jerry a “little mousey,” and saying the Undead fighters (Jason, Beetlejuice, etc.) “should be getting back to Hell now.”
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Next up, let’s talk alternate costumes, or “Variants” as they’re referred to in game. Of course, Allan sports nothing but his tie for his default, as well as the tags “Smiling Friends,” “Non-Human,” and “Animated.” As for the tag denoting his class, we’ll get to that in a bit. Starting with the least exciting skin and working our way up, his only Uncommon outfit features his scarf and earmuffs from “Pim Finally Turns Green.” As long as it’s cheap or outright free, it’d be worth including. Next, his first Rare costume’s his gardening apron from “Shrimp’s Odyssey.” If they wanted to get a little fancy, its lobby animation could involve its signature bowl of worms. Allan’s second Rare sees him donning his Brazilian tourist getup from “The Smiling Friends Go to Brazil.” While they’re at it, this Variant could add the “Beach Ready” tag. Rounding out Allan’s Rares is his wedding guest suit from “Erm, the Boss Finds Love?” There’s no shortage of formal Variants, so this one should fit right in. Our first of two Epic skins is the riot gear seen in “Frowning Friends.” This one enjoys the “Villainous” tag and a unique lobby animation (wherein Allan spins a pair of handcuffs in his finger). Finally, the other Epic references the Joker costume from “A Silly Halloween Special,” clearly based on Joaquin Phoenix’s take on the clown. It’s got the “DC” and “Villainous” tags, plus its own lobby animation (which sees Allan taping a pumpkin banner to the background and turning toward the screen).
How Would He Play?
Allan’s stats and properties:
- Class: Assassin
- Difficulty: Medium
- Weight: 1889 (~ Arya)
- Height: ~ LeBron
- Jump Height: ~ Shaggy
- Overall Speed: ~ Garnet
- Crawling? Yes
- Gliding? No
- Passive abilities? No
(A closer look at the stats)
Unlike fellow Adult Swim reps Rick and Morty, Allan joins MultiVersus with a fairly simple kit. Since I’m imagining a Smiling Friends rep would attract a new audience, he should be fun and easy enough to pick up (which has been a running theme with the relaunch’s newcomers). His tall frame, light weight, armor-breaking moves, and trap-setting down specials earn him the Assassin class, meaning he’s a viable choice for both 1v1s and 2v2s. But he’s hardly a team player, so you won’t catch him buffing or protecting his allies in the latter. Regardless, his long limbs and disjoints (courtesy of numerous props found around the office) give him the range this game’s best characters are known for.
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True to his passive aggression, Allan packs a few ways to debuff enemies. For instance, his neutral attack slows targets down and his down special ignites them, setting them up for his admittedly shallow pool of finishers. He’s great at combos, but lacks kill power in move slots that usually finish the job (such as his side attack and up aerial). However, whether you rely on a teammate to secure those knockouts or get really good at carrying enemies into the blast zone, you’re never out of options.
| Move Type |
Description |
| On-Screen Appearance
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Allan rides into view on his scooter, dismounts it, and sometimes says, “What are you supposed to be?” |
| Stance
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Allan stands as nonchalantly as he does in the show, glaring his one visible eye forward. |
| Stance Change
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Allan pulls out a clipboard and pencil, then begins taking notes. |
| Walk
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Allan dashes forward in an exaggerated way, like when he was chasing that Bliblie. |
| Crouch
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Allan leans downward, occasionally looking behind himself in the same cursed way he did in the pilot. And fitting both this scene and his playstyle, he can crawl. |
| Jump
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Allan’s hops reach impressive heights, but don’t look all that unique. |
| Neutral Attack (Ground):
All the Spraying
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Allan grabs the hose he harassed Gwimbly with and charges up. With the input’s release, he sprays dirty, brown water in front of himself. The deluge doesn’t launch foes all that far, but its multi hits quickly rack up damage and inflict Slowed. Even better, this attack spawns a puddle that lasts a few seconds and slows down any enemies standing in it. |
| Neutral Attack (Air):
All the Spraying
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Allan still charges up and sprays his hose in midair, but the stream also propels him backward upon using it (kinda like an inverse of Corrin’s back air in Smash). The critter’s never wanting for recovery options, but an extra tool for landing mixups and the like doesn’t hurt. Though, this version doesn’t spawn a puddle. |
| Side Attack (Ground):
Knock Your Block Off
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Allan punches ahead with one arm, follows up with the other, then slams both arms forward three times (as if he’s banging on a wall). Naturally, each of these five hits requires an input, but that also means any of them can be canceled into something else. |
| Side Attack (Air):
Gimme That!
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Allan braces himself, reaches one arm forward, then claws at anything nearby to launch enemies backward and even break their armor. Moreover, if he catches someone holding an item with this move, he steals it for himself (which pairs well with one of his specials). |
| Up Attack (Ground):
Heated Headbutt
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Most MultiVersus up attacks take after up smashes, but Allan’s is more like an up tilt. In one swift motion, he aims his head skyward and swings it in a clockwise arc. It’s sorta weak, but thanks to his long neck and some exaggeration, it goes decently far. In short, it’s another combo starter and a reliable anti-air. |
| Up Attack (Air):
Nose Sucker
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Allan extends his neck and bites above himself (often saying, “Nom!” as he does so), knocking victims directly upward. Although this attack’s good at extending combos and stalling his fall, its kill power is unimpressive. |
| Down Attack (Ground):
Startled Strike
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Allan charges up by looking forward and backward with a frightened look, then kicks one leg toward the ground in front of himself. The upward launch angle makes this armor-breaking move a fantastic combo opener, but its longer startup and short range mean it’s best for hard reads. |
| Down Attack (Air):
Sword Plunge
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Allan grabs a pirate sword and stabs it beneath himself three times, first slightly forward, then backward, then straight downward (all the while, sometimes saying, “I’m just trying to do my job!”). The first two thrusts trap targets, while the last one’s the finisher. Moreover, the cutlass sports the range of other sword-themed down airs, so it’s very good at spiking and ending stocks. But since he’s locked into its animation for a while, proceed with caution. |
| Dash Attack:
Christmas Cleave
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Allan brandishes the axe he carried during the gang’s search for a Christmas tree, leaps forward with it, then brings it down with a decisive swing (think Link’s dash attack in Smash, but two-handed). On average, it’s one of the critter’s strongest kill moves, but it’s unusually slow and sorta unwieldy, so only rely on it when you’re really desperate to end a stock. |
| Neutral Special (Ground):
Box of Paperclips
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Allan pulls out the box he spent his episode searching for, using it to whack foes directly in front of himself. On its own, it’s a decently strong disjoint that’ll get foes off you, but what it spawns is just as important: a paperclip. This throwable item works a lot like Shaggy’s sandwich, but flies even faster in exchange for less power. Item spawners are famously good moves in platform fighters, so this one’s balanced by a paperclip-shaped cooldown gauge that appears beneath Allan upon summoning one (when on cooldown, Allan can still use the box, but it won’t drop anything). By the way, when using the initial box, hitting something causes the paperclip to drop near the user’s feet, while whiffing launches it a ways forward (discouraging players from using the move haphazardly). |
| Neutral Special (Air):
Box of Paperclips
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Allan’s paperclip spawning works the same way in midair, cooldown and all, but he instead swings the box in a circle around himself. In a way, it’s a makeshift neutral air that covers more distance and comes out faster than his actual one, but you’ve gotta be conscious of the paperclip you’d be risking by carelessly throwing this out. |
| Side Special (Ground):
Lifeboat Bash
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A wooden lifeboat appears and surrounds Allan, causing the critter to ready a pair of oars and start paddling rapidly to charge up. After releasing the input, his vessel rockets forward, launches anyone in its way, and carries its passenger a moderate distance ahead. Allies can also board the boat before its voyage to power it up and come along for the ride, but this won’t always be practical. Allan can even abandon ship in the middle of his trip to make the boat a strong projectile (which sounds like Steve’s side special in Smash, but without its busted command grab). |
| Side Special (Air):
Soaring Scooter
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Allan boards his scooter, then rides through the skies atop it. The angle at which he travels—upward and forward, then downward—is a lot like Jake’s side special’s and designed for easy recoveries. Reaching the ground with the scooter also causes it to roll forward a bit, further improving its owner’s mobility. While this aerial special’s hitbox isn’t as strong as the grounded lifeboat’s, its speed and distance are important traits for any Assassin. |
| Up Special (Ground):
Rocket Boots
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Allan dons the pair of rocket boots he designed for Mr. Boss, then flies skyward. During his ascent, he blasts through enemies in his way, but this up special differs from Rick’s in that the critter also moves a bit forward and launches foes at a more horizontal angle. Unfortunately, the latter means it’s not as good a kill move, but that’s par for the course with this moveset. |
| Up Special (Air):
Rocket Boots
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Allan’s aerial up special is basically the same as the grounded version. After all, a recovery tool that always does what’s expected of it is a common thing for easier fighters. |
| Down Special (Ground):
Bliblie Trap
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Allan places a piece of broccoli on the floor, which lingers for a few moments. Afterwards, a paperclip-wielding Bliblie appears in its place and begins patrolling near its spawn point. Upon colliding with an enemy of Allan’s, it stabs them with its weapon to launch them upward. However, if a foe trampled on the vegetable before the Bliblie replaced it, they’re afflicted with a broccoli-tagged debuff. Consequently, when the pest spawns, it’ll lunge directly for the marked fighter and do its usual stabbing. Of course, like with other trap specials, Allan’s is put on a cooldown after using it. |
| Down Special (Air):
Jason Unbound
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Allan drops Mr. Boss’s withered son Jason in midair, who then turns into his butterfly form and begins flying forward and backward. Although the teen’s body isn’t a danger to foes, the purple, armor-breaking dust his wings emit applies a few debuffs. Namely, it afflicts a stack of Weakened the moment foes cross him, Silenced if they stay in range for a bit, and Ignited if they remain even longer. This biological warfare can be disruptive, but since it runs on the same cooldown as Bliblie Trap, you’ll have to choose one or the other each time. |
| Signature Perk #1:
Absolutely Perfect Paperclips |
With this perk equipped, the paperclips in both Allan’s box and the Bliblie’s hand are swapped out for longer, uniquely shaped ones. On average, they deal more damage and launch foes farther, with the thrown one even gaining a useful curve on its throwing angle. However, this comes with the downside of both Box of Paperclips and Bliblie Trap having longer cooldowns. |
| Signature Perk #2:
Precious Piece of Cheese |
Instead of broccoli, Allan’s grounded down special sees him placing his precious piece of cheese on the floor. Although it still attracts a Bliblie after some time and tags enemies like normal, it can now be eaten by Allan or his teammates to heal themselves a bit (which, of course, prevents the creature from spawning). Partaking causes Allan’s trap-setting cooldown to start, but the free health might still be worth the investment. |
| Default Taunt (Lobby Animation)
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Allan adjusts his tie and casually looks to his front and back. Judging by his scowl, he doesn’t think much of the other fighters. |
| Rare Taunt
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Allan cranes his neck upward and laughs heartily, flopping his tongue all over as he does so. Admittedly, this one might be too disrespectful to actually make the game. |
| Epic Taunt
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Allan pulls out a miniature Mr. Boss, stares at it for a moment, sometimes says, “I don’t really want this,” then tosses it aside. |
| Victory Pose
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Allan gives a smug grin and waves goodbye to his defeated opponents. |
| Defeat Pose |
Allan appears unmoving and nailed to a cross, occasionally shouting unheard words to the heavens. |
Closing Thoughts
Honestly, I might’ve vouched for MultiVersus at the start of all this, but there’s a chance it’s not long for this world. Its content output’s been slowing down, Player First Games keep finding new ways to upset players (ruining Beetlejuice’s debut by locking him behind a paywall was especially bad), and there’s generally less excitement surrounding it than there used to be. But I’ve had my fun with it, and it felt right to acknowledge that with at least one article. And it’s a good thing Smiling Friends made for such a perfect topic, because I doubt I’d have been able to finish a “Dream Icon” if I was writing about anything else. The same goes for “Dream Smashers,” my bread-and-butter series that I’ve had trouble resuming after getting tired of Ultimate. But to end this on a lighter note, fans of platform fighters should definitely give MultiVersus a chance! You probably won’t be able to forever, and with it being free to play, you’ve got nothing to lose as long as you’re cautious. As for me, I’ll keep checking in on it, but mostly waiting around for the next Smiling Friends season.
