Why Nubia From The Boys Presents: Diabolical Episode 3 Sounds So Familiar
Amazon's "The Boys" has seen two seasons, and thankfully Season 3 is just around the corner. But while fans wait for the return of Butcher (Karl Urban), Hughie (Jack Quaid), and the rest of the squad, Amazon provided a little treat. "The Boys: Diabolical" is an animated anthology series that takes place in the world of "The Boys." As producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg put it in their joint statement, it is their way of ripping off "The Animatrix" (via Entertainment Weekly).
Each episode confronts a different aspect of the superhero lifestyle and — as "The Boys" does better than anyone else — the consequences of having absolute power. Episode 3 sets up the love story between two supes: Nubia and The Nubian Prince. Both meet early on in their careers and have a child together all the while battling their nemesis Groundhawk (portrayed by voice acting juggernaut John DiMaggio). Though told through the eyes of their daughter Maya, both Nubia and The Nubian Prince have important perspectives when it comes to having a relationship in the limelight. The episode is written by Aisha Tyler who also lends her talents to voicing Nubia (via IMDb). If she sounds familiar, there's a reason why.
She dated both Ross and Joy on Friends
With over two decades of experience in the entertainment industry, Tyler has been a part of many successful and popular properties. Early on in her career, she appeared in one of the most watched television shows of all time. "Friends" ran for 10 seasons and at the time of its airing, the series finale had the 4th largest viewing in history with 52.5 million viewers (via The New York Times). Tyler had a multi-episode arc in seasons 9 and 10 as Charlie Wheeler, the object of both Joey and Ross's affection.
First dating Joey in Season 9, Charlie eventually realizes that she and Ross have more in common. They are both in academia and care about the same things. Tyler lasted a substantial 9 episodes, but of course, the relationship wasn't to last. Ross and Rachel were endgame and there was nothing getting in the way of the plan for the relationship.
She worked for a terrorist cell on 24
Bouncing from one cultural phenomenon to the next, Tyler's next big role was on the counter terrorism series "24." Starring Keifer Sutherland, "24" was a product of its time, depicting Jack Bauer as the intense and at times violent protagonist, intent on fighting terrorism (via The Atlantic). Though his methods were questionable, "24" implemented a real-time episode structure that made the series must-see television.
Tyler proves that she can handle comedy as well as her serious role on the Fox show. The actor lasted 7 episodes as Marianne Taylor, a consultant who was not who she appeared to be. Marianne infiltrates the counter terrorism unit and is ultimately found to be working for Habib Marwan (Arnold Vosloo), a terrorist interested in a mass meltdown of nuclear plants by the Override device. Her tenure on "24" ended abruptly after being shot to death by those who had employed her.
She was one of the ghosts that needed to be whispered
Crime procedurals took on a new twist in CBS' "Ghost Whisperer." From 2005-2010, Melinda Gordon (Jennifer Love Hewitt) spoke to ghosts to help them move on to the afterlife. There were many interesting twists, including the Season 1 climax featuring Tyler. For the first season, Tyler played Melinda's friend and employee Andrea who works at the antique store. Andrea is aware of Melinda's gifts and even helps her solve a couple of mysteries along the way.
But one of the biggest mysteries involved Andrea herself. At the end of Season 1, Melinda starts seeing visions of ghosts from a plane flying from Johannesburg. Andrea believes that her brother Mitch (Dondre T. Whitfield) is dead because he was on that plane. Instead, Andrea realizes that it isn't Mitch who is dead, but herself. Mitch never made the flight but Andrea was crushed by the plane in a brutal reveal. In typical ghost story fashion, it takes some time for Andrea to come to terms with her circumstances but eventually she finds peace.
She stuck around on Criminal Minds
One of the longer standing crime procedural dramas, "Criminal Minds" has seen large overturn with its characters. Tyler was brought in the season premiere of Season 11, meant to be a temporary replacement for A.J. Cook and Jennifer Love Hewitt, who were both on maternity leave. Though Cook returned to the show, producers also kept on Tyler, who was promoted to a series regular in Season 12 (via Variety).
Tyler's role as Dr. Tara Lewis was a new one for "Criminal Minds." As Hotch (Thomas Gibson) states in her interview in the Season 11 premiere, her area of expertise is not relevant. As a forensic psychologist, she was more used to questioning criminals after they had already been caught. But Dr. Lewis was eager and proved herself to be instrumental to the team. Before she is even officially hired, she helps take down a contract killer which leads to her employment at the unit. Tyler was a part of the cast until the series finale in 2020.
She's had many roles in animated properties
Tyler voicing a role in "The Boys: Diabolical" is no surprise. She has voiced many characters in animated television shows that fans may recognize. Among many roles are Sextina Aquafina in "Bojack Horseman" along with a voice on "Robot Chicken." But her longest voice acting role was on FX's spy show "Archer." Originally premiering in 2009, Tyler has been a part of the show since its inception as spy Lana Kane. In Archer's "Danger Island" season, she also voiced the character Princess Lanaluakalani.
"Archer" is one of the network's favorites, continuing to pump out episodes in its 13th season (via Deadline). FX Entertainment head Eric Schrier states that this season is "not designed to be its last." Though sadly the show must make do without the late Jessica Walter, the series seems to show no signs of stopping for the time being. Season 13 is set to air some time in 2022.
She played a wrestler in Fear the Walking Dead
Tyler has not slowed down in her career and continues to sign on to large projects. One of her most recent endeavors is a part of AMC's zombie dynasty "Fear the Walking Dead." Tyler joined the cast this past year in Season 7 as Mickey, an ex-wrestler searching for a lost love. Tyler told SyFy Wire that she jumped on the project as fast as she could.
"I was like, 'I'm literally going to clear my whole schedule to come down to Austin to be with you guys' because she was just a dream character," Tyler stated. It wouldn't be "The Walking Dead" without heartache. Though she searches for her partner Cliff, she finds out that he was turned, allowing for some tear-jerking moments. Tyler also states that she would love to come back to the role and it looks like that may come true. According to IMDb, Mickey is slated to appear for an additional arc in Season 7.