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To say that Anjali Bhimani's career is wide-ranging would be a titanic understatement. 

As a voice actor, TTRPG liveplayer, and all around (self-proclaimed) nerd, Bhimani has been a part of some of the largest fandoms in modern entertainment, from what you see streaming to what you play on your phone. Most notably, Bhimani provides the voice for the character of Symmetra in Overwatch and Overwatch 2, plays fan-favorite Auntie Ruby in Marvel Studios' Ms. Marvel, and for all you tabletop gamers out there, has been a pivotal part of some of the world's biggest liveplay events. In particular, we're talking about Dimension 20's food-themed Ravening War and Critical Role's Candela Obscura.

Recently, Bhimani was in town for a special edition of Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern, the live stage experience which blends the gameplay of D&D and the unrepeatable experience of improv comedy every single night for an NYC audience. Popverse had the chance to chat with Bhimani when she wasn't on stage, and we took every chance we could to lean the wealth of behind-the-scenes knowledge she

Thankfully, Bhimani was only happy to share that knowledge, which you can learn it for yourself below.

Popverse: You have been a part of all kinds of different franchises across all kinds of media - particularly comic book TV, video games, and TTRPGs. Has your appreciation for these mediums changed at all? 

Anjali Bhimani: Yes, my appreciation has absolutely changed for some of them, mostly because of the communities that are involved with each medium. You know, I started in theater, so that was like my home, right? The theater community is the theater community; wild and crazy and fun and wacky behind the scenes. Then you have your audiences who are a little bit more composed, perhaps, than your average rock and roll concert or whatever. But, moving into TV and film, moving into voiceover and games - that was the biggest shift, because I have never seen people as supportive and excited and willing to give over their artistic expressions as I have in the gaming community.

That was the thing that was so surprising to me. I was a gamer as a kid, but I hadn't connected with anyone at that time. We were all closeted gamers, you know? Coming from this side of things, from the creation side of games and coming back to playing, I got to witness this just this extraordinary group of people who were so lovely.

Perhaps my experience has been unique; I'm not naive. I know there is a toxic side to gaming. But I have seen some of the most extraordinarily loving and caring people taking care of each other, being compassionate with each other, because they bonded through a game. Because they bonded through their experiences in a game or at a convention that they went to because of the game. And so that has been wildly inspirational to me ever since.

I think it was probably in 2016, with Overwatch, where I really got to connect with that community the most. I am absolutely, madly in love right there. I am madly in love with the gaming community, and what they do and how they are.

One way that fans show their appreciation, especially for Overwatch, is fan art. What's been your experience seeing that?

That is precisely what inspired me to do my web series and write my book. [The fans] were so giving with them. I would say something and, like, seconds later, there was some fan art up there. There was one fan artist in particular, Vivian Truong.  would say something, and she'd pop something up, and she ended up being the illustrator for my book. People of that caliber were throwing up their art right next to people who were like, 'I'm not an artist, but this inspired me to draw this for you.'  That, to me, is a huge inspiration,

That and the cosplayers! Who blows my mind on a regular basis.

Would you say the fan art and the cosplay inspire the people actually working on the games to change what they do? 

You know, it depends on the game, but I will say: Most of the games that I have been in are very responsive to their community. They're very eager to support their community, to engage with their community, and not just because it's good business, but because they really care. Games are an art form that is wildly underappreciated by the greater population.

We were just at the BAFTAs a few weeks ago, which is my favorite award ceremony, to honor games and the work that's being done in games, because people are celebrating. They're celebrating the artistry that goes into it, because everybody there cares so much. These games take, you know, five to ten years to make, and it is not an easy five to ten years. They're doing it because people are going to be out there playing it and enjoying it and having this experience, and they want to give it to them. [Game design] is just as much an act of service as creating a film or television show or a play or any other artistic medium. I think because tech is involved, people tend to not clock how artistic it is.

So to answer your question, I know the Overwatch devs did a whole lot of stuff connecting with the community, and we did as actors. And same with the Apex Legends folks, and Stray Gods. They were so engaged with with their audiences, we actually did a live concert of it in Los Angeles before it had even come out. Like, the developers just wanted to bring people in and let them into this world.

The answer, the short answer is yes.

On the subject of games, most people would consider the current rival to Overwatch two to be Marvel Rivals. Have you played at all? And if you have not played, what characters interest you?

I haven't really had a minute to sit down and play a game in a very long time. But I mean, I feel like just out of loyalty, I have to play Ms. Marvel. I at least have to do that once, just like I have to at least once play Symmetra. But the difference? When I'm playing Ms. Marvel, I'm going to have to talk to her like she's my I'm going to have to talk to her like I'm her Auntie.

But yeah, I just I haven't had a chance. I just know that it's very similar, and with these characters that we already know and love from Marvel lore. 

Any other characters you'd be interested in?

I mean, I think it would be really fun to try Nightcrawler, because he's one of my favorite X-Men, and I love him. I love the fact that he can BAMF and then all of a sudden be sitting on the ceiling. It's not like you have to worry about him vanishing into the middle of nowhere, because he's like, 'Oh, I BAMF, you know, somewhere upside down? Well, I'm Nightcrawler, I can hold on to anything.' So, I would love to try him.

I love Mystique as a character, but I don't feel like she's particularly like, I don't know what her powers would be. Changing up how she looks would probably not be very useful in a video game.

Thor is fun because I just like to smash things. He's sort of my equivalent to [Overwatch's] Reinhart, right? Scarlet Witch is one of my favorites. I have a hard time picking favorites, though. So if Doctor Strange is there, I'd very much like to try him. Then I know this is very, like, basic, but you have to try. Wolverine. Yeah, you just have to. He's what I think of when I think of the X-Men.

Speaking of, you've done voice work for X-Men '97, as well as appeared in Hulu's Runaways and, of course, Disney+'s Ms. Marvel. Of all those Marvel experiences, was there any time when your comic book nerd really came out?

Well, I had the most time in Ms. Marvel, so that was definitely it. My nerd does not not come out, though. Like, if you spend more than 30 minutes with me, chances are my nerd is going to come out. You spend more than five minutes with me; you're going to hear about my husband and my dog. You spend more than 30 minutes with me: nerd.

On the subject of Ms. Marvel; you play the character Auntie Ruby, one of the Illumin-Aunties. Auntie Ruby does not appear in any Marvel Comics, right?

She does not. She came from the brain of Sana Amanat, which all of those did. I love [Ruby] so much because she's the auntie that I'm like. Aunties, you know, there's a very typical Indian auntie, stereotype in the world. I always have always enjoyed being like the cool auntie, you know, where you're like, 'Yeah, I'm going to tell you what to do, and I'm going to be a little judgmental, but it's only because I really love you.' Really, all Indian and Pakistani aunties, they're doing everything out of love. It's just the only language that they have is this particular way that they do things.

Auntie Ruby is a wonderful bridge in the show between the younger and the older generation. You go to the wedding, and she's the one who's explaining it to Bruno, she's explaining it to the kids who aren't Indian. She's dancing in the dance with the kids when they do the whole choreographed dance number. She's really that bridge between the new and the old guard. And she's at the end, she's defending Ms. Marvel and saying, 'You don't touch that girl.' So we have this lovely view of so many different Aunties. There's the standard judgmental auntie at the very beginning, whom we meet, but then you meet someone who's a little more connected to the kids and a little bit more fun. And that's kind of how I feel like I would be,

Well, I am like that with my niece and my nephew. I'm definitely Auntie Ruby without the accent.

Have you gotten the chance to check out any of the Iman Vellani Ms. Marvel comics? 

She and I have talked about them because she worked on them with my friend. We've definitely chatted about them. I haven't like, you know, gone into all of them, but I have the first one that she wrote. [Vellani] is such an extraordinary person; I love her so much. When you are embedded in, a community, whether it is the comics community or the gaming community or whatever, it can be a very grounding force. Watching her step into this role as someone who already loved this character, who already cared about this entire world and have the poise and the wherewithal and the self-knowledge to be just really smart about how she took on the idea of , 'Okay, I'm about to be famous,' and for lack of a better term.

She wouldn't say it that way, but like taking on being number one on the call sheet for a marvel television show as your first gig - it could go either way. You could turn into a horrible person, you could turn into a diva, or you could be like Iman and just be grounded and amazing. And part of that grounding comes from her love for these art forms, her love for creating film and TV or film. She was making films and stuff like that, and these top action, fun stuff. Before this, she was doing cosplay. Before this, when she wrote the comic books, it made sense because she knew the lore.

It wasn't just a gimmick, it was just another testament to her care for the word. That's the conversation that we've had about it. It was just another testament to how grounded she is and how much she cares about creativity and how much she cares about this universe. I think that that's where the greatest stuff comes from, is when you love it so much, you want to tell a story in multiple mediums. And that's why I don't pick one.

Like yourself?

Yes. I've been this way since childhood. I remember even in college, my professors being like, 'Well, you can't do everything.' And I'm like, 'Why not?' I'm here, and the opportunity is here. And if there are 24 hours in a day and I can be everywhere at the right time, what's the problem?

Have you emailed those professors and been like, 'Hey, I've, I've done everything?'

No, I haven't. But I definitely [talk about that] now when I talk to creatives who are looking to find a fulfilling life. I actually do a course now, called The Hungry Artist, which is all about dispelling the myth of 'The Starving Artist' and replacing it. The difference is that the hungry artist maintains that creative hunger, despite how hard it is, despite the challenges. But they practice all of these different practices within themselves, and in their lives that allow them to stoke that fire without diminishing their own well-being. Starving is obviously not good for you, but being a little bit hungry, that's awesome.

One of the main tenets of The Hungry Artist is to diversify your creativity. It is vital. It is absolutely vital. You don't have to do it for the world, but you need to find ways to express yourself creatively, whether it is, you know, making a film or how you bake a cake. You have to find these different ways to express it because it feeds everything, feeds each other. The people who I know who have had the most sustainable, long-lasting, and healthy careers have many things that they do to fulfill themselves creatively. Whether you see them or you don't.

Before we move away from Ms. Marvel, I have to ask; have you heard anything about a Ms. Marvel season 2?

I have not heard anything about a Ms. Marvel season two. And personally - and this is purely my assessment - I feel like MsMarvel, the show, was sort of made specifically to launch this beautiful character into the movies and into the bigger universe. However, when they do introduce her into that bigger universe, her family and her home still is there. I'm hoping that what we might see are little snippets of that home life throughout things like we saw at the beginning of The Marvels. We saw the family, simple things like that. I'm hoping that we get to see glimmers of that.

I would love for it to come back. It was an amazing experience. And she still has a year of high school to get through. So she can't just, like, bugger off. She's got to finish school. But that's just my assessment. I don't think there's a season two planned, but anything is possible in that universe. They are doing so many great things and so many exciting things. Who knows?

Moving along, you've guest-starred in some stuff with Critical Role; what was it like kind of coming into that space? They seem so tight-knit, not just as friends, but as a performing troupe.

They are incredibly tight-knit in a really, really beautiful way. However, they are also wildly welcoming, and that's so special. I mean, you can see it in what they're doing now with Beacon [CR's app] and all the content that they're creating. They're always bringing new people in. They have a lot of friends who are awesome, and they want to include them.

So it's not like they're ever like, 'Well, we are the core cast and that's it.' They've never been that way. They brought on guests for years and years. And so I just felt welcome and excited. And I felt like I'd found my people.

I will add to this, watching all of them and how they take care of each other, and take care of the people in their community; how they do that is a map for how to be, as far as I am concerned. As a company and as people and as a group, they are a very much a North Star for me, because they just do it right.

You know, they ran that crazy pants Kickstarter that blew up. And what did they do? Not only did they deliver the thing that they said that they were going to deliver - this animated, beautiful animated series that we all love - but they started a foundation to make the world better. Like, this is the kind of people you want to be, right?

They walk the walk and they are so great. I have always felt very included and very much like family with them. I feel like they do that with everyone.

Coming from Critical Role, was there anything that surprised you about being on the Dimension 20 set?

It's the same game, right? It's what we all play. But watching how D20 has its own specific flavor to how they play and what they do -  Critical Role has their own flavor. And it doesn't mean that they can't do more! Of course they do more. Critical Role can be silly and funny, and Dimension 20, especially in The Ravening War, can do tragedy. The Ravening War and Crown of Candy are very dark dark. They get sad.

Just watching how each of these two giant, wonderful companies have these specific ways that they do things was very, very cool. And also, I talk about this all the time; the TTRPG world is the only industry, entertainment industry, in which the companies really support each other. You don't see Sony and Paramount getting together and being like, 'Hey, you want to trade executives and like and like maybe do a movie together?' No, but D20 and Critical Role do it all the time and everybody can. Everybody is connected to this community. 

I love, love, love that because that's what, in my opinion, that's one of the greatest powers of tabletop role playing games is there's always a there's always a seat at the table for everyone. They support each other and they talk about the challenges and they work together so that they can all create new, fun things. Because they just care about creating and having a good time and making cool things with cool people, which is all I want to do for my entire career. Basically, my throughline is follow the fun and make cool things with cool people. It's not that deep. That's my life's throughline at this point.

Wrapping up here, what's next for you?

We have a game coming out called Sunderfolk, which is very exciting. It is a mobile game, but it's a mobile game you play on the couch with your friends. It's not like just something that you look at your phone. It is this wonderful bridge between RPGs and video games. I am your dungeon master in this game, which means I also do all of the voices for all of the NPCs.

Then, I wrote for the first time. I wrote a D&D adventure that's out on D&D Beyond, called The Malady of Minarrh. It just came out in March. Again, jumping from medium to medium and thing to thing was, wildly exciting to me because I've never done it before, but also because I had just started DMing last year.

This adventure harkens back to the early days of when I was playing D&D [...] It does dive a little bit into some social issues and things that we struggle with, not just as humans and not just as people, but things that we struggle with as communities and as towns and cities and as countries.

I think that that's one of the coolest things that fantasy and sci fi can do. They can explore these difficult issues that are in the world without banging you over the head with it, and without telling you you're a bad person for this or whatever it is. They they can explore these issues by being reality-adjacent. That's so exciting to me.

You don't need to beat the game to prepare for the next one—here are all the major new and upcoming games coming our way.