SPOILER WARNING: This article will discuss plot points in Dispatch Episodes 1-8 and the digital comic books. If you haven’t caught up yet, do proceed with caution.
Dispatch Episode 3 puts Robert in a difficult position: He has to decide who to cut from Z-Team. Read on to see who you can choose, what happens to the person who leaves, and how this decision might affect the team later.
Who Should You Cut: Sonar or Coupé?
“Restructuring” is Never Easy
Not even halfway through Dispatch’s eight episodes, and the game is already making players face some rough choices. One of the biggest comes at the end of Episode 3, when Robert has to decide who to cut from Z-Team: Sonar or Coupé. The scene catches both Robert and the player off guard, especially since Invisigal seemed like the obvious candidate for elimination. She has been sitting at the bottom of the leaderboard for a while, but her recent success in bringing down Lightningstruck, with Robert’s help, pushes her up the rankings just enough to save her spot. That leaves Sonar and Coupé in danger, and one of them has to go.
Blonde Blazer says the cut is meant to "create urgency" and prove the SDN is serious about results, but it mostly comes off as a cold corporate move meant to remind you that no one’s safe, even if they’re doing their best.
The choice between Sonar and Coupé isn’t easy; there’s really no right answers here. You’re asked to decide which one to drop knowing full well that whichever you pick, someone’s going to take it badly. Even if you refuse to choose, the timer runs out and the game makes it for you. The game ensures you immediately feel the consequences of your decision and the long-term ripples across Robert’s team.
If You Choose to Cut Sonar…
Most players online will probably end up sparing Sonar, and it’s easy to see why. He’s voiced by MoistCr1TiKaL—Charles White Jr., or just Charlie to his massive following on YouTube and Twitch—so there’s already a built-in bias to keep him around. However, even without the celebrity voice, Sonar’s an interesting character on his own.
He’s a Harvard graduate who’s not exactly using his degree for good. His record includes embezzlement, extortion, fraud, and drug possession, all of which fit his smooth-talking and crypto-loving persona. He’s even a fan of a CEO named Vanderstank, and in one Dispatch segment, he tries to pitch ideas to him while volunteering as security. On top of all that, he’s a human-bat hybrid who can transform into a massive bat monster, with stats that invert from his usual form.
If you choose to cut Sonar, he gets angry, transforms into his monstrous form, and screams at Robert before storming off in a rather funny scene. "Sonar will remember that" pops up on the side, and he narrows his eyes in anger. He remarks, "Watch your back, Robert," before fumbling his way out the door.
It is worth pointing out that you get the same message if you choose to fire Coupé instead. It could be a small detail hinting that Sonar, being half-bat, overhears the decision and appreciates Robert. The same thing doesn’t happen if Coupé gets spared. She passes by and witnesses the aftermath of Sonar getting fired, but "Coupé will remember that" doesn't appear on screen.
Firing Sonar, though, sees Robert picking up his discarded tie and pinning it to the wall of his desk, a small gesture that says more than any line of dialogue could.
If you bought the Digital Deluxe Edition, you get access to a few prequel comics that shed more light on characters like Sonar. One of them, The Last Bender, focuses on his friendship with Malevola, played by Alanah Pearce, who serves as his Narcotics Anonymous sponsor. The comic shows the two deciding to leave their criminal pasts behind and join the Superhero Dispatch Network to start fresh.
Before they do, though, they spend one last day drinking and getting high, eventually walking into their new jobs hungover. It’s a small story that gives characterization to two members of Z-Team that, quite frankly, don’t get the same screentime as, say, Invisigal.
This, however, means that if you fire Sonar, Malevola also gets angry at Robert in Episode 4. She becomes cold, sometimes refusing to follow Robert’s orders during the first half of the shift. Eventually, she even abandons the shift altogether, and Robert is now left trying to pick up the pieces of his even more struggling team.
If You Choose to Cut Coupé…
Coupé, or Coop as many call her, is voiced by writer and voice actor Mayanna Berrin. She may not have the same online presence as MoistCr1TiKaL, but she delivers a cold performance that fits Coupé perfectly; you can almost sense the shadows forming around her when she speaks. Knowing that Berrin also helped write for the game gives her portrayal a sense of confidence, like she knows Coupé inside and out.
If you choose to cut Coupé from Z-Team, her reaction is just as uncomfortable as Sonar’s. Robert tells her the news, and she doesn’t take it lightly; she hurls one of her daggers into the table in front of him, which is never a sign of good things to come.
After some destruction of property, she then floats away, her shadows trailing behind her. As she leaves, Sonar pops up from behind a desk, likely having overheard everything thanks to being a half-bat with heightened hearing.
Later, in Episode 4, Sonar mentions to the group that Coupé’s "old crew" is back in town, which opens speculations of her going back to her old habits, a possibility that Punch Up immediately derides as preposterous.
This concern isn’t unfounded, however. In Episode 3, Coupé casually mentions after Robert’s conference room speech, "I need this job." The specific context for this need is unconfirmed, but her contract details state that she is classified as an extremely dangerous individual. As such, the moment she’s terminated, she’ll be arrested and sent back to a specialized high-security facility for superpowered individuals.
Coupé’s shadow-based powers made her a skilled assassin back when she worked for the mob. Dialogue also hints at her background in ballet; her name itself, "Coupé," comes from a ballet term that means "to cut." One of the comics available in the Digital Deluxe Edition, Pas De Deux, expands on that side of her story. It reveals how she first met Punch Up, played by Seán McLoughlin (Jacksepticeye). During a mission to assassinate him, Coupé ends up fighting Punch Up, who, prior to this, was watching a ballet performance on TV. Somewhere in the madness, things took an "intimate" turn.
This explains the bond between the two; they used to date. By the time the game starts, they’re not officially together anymore, but their connection is still apparent. If you send them on missions together, their synergy bonuses and banter make it clear there’s still trust between them.
When you fire Coupé, the effects ripple quickly. In Episode 4, Punch Up takes Malevola’s place as the one who’s clearly angry with Robert. He doesn’t disobey outright, but his frustration shows. Like Malevola, he clocks out early on the first shift, saying he’s going to "check in on Coop." It leaves you with fewer hands to work with at a time when the game’s throwing distress calls at you left and right.
Changes Depending On Who You Cut
Changes in Episode 5
Depending on who you choose to keep, though, you’ll notice differences in scenes moving forward. Gameplay-wise, you get to dispatch whichever one you spare to answer distress calls, but it’s in the cutscenes where the choice feels more personal. A clear example of this happens during the bar scene in Episode 5.
If you keep Sonar, you’ll find him playing billiards, thanking Robert for not cutting him. Coupé has a similar moment if you chose her instead, though she’s drunk and throwing darts when she tells Robert, "You don’t need to bribe me anymore. I’m in your debt now. If you ever need somebody removed—" a statement Robert awkwardly says he’ll keep in mind. And true enough, who you spare seem to always be there to back you up.
Later in the same bar sequence, the two act differently during the fight. If Sonar’s with you, he’s snorting drugs in the bathroom when Robert gets attacked. If Coupé’s around, she’s busy throwing up from drinking too much.
Either way, they come to Robert’s aid if you fail the QTE; Sonar busts out in his monstrous form, white powder still on his nose, and Coupé kicks the bad guy and then barfs on Robert. Both end up fighting alongside the team, with Sonar screeching at his enemies and Coupé still drinking beer and barfing between swings.
After the brawl, Z-Team gets tacos. We see Sonar add a cockroach in his, while Coupé prefers adding her own blood as "sauce"—comic relief scenes that, either way, disgusts Prism.
Later in the night, after Robert "introduces himself" in a heartfelt scene, we learn their real names—Viktor for Sonar, Janelle for Coupé—and see them show up in future missions and scenes.
Changes in Episode 7
The effects of who you cut become a lot more visible once you reach the final stretch of Dispatch. In Episode 7, after one thing goes wrong after another, Robert ends up drinking back at The Sardine instead of going home. It’s the same bar where he and Z-Team once fought Red Ring goons in Episode 5. This time, Shroud shows up to confront him, but he isn’t alone. Sonar or Coupé, appears and knocks Robert out cold.
Robert wakes up hanging upside down in Shroud’s hideout. Depending on who you cut, you get a different version of the same scene. Coupé slices at him with her knives, while Sonar beats him senseless with his fists. Whoever you let go has fully crossed over to the Red Ring.
Before things escalate too far, Blonde Blazer bursts in, threatening everyone in the bar. Sonar or Coupé calls the bluff, but Shroud steps in and shuts them down immediately. For Sonar, Shroud smacks him in the head with a pistol and tells him not to disrespect "one of the last true heroes." For Coupé, all it takes is a glare for her to step back.
Changes in Episode 8
They disappear for a bit after that, only to return in Episode 8’s dispatch sequence with a full squad of Red Ring backup. This encounter plays out like a boss fight where you chip away at their health bar while dealing with waves of trouble across Los Angeles. If you fail too many distress calls and LA falls, one of the final choices in Episode 8 becomes unavailable. It’s one of the few times where the game locks you out of an option based on performance.
Later, Sonar or Coupé joins the Red Ring’s assault on the SDN building, leading the push to steal the Astral Pulse. In the final confrontation, the character you spared in Episode 3 shows up to help you, while the one you cut becomes Robert’s main opponent. It’s a two-on-one fight, with Blonde Blazer backing Robert. The person you cut now has augments from Shroud, and this makes them much harder to knock down.
If you cut Sonar, he drags Robert down from the sky and into a dark part of the SDN. He hides in the shadows and taunts Robert, saying that cutting him was a "big mistake." Blonde Blazer arrives and begs him to stop and help save the city, promising he can earn his way back into Z-Team. Sonar hesitates when he sees his old teammates fighting Shroud, but he ultimately refuses. "If you can’t appreciate me at my worst, you don’t deserve me at my best," he says before attacking Robert and Blonde Blazer. With his new augment, his screeches hit like a laser, and he uses the darkness to stay hidden. The fight is rough, but eventually, they take him down.
If you cut Coupé, her knives dig into the Mecha Man suit and lift Robert high into the sky. She’s furious, telling Robert she’s never been more insulted in her life and mocking him for choosing "some moronic bum-f*ck bat boy" over her. Even if you apologize, she doesn’t listen. With Shroud’s augment, she matches Robert move for move and almost lands a big blow before Blonde Blazer steps in. Like with Sonar, Blonde Blazer tells her she can come back and help the team stop Shroud. Coupe hesitates for a moment, but she rejects the offer and attacks instead. She nearly gets the upper hand again until Robert and Blonde Blazer work together to disable her wings. She’s knocked out, and before she falls to her death, Blonde Blazer catches her.
After the final battle, Z-Team celebrates their win over Shroud and the Red Ring. Sonar or Coupé is being handcuffed and dragged to a police car, but Z-Team steps in and insists they’re "with us." If you managed to save Los Angeles earlier, you get a final choice: "forgive" or "forget." If you failed Episode 8’s dispatch segment, Blonde Blazer chooses for you, and it’s always "forget." That means the cut member is officially removed from the SDN and Z-Team for good. If you choose "forgive," their cuffs are removed, and they’re handed a beer to celebrate quietly with the rest of the group. They raise it toward Robert with a nod.
Either way, the game tells you they "will remember that." What that means is unclear since this is the end of the season, but it feels like something meant for future episodes—or maybe a Season 2. On one hand, it’s understandable to want them gone, since they’ve committed crimes and even murder while working with the Red Ring. On the other hand, the Phoenix Program is built on second chances. Maybe letting them back in is the only way they’ll ever truly become heroes.
What This Could Mean in the Future
Like I mentioned above, there really isn’t a right or wrong choice here. No matter what you do, someone’s going to be upset, and Robert ends up carrying the weight of that decision. Both options feel heavy in their own ways, and neither gives you the satisfaction of doing the "right" thing.
Looking ahead, it’ll be interesting to see how Dispatch handles this in a potential Season 2. Whether the cut character returns as part of Z-Team again or comes back as an enemy, there’s a lot of tension already built into that relationship. The game has planted enough seeds on both sides that almost any direction could work.
At the very least, Episode 3 makes sure you understand the weight of your choice. When the dispatch call come in later and chaos breaks out, you already know whose mess you're dealing with because, well, for the most part, you're the one who put them on that path. Even if your choices don't shape the entire story, they still shape the people in it, and those people don't forget what you did.
