Netflix released Big Mouth season 5 on November 5, 2021, and it introduces a standout new character in the form of Walter the Lovebug. Introduced in Big Mouth season 5, episode 3, which is appropriately titled "Lovebugs," Walter is a major player in the events of the season. Here's who plays the character, and why the actor's voice may sound familiar.
One of the many recurring themes of Big Mouth is the introduction of characters who are designed to express events in adolescence and beyond. The show began with the introduction of hormone monsters such as Maury, Connie, Rick, and Mona, and only escalated from there. The Depression Kitty, Gratitoad, Tito the Anxiety Mosquito, and the Shame Wizard all helped shape the respective seasons in which they were introduced by influencing the actions of Big Mouth's main characters. Naturally, the Big Mouth season 5 character list expanded the cast, with Walter the Lovebug proving early on to be a major player.
Walter the Lovebug is voiced by Brandon Kyle Goodman, an actor and writer who has also served on Big Mouth's writing staff since season 4. Goodman has also appeared in multiple episodes of Amazon's anthology series Modern Love, most notably in an episode titled "Hers Was a World of One" in which he and Fleabag's Andrew Scott portray a couple hoping to adopt a child. Interestingly, Goodman has voiced multiple characters on Big Mouth before; he provided supporting background voices in season 4, episode 7, titled "Four Stories About Hand Stuff." Goodman's new role as Walter the Lovebug puts the actor front and center in season 5.
Love is yet another gauntlet for Big Mouth's main characters to navigate in season 5, and Walter the Lovebug is the unflappable embodiment of the emotion. Similar to how hormone monsters, the Shame Wizard, and Tito the Anxiety Mosquito changed everything for the Big Mouth kids, Walter's introduction is just as disruptive as it is exciting. While Goodman's joyous take on Walter perfectly fits the idea of young love, there are other Lovebugs assigned to different children, each with their own personalities. This makes Lovebugs more similar to hormone monsters than they are to singular characters such as the Shame Wizard.
Walter the Lovebug is also likely to have a life beyond Big Mouth season 5. The writers clearly love to bring back even smaller characters such as Nathan Fillion again and again, but Walter has even more potential outside of Big Mouth itself. Brandon Kyle Goodman was confirmed to star alongside Aidy Bryant, Randall Park, and more in an upcoming Big Mouth spinoff titled Human Resources. While Walter himself is not confirmed to appear in the series, it's a strong possibility given Human Resources' premise. For now, though, Brandon Kyle Goodman's Walter the Lovebug shines — both literally and metaphorically — in Big Mouth season 5.