| 1 | [[center: [-[[Characters/TheVentureBros Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/TheVentureBrosTeamVenture Team Venture]] | [[Characters/TheVentureBrosOSI The OSI]] | '''Venture Allies''' | [[Characters/TheVentureBrosTheMonarchAndCohorts The Monarch And Cohorts]] | [[Characters/TheVentureBrosTheGuild The Guild of Calamitous Intent]] | [[Characters/TheVentureBrosOthers Others]]]]-] |
| 2 | |
| 3 | Characters from ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros''. This page is for the "allies" of Team Venture. |
| 4 | |
| 5 | !!Due to the sheer number of [[WalkingSpoiler Walking]] and {{Late Arrival Spoiler}}s (including some characters' placement and, in a few cases, their very ''name''), '''[[Administrivia/SpoilersOff Spoilers Are Off]]''' for these pages. You have been warned. |
| 6 | |
| 7 | ---- |
| 8 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 9 | |
| 10 | !Conjectural Technologies |
| 11 | [[folder:Conjectural Technologies in General]] |
| 12 | [[quoteright:410:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cojecture.jpg]] |
| 13 | [[caption-width-right:410:The original "headquarters".]] |
| 14 | ->''"How can we make your tomorrow better?"'' |
| 15 | |
| 16 | A tech start-up by Dr. Venture's college friend Pete White and former child prodigy Billy Quizboy. The two are Venture's closest friends and he frequently calls on them for scientific aid. They get bought out in season six and sold to [=VenTech=] Industries, moving along with the family family to New York City. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | ---- |
| 19 | |
| 20 | * AscendedExtra: They grow from bit characters in the pilot who don't even get real names (referred to as "Albino Scientist" and "Hydrocephalic Child Scientist" in the credits) to recurring characters in the first few seasons to trailing only the Venture family and the Monarch in terms of how frequently they appear by the late seasons. |
| 21 | * ADayInTheLimelight: They seem to have one at least OnceASeason starting in Season Three. |
| 22 | ** Season three's "[[Recap/TheVentureBrosS3E3TheInvisibleHandOfFate The Invisible Hand of Fate]]" is a WholeEpisodeFlashback that focuses on the history between the two. |
| 23 | ** Season four's "[[Recap/TheVentureBrosS4E15TheSilentPartners The Silent Partners]]" sees Billy is kidnapped by The Investors and the relationship between him and White is put into question. |
| 24 | ** Season five's "[[Recap/TheVentureBrosS5E4Spanakopita Spanakopita!]]" has them accompany Rusty on his vacation in Spanakos. |
| 25 | ** Season six's "[[Recap/TheVentureBrosS6E2MaybeNoGo Maybe No Go]]" gives a peek into the duo's lives as "heroes". |
| 26 | ** Season seven's "[[Recap/TheVentureBrosS7E6TheBellicoseProxy The Bellicose Proxy]]" has the two are trained for their next arching against St. Cloud. |
| 27 | * ClosestThingWeGot: Need a doctor but you don't have medical insurance? Need a software engineer cum hacker but you don't have the money to pay for a real one? Need a duo of ambiguous scientific competence for whatever poorly thought out laboratory hokum you're trying to spoof? Then Conjectural Technologies is the tech start-up for you! |
| 28 | * DealWithTheDevil: Their insurance payout "seed money" came from such a deal with The Investors. They force Billy to perform a heart transplant on Monstroso in order to pay them back. |
| 29 | * EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: In very early material, such as the pilot and season one's "Ice Station Impossible", they're treated as scientific peers to people like Rusty and Richard Impossible, getting invited to big events like the UN summit and the secret government "think tank". By the second season, this idea largely vanishes, and their science skills are downplayed in favor of focusing on surgery (for Billy) and computer work (which, one supposes, are still ''forms'' of science, but rather distinct from the typical brand of it in the series, for Pete), with Billy not even being accredited. |
| 30 | * EndOfAnEra: Billy and Pete are coerced by Augustus St. Cloud into giving up their company and all their associated assets early in season six. It turns out St. Cloud sells the assets to [=VenTech=] Industries, giving them an excuse to follow the Venture family to New York and work on Rusty's "super-science" R&D projects. |
| 31 | * FakeRelationship: Billy's mom assumed they were in a relationship, and for some reason, he didn't feel like denying it, so now at this point they're committed to it. The fact that she sent them a sideboard and other gifts to celebrate their apparent domestic-partnership is a bonus. Apparently, it doesn't take much more to keep the ruse going than just not denying it when, for instance, Col. Gentleman refers to White as Billy's "pigmentally-challenged better half". |
| 32 | * HeterosexualLifePartners: Naturally. They live together, apparently have for nearly as long as the Venture boys have been alive, fight LikeAnOldMarriedCouple, and are fully MistakenForGay but find it easier to [[FakeRelationship just pretend they are in a relationship]] around certain people (like Billy's mom). |
| 33 | * InkSuitActor: Zig-zagged on a couple of levels. First, Pete and Billy look a lot like creators Doc Hammer and Chris [=McCulloch=] (AKA Jackson Publick) respectively, with added deformities (Pete being an albino while Billy is a hydrocephalic). The "Zig" comes in because each character is voiced by the ''other'' creator. The "Zag" come from the series' official artbook, in which the creators say that it's purely coincidental. |
| 34 | * IntergenerationalFriendship: Pete isn't quite old enough to be Billy's father, but there is at least a decade age gap in their friendship. |
| 35 | * LikeAnOldMarriedCouple: They've lived together for almost twenty years and would do just about anything for each other, but they start bickering at the drop of a hat. Or... as seen in "[[Recap/TheVentureBrosS4E11AnyWhichWayButZeus Any Which Way But Zeus]]", when a scarf is dropped to cue the start of the tragic friend-versus-friend gladiator match they're supposed to have, they instead resume the argument they'd been having earlier about whether one of them is the other's sidekick until the announcer has to yell at them to "stop fighting and fight!" It's usually the sort of extremely married bickering where they're both yelling at once so it's practically unintelligible to listen to, but they understand each other well enough to retort to something the other hasn't finished saying yet. |
| 36 | * ManChild: Both of them, in different ways. At one point Billy scolds White for wanting to keep H.E.L.P.eR. after they win him off St. Cloud, because "you never even play with Robo-Bo anymore", exactly like a parent telling off a kid who wants more toys. But despite being fairly sensible and responsible, Billy gets ''really'' into make-believe and playing dress-up. And they both trick-or-treat at the Venture compound on Halloween, although it seems like they're mostly just trying to be sociable. Occasionally they act like OneOfTheKids with Hank and Dean. |
| 37 | * NoHeroToHisValet: Billy and White are Doc's only real friends, and they understand most of his best and all of his worst qualities, and thus respond to his various hi-jinks appropriately. They later come to work for his directly, making this trope near literal. |
| 38 | * ThePeterPrinciple: Once they and Augustus St. Cloud are officially recognized as arches by both the O.S.I. and the Guild of Calamitous Intent, their clashes (which previously had everything from giant robots and attempted murder) wind up becoming even lamer due to the constraints placed upon both parties by their new "level one" status. Even worse, they're not allowed to use their old homemade costumes and have to make do with cruddy rental ones while their new proper (and approved) attire is being made (which apparently takes months). |
| 39 | * ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: A few episodes have pointed out that Conjectural Technologies rarely seems to... you know, do anything as a company. They're apparently a tech startup, but the kind of technology they work with, their products, and who's buying and selling their stuff is a complete mystery. Unless you count helping out the Ventures as their business model, which it may very well be. |
| 40 | * ShipTease: Their HeterosexualLifePartners relationship that is often MistakenForGay has been milked for a good number of jokes in the fandom. In "The Silent Partners", Shoreleve even sarcastically quips "Oh yeah, friend. ''Friend''." in reference to their relationship. |
| 41 | * SuperZeroes: They become level one "protagonists" in season six. It's a lot like {{LARP}}ing (with extra-embarrassing costumes), although Billy does genuinely believe they once saved all of pop culture since the '80s from a tragic Music/DuranDuran deficiency. |
| 42 | * ThoseTwoGuys: They are rarely seen apart. When they are, it's usually because Billy is kidnapped to perform back-alley medical procedures or Pete is needed for his basic computer science knowledge. In these cases, the absence of the other is usually commented on. |
| 43 | * TrueCompanions: The two have stuck together for most of their adult lives and have shown to care about each other. Though, Pete vehemently denies this. [[WhatTheHellHero Hatred calls him out on this later on]]. |
| 44 | -->'''Pete:''' He's not my best friend. I just work with him.\ |
| 45 | '''Sgt. Hatred:''' ..And live with him and do everything with him. That's best friends.\ |
| 46 | '''Pete:''' I always thought of Rusty as my best friend.\ |
| 47 | '''Sgt. Hatred:''' What? You know what White? [[WhatTheHellHero You are a star-fucker]]! |
| 48 | [[/folder]] |
| 49 | |
| 50 | [[folder:Pete White]] |
| 51 | !! Pete White/The Pink Pilgrim |
| 52 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ezimba12086662613600.png]] |
| 53 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JacksonPublick |
| 54 | ->''"Oh, FYI, I issued some shares back when we needed cash for the Nintendo Wii."'' |
| 55 | |
| 56 | The "ever-popular" Pete White is an unlikely friend of Dr. Venture who attended State University with him in the 1980s (where he was also the roommate of Baron Ãœnderbheit). Originally a radio DJ and host of the gameshow "Quizboys", where he met Billy, his life fell apart after a cheating scandal and he moved into a trailer with Billy, starting Conjectural Technologies. He is a competent computer scientist, an albino, and patterns his trademark new wave look after Phil Oakey of Music/TheHumanLeague. |
| 57 | |
| 58 | ---- |
| 59 | |
| 60 | * AFoolAndHisNewMoneyAreSoonParted: He can't hang onto money (or anything he could sell to get more money) for any length of time. When he was younger, he blew all his savings on cocaine. These days he's apparently more interested in dumb toys and video games, almost to the point of compulsivity. Billy tends to let him have it (especially since it's usually, ''really'' Billy's money), but even he admits the [=ConjectureCycle=] is "the best ten million bucks we ever spent." He also blew all their money made on the "underground Quizboy circuit" on a bad bet back when they were younger. Suffice it to say, he's ''really'' bad with money. |
| 61 | * AlbinosAreFreaks: Self-describes as a "freak" in "[[Recap/TheVentureBrosS3E3TheInvisibleHandOfFate The Invisible Hand of Fate]]". He gets a few demeaning comments from other characters related to his albinism, such as Monstroso describing Billy's home as "infested with albinos scurrying from Platform/{{Xbox}} to Platform/PlayStation" like he's a giant white rat. And characters tend not to use his name when "the albino" works just as well. St. Cloud, for his part, regards him like some sort of exotic pet that belongs to Billy, until it's too much even for White's usually apathetic personality. |
| 62 | -->'''White:''' I'm not ''his'' albino. People don't own albinos! |
| 63 | * AttentionDeficitOohShiny: Gets easily distracted by St Cloud's pop-culture memorabilia... or hair mousse. When this happens, Billy usually tells him off, which gets him back on task for all of ten seconds or so. Then he gets distracted again. |
| 64 | * BoringButPractical: One of his suggested inventions for Rusty's new super science research division in season six is a "silent washing machine" which, in spite of how lame it sounds, apparently actually works (unlike the rest of the more interesting inventions). Rusty, being something of a subdued MadScientist, is quick to wave it aside in favor of Billy's "God Gas". |
| 65 | * BrilliantButLazy: Heavy on the "Lazy" part. When he applies himself, he is the cast's defacto computer expert, and is able to pitch-in with Billy's surgeries and [=VenTech=] R&D later in the series. Most of his hobbies (video games, radio DJ, internet) further reflect this. |
| 66 | * BuffySpeak: When things start getting especially "super-science-y", well out of Pete's areas of expertise, he starts to use this to describe what is going on. |
| 67 | --> '''Pete''': I'm an albino, I can't even go to the beach without exploding. There is no way I'm standing in front of an ''anything'' ray. |
| 68 | * CampStraight: Despite his appearance and nature, he is straight. Lampshaded by Shore Leave, who states White has no right to call him a sissy. |
| 69 | * DirtyCoward: He is absolutely useless in a fight. At one point, he outright admits to "cowering in a corner" until he heard the fighting stop. |
| 70 | * TheEighties: Heavily influenced by the culture. He even patterns his look after Phil Oakey of Music/TheHumanLeague. |
| 71 | * HollywoodNewEngland: Speaks with a New England accent. The New England stereotype of being strangely obsessive about route optimization shows up in "[[Recap/TheVentureBrosS3E11ORB ORB]]", where he gets [[ComicallyMissingThePoint sidetracked]] by noticing a shortcut on a mysterious secret map. |
| 72 | -->'''Pete''': Look at that, I could save 1.3 miles if I take Ridge Street! |
| 73 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Particularly towards Billy, becoming his caretaker after Billy's mind was wiped by the O.S.I. and offering his last bit of money to anyone who would help him get Billy back when he was kidnapped by the Investors. |
| 74 | * KarmaHoudini: He basically destroyed Billy's life, first ruining his reputation as a Quizboy by cheating for him, then losing both the money that Billy had been saving for college ''and'' the boy's hand/eye by accidentally entering him in a dogfighting ring. After Billy's failed mission with the O.S.I., Brock brings him, memory wiped, into Pete's care. Over the years since, Billy has been the only competent member of their duo and, whenever Billy regains his memory, Pete takes him to have it wiped once again. Pete has basically avoided all consequences for his actions, aside from, well, being Pete White. It's really no wonder that Zero introduced Billy as "under the villain Pete White" in "Any Which Way But Zeus". |
| 75 | * LastNameBasis: Almost everyone just calls him "White", probably because it fits him so well. Billy and Rusty have been his closest friends for twenty years -- Billy's even shared a ''bedroom'' with him for close to that -- and they both still address him with his surname. |
| 76 | * LostHimInACardgame: In "What Colour Is Your Cleansuit?", St. Cloud makes Billy wager Pete as a prize in a trivia game. Fortunately, Billy won. |
| 77 | * TheMillstone: While he is ''occasionally'' useful, most often when the other characters need someone with basic computer knowledge, the series heavily implies that he's mostly holding the actually-surprisingly-competent Billy back. |
| 78 | * MistakenForGay: Several times, even by his best friend Billy. It gets more common when Billy's mother assumes they are a couple in season six. Season seven confirms the old folks on the show still think this, with the two having a FakeRelationship so they don't have to give back the gifts Billy's mom got them. |
| 79 | * NiceJobBreakingItHero: His attempt to save Rusty and the rest of the people in [=VenTech=] Tower during the season seven premiere results in him destroying Jonas Sr.'s life support system. In all fairness, he was likely suffering a concussion as Jonas arranged for him to be knocked out by a heavy wrench so he couldn't interfere with his hack of the tower. Of course, [[AssholeVictim Jonas Sr. really had it coming]]. |
| 80 | * NotWorthKilling: Downplayed in that it's memory wiping, but still in the same vein. The O.S.I/SPHINX don't bother wiping his memory whenever they wipe Billy's, due to him being, as Hunter Gathers put it, "a lazy bastard". (It actually works out, since White can bring Billy to them whenever he does regain his memory.) |
| 81 | * OlderThanTheyLook: He's roughly the same age as Rusty, Brock, Baron Ãœnderbheit, and the Monarch, but time's been rather kind to him. This has elements of TruthInTelevision, as Pete's albinism means he needs to take extra care of his skin and stay out of the sun, which has likely slowed the aging process. |
| 82 | * ParasolOfPrettiness: Carries one when outdoors in the daylight to protect himself from the sun as an albino, but it also fits in with his general CampStraight demeanor. |
| 83 | * ProneToSunburn: Exaggerated. He can ''catch on fire'' in sufficiently intense direct sun. It seems depending on RuleOfFunny, however -- another scene shows him after sitting out in the desert sun for who-knows-how-long and just realistically getting the sort of sunburn people go to the ER for. He sometimes carries a ParasolOfPrettiness to avoid this. |
| 84 | * PunnyName: An albino with the last name of "White". |
| 85 | * TheSlacker: Obviously he's better off sticking with indoor activities to begin with, but he usually spends his time playing video games rather than making himself useful as co-founder of Conjectural Technologies. It's repeatedly implied that he is holding the much-more-competent Billy back. |
| 86 | * ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman: He has some basic computer skills, having managed to keep up with the times despite the squalor he lives in, but most of the sci-fi technology in the show is old-school analogue, limiting his usefulness. |
| 87 | * WeaksauceWeakness: White helpfully reminds people at every opportunity that he can't take much sunlight. He's even been shown to ''burst into flames'' when directly exposed to strong sunlight. |
| 88 | [[/folder]] |
| 89 | |
| 90 | [[folder:Billy Quizboy]] |
| 91 | !! William "Billy" Whalen/Master Billy Quizboy |
| 92 | [[quoteright:325:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Billy_Quizboy_8824.JPG]] |
| 93 | ->'''Voiced by''': Creator/DocHammer |
| 94 | ->''"It's industrial espionage, you've come to steal our great ideas. You've been foiled; we have none!"'' |
| 95 | |
| 96 | A hydrocephalic neurogeneticist, he made his name as a child prodigy (earning his nickname) from his reign as champion on the TV quiz show "Quizboys" in his youth, where he Pete was the host. Following a cheating scandal, Billy entered the employ of the O.S.I. to spy on Guild activity at State University while posing as a student. After the mission failed, he was mind-wiped and placed into the care of Pete, where they have lived, platonically, in a trailer that doubles as the headquarters of their startup tech business, Conjectural Technologies. |
| 97 | |
| 98 | ---- |
| 99 | * ArchEnemy: Billy has a longstanding rivalry with the exceptionally rich collector/fanboy Augustus St. Cloud, who becomes his official arch-enemy at the beginning of season five (Augustus joined the Guild solely for this reason). |
| 100 | * AscendedFanboy: Billy is Rusty's biggest fan. He has "ascended" as far as being able to help his idol. |
| 101 | * BackAlleyDoctor: Even without a license Billy is as good, if not better, than any 'real' doctor, performing next to impossible surgeries in less than ideal conditions, including reattaching severed limbs, transplanting a gorilla's heart into a giant, and attaching Dragoon's head to Red Mantle's body without killing either of them. Any time someone in the series needs an (in Billy's words) "illegal surgery", you can bet they'll call/kidnap Billy to perform it. |
| 102 | * BetterLivingThroughEvil: Because Monstroso lavishes him with gifts, amusements, a medical degree, and prostitutes during "The Silent Partners" as payment for him performing an unorthodox heart transplant, Billy seriously considers joining the Guild of Calamitous Intent but reconsiders it when Brock points out that as nice as Monstroso was treating him (especially in comparison to how Team Venture and the O.S.I. does), he's ultimately a remorseless criminal who isn't going to stop hurting people if the operation is successful. |
| 103 | * BewareTheNiceOnes: After being pushed too far in the "Invisble Hand of Fate" {{Flashback}} to his work for the O.S.I., he manages to punch [[OneManArmy Brock]] in the balls and escape from him and Col. Gathers. |
| 104 | * BrilliantButLazy: Though downplayed on the "Lazy" part, especially in comparison to Pete. Billy actually does seem to be highly skilled surgeon. He fixed Dean's testicular torsion, reattached Rusty's arm, grafted Dragoon's head on to Red Mantle's body in less-than-ideal conditions, guided a miniaturized submarine through Rusty's body to clear a clot, transplanted a gorilla's heart into a giant, and was lauded by the real doctors while working in a hospital at the start of "The Silent Partners". While he does spend a lot of time goofing off with Pete and engaging in nerdy activities (like looking for a secret code in the old "[[ShowWithinAShow Rusty Venture Show]]"), many of his failures (and hence "laziness") aren't actually his fault. (Pete cheated for him on Quizboys, causing him to get kicked off the show and the FCC to take his winnings that were supposed to be his college fund. Then when he did go to college while working for the O.S.I., he fails the mission and gets kicked out.) While he regrets never getting his actual medical degree, he never actually goes back to try on his own merit and only gets one via the Investors/Guild. |
| 105 | * ButtMonkey: Billy can never catch a break. He's teased, mocked, abused, and kidnapped to perform illegal surgeries repeatedly throughout the series. What's even funnier is that he gets so much flak despite being the ''useful'' half of his duo. |
| 106 | * CatchPhrase: "High five!" It takes a few seasons until he stops getting [[HighFiveLeftHanging left hanging]] all the time, but this surprisingly seems to have little to do with the metal hand, which he never seems to use to give anyone a painful high five. He's not trying to prank anyone, he just wants a high five. |
| 107 | * CowardlyLion: He's ''very'' easily scared ("Brock is training us to fight, so I'm doing what I do best, which is to secretly cower,") but when it gets down to it, he's very into the idea of being a hero. He even manages to stun ''Brock'' with a GroinAttack in "The Invisible Hand of Fate" flashback. |
| 108 | * DeadpanSnarker: Billy always has some dry jokes on hand for the absurd scenarios he gets embroiled in. |
| 109 | --> '''Billy''': ''(referring to Hank and Dean's learning beds)'' Those things are more outdated than Funk and Wagnalls! |
| 110 | * EyepatchOfPower: Wears one over his missing eye. While he's small and meek, he really does pull off some seriously badass feats when necessary, especially when it comes to performing extreme medical procedures in less-than-ideal circumstances. |
| 111 | * HandicappedBadass: Capable of some pretty astounding surgical feats despite having a metal hand and lack of depth perception due to a missing eye. |
| 112 | * HeroicWannabe: He ''really'' wants to be a costumed hero. He's also a small, timid nerd who fully admits to "cowering" when situations turn dangerous. |
| 113 | * HighFiveLeftHanging: He likes high-fives, but the laws of the universe seem to conspire against it. Even when White isn't too busy acting aloof to high-five his best friend, they tend to get interrupted by, say, bad news, or a TranquillizerDart to the neck. |
| 114 | * HonorBeforeReason: He was willing to perform a heart transplant on Monstroso, first for the money, but then because of his doctor's honor. He was still willing to let Brock kill Monstroso after he recovered, though. To be fair, Monstroso had treated him more than fairly, was offering him his life's dream, and had spent a while bonding with him; he had plenty of reasons to like the guy even knowing he was a monster. |
| 115 | * InsufferableGenius: He can be very self-absorbed, but Billy is undeniably knowledgable about medicine and a talented surgeon. |
| 116 | * LaserGuidedAmnesia: He doesn't know how he got his metal hand or lost his eye. As revealed in "The Invisible Hand of Fate", every time he regains his memory of working for the O.S.I., Pete takes him to have the memory wiped once again. He seems to have regained the memory (without having it wiped again) by season four given his reaction to Hunter and SPHINX, but it's never confirmed. |
| 117 | * LockedOutOfTheLoop: Every time he regains the memory of how he lost his eye and hand, Pete knocks him out and takes him to the O.S.I/SPHINX to have his memory wiped again. Later on, it's implied that he now knows the truth permanently. |
| 118 | * TheMedic: He's a gifted surgeon and his medical expertise is sought after by heroes and villains alike, usually to perform "illegal surgeries" or deal with the bizarre consequences of super-science. |
| 119 | * MistakenForGay: People often mistake he and Pete for a couple. His own mother believes this is why Billy hasn't spoken to her in years, feeling she wouldn't approve of his "lifestyle". Billy [[FakeRelationship doesn't correct her]] due to wanting to keep gifts she sent them, and Pete hasn't said a word since she called him handsome. By season six, even the rest of the elderly cast genuinely think Pete is Billy's boyfriend. |
| 120 | * MyBrainIsBig: Billy claims that his excess of cerebrospinal fluid (due to being hydrocephalic) makes him smarter. This being the cause is debatable, but he's definitely a highly-skilled surgeon. |
| 121 | * NiceGuy: Billy is one of the few genuinely good people in the show's cast. He's kind, polite, helpful, and determined despite [[ButtMonkey all the misery he endures]]. On the occasions where he loses his cool at someone (usually Pete), he's ''well'' within his rights to do so. |
| 122 | * NotThatKindOfDoctor: Subverted as he has an ''illegitimate'' medical doctorate thanks to doing a favor for Monstroso/the Investors, but even without it, he is one of the most skilled surgeons in the world with incredible knowledge of anatomy. |
| 123 | * OlderThanTheyLook: Mostly in-universe: the lines on his face clearly show he's over 30, but he's often mistaken for a little kid. Dean is reluctant to let Billy examine his nasty case of testicular torsion because he assumes Billy is a little kid, and Sgt. Hatred has pedophilic urges toward him because he looks so young. He played it up for a while because he preferred being a "boy genius" to just a regular grown-up genius. |
| 124 | * PhonyDegree: He finally gets a medical doctorate in season four's "The Silent Partners", though it is illegitimate from doing a favor for Monstroso/the Investors. Regardless, he is already a world-class surgeon and medical expert. |
| 125 | * ProfessorGuineaPig: He's been the reluctant test subject for various devices that Rusty is trying to exploit such as shrink rays and god gas. |
| 126 | * ProperlyParanoid: Billy spent a long time looking for conspiracy clues in the old "[[ShowWithinAShow Rusty Venture Show]]" [=DVDs=], long enough to amass quite the JarPotty collection. He was right to do so, as he finds a code that leads to the hidden location of the world's most dangerous artifact. |
| 127 | * RealisticDictionIsUnrealistic: One of the more notable aversions in the series, and not just because of his speech impediment. He speaks like a realistic, slightly nerdy person with "ums", "ahs", pauses, and BuffySpeak. |
| 128 | * RunningGag: He is constantly being kidnapped (or otherwise cajoled) to perform experimental surgeries. Reversing Dean's testicular torsion, sewing Dragoon's head on Red Mantle's shoulder, removing a magical artifact from the Outrider's skull, transplanting King Gorilla's heart into Monstroso, guiding a miniturized sub through Rusty's body... It seems to happen ''at least'' once per season. |
| 129 | * ShorterMeansSmarter: He's one of the shortest regular cast members and an incredibly skilled surgeon (going as far as transplanting [[MultipleHeadCase one guy's head onto another guy]]) with deep anatomical knowledge (able to guide a submarine through Rusty's unconscious body seemingly from memory). |
| 130 | * SpeechImpediment: He speaks with a thick lisp. It's evidently genetic since his mother also has it. |
| 131 | * StrangeMindsThinkAlike: As a man who was reared on space-age pop culture as a child, he shares many of Rusty's attitudes as to how super science can be applied. Also abused for the sake of RuleOfCool, such as in the form of "mind control gas". |
| 132 | * SwissArmyAppendage: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]] by his mechanical hand, which has a homing function, a fire extinguisher, and it can do a grappling-hook sort of thing, but it can't retract itself and pull him along or anything useful like that, [[AwesomeButImpractical because the mechanism would be too bulky]]. In fact, after using the grappling-hook function, he apparently has a hard time reattaching it ''at all'', and just leaves it dangling like a mini ball-and-chain for the rest of the day. His idea to have White climb the cable also doesn't work, because it's attached to his nerves and hurts. |
| 133 | * TeenGenius: Both Subverted and Discussed: |
| 134 | ** It's revealed early in the series that he's actually in his 30s despite claiming to be a "boy genius", his short stature and hydrocephalic condition making him look younger than he is. In "The Invisible Hand of Fate" FlashbackEpisode to his actual teenage years shows that, while he was smart and racked up the points on quiz shows, he was completely overwhelmed by college-level classwork and didn't really display any real-world talent until he grew up. |
| 135 | ** Discussed when he acts as Dean and Hank's guidance counselor in "Pomp and Circuitry" - he reminds Rusty, privately, that the boys really don't have the life skills to face the real world, and he's speaking from experience. |
| 136 | * WardrobeFlawOfCharacterization: He and White look a little overdressed in their suits for all the ''nothing'' they're generally doing, but Billy's tie is always loose, his shirt is always untucked, and his pants are rolled up at the ankles. The normal but rumpled suit-and-tie look contrasts with White, whose outfit is [[TheEighties outdated]] and eccentric but usually impeccably crisp. |
| 137 | * WideEyedIdealist: Certainly compared to most others on the show, whose years of experience as adventurers and "super-scientists" have left them very jaded and cynical. Billy is enthusiastic about almost any opportunity to go on a wacky adventure, really thinks the red ball from the [[Music/DuranDuran "Is There Something I Should Know"]] video is magic, and usually looks slightly pained when White gets him to bullshit Rusty so they can jack up their fees. |
| 138 | -->'''Brock:''' It's Level One, Billy. It's a show. He stuns you, you stun him, he vows revenge, and then you tell him that good always triumphs over evil.\ |
| 139 | '''Billy:''' ''[like he really thinks he just might hear a "yes"]'' Does it?\ |
| 140 | '''Brock:''' Of course not. Now get out there and get this crap over with. You're blocking traffic. |
| 141 | * YoungerThanTheyLook: While his stature gives him the silhouette of a child, he has the craggy, wrinkled face of a man in his fifties, despite still being a relatively young man in his thirties. This especially apparent when compared to Pete, who is 43 and could pass for a man a decade younger. |
| 142 | [[/folder]] |
| 143 | |
| 144 | [[folder:Rose Whalen]] |
| 145 | !!Rose Whalen (Triple Threat) |
| 146 | [[quoteright:273:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rose_full.jpg]] |
| 147 | [[caption-width-right:273:[[labelnote:Click here to see her in the 1960s...]]\ |
| 148 | ...as Triple Threat\ |
| 149 | https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/triplethreat.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 150 | ->'''Voiced by''': Doc Hammer |
| 151 | |
| 152 | Billy's elderly mother. Originally living in an old folks home in Boca Raton, she begins dating the Action Man and moves in with him and Col. Gentleman. In the 1960s, she was a masked heroine known as Triple Threat who worked with the dancer-themed hero Jass and ally to Team Venture. |
| 153 | ---- |
| 154 | * AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Still treats her grown son like a little boy, smothering him with unwanted physical affection and doting over him to an extreme. She has a habit of singing "Hush Little Baby" to him when he's upset, including in inappropriate situations. |
| 155 | * ImpliedLoveInterest: It's implied that she was more than crime-fighting partners with the "arrow-straight" Jass, with him possibly even being Billy's father, but it's never outright stated. |
| 156 | * MamaBear: As St. Cloud discovers, she doesn't like anyone messing with her son. |
| 157 | -->'''Rose''': I'll let you take the first swing. And if you don't put me down, I'll beat the living shit out of you till my arthritis kicks in. And I just took my Humira.[[note]] The half-life of Humira is 10 to 20 days (about 14 on average) and is supposed to be taken every other week. [[DontExplainTheJoke She's going to pummel him for 2 whole weeks]].[[/note]] |
| 158 | * NeverMessWithGranny: In her youth she was the heroine Triple Threat. Even in her old age, she is still a fully capable ass-kicker, delivering a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown to the much younger St. Cloud. |
| 159 | * NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: |
| 160 | ** She and Jass were dancer-themed heroic partners modeled off of Creator/GingerRogers and Creator/FredAstaire, respectively. |
| 161 | ** According to the creators, her voice is based on that of Creator/CarolChanning. |
| 162 | * OfficialCouple: Starts dating the Action Man with a little help from Hank. Moves with him to New York City starting in season six, as well. |
| 163 | * PunnyName: A triple threat is an entertainer who excels at acting, singing, and dancing. Rose is skilled in physical combat and who knows what else. |
| 164 | * RetiredBadass: It's all but stated that she was Triple Threat, an ally to the 1960s Team Venture and Action Man's crush. Triple Threat's mask matches Rose's glasses frames, both wear a rose brooch, and Triple Threat's hair in the '60s is the same color as Billy's in the present. The most damning evidence is after a flashback in "The Devil's Grip" introducing Triple Threat as a character and mentioning she was Action Man's crush, Action Man confides in Hank that he has been trying to pursue Rose romantically for the past 40 years. |
| 165 | * SomethingAboutARose: Her name is Rose, she wears a rose brooch, and her hero costume in her youth had a rose pin at a time when she was considered extremely attractive. She was implied to be in a relationship with her partner Jass, at some point with Billy's father (if that wasn't also Jass), and later the Action Man. |
| 166 | * StrongFamilyResemblance: As an older woman, she not only has her son's voice but effectively looks like an elderly genderbent version of him with normal proportions. |
| 167 | [[/folder]] |
| 168 | |
| 169 | !The Order Of The Triad |
| 170 | |
| 171 | [[folder:The Order in General]] |
| 172 | !!The Order of the Triad |
| 173 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screen_shot_2022_05_07_at_114409_am.png]] |
| 174 | [[caption-width-right:350:''"Order of the Triad, Assemble!"'']] |
| 175 | |
| 176 | A magical super-team headed by Dr. Venture's tenant, Dr. Byron Orpheus. They're typically brought in when Team Venture is dealing with threats and mysteries of the supernatural variety. |
| 177 | ---- |
| 178 | |
| 179 | * ArchEnemy: They get a Guild-sanctioned one in Torrid. Orpheus actually ''wanted'' their own Guild-sanctioned arch-enemy, to the point of hosting tryouts for the position in "Fallen Arches". Torrid emerged as the winner by kidnapping Orpheus's daughter Triana, and the Triad are shown battling him a few times in future episodes. |
| 180 | * ComicTrio: Orpheus is a LargeHam who takes both magic and the "costumed heroes/villains" act seriously. Al is also magic, but takes almost ''none'' of it seriously. Jefferson has no magic and is often in over his head/a fish out of water in dealing with magic threats. Much of the comedy derives from their interactions in these roles. |
| 181 | * ADayInTheLimelight: While the Triad appears in smaller roles throughout much of the series, they tend to get a dedicated episode about OnceASeason. To note: |
| 182 | ** Season two's "Fallen Arches" sees Dr. Orpheus get approved by the Guild of Calmitous Intent for an official ArchEnemy, but as a "team". He recruits Al and Jefferson to join him as they interview potential candidates. |
| 183 | ** Season three's "What Goes Down, Must Come Up" has the Venture boys call in the Triad after their father and Brock disappear. |
| 184 | ** Season four's "The Better Man" sees them in action against Torrid, only for the Outider, Orpheus' former student and the man who stole his wife, get involved. |
| 185 | ** The pre-season five HalloweenEpisode has them in the A-plot, hosting a party of magic-users that accidentally summons all of the dead bodies buried around the Venture Compound. |
| 186 | ** After being PutOnABus for seasons five and six, they return to play a large role in the season seven opening "Morphic Trilogy" of episodes as they attempt to quell a suspected poltergeist at [=VenTech=] Tower. |
| 187 | * EyeOfProvidence: Appears in their sigil. |
| 188 | * OldSuperhero: Each member of the Triad is middle-aged. While they are physically and mentally fit enough to qualify for their own arch-enemy, the Alchemist rightfully points out that they are too old to keep up the whole "cops and robbers" schtick arching entails for long. |
| 189 | * SupernaturalTeam: In contrast to the "super-science" angle of the Venture family and their other allies, each member of the Order are in some way involved with the supernatural. |
| 190 | [[/folder]] |
| 191 | |
| 192 | [[folder:Dr. Orpheus]] |
| 193 | !! Dr. Byron Orpheus |
| 194 | [[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dr__Orpheus_22.JPG]] |
| 195 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Stephen Rattazzi |
| 196 | ->''"Well, if you ''must'' call me [a magician], yes. But if you are after mere parlor tricks, you'll be sorely disappointed. For if I reach behind your ear, it will not be a ''nickel'' I pull out... BUT '''YOUR VEEERY SOOOOUUL'''!!"'' |
| 197 | |
| 198 | Dr. Byron Orpheus is a necromancer and master of mysticism who has the tendency to speak in a ringing, melodramatic tone, often at inappropriate times, usually accompanied by dramatic music. Dr. Orpheus is divorced and has a daughter, Triana. He rents the old "Advanced Arachnid Research" section of the compound from Dr. Venture and tends to join in on the family's adventures when they involve supernatural elements. |
| 199 | ---- |
| 200 | |
| 201 | * AbusiveParents: Although he dearly loves Triana and wouldn't directly harm a hair on her head, he's not above wiping her memory when convenient. In their old apartment he did this regularly since the portal to the nether dimension was in her closet. |
| 202 | * ActuallyNotAVampire: Dr. Orpheus is easily mistaken for "a Dracula", as the boys did in his introductory episode. The cloak, hair, and use of magic make it an easy mistake to make. |
| 203 | * AesopAmnesia: Apparently a common result of his chats with his Master, such as when he declared "I already know that I know nothing!" [[ComicallyMissingThePoint when he clearly hadn't learned that lesson]]. |
| 204 | * AlwaysSomeoneBetter: The Outrider, a former student of his who his wife left him to be with. Orpheus has trained his entire life just to "perceive that there is a second world," while the Outrider can travel through it. This eventually inverses itself in a way, when it is shown that the Outrider cheated to obtain his powers while Orpheus' master admits that Orpheus is truly his best student. |
| 205 | * AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Triana usually handles his theatrics pretty well, but he can make quite a scene when he suspects someone is hitting on his daughter or is trying to give her TheTalk. |
| 206 | * AntiquatedLinguistics: Will throw out some rather archaic terms, particularly during some of his more dramatic speeches. Combine it with his LargeHam tendencies and swelling {{Leitmotif}}, [[MundaneMadeAwesome anything he says automatically sounds more dramatic]]. Such as when simply giving TheTalk to his daughter: |
| 207 | --> '''Dr. Orpheus:''' Hear me out! ''[clears throat]'' When young women reach estrus, the, uhh, lingam, ummm, craves theeee stamen-like skills of the yoni. This is quite natural. [[note]]He is so embarrassed by the subject that he gets his biology exactly wrong: the lingam is the human equivalent of the stamen, the yoni of the pistil. 'Lingam' and 'yoni' are not so much antiquated as exotic, being the Sanskrit terms that might be familiar to Orpheus from tantric writings or other subcontinental works.)[[/note]] |
| 208 | --> '''Triana:''' Dad. Come on. I'm doing you a favor. |
| 209 | --> '''Dr. Orpheus:''' It's just that boys at their age have unchecked desires coursing- nay, '''RAGING AS A TEMPEST WOULD!!''' Through their ''tingling nethers!'' |
| 210 | * ArchEnemy: He spends the first season pining for one, and is eventually given one in the form of Torrid, who earns the job during the Triad's "tryout" by kidnapping Triana. |
| 211 | * TheArtifact: Introduced as a "necromancer", and he attempts to resurrect somebody at one point while saying that it's perfectly routine. This does not get visited again for a while, and he later says that he only uses the word "necromancer" because "wizard," "sorcerer," and "magician" have fallen out of favor. |
| 212 | * BackFromTheDead: It very rarely comes up about the plot besides a failed attempt to resurrect Hank and Dean, but as a necromancer, Orpheus is well-versed in communing with and reviving the dead. He boasts that he regularly performed resurrections on both David Blaine and Evel Knievel (also UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan, "until he bounced a check"). |
| 213 | * BadPowersGoodPeople: He introduces himself as a necromancer, and though he functions as a more general sorcerer, he is capable of raising the dead. Despite this, he's not only a "good" person, but one of the downright nicest in the entire series. |
| 214 | * BerserkButton: Anyone hitting on his daughter is sure to set off his loudest and hammiest retorts. |
| 215 | --> '''Dr. Orpheus''': MY DAUGHTER'S VIRGINITY IS NOT A PRIZE TO BE WON! |
| 216 | * BewareTheNiceOnes: He's an all-around swell guy and loving dad, but not somebody you'd want to really piss off, as a little wailing Homeboy figurine can attest: |
| 217 | -->'''Dr. Orpheus''': That houses the souls of two ''FOUL-MOUTHED REDNECKS''!! |
| 218 | * CaptainErsatz: Of Comicbook/DoctorStrange, being a sorcerer and master of mysticism who wears a cloak. |
| 219 | * CharacterCatchphrase: "'Kaaay". A sort of non-plussed reaction to the super science stuff that happens around the Ventures, or just a bemused agreement with something weird Dr Venture has just said, in either case contrasting sharply with his usual LargeHam AntiquatedLinguistics. |
| 220 | * TheCobblersChildrenHaveNoShoes: He's pretty good at giving others advice, and fairly down to Earth when it comes to everyone's problems but his own, in which he's near-constantly met with failure. He minored in Women's Studies in college but his wife left him for one of his students. |
| 221 | * CorruptedCharacterCopy: To ''ComicBook/DoctorStrange''. He has no real [=PhD=], only a degree in Communications and a minor in Women's Studies from a community college, while Stephen Strange was an accomplished neurosurgeon before becoming Sorceror Supreme. He calls himself a "necromancer" simply because all of the other magic-user titles have fallen out of favor (note that he actually ''can'' communicate with and raise the dead as a proper {{Necromancer}} does, it's just not his primary field of magic), is constantly outdone by his former student (the Outrider, who also stole his wife), and his LargeHam tendencies are considered annoying and embarrassing by his daughter. Nonetheless, [[DarkIsNotEvil he's by far the nicest]] member of the main cast. |
| 222 | * DarkIsNotEvil: A self-proclaimed necromancer who typically wears a black cloak and is often [[ActuallyNotAVampire mistaken for a vampire]], it can be quite the shock that he's one of the most morally ''decent'' people on the show. |
| 223 | * DeadpanSnarker: In sharp contrast to his LargeHam behavior, he can get witheringly sarcastic, usually with people who are ignorant or presumptuous about magic or when someone teases him about his ex-wife. |
| 224 | -->'''Dr. Orpheus:''' Ahh, ''no''. I don't miss her ''astounding'' beauty '''''daily'''''. |
| 225 | * DramaPreservingHandicap: Once the show starts playing for keeps when it comes to death after season three, Orpheus suddenly becomes immensely disinclined to perform necromancy. |
| 226 | * {{Foil}}: To Rusty in multiple ways. To note: |
| 227 | ** In many respects, he is the opposite of Rusty--even aside from the obvious MagicVersusScience angle. Rusty is notoriously lazy and coasts on his inheritance and childhood fame and fortune, while Orpheus is a workaholic who earned his powers through great study and practice. Rusty is a notoriously jaded and cynical DeadpanSnarker, while Orpheus is a dramatic LargeHam who treats even the smallest actions as a big deal. Rusty is self-centered to the extreme and rarely does anything without a profit motive, while Orpheus is incredibly moral and describes himself as a protector of the mortal realm. Rusty hates being involved in the nonsense of the Guild and the Monarch, while Orpheus actively sought out an archvillain and takes genuine pleasure in his adventures. |
| 228 | ** He contrasts Rusty's terrible parenting by being a good father to Triana. His intro episode shows him recording a message just to let her know he's popped over to the other side of the compound for a bit, but she can have one of the puddings in the fridge. He's very involved, but not smothering. Meanwhile, Rusty causes the boys to get into trouble by angrily shooing them away every time he sees them, and has socially crippled them to the point that Dean's attempts to talk to Triana are incredibly pathetic even by teen-boy-with-a-crush standards. However, it's later revealed that his workaholism tends to get in the way despite his good intentions. |
| 229 | ** He's also the opposite in terms of how he treats his child's future. Rusty drags Hank and Dean into his job, and repeatedly ignores their resistance to him or treats it as unimportant. Orpheus does everything he can (even wiping her mind of meetings with the Master) to ensure that Triana won't be following his path, because he's abundantly aware of the terrors of it. And unlike Rusty, once he's had complete confirmation of what the best path for her is, he avidly supports it. |
| 230 | * HardWorkHardlyWorks: Zig-zagged between he and the Outrider. While the Outrider gained an ability Orpheus cannot, he cheated to get it, but in doing so, made time to spend with his wife (Orpheus' ex-wife). Both the Outrider and The Master admit that Orpheus is the superior sorcerer, but sacrificed too much to get there. |
| 231 | * HistoricalInJoke: UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan famously believed in astrology and the occult. Dr. Orpheus claims that Reagan was once his client, "until he bounced a check". |
| 232 | * InsistentTerminology: Orpheus habitually refers to Rusty as "Mr. Venture" rather than "Dr. Venture", owing to Rusty's [[PhonyDegree dubious doctorate]]. Doubles as HypocriticalHumor since Orpheus' own "Dr." title is not from any recognized education institution, but was apparently "bestowed by a higher power". |
| 233 | * KindheartedCatLover: Particularly in "I Know Why The Caged Bird Kills", where he's first seen snuggling his cat ("Who's a pretty pretty pussycat? Yes, you are!"), and only gets a little sarcastic at it when it gets startled by the doorbell and claws him. Later, he looks absolutely ''delighted'' to be waking up on a dirty motel floor after a beatdown by Myra, because her cats are swarming him affectionately. |
| 234 | -->'''Dr. Orpheus''': Hee hee, they smell ''my'' cat! |
| 235 | * LargeHam: He cannot ''stop'' being a ham, making bombastic speeches with AntiquatedLinguistics and [[MilkingTheGiantCow wild gesturing]] over a swelling {{Leitmotif}} tends to have that effect. The only time he isn't being one of these is when he's delivering [[DeadpanSnarker withering sarcasm]]. |
| 236 | * {{Leitmotif}}: Has one that plays whenever he's in extra LargeHam mode, which is quite often. It's loud and swelling, befitting one so dramatic. |
| 237 | * MeaningfulName: Orpheus, a necromancer, shares his name with a figure from Greek mythology who traveled into the underworld to meet with Hades and bring his wife back from the dead, but fails. Like the mythical Orpheus, Byron has also failed to win his ex-wife back. |
| 238 | * MilkingTheGiantCow: He'll gesture wildly [[MundaneMadeAwesome even if saying rather mundane things]]. |
| 239 | * MistakenForGay: By a couple of rednecks in "Return to Spider-Skull Island" (and he wasn't even wearing his cape), and another time by Rusty. His fashion sense is a little flamboyant, plus Rusty apparently finds it suspicious that Dr. Orpheus willingly spends time with him. |
| 240 | * MundaneMadeAwesome: Any time he ''RAISES HIS VOICE'' to deliver '''MUNDAAAAANE INFORMATION''' to the tune of '''''SWELLING MUUUUSIC'''''! |
| 241 | --> "Do not be too hasty entering that room... ''I HAD TACO BEEEELLLL FOR LUNCH!!!''" |
| 242 | --> "Get me... my ''BLUUUUUUUE WINDBREAKER!!!''" |
| 243 | --> "Who wants...''PIZZZZZZA ROLLS?!''" |
| 244 | * MundaneUtility: He uses his powers as a powerful necromancer to cook frittatas and rake leaves, among other things. |
| 245 | * MysticalHighCollar: Since he's an {{Expy}} of Comicbook/DoctorStrange and wears a similar outfit, he has one on his cloak. |
| 246 | * {{Necromancer}}: Yes, and a benevolent one at that. Interestingly, while he is a capable necromancer in both the original and popular sense of the word[[note]]communing with the dead and raising the dead, respectively[[/note]], he clarifies that the actual magic of necromancy isn't his preferred practice. He explains that most terms for a magic-user (magician, wizard, sorcerer, etc.) have become cliché or fallen out of favor in modern times, so he simply goes by "necromancer" not to seem silly. |
| 247 | * NeverMyFault: Blames the Outrider's youth and persistent advances on Tatyana as the reason for her leaving him, rather than examine his own shortcomings as a husband. |
| 248 | * NiceGuy: Seriously, he's the nicest guy in the show. Friendly to everyone, good with the boys, a good dad to his own daughter, always willing to help out with whatever adventure/disaster is unfolding without expecting something in return... |
| 249 | * NoIndoorVoice: His main tone is loud and dramatic, usually accompanied by his swelling {{Leitmotif}}, even when he's just conversing normally. |
| 250 | -->'''Orpheus:''' Do not be too hasty in entering that [bath]room, I had '''TACO BELL''' for lunch! |
| 251 | * NotDistractedByTheSexy: When the Master takes on the form of his beautiful ex-wife to both taunt him and to try to teach him a lesson, Orpheus comes out as more jaded and bitter about seeing her image as his current concern ("beating" the Outrider) has made him just that self-absorbed. |
| 252 | * NotThatKindOfDoctor: Not any kind of doctor, actually. He's only got a Bachelor's Degree in communications, though he claims to have been granted the title by "a higher power". |
| 253 | * OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: If ''VideoGame/PokerNight2'' is considered canon, he once teamed up with [[Franchise/EvilDead Ash Williams]] to thwart a demon invasion. |
| 254 | * OutOfFocus: Orpheus was a major supporting character throughout the first three seasons but was scaled back, almost to the point of absence in the first half of season four. He gets some more focus mid-late season four but is once again out of focus in the first half of season five, getting only one brief appearance, and aside from a mention or two, is ''completely absent'' in season six. His (and the Triad's) return in the season 7 premiere reveals they had been living in a motel ever since the Venture Compound burned down during "All This and Gargantua-2", though now they buy a brownstone in Manhattan, one with a "Doctor Strange window".[[note]]The very real First Warsaw Congregation synagogue in the Lower East Side.[[/note]] He returns to play a major supporting role in the FinaleMovie. |
| 255 | * PapaWolf: For both his own daughter and he Venture brothers. He may otherwise be an ultimate NiceGuy, but mess with them, and you'll find yourself on the bad side of a dead-raising, soul-trapping "master of mysticism". |
| 256 | * ParentalNeglect: As much as he hates it, Orpheus admits he wasn't much better at being a father than he was at being a husband. He loves his daughter dearly but is too focused on mastering his magic and his duties to really be there for her as much as he should be, and is an {{Amazingly Embarrassing Parent|s}} even when he is. |
| 257 | * PowerAtAPrice: In a sense. The Outrider admits that between them, Orpheus is the better sorcerer, but [[HardWorkHardlyWorks the time spent honing his craft]] cost him his relationship with his wife. |
| 258 | * PoweredByAForsakenChild: His disgusted reaction to Dr. Venture's use of "(half) an orphan" when constructing the "[[LotusEaterMachine Joy Can]]" [[TropeNamer named the trope]]. |
| 259 | * TokenWizard: He's the Venture family's go-to guy to call whenever something supernatural happens, like quelling the angry spirits [[IndianBurialGround buried beneath the X-1 hangar]] and when [=VenTech=] Tower appears to be haunted. |
| 260 | [[/folder]] |
| 261 | |
| 262 | [[folder:Jefferson Twilight]] |
| 263 | !!Jefferson Twilight, Blacula Hunter |
| 264 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Jefferson_Twilight_5421.jpg]] |
| 265 | ->'''Voiced by''': Creator/CharlesParnell |
| 266 | ->''"What's the use in training? I have no magic powers. The second someone uses magic, I get killed!"'' |
| 267 | |
| 268 | |
| 269 | An old friend of Dr. Orpheus, Jefferson is a black man who fights "Blaculas" (black vampires) for a living. A pastiche of the superhero Blade and the blaxploitation movie protagonist, Shaft, he wields two swords and dresses like its the 1970s (among other borrowed traits). His left eye is discolored as it is a magical Blacula tracker he calls the "Blood Eye", but he otherwise possesses no magical ability, something he laments as a member of the magic-oriented Order of the Triad. |
| 270 | ---- |
| 271 | |
| 272 | * TheBigGuy: He's the most physically fit and powerful of the trio and his major contribution to the team involves beating or slicing to death whatever the Alchemist or Orpheus can't hex away. |
| 273 | * BladeEnthusiast: Uses a pair of katanas as his primary weapons. Given that he's not magical in any way that's useful once the fighting has started, these allow him to pull his weight in a FightsLikeANormal-fashion among the otherwise mystical Triad members. |
| 274 | * BoringButPractical: He's the only non-magic member of a magical SupernaturalTeam who typically fights other magic-users, leaving him at a major disadvantage. However, he can swing a mean sword and was in the marines, giving him some practical abilities, like knowing how to drink a tank. |
| 275 | * BuffySpeak: In stark contrast the grandiose speaking style of Dr. Orpheus, Jefferson has a tendency to stammer and use crude wording to describe the mind-blowingly weird situations the Triad encounters. |
| 276 | --> '''Jefferson''': [The Outrider] brought me back to life! I'm serious, I saw my dead mom and she was all "Jefferson, head into the light". And I was like "I can't mom, I have to stay here and get my ass kicked by a guy made out of fire"! |
| 277 | * CaptainErsatz: A pastiche of ComicBook/{{Blade}} the Vampire Hunter (two swords, mother killed by vampires, unusual cravings) and John Film/{{Shaft}} (hair, attire, persona while actively hunting Blaculas). |
| 278 | * CorruptedCharacterCopy: To ''ComicBook/{{Blade}}'', as he specifically hunts "blaculas" (black vampires) to the point of CripplingOverspecialization (he notes that he'd be lost if he had to fight a regular vampire and get killed if he had to fight a magic-user without the rest of the Triad around), and Blade's {{Dhampyr}} thirst for blood or artificial replacements spoofed by low blood sugar making him crave sugary drinks (most notably [[TrademarkFavoriteFood Nik-L-Nips]]). |
| 279 | * CripplingOverspecialization: He often complains about the fact that there are no Blaculas for him to fight and implies that he'd be lost if he came up against a non-black vampire. However, it's later revealed that he is a marine veteran and has a ton of BoringButPractical skills as a result, such as the ability to drive a tank. He is also revealed to be "between worlds" which... is also pretty specialized, though does come in handy a couple of times. |
| 280 | * ADayInTheLimelight: While the Triad as a whole get a dedicated episode about OnceASeason, season three's "What Goes Down, Must Come Up" reveals the most about Jefferson's BackStory. |
| 281 | * DeadpanSnarker: One of the most deadpan on the show. Most often surfaces when Orpheus and Al are going full ChewingTheScenery in regards to their use of magic, while he has to remind them that he can't use it. |
| 282 | --> '''Dr. Orpheus:''' Let us ''try'' to get a psychic lock on them. ''[[LargeHam I SHALL SHINE THE LIGHT OF THELOS]]''! |
| 283 | --> '''The Alchemist:''' I'll cast a spell of unveiling! |
| 284 | --> '''Jefferson:''' I'll, uh... check for Blaculas. ''*beat*'' Nope, no Blaculas! |
| 285 | * EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: His first appearance in "Fallen Arches" gives him the CharacterTic of failing to finish his sentences which is dropped in later appearances. |
| 286 | * EmpoweredBadassNormal: Originally the only non-mystical member of the Triad. Later on, he's revealed to be "between worlds" (possibly as a result of dying and being brought back to life by the Outrider in "The Better Man"), which, while impressive, is also an ability [[CripplingOverspecialization with incredibly limited and specific uses]]. |
| 287 | * FightsLikeANormal: He has two powers ("Blood Eye" Blacula detection and being "between worlds"), neither of which actually help in a fight. Good thing he's an expert swordsman. |
| 288 | * InsistentTerminology: He hunts "Blaculas." ''Not'' African-American vampires, because there is not a sizable African-American population in ''Britain''. |
| 289 | * KatanasAreJustBetter: Uses two of them as his primary weapons. |
| 290 | * TheLoad: He considers himself this in the Order of the Triad in most situations, being little more than a guy with swords while his companions have much more versatile magic powers. He does cheer up after the "between worlds" revelation, though its still a [[CripplingOverspecialization pretty niche ability]]. |
| 291 | * MagicalEye: Has a discolored "Blood Eye" that allows him to track and hunt Blaculas. Apparently, if he finds Blaculas but doesn't get to kill them, he gets an equivalent of "blue balls" in it. |
| 292 | * OutOfFocus: He is much less likely to appear outside of the Triad-focused episodes than Orpheus or even Al, who gets more appearances once he starts dating Shore Leave. |
| 293 | * SarcasticDevotee: Has no confidence at all in the Order of the Triad as an institution but shows up when summoned anyway. |
| 294 | * SemperFi: He was a tank commander in the marines in his youth, giving him the ability to drive the Venture family "drilling" machine. |
| 295 | * SweetTooth: As a play on ComicBook/{{Blade}}'s half-vampire thirst for blood (or an artificial replacement), Jefferson suffers from diabetes and low blood sugar, leading him to heavily thirst for sugared liquids, such as Nik-L-Nips. |
| 296 | * TokenMinority: The most prominent black character in the show. |
| 297 | * VampireHunter: Of Blackulas, after watching his mother get taken by them when he was 10. He admits that he'd be lost if he came up against a non-black vampire, however. |
| 298 | * WeaksauceWeakness: In a world with real magic, super-powered heroes and villains, and actual mythical creatures, Jefferson's weakness is ''diabetes''. He's also the only non-magical person a team of magic users that often fights ''other'' magic users. |
| 299 | * WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway: He often points out that his power is incredibly limited for any kind of general-purpose magic stuff. |
| 300 | [[/folder]] |
| 301 | |
| 302 | [[folder:The Alchemist]] |
| 303 | !!Al/The Alchemist |
| 304 | [[quoteright:322:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_alchemist_6.png]] |
| 305 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/DanaSnyder |
| 306 | ->''"I care about the true spirit of the divine. I care about the universal truth. But being a magic superhero that keeps chasing ''the same guy'' is completely '''gay'''! And that is coming from a guy that voluntarily has sex with men!"'' |
| 307 | |
| 308 | Another old friend of Dr. Orpheus, the Alchemist is a mystical sorcerer searching for the philosopher's stone ("as a metaphor for enlightenment") as well as a cure for AIDS. He is openly gay, the least serious overall of the group about the Triad's activities, and often goes by "Al", though it's unclear if it's his real name or merely short for "Alchemist". |
| 309 | ---- |
| 310 | |
| 311 | * AlchemyIsMagic: His official title is "The Alchemist" and his first scene is him using chemistry to find the cure for AIDS. However, he is proven not only to have basic knowledge of various occult disciplines and can fire {{Psi Blast}}s like Orpheus. |
| 312 | * CampGay: Downplayed, as he overall acts more StraightGay, but he does have his "campy" moments, especially around Shore Leave. It's also ironic as he is the one member of the Order of the Triad who also sees how utterly ''silly'' the trappings of super-heroism are and constantly busts Dr. Orpheus's balls whenever he starts taking things too seriously. |
| 313 | * DeadpanSnarker: Typically in response to Dr. Orpheus' LargeHam antics, especially whenever he starts taking the whole "magic heroes/villains" thing too seriously. |
| 314 | * DepravedHomosexual: Not normally, but he and Shore Leave once bet a Rusty Venture (the sex act) on what the sex act actually was. Neither of their guesses were correct, but both refused to call it quits until one of them got a Rusty Venture. |
| 315 | * EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: He isn't given a name other than "The Alchemist". He is sometimes called "Al" for short, but it's unclear if it's his real name or merely short for "Alchemist" |
| 316 | * {{Foil}}: To Orpheus. Both are experienced magic-users and genuinely {{Nice Guy}}s, but while Orpheus wants to play "heroes/villains" against a recurring ArchEnemy, Al would rather use his abilities on "bringing balance to the universe" kind of stuff and doing things that will benefit many, like finding a cure for AIDS. Al has trouble taking the former activity seriously as a result. |
| 317 | * FriendToAllChildren: More like teenagers, but still in the spirit of the trope. He gets along nicely with Triana and Hank, and the two of them enjoying his company as well. Probably due to his slightly immature behavior, at least with Hank. |
| 318 | * KavorkaMan: Is, by his own admission, a "paunchy, middle-aged gay guy who likes Jimmy Buffet," yet is still able to attract the younger, sexier Shore Leave. |
| 319 | * KickTheDog: He once tricked Jefferson into going into a diabetic coma for the sheer fun of it. |
| 320 | * JewishSmartass: Revealed to be Jewish in the movie, and he's among the snarkiest of the cast. |
| 321 | * {{Leitmotif}}: Though it only appears in one episode ("What Goes Down Must Come Up"), when the triad is performing magic, it's implied that The Alchemist has one too. When Orpheus does some magic, his leitmotif plays and when The Alchemist does some magic immediately afterward, a little trumpet piece plays. And immediately after that, when it's Jefferson's turn and it's revealed that he has no magic to do, it's completely silent. |
| 322 | * LivingLieDetector: Mentioned in passing during "Everybody Comes To Hank's", it is apparently part of his mystical powerset. As it isn't terribly useful when fighting supernatural threats, he uses it for [[MundaneUtility mundane]] things like verifying everyone he and Hank interviews are telling the truth. |
| 323 | * NiceGuy: DeadPanSnarker tendencies and the diabetic coma incident notwithstanding, Al is a supportive friend and great with kids. While he thinks chasing around "the same guy" as a SupernaturalTeam is silly, he will gladly pitch in when lives are on the line. |
| 324 | * NotWhatISignedOnFor: Admits in a rather heated discussion amongst the three during "Showdown at Cremation Creek" that he thought that the reunited Order of the Triad would be going on more high-minded pursuits rather than chase after the same villain in a "cops and robbers" game. |
| 325 | * OnlyInItForTheMoney: Downplayed as, while each member of the Triad signs up for having an arch-enemy for the excitement, the Alchemist also hopes it will procure interest and finding for his research. |
| 326 | * OnlySaneMan: Frequently the voice of reason for the Order of the Triad, especially when Orpheus starts getting a little too into their "hero/villain" activities. |
| 327 | * PrivateDetective: Becomes Hank's partner in the NoirEpisode "Everybody Come to Hank's", mostly due to boredom, but later gets into solving the mystery of Dermott's parentage. |
| 328 | * PsiBlast: His primary means of magic attack, firing blasts similar to Orpheus. |
| 329 | * ReedRichardsIsUseless: Uses magic to turn a tire into gold in "Operation P.R.O.M.". Why does he need to shack up with Orpheus, again? |
| 330 | * StraightGay: Downplayed. You probably wouldn't guess he was gay if he didn't bring it up. He rarely acts campy, mostly only while he's dating [[MachoCamp Shore Leave]]. |
| 331 | * WillTheyOrWontThey: With Shore Leave in "Operation P.R.O.M." They did. |
| 332 | * WouldHurtAChild: Downplayed. He initially balks at the idea of punching Dermott, knowing he's just a mouthy teenager, but then the kid presses his luck. |
| 333 | -->'''Al:''' C'mon, Hank, he's a kid! Don't make me hit a kid.\ |
| 334 | '''Dermott:''' Oh, yeah, like I'd FEEL it. You're like Danny [=DeVito's=] Penguin.\ |
| 335 | ''[Al slugs Dermott hard enough in the gut to leave him wheezing and near tears]'' |
| 336 | [[/folder]] |
| 337 | |
| 338 | [[folder:The Master]] |
| 339 | !! The Master |
| 340 | [[quoteright:720:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/master_731.jpg]] |
| 341 | [[caption-width-right:720:Some of the forms taken by The Master. Clockwise from the top left - [[Characters/ClassicalMythologyMonsters Cerberus]], [[UsefulNotes/CatherineTheGreat Catherine the Great's horse]], SantaClaus (because Halloween doesn't have any good mascots), and Tatiana (Orpheus' ex-wife)]] |
| 342 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/HJonBenjamin |
| 343 | ->'''The Master''': ''[to Triana]'' OK listen, I’m The Master. I’m like your dad’s omniscient boss. |
| 344 | |
| 345 | An enigmatic, shapeshifting sorcerer who served as Orpheus' magical mentor, The Master inhabits a dimension known as "Necropolis" and is often sought by Orpheus for his counsel. Snarky and not shy about calling Orpheus out, he often takes a form that relates to whatever wisdom he is trying to impart. |
| 346 | ---- |
| 347 | |
| 348 | * ActorAllusion: [[invoked]] Creator/HJonBenjamin plays The Master as essentially [[WesternAnimation/HomeMovies Coach McGuirk]] and [[WesternAnimation/{{Archer}} Sterling Archer]] with omniscient supernatural powers. |
| 349 | * AllMenArePerverts: He may be an omniscient master of magic, but he sure appreciates Dr. Orpheus' ex-wife's body. He could just be [[TricksterMentor messing with Orpheus]], but he gives Tatyana's form a ''[[PowerPerversionPotential lot]]'' of attention while he's in it. |
| 350 | * AllPowerfulBystander: Whatever he is, his power ''far'' outstrips that of Orpheus, who can himself, at times, qualify as a DeusExMachina thanks to his magical abilities. However, he prefers not to participate in mortal matters unless he feels it warrants his attention, such as nuking a veritable army of unintentionally resurrected undead. |
| 351 | * AmbiguouslyHuman: He is a massively powerful magic user who takes a new form every time he appears and his original form, if he has one, is never seen. It's unclear exactly ''what'' he is, powerful human or otherwise. |
| 352 | * TheArchmage: Subverted. He ''is'' an all-power magic user who could probably solve every problem in the series in seconds, but is content to use his powers to goof around while acting as a TricksterMentor. |
| 353 | * ComicallyMissingThePoint: Loves to needle Orpheus for this as, apparently, their chats often result in AesopAmnesia on Orpheus' part. |
| 354 | * CoolOldGuy: Orpheus is middle-aged, and The Master is his teacher, so he can't be that young (if he's even mortal at all). He's still one of the powerful beings seen in the series, mostly acting as a TricksterMentor to his pupils. |
| 355 | * CynicalMentor: Downplayed. He doesn't really seem to care if Orpheus succeeds or fails, simply imparting his intended lessons and letting Orpheus do what he will with that information. He does seem to care, at least a little, about Orpheus as a person, encouraging him to loosen up and act like a normal guy instead of a LargeHam. |
| 356 | * DeadpanSnarker: Seems to always have a snarky retort ready to go, especially toward Orpheus. |
| 357 | --> '''The Outrider''': Why have you chosen the form of Father Christmas?\ |
| 358 | '''The Master''': Oh, I'm sorry, should I have chosen the Halloween Ferret? Not a lot of options here, pal. |
| 359 | * EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Is only ever referred to as "The Master" or "Orpheus' Master". Much like his true form, his true name (if he even has one) is a mystery. |
| 360 | * TheFaceless: We've never seen his ''true'' form, if he even has one. |
| 361 | * FantasticNuke: Destroys the accidentally summoned army of the dead during "A Very Venture Halloween" with a flick of his wrist, blowing them up in a nuclear-like explosion. |
| 362 | * InexplicablyAwesome: Possessing magical power even greater than Orpheus, VoluntaryShapeshifting, and his own PocketDimension, The Master is one of the most powerful beings seen in the show but his origins and even true identity are never revealed. |
| 363 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He never misses the opportunity to needle Orpheus for his failures in life, or Triana for how she ''could'' fail, but he [[TricksterMentor seems to do this for his pupil's benefit]] (to show them where they've gone wrong and encourage them to change). |
| 364 | * LaserGuidedAmnesia: Admits in "The Better Man" that the conversation with Triana isn't their first, but that her mind has been wiped after the previous ones. |
| 365 | * ManIFeelLikeAWoman: He takes the form of Dr. Orpheus' ex-wife Tatyana at one point, and spends most of the visit [[PowerPerversionPotential openly admiring her ample bosom and shapely behind]]. |
| 366 | --> '''The Master:''' Why don't you leave me alone so I can jump rope naked in front of a mirror in your ex-wife's body. |
| 367 | * MentorArchetype: Seems to be one toward the series' various magic-users. He's specifically a TricksterMentor to Orpheus, but his familiarity with the Outrider, Triana, and some of the magical villains (Red Mantle, Kurse) at the party in "A Very Venture Halloween" implies that he mentors others as well. Whenever he's not trying to teach Orpheus a lesson, he tends to be much more direct with imparting his wisdom. |
| 368 | * NobleBigot: Subverted. He's initially built up as one, with Orpheus not bringing The Alchemist to see him because of his sexuality. When the two do actually meet, he shows no issue with Al, joking with him before chastising Al and the assembled magicians for raising zombies on a whim. |
| 369 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He belittles Orpheus a lot, but it's [[TricksterMentor largely to impart lessons]] and still tells him that he's his best pupil. |
| 370 | * PocketDimension: His "Necropolis", explictly referred to as another dimension, appears to be very small whenever other characters visit. It's mostly an elevated throne and a small surrounding area, accessible from places like a closet. |
| 371 | * PowerPerversionPotential: He turns into Catherine the Great's horse so that he can [[strike:re-enact Catherine's supposed sexual encounter with it]] teach Orpheus a lesson about biting off more than he can chew, turns into Cerberus to [[strike:lick his own genitals and talk at the same time]] teach Orpheus a lesson about being a stuffy know-it-all, and takes the form of Orpheus's ex-wife to [[strike:enjoy the curvy, sexy body]] remind Orpheus of what he lost by getting too wrapped-up in his work. His shapeshifting always has a purpose and a point, but he milks the "Perversion Potential" as much as he can. |
| 372 | * TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: |
| 373 | ** A gentler example, but he tells Orpheus that he takes himself and his duties far too seriously and that's what drove Tatyana away. |
| 374 | ** He tells off the group of gathered sorcerers in "A Very Venture Halloween" for accidentally summoning an undead army. |
| 375 | ---> '''The Master''': We shouldn't raise an army of dead guys ''just because we can!''" |
| 376 | * SeriousBusiness: From his dialogue, it sounds like Orpheus's supposed higher calling is actually pretty insignificant fluff that Orpheus treats as Serious Business. This could just be part of his attempt to puncture Orpheus's stuffed shirt. |
| 377 | * SpiritAdvisor: Orpheus visits him in his realm (through the portal in Triana's closet) to seek his advice on matters of magic (and just life in general). |
| 378 | * TricksterMentor: For all the grief he gives Orpheus, he honestly does give him useful advice... albeit indirectly, in the form of riddles, and often belittles Orpheus. His fondness of VoluntaryShapeshifting also suggests a [[TricksterArchetype Trickster]] background. |
| 379 | * UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: With a theme of the show being about failure and a simpler life; it is strongly hinted that The Master is the reason why Orpheus' life became so convoluted and may have ruined his marriage. He may have done this again with Orpheus' daughter Triana after she decided to live with her mother and step-father to learn to become a sorceress. |
| 380 | * VoluntaryShapeshifting: His most notable and obvious power, to the point where he's never shown his "true form" (if he even has one). Note that ''only'' Orpheus gets the TricksterMentor and PowerPerversionPotential treatment. When appearing before anyone else (Triana, Orpheus' guests), the Master opts for forms that have more direct and obvious connections to the lesson he's about to impart. |
| 381 | [[/folder]] |
| 382 | |
| 383 | [[folder:Triana Orpheus]] |
| 384 | !!Triana Orpheus |
| 385 | [[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/200px-Triana_3864.png]] |
| 386 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Lisa Hammer |
| 387 | ->''"Great, my closet is the doorway to hell."'' |
| 388 | |
| 389 | The teenage daughter of Dr. Orpheus, Triana lives with her father in his rented out laboratory-cum-apartment within the Venture compound. Despite her goth-like appearance, she's a fairly typical teenage girl and possibly the most down-to-earth character on the show, despite her father's tendency to dramatize. Dean has an unrequited crush on her and, as of season four, she's left to study magic with her mother and step-father. |
| 390 | ---- |
| 391 | |
| 392 | * AffectionateNickname: Her dad calls her "Pumpkin", a fairly common affectionate nickname, but its association with Halloween also fits between a necromancer and a goth. |
| 393 | * DaddysGirl: While Orpheus can be an {{Amazingly Embarrassing Parent|s}}, there is obvious mutual love between them. |
| 394 | * DeadpanSnarker: One of the more well-adjusted individuals in the series and doesn't hesitate to break out the snark regarding the ridiculousness of the other characters. |
| 395 | * FollowInMyFootsteps: Inverted. Orpheus would rather she go to art school, and, for her own safety, not get mixed up with the magical or supernatural. It's not touched upon whether this was the case ''before'' they met the Ventures or not. |
| 396 | * GothGirlsKnowMagic: A non-"rebellious" case as magic is actually the "family business". She's the Goth girl daughter of a necromancer and studying magic with her mother, who's also an accomplished sorceress. |
| 397 | * LaserGuidedAmnesia: Whenever she finds the portal to the [[PocketDimension Necropolis]] in her closet, her father erases her memories of it. The Master eventually points this out to her, so she doesn't tell her father about her latest visit. |
| 398 | * LimitedWardrobe: She always wears the same outfit, which is later [[JustifiedTrope justified]] because her father put a portal to a mystical realm in her closet and she has nightmares as a result. |
| 399 | * MissingMom: Her mother left her father to be with one of her father's students. She lives with her father into season four, but decides to go live with her mother (at The Master's urging) to become a sorceress. |
| 400 | * NotSoStoic: She seems to be an apathetic goth girl in the first season, taking her father's LargeHam tendencies and necromantic powers in stride along with the catastrophic super science escapades of the Ventures next door. However, the thought of Hank and Dean being brought back from the dead by sorcery reduces her to trembling and tears. |
| 401 | * OnlySaneMan: She's quite possibly the most "normal" character in the series and often points out the ridiculousness of the things her father and the Ventures get up to. |
| 402 | * PerkyGoth: A phenomenally well-adjusted example, especially for the daughter of a NiceGuy, LargeHam sorcerer. As of season four, she [[PutOnABus leaves to study magic herself]], but her personality remains the same. |
| 403 | * PutOnABus: After recurring through the first three seasons, she moves in with her mother to study magic midway through season four. [[TheBusCameBack She returns for the season four finale]], then is never seen again. |
| 404 | * SupernaturalSensitivity: Orpheus' Master points out in their conversation together, that just by ''coming through the portal in her closet'', Triana has proved that she has significant magical talent. {{Muggles}} can't even see the portal. |
| 405 | * WellExcuseMePrincess: Seen mostly toward Hank and Dermott, who don't understand why Dean is into her, leading to some SnarkToSnarkCombat with the latter. |
| 406 | [[/folder]] |
| 407 | |
| 408 | ![=VenTech=] Industries |
| 409 | |
| 410 | [[folder:[=VenTech=] Industries in General]] |
| 411 | !! [=VenTech=] Industries |
| 412 | [[quoteright:500:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ventech.jpg]] |
| 413 | |
| 414 | A technology company founded by Jonas Venture Jr. Following his death, majority ownership passes to Rusty. |
| 415 | ---- |
| 416 | |
| 417 | * BigApplesauce: The headquarters is a massive tower in New York City. |
| 418 | * BoringButPractical: JJ actually shuttered the AwesomeButImpractical "super-science" division, instead focusing on personal communication technologies and their required operating systems, which makes the company billions. |
| 419 | * Fiction500: It's a multi-billion dollar company with a massive headquarters in New York City. One of JJ's projects is to build his own space station, Gargantua-2, an undertaking that costs billions of dollars and the cooperation of multiple ''nations'' in real life. |
| 420 | * IPhony: The top selling products include the jPhone, jPod, and jPad, each parodies of various Apple products. |
| 421 | [[/folder]] |
| 422 | |
| 423 | [[folder:Jonas Venture Jr.]] |
| 424 | !! Dr. Jonas "J.J." Venture, Jr. |
| 425 | [[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jonas_venture_jr_3246.jpg]] |
| 426 | ->'''Voiced by''': James Urbaniak |
| 427 | ->''"It was addressed to 'Dr. Venture' and since you've been gone, I received two doctorates."'' |
| 428 | |
| 429 | Rusty's twin brother whom he ate in the womb, Jonas Jr. - or J.J. - is a dwarf with all of the skill, charisma, success, and hair that Rusty lacks. After escaping his brother's body, he quickly establishes himself as a "super-scientist" second only to their late father. He frequently gets awarded contracts Rusty wants and is often called by Rusty who asks him for money. By the mid-seasons, he has largely left super-science behind in favor of his more practical tech company, becoming a billionaire while he works on his Gargantua-2 space station. |
| 430 | |
| 431 | ---- |
| 432 | * TheAce: Downplayed. He's more like his father than his brother is, in both the good (super-intelligent, handsome, charismatic) and the bad (insufferable ego, narcissism), but neither to the extreme of their father. Within a month of bursting out of Rusty's body, he has already shaken up the "super-science" world as an eager new prodigy and becomes the owner of a billion-dollar tech company within a few seasons. However, he's also a parasitic twin with a malformed body (other than his head and face) who was mistaken for a ''tumor''. |
| 433 | * AllThereInTheManual: J.J. was dying from cancer anyway when he performed his HeroicSacrifice in "All This and Gargantua-2". The series' official art book heavily implies that the Guild fatally poisoned him with a carcinogen [[NoNonsenseNemesis due to his resistance]] to playing their "superhero and supervillain" games. |
| 434 | * AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Zig-zagged toward Rusty. Despite being a malformed twin Rusty absorbed in the womb and carried inside of himself for 43 years, JJ proves to be a far more competent scientist and far more popular with the ladies within weeks of breaking out of his brother's body, then succeeds in living up to their father's legacy as the head of a billion dollar tech company. However, before he dies, he actually admits to envying ''Rusty'' who has a family and friends who care about him, despite his failures. |
| 435 | * AncestralName: Invoked. Jonas Jr. names himself after his father, Jonas Sr., whom he greatly admires despite never actually meeting the man, even building and dedicating a museum to him. Also plays into his AlwaysSomeoneBetter relationship with Rusty, since J.J. is ''far'' closer to exemplifying the ScienceHero family legacy. |
| 436 | * ArtificialLimbs: His left hand didn't form during his development. After he breaks out of Rusty's body, Billy makes him a cybernetic prosthetic. |
| 437 | * AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: While he constantly argues with and mocks his brother, he does care about him; he admits [[spoiler:immediately before his death that he's envious of him. After his death, he leaves Rusty his incredibly valuable superscience company and most of his fortune.]] |
| 438 | * BaldnessMeansSickness: He reveals he's dying of cancer by taking off his wig in front of Rusty. He presumably is undergoing chemo treatment, but he still has his eyebrows and beard. |
| 439 | * CharacterDevelopment: In his first appearance in the season one finale, he outright tries to murder Rusty. Given the nature of his existence as a parasitic twin trapped inside of his brother up until that point, it's hard to blame him for being upset. He mellows out in season two into a smug-genius characterization after he starts making a fully deserved name for himself as Jonas' true inheritor, and is actually generally shown as one of the more moral (if still rather narcissistic and egocentric) characters in the show. |
| 440 | * TheCharmer: Despite being a malformed, two-foot-tall, parasitic twin, he still has a handsome face and is amazingly successful with the ladies due to his charisma. |
| 441 | * CombiningMecha: Built one called Ventronic, a flying ShoutOut to Anime/{{Voltron}}, to defend Spider-Skull Island from attackers. [[LeaderFormsTheHead He pilots the core component of it]]. |
| 442 | * FaceDeathWithDignity: Chooses to make a HeroicSacrifice, saving everyone aboard the Gargantua-2, rather than go out slowly and painfully from cancer, with a smile on his face. |
| 443 | * DecoyProtagonist: The first episode of season two's opening credits made it seem like he and Rusty would become the new "Venture Brothers" following Hank and Dean's death. Not only are the boys brought back via cloning, but he and Thaddeus do ''not'' form a SiblingTeam of any kind. |
| 444 | * DramaticIrony: Jonas Junior's apparent competence and good-natured personality are an ironic twist of fate, particularly given his claim in his first appearance he was the son that Jonas Venture Sr. should have had. Given the increasing indications through out the series that many of Thaddeus' issues and failings are the results of shortcomings in his [[FreudianExcuse father's parenting]], combined with [[HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood various traumatic experiences incurred during his childhood]] as a boy adventurer, it could be surmised that Jonas Jr. can fulfill the role expected of a son of the great Dr. Venture better than his brother, due to the ironic fact that, unlike Thaddeus, Jonas Junior wasn't actually ''raised'' by their father. |
| 445 | * GadgeteerGenius: Built a MiniMecha body out of spare parts in his first appearance and proves to be much more of a technological "genius" than Rusty throughout the rest of the series, inventing equivalents of the [=iPhone=] and [=iPad=], as well as a full blown CombiningMecha and space station. |
| 446 | * GeniusesHaveMultiplePhDs: He acquires [=two PhDs=] after escaping Rusty's body during the one month TimeSkip between the season one finale and season two opener. Unlike his college dropout brother Rusty (who goes by "Dr. Venture" via his [[PhonyDegree honorary doctorate]] from [[[[WorthlessForeignDegree Tijuana]]), his ability to accomplish this shows that Jonas Jr. is the true heir the multi-generational line of {{Omnidisciplinary Scientist}}s following his world-renowned father and grandfather. |
| 447 | * GenreBlind: |
| 448 | ** J.J. never really experienced all the craziness of living in the world with "super-science", costumed heroes and villains, and real functional magic like his brother, and consequently doesn't really know how to handle it or care to try. For example, during his apparent first arching, he tries to [[KillHimAlready just straight up kill the Monarch]] and complains to the O.S.I. that he doesn't want to play the Guild's "game" that enforces JokerImmunity on villains. This is another point of contrast to Rusty, who has a similar lack of interest in the scientist-adventurer lifestyle, but still knows all its trappings and goes into it anyway, however halfheartedly. |
| 449 | ** Even later, he still runs into trouble by being ignorant of the world's rules. This is best exemplified by him choosing to make a deal with The Investors, who even by the standards of this universe are about as ObviouslyEvil as you can get. It predictably backfires in his face as the Investors lead to the destruction of Gargantua-2, forcing J.J. to perform a HeroicSacrifice to save the passengers escaping to safety. To make matters worse, Jonas arrested Brock and Amber Gold, who were specifically there to help ''save him'' from the idiotic deal he wound up making. |
| 450 | * GoodIsNotSoft: He's one of the most moral individuals in the show. He also doesn't see the point in the rules of the ScienceHero or the Guild of Calamitous Intent, which means that his preferred solution to villainy is to ''shoot'' the villain rather than arching him. |
| 451 | * HeroicSacrifice: In "All This and Gargantua-2", he pilots the cockpit containing the overloaded nuclear core of Gargantua-2 safely away from its escaping life pods. It detonates with him inside. |
| 452 | * HollywoodCyborg: He gets a robotic left arm in place of the malformed nub he had in his first appearance. |
| 453 | * HopeSpot: Treister reveals that it's possible to beat cancer by being mutated into a (sentient) Hulk, but such a cure becomes a moot point as J.J. has to sacrifice his life anyway to save all the passengers on Gargantua-2. |
| 454 | * InstantExpert: Earned two Ph. D.s [[RuleOfFunny in a month]], as revealed in the season two premiere. |
| 455 | * JerkassToOne: Despite his huge ego, he's generally genial to everyone, except Rusty, who he treats like crap. He steals Rusty's contracts, teases him, mocks him, makes fun of him behind his back... It's not entirely without reason, as Rusty ate him while they were in the womb. Later, he reveals that he actually ''envies'' Rusty who, despite his failures, actually has family and friends who love him, something J.J. couldn't manage despite his intelligence and charisma. |
| 456 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He has all of the arrogance and narcissism of his father, but is one of the nicest and most moral characters on the show. |
| 457 | * KavorkaMan: His decent-looking face (almost an exact copy of his father's with a beard) is his only positive physical trait. His body is otherwise malformed, being just two-feet tall and missing an arm. Despite this, he proves very popular with women and steals Sally Impossible from her husband just minutes after meeting her. It also helps that, despite his physical defects, he's he's incredibly wealthy, deeply intelligent, quite charming, and even friendly when he needs to be. |
| 458 | * KickTheDog: Despite generally being pretty decent, he attempts to erase Rusty from the family history in "Now Museum--Now You Don't", right down to using editing to make it seem like a clip of Jonas Sr. saying that Rusty was his greatest creation was really referring to J.J. It's an unnecessarily petty direction to take his and Rusty's sibling rivalry. |
| 459 | * KilledOffForReal: During the pre-season six special "All This And Gargantua-2" where he, already dying from cancer, makes a HeroicSacrifice to pilot the space station's exploding nuclear core away from the escape pods, blowing up along with it. There's a brief moment where it sounds like Dr. Orpheus might have raised him from the dead, only for him to be talking about Dean's giraffe plushie. |
| 460 | * LateArrivalSpoiler: Due to his HeroicSacrifice at the end of "All This and Gargantua-2" and leaving his business and fortune to Rusty in his will. Anyone tuning into seasons six or seven to see Rusty going from RagsToRiches while living in New York City can deduce that J.J. dies. |
| 461 | * NaiveNewcomer: Weirdly, it's both his greatest strength and greatest weakness. Due to being a newcomer into the world of {{Science Hero}}es, superheroes, and villains, and not having any of his brother's {{Freudian Excuse}}s, he's able to easily shake things up in the world very quickly. He creates a functioning space station that even surpasses his father's Gargantua-1, invents equivalents to the [=iPad=] and [=iPhone=], and creates a sustainable business empire that focuses on more down-to-earth science. It leaves him with virtually none of the hangups of a lifetime boy adventurer, scientist, or sidekick, too. However, unlike his brother, (who has SeenItAll, repeatedly) this leaves him rather GenreBlind, trying to kill the Monarch unaware of the Guild's "escalating violence" response and even making a deal with the ObviouslyEvil Investors. |
| 462 | * NiceGuy: Can be rather smug and condescending, and does consistently treat Rusty like crap, but by the standards of the Venture universe, those are hardly the worst qualities around. He also seems to care for his nephews, was a loving partner to Sally, and even hired on Hector and Swifty after Rusty canned them. |
| 463 | * NoNonsenseNemesis: Due to his lack of experience regarding Guild matters, he is fully prepared to just kill the Monarch and his blow up his flying cocoon when "arched" in "The Lepidopterists". J.J. has to be told that he must adhere to the Guild's ContractualGenreBlindness by both the Monarch and Brock, something he finds baffling. |
| 464 | -->'''Brock''': I see, so you just want to kill the Monarch. Okay.\ |
| 465 | '''J.J.''': That seems like the sporting thing to do.\ |
| 466 | '''Brock''': You wanna what, shoot him? And all his men and his wife? You could steal his cattle, too. Maybe burn his village down?\ |
| 467 | '''J.J.''': It's an antiquated system! I mean, my father did this fake archenemy nonsense in the '60s! Maybe my brother is good with this namby-pamby "guy in a costume chases you around" nonsense, but I'm not. |
| 468 | * OutsideContextProblem: Played straight and subverted in different instances: |
| 469 | ** J.J. is everything his brother could have been without [[FreudianExcuse his hangups]] and everything his father appeared to be on the surface. He has zero interest in playing make-believe with villains as he's too busy trying to actually make the world a better place through mostly practical applications of science rather than niche super-science. |
| 470 | ** Unfortunately, even though he tried to operate outside the system, his unfamiliarity with the system is still a real weakness that puts him in danger. He winds up foolishly accepting financial backing from The Investors who pay him back by blowing up the Gargantua-2 space station he used their money to build. It's only through massive outside help and a HeroicSacrifice of his own that keeps the people inside from getting killed. |
| 471 | * PutOnABus: Spends all of season four off-planet working to complete a space station and is absent for the better part of season five as well. He finally returns fully in the pre-season six "All This and Gargantua-2" special, but turns out to be BackForTheDead as he performs a HeroicSacrifice by the episode's end. |
| 472 | * RedeemingReplacement: While he can still be rather smug and arrogant, he spends his time actually using his genius to actually improve the world in ways that even ''Jonas Sr.'' couldn't, much less Rusty, while being ''far'' less sociopathic than his father. By the time of his death, he has created a billion-dollar tech company and even [[FaceDeathWithDignity Faces Death With Dignity]] while performing a HeroicSacrifice. (Compare that with how his father staved off death and planned to resume his life in season seven.) |
| 473 | * TheResenter: Downplayed, but qualifies. Despite being more successful and intelligent than Rusty, he is bitter about not being regarded as the son of the late, great Jonas Venture. In his first appearance, this drives him to try and ''kill'' Rusty. He's since mellowed out, but has been shown trying to erase Rusty's boyhood accomplishments from memory and replace them with himself. Before his death, he even admits that the ''envies'' Rusty, who despite his failures, has friends and family who care about it. |
| 474 | * SecretlyDying: He's wearing a wig during "All This and Gargauntua-2" to hide the fact that he's bald from the public, having seemingly attempted to undergo chemotherapy and failed in his attempt to survive cancer. |
| 475 | * ShorterMeansSmarter: JJ, who obtained two doctorates in a ''month'' and launched a multi-billion dollar company in about a ''year'', is easily the shortest regular cast member in the show. |
| 476 | * SmugSuper: Like his father, J.J. develops a rather obtrusive ego with his massive intellect, though it tends to come out most when he's under stress. It's really his only major character flaw, as he's otherwise a far better and kinder man than his father ever was. |
| 477 | * TheTopicOfCancer: He's dying from cancer in his final appearance in "All This and Gargantua-2", though he dies via HeroicSacrifice before it takes him. |
| 478 | * VocalEvolution: In his first appearance, he had a deep, raspy voice. Afterward, he gained a smooth and smug voice to go along with his role as AlwaysSomeoneBetter to Rusty. (It's not clear if either one is an affectation, or possibly even ''both''.) |
| 479 | * YankTheDogsChain: He manages to drop his fratricidal rage towards Rusty and does a fair amount of good with his portion of the Venture estate, only to be diagnosed with cancer after season five. |
| 480 | * YourDaysAreNumbered: Reveals in "All This And Gargantua-2" that his organs are failing as he's dying from cancer. He performs a HeroicSacrifice before the disease takes him out. |
| 481 | [[/folder]] |
| 482 | |
| 483 | [[folder:The Pirate Captain]] |
| 484 | [[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_pirate_captain_287.jpg]] |
| 485 | ->'''Voiced by''': Christopher [=McCulloch=] |
| 486 | ->''"I'm really, really sorry about this whole mess, and, you know, the whole pirate thing is behind me now, and... plus, you kinda killed Steve, and burnt my ship. So, if you could give us a lift out of here I figure we'd just call it squaresies."'' |
| 487 | |
| 488 | The leader of the "ghost pirates" in the episode "Ghosts of the Sargasso". After his initial encounter with the Venture family, he began living on the X-2 after having difficulties in finding a job. When Jonas Jr. acquired the ship, he hired the captain. He then resides with Jonas Jr. on Spider Skull Island, fulfilling the duties of a butler, caretaker, and right-hand man. The Captain always refers to Jonas as "Chairman". As of season six, with Jonas dead and Rusty in charge of [=VenTech=], the Captain now works for Rusty as his right-hand in running the company. Notably, he's the only person with any clout in the company that Rusty didn't fire on his first day. He has never been referred to by any name or nickname other than "The Captain" so far. |
| 489 | ---- |
| 490 | * CombiningMecha: As part of Jonas Jr.'s "Ventronic", he forms the right arm. |
| 491 | * EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: No name is ever given. He is only known as "the pirate" or "the Captain". |
| 492 | * GhostPirate: Was introduced as such, but it turns out to have been a hoax with the goal of scaring off the crews of passing ships so they could be robbed. He gets his own ship stuck in the sargassum and has been there for a decade. |
| 493 | * HeelFaceTurn: He was never all that evil, but did rob ships in the Sargasso Sea until the Ventures destroy his ship. He goes to work for J.J. and gets annoyed when anyone dredges up his "bad guy" past, but for the most part, is a loyal employee and a reliable right-hand man. |
| 494 | * HiddenDepths: A guy who spent a decade as the captain of a pirate ship stuck in the Sargasso Sea turns out to be a shockingly competent COO of [=VenTech=] under J.J. and then Rusty. |
| 495 | * IneffectualSympatheticVillain: He and his crew have been stuck for a decade in the Sargasso, and he fails rather miserably when attempting to take the X-2, getting his own ship sunk and some of his crew killed in the process. He undergoes a HeelFaceTurn after being hired by J.J., serving him well until his death and then Rusty as well. |
| 496 | * InstantSedation: Gets addicted to {{Tranquillizer Dart}}s after the O.S.I. agents use some on him in season three's "The Lepidopterists". He kicks until season six when, after getting tranq'd again, relapses and has to get through withdrawl cold turkey before beating it again. |
| 497 | * MonsterOfTheWeek: His booth at Rusty's "day camp" in "The Buddy System" touts the benefits of this career choice, as opposed to say, a "career supervillain" like those in the Guild. His own first appearance in the series is modeled after this type of character. |
| 498 | * OnceDoneNeverForgotten: As he complains to J.J., he was only a pirate captain once, for a brief period of time, but it's all anyone ever uses to refer to him, to the point where it's [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep used as his name]]. |
| 499 | * ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: Hasn't done any actual piracy since his introductory episode, and even then, he was mostly just sitting stuck in sargassum with his crew and trying to spook passing ships so he could rob them. He still goes by "The Pirate Captain". |
| 500 | * ShoutOut: |
| 501 | ** He is modelled after ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo''-style MonsterOfTheWeek villains, and makes a lot of specific references to that end (such as mentioning that he got to meet Cher and "the guy who was the voice of WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget"[[note]]Don Adams[[/note]], who both guest-starred on ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDoo''). |
| 502 | ** One he becomes COO of [=VenTech=] in season six, he frequently wears a black turtleneck sweater and blue jeans ala UsefulNotes/SteveJobs. |
| 503 | * SixthRanger: Serves the main Team Venture in season six following J.J.'s death, being the one most responsible for keeping [=VenTech=] up and running. |
| 504 | * TalkLikeAPirate: Constantly. Makes sense when he's introduced as a hoax GhostPirate, but continues to do it throughout the series, even upon becoming COO of a billion-dollar company like [=VenTech=]. |
| 505 | * TechBro: Shows elements of it after becoming the COO of [=VenTech=] in season six, running around worrying about the company's stock prices (not unjustifiably) and dressing like UsefulNotes/SteveJobs, all while continuing to TalkLikeAPirate. |
| 506 | * TookALevelInBadass: He's introduced as the captain of a hoax GhostPirate crew who has been stuck in the Sargasso Sea for a decade robbing ships that pass by. Despite this, he apparently became a skilled enough sailor to re-rig a sloop and sail it with the help of Brock and Shore Leave to track an enormous mega-yacht from across the globe. Even further, by season six, he's become the COO of [=VenTech=], and the functional leader of the company in charge of running its day-to-day operations while Rusty spends all the money and plays the "[[ForScience super-science]]" game. |
| 507 | * TranquillizerDart: He develops an addiction to them after first being hit by Doe and Cardholder in "The Lepidoterists". He apparently kicks it, but falls off the wagon at the start of season six and has to go through a brutal detox. |
| 508 | [[/folder]] |
| 509 | |
| 510 | !The Impossibles |
| 511 | |
| 512 | [[folder:The Impossible Family in General]] |
| 513 | A super-science family based heavily on the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour''. |
| 514 | ---- |
| 515 | |
| 516 | * BlessedWithSuck: Each of them except for Richard gets saddled with an actively detrimental "ability". |
| 517 | * DarkParody: The family was exposed to a SuperEmpowering event that left 3/4 of them with severe physical ''detriments''. It negatively impacts them to the point where Sally leaves Richard who, in his despair, goes into a suicidal depression and eventually turns to outright villainy. A far cry from their inspiration. |
| 518 | * ExpyCoexistence: They exist in a world where the ''Fantastic Four'' is a comic book, even going as them for Halloween one year (winning the prize for best group costume). |
| 519 | * TheFantasticFaux: Richard is almost a note-for-note parody of Reed Richards, down to being a scientist with rubber abilities, with his ForScience sociopathy played up. The rest of his group includes his wife Sally, whose ''skin'' is invisible and her power is to make it ''visible'', Sally's mentally-impaired cousin Ned, whose skin became one giant callous, and Sally's brother Cody, who bursts into flame if his skin touches oxygen (with no immunity to burning). The parody plays up the darker aspects of the ''FF'' and turns them up to eleven, with the team eventually falling apart and Impossible becoming an antagonist in later seasons. |
| 520 | * FreakLabAccident: How they all ended up with their "powers". It happens offscreen before the series and is left ambiguous about what actually took place. |
| 521 | [[/folder]] |
| 522 | |
| 523 | [[folder:Professor Richard Impossible]] |
| 524 | [[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/richard_impossible_1135.jpg]] |
| 525 | ->'''Voiced by''': Creator/StephenColbert (Seasons one, two, and six), Christopher [=McCullouch=] (Season three), Creator/BillHader (Season four), Peter [=McCulloch=] (Pilot) |
| 526 | ->''(When asked by Sally about what's more important than family) "Sciiiennnceee?"'' |
| 527 | |
| 528 | A super-scientist colleague of Dr. Venture, Prof. Richard Impossible served in the original Team Venture "Boys Brigade" and was a professor at State University. Prior to the start of the series, he and his family were involved in an accident that gave Richard stretching powers while everyone else got useless (or outright harmful) "powers". His wife Sally later left him for Jonas Jr., taking their son Rocket, and his life fell into shambles. Fellow former "Boys Brigrade" member Phantom Limb convinces him to become a supervillain as part of Limb's Revenge Society, until it is dissolved following the destruction of Gagantua-2. |
| 529 | ---- |
| 530 | |
| 531 | * AbusiveParents: Is completely indifferent to the well-being of his and Sally's infant son, Rocket. |
| 532 | * AccidentalHero: Saves the whole Spider Skull Island from exploding in "Now Museum, Now You Don't", by trying to [[DrivenToSuicide kill himself with it]], "inhaling" the explosion into his rubbery body. |
| 533 | * BeardOfSorrow: Starts to grow one after Sally dumps him. Shaves it (with the help of Phantom Limb) immediately after joining the Revenge Society and finding new purpose as a supervillain. |
| 534 | * BreakTheHaughty: By the time his TraumaCongaLine is finished, Richard has become a wreck of a man. It is only after Phantom Limb tells him to literally pull himself together and decides to form the villainous Revenge Society that things begin to look up again. |
| 535 | * BrokenAce: He's an undeniably brilliant scientist, but he's also seriously lacking in empathy and completely selfish. He only breaks further after his wife divorces him. |
| 536 | * CaptainErsatz: A [[CorruptedCharacterCopy very corrupted]] version of [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Mr. Fantastic]], being a scientist patriarch with RubberMan powers. |
| 537 | * CardCarryingVillain: He really enjoys his new status of villain, [[ThatManIsDead changing his name]], throwing [[IncrediblyLamePun puns]], and everything else that comes with it. |
| 538 | * CorruptedCharacterCopy: Is introduced as a CaptainErsatz of Reed Richards, but soon shows a much darker side as a sexist, bigoted {{Jerkass}} who's uncaring and abusive to his family with a destructive ForScience attitude. Hilariously, he actually predates a lot of Marvel's own deconstructions of Reed, like his [[ComicBook/UltimateFantasticFour Ultimate Universe]] incarnation, who [[FaceHeelTurn ends up becoming a villain in his own right]], and the Council of Reeds. |
| 539 | * DistinguishedGentlemansPipe: Usually seen with one, befitting his "gentlemanly super-scientist professor" characterization. After his FaceHeelTurn, as part of his EvilCostumeSwitch, he starts using one shaped like a skull instead. |
| 540 | * DomesticAbuse: Not physically, but he emotionally neglects Sally and tries to keep her hidden away due to her "condition". |
| 541 | * TheDragon: The second-in-command of Phantom Limb's Revenge Society. |
| 542 | * DrivenToSuicide: Tries to kill himself at least two times after Sally leaves him. One makes him an AccidentalHero, "swallowing" the explosion of Spider-Skull Island (which doesn't harm his rubbery body) and saving all of the other guests in the process. |
| 543 | * EvilCostumeSwitch: After joining the Revenge Society, he adopts a darker purple costume with a skull logo. He also swaps out his DistinguishedGentlemansPipe for one shaped like a skull as well. |
| 544 | * FaceHeelTurn: He was [[NominalHero always a dick]], but he drops all pretense of being one of the "good guys" upon joining Phantom Limb's Revenge Society. |
| 545 | * ForScience: He conducted an experiment resulting in a FreakLabAccident, granting him incredible [[RubberMan stretching powers]] but leaving the rest of his family with painful and hideous "powers". Not only is he completely unsympathetic to their plight, but he treats them like prisoners most of the time lest they embarrass him. He is a CorruptedCharacterCopy of ''The ComicBook/FantasticFour''[='=]s Reed Richards, who has slipped into this trope from ReedRichardsIsUseless more than once (most prominently during ''ComicBook/CivilWar2006''). His crowning moment of "For Science!" comes when confronted by his wife because their son is missing, he ignores her and handwaves it: |
| 546 | -->'''Sally:''' What could possibly be more important than your ''family'', Richard?!\ |
| 547 | '''Richard:''' [[ComicallyMissingThePoint ... sssssssssssscience?]] |
| 548 | * HateSink: Professor Impossible's arrogance, pettiness, and lack of empathy (as well the sadistic relish he takes in hurting people) make him a thoroughly loathsome character. All the bad things that happen to him, from being abandoned by Sally to embarrassing himself at J.J.'s party, are richly deserved. |
| 549 | * HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: In the first two seasons he identifies as a "good guy" despite some despicable behaviors. In season three, after Sally leaves him, he crosses the DespairEventHorizon and at least has enough good in him to attempt a HeroicSacrifice, if only because he's DrivenToSuicide first. Then in season four, he joins Phantom Limb's Revenge Society and embraces his inner evil. ''Then'' in the pre-season six special "All This and Gargantua-2", he leaves the Revenge Society after his ex-wife convinces him to leave with her instead of dying on the space station. |
| 550 | * HeroWithAnFInGood: His turn to the dark side is itself a deconstruction of the idea that such a "hero" is better suited to being a villain, as the same traits that made him a bad hero, such as his lack of empathy and absent mindedness, continue to hamper him in his new career path. |
| 551 | * ICannotSelfTerminate: Though DrivenToSuicide after Sally leaves him, he has been unable to actually kill himself because his RubberMan body is so durable. Even "swallowing" an explosion meant to destroy an entire island merely inflates him like a massive balloon. |
| 552 | * InsufferableGenius: As a Reed Richards parody, he [[CorruptedCharacterCopy takes all of Reed's faults and turns them up to eleven]]. Arrogance, lacking empathy, ForScience pursuits above all else... |
| 553 | * JerkAss: He's a self-aggrandizing super-scientist who would unthinkingly do horrible things for profit, glory, and scientific curiosity. While such a description would apply to many other characters in the show, Professor Impossible has repeatedly shown his contempt and lack of empathy towards others by coldly dismissing them as insignificant in the face of his own scientific pursuits and abilities. |
| 554 | * LaughablyEvil: Became waaay more humorous once he underwent his FaceHeelTurn and joined the Revenge Society. It's helped along by the change in voice actors around that same time to the humorous Bill Hader, as well. |
| 555 | * MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: Even before his FaceHeelTurn, he was shown to be very unethical. His ''first'' solution to Hank being contaminated by [[SpontaneousHumanCombustion The Goliath Serum]] was to kill him. He doesn't even pause what he's doing when he finds out that his son is missing and is only concerned about it because his wife is beating on him and berating him because of it. |
| 556 | * NotSoHarmlessVillain: While his lack of experience kept him from being an effective supervillain immediately after his FaceHeelTurn, it must be remembered that this is the same person who has devised a biological agent capable of turning living creatures into bombs and has harnessed his brother-in-law's self-combustion powers to provide Impossible Industries with enough free electricity to go completely "green", all of which occurred before he decided to become a real supervillain. |
| 557 | * NighInvulnerability: Although he can still be harmed, his elastic nature makes him incredibly difficult to kill or even injure. |
| 558 | * ParentalNeglect: Barely acknowledges the existence of his son, Rocket. He even attempts to justify his neglect by claiming that Rocket is probably not his biological son. |
| 559 | * RubberMan: As a spoof of Mr. Fantastic, he has incredible stretching abilities and is the only one of the Impossibles to have a useful power. |
| 560 | * SelfServingMemory: He doesn't correct Phantom Limb when he claims it was Rusty's fault his wife left him. |
| 561 | * TheSociopath: A high-functioning and affable one (in a 1950s TV-dad kind of way), but his interactions with people underlines that this guy has ''serious'' difficulty differentiating between people and disposable lab rats. He's really not that different from Jonas Venture Sr. in this regard, having served under him the Team Venture "Boys Brigade", but lacking [[VillainWithGoodPublicity as much good publicity]]. |
| 562 | * SmugSuper: The superpowers he received were significantly more useful than the "powers" the rest of his family got, and he knows it. |
| 563 | * StringTheory: When Phantom Limb tracks him down, he's stretched ''himself'' all across his office, as a sign of his worsening mental state and his desire to retain control of everything. |
| 564 | * TeacherStudentRomance: A deleted scene from "The Invisible Hand of Fate" shows that he was fired from State University when the college learned he was having an affair with Sally, who was his student at the time. Though humiliated, he expressed some optimism over how his sacking would allow the two of them to "date openly", eventually leading to their extremely rocky marriage. |
| 565 | * ThatManIsDead: Attempts this by calling himself Professor Incorrigible as a villain, but its clear that Phantom Limb isn't crazy about the name. |
| 566 | * TraumaCongaLine: In "Twenty Years to Midnight", he is turned into a flag by Team Venture, his wife leaves him, and the next time we see him he's crossed the DespairEventHorizon and DrivenToSuicide. However, his humiliation wasn't over, because then his repeated attempts at suicide fail spectacularly and publicly. It all feeds into his eventual FaceHeelTurn into villainy. |
| 567 | * VillainDecay: Starts off as an extremely competent and dangerous scientist who is [[NominalHero nominally "good"]], easily capturing the Ventures in "Twenty Minutes to Midnight". Following his TraumaCongaLine and FaceHeelTurn, he becomes ineffective like most of the show's other villains. Like the rest of the Revenge Society, he gets a bump in competency courtesy of [[EvilMentor Dr. Killinger]] by "All This and Gargantua-2", but departs from villainy after. |
| 568 | * VillainousBreakdown: Starts off as a sociopathic ForScience-focused NominalHero and undergoes a major breakdown after Sally leaves him. Goes over the DespairEventHorizon, is DrivenToSuicide (but fails), and ultimately undergoes a full FaceHeelTurn into full villainy. |
| 569 | * VillainousFriendship: He was in the original Team Venture "Boys Brigade" under fellow amoral scientist Jonas Venture Sr. and with future supervillain Phantom Limb. He later develops one with the rest of the Revenge Society. |
| 570 | * VillainWithGoodPublicity: He manages to keep his good publicity up until his split with Sally. Though he isn't actually exposed for the JerkAss that he is, his mental breakdown and decline have become apparent to others, causing staff to leave Impossible Industries. |
| 571 | [[/folder]] |
| 572 | |
| 573 | [[folder:Sally Impossible]] |
| 574 | [[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sally_impossible_9649.jpg]] |
| 575 | ->'''Voiced by''': Mia Baron |
| 576 | ->''"What could be more important than your family, Richard?!"'' |
| 577 | |
| 578 | Richard Impossible's ex-wife, the lab accident that gave him stretching powers made her ''skin'' invisible, with her "power" being to make it ''visible''. When she loses focus, it becomes invisible, showing her insides. Her brother, Cody, and cousin, Ned, were similarly impacted. To save his public image, Richard hid them away and refused to let Sally interact with anyone. She has a crush on Dr. Venture and, through him, met Jonas Jr., whom she leaves Richard to be with, taking their son Rocket as well as Ned. |
| 579 | ---- |
| 580 | |
| 581 | * AwfulWeddedLife: With Richard. While his flaws were apparent even before, the accident that "empowered" them made things far worse. He forced her to hide away, cutting her off form a normal life, while neglecting and emotionally abusing her. |
| 582 | * CaptainErsatz: Of The Invisible Woman from ''ComicBook/FantasticFour''. However, instead of having the ability to turn completely invisible, Sally's skin is invisible and her power is to ''make it'' visible. |
| 583 | * FlayingAlive: When she loses control of her power, her skin turns invisible, making it look like it's been stripped off with muscles and organs visible beneath. |
| 584 | * NiceGirl: She's a very sweet person whose clinginess with Rusty was only due to her desperation to get out from under Richard's thumb. Meeting and starting a relationship with J.J. helped her to fully get over her issues. |
| 585 | * PetTheDog: She still hates Richard, but saves him anyway at the end of "All This and Gargantua-2" because he's Rocket's dad. |
| 586 | * PowerIncontinence: The FreakLabAccident that "empowers" the family left her with invisible ''skin'', leaving everything beneath on full display and terrifying most people who see her. Her "ability" is to make her skin visible, leaving her with a normal appearance... but she has to focus to maintain it. Early on, when she gets upset, she often loses control. After leaving Richard for J.J., she gets better control over it, though can still lose it if she's startled. |
| 587 | * PutOnABus: After "All This and Gargantua 2", she takes her share of Jonas Jr.'s inheritance and doesn't appear again. |
| 588 | * StealthPun: The super-science accident made her skin invisible all the time, making her [[http://www.miriamposner.com/visiblewoman.html The Visible Woman]]. |
| 589 | * TookALevelInBadass: Downplayed, but present in her relationship with Richard. Before, she was always cowering in front of her husband and gets sparks of courage if she knew she could escape or at least discredit him. She ratchets up a bit when Richard shows his neglect for Rocket and by her third appearance, she's done with his crap and is disgusted by his attempts to win her back (though she does show some appreciation for his attempted (supposed) HeroicSacrifice). She is now a part of J.J's fighting force, helping to defend Spider Skull Island from the Monarch in a giant mecha. As part of that, she's also improved her control over her visibility (only failing once when startled) and manages to conquer her issues. |
| 590 | * SuperpowerDisability: Her "power" is invisible skin, which really just makes her look horrifying as if she has been [[FlayingAlive flayed alive]], and takes constant effort to suppress. |
| 591 | * ThrowTheDogABone: Given a deforming "super power" in a FreakLabAccident that also debilitated her brother and cousin, then hidden away by her sociopathic husband who neglects and emotionally abuses her, she has a chance meeting with Jonas Jr. that changes her life. They hit off, she leaves Richard to be with him, and, even later when J.J. dies, is left a huge inheritance. |
| 592 | * YankTheDogsChain: She finally escapes her abusive husband, ending up with a man who truly loves and appreciates her, only for said man to die just a few years later, leaving her only with her young child and mentally handicapped cousin. Though, this is ultimately subcerted as she was still given a huge amount of inheritance money, and is now the current owner of Spider Skull island. So her life is still leaps and bounds better than it was when we first saw her in the series. |
| 593 | [[/folder]] |
| 594 | |
| 595 | [[folder:Cody]] |
| 596 | [[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cody_the_venture_bros_2916.jpg]] |
| 597 | ->'''Voiced by''': Christopher [=McCulloch=] |
| 598 | ->''[Agonized screaming]'' |
| 599 | |
| 600 | |
| 601 | Sally's brother, who due to the the family's lab accident, painfully bursts into flame when in contact with oxygen. As such, Cody usually has to be encased in a stasis chamber to control his condition and relieve his pain. He did not initially follow Sally and Ned to Spider Skull Island, but was kept by Richard, who harnessed Cody's heat to power Impossible Industries. |
| 602 | |
| 603 | ---- |
| 604 | * CaptainErsatz: Of The Human Torch from ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'', except without any control of, or immunity to, his fire powers. |
| 605 | * ManOnFire: This is effectively his power, as he will burst into flames and run around screaming if he touches oxygen. |
| 606 | * PeopleJars: Spends most of his time in one to protect him form oxygen exposure and triggering his power. He is in extreme pain outside of it, and this includes the entire time he's powering Impossible Industries. |
| 607 | * RequiredSecondaryPowers: Deconstructed. He's a perfect example of what happens when you gain the power to be on fire, without the power to turn the fire off, ''and also'' without the very necessary power to ''not feel pain'' from the flames. |
| 608 | * ShoutOut: Though he's based on Johnny Storm, the second Human Torch, the idea that he catches fire in the presence of any kind of oxygen is derived from Jim Hammond, the original (who, fortunately for him, was a robot and therefore didn't need to worry about the pain). |
| 609 | * SuperpowerDisability: He has PlayingWithFire powers and does not die from them... but can't turn them off and feels the ''pain'' from them. |
| 610 | * WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Dean frees him from his chamber powering Impossible Industries in "Bright Lights, Dean City", chasing him around and attempting to put him out with a fire extinguisher. We don't see what happens to him afterwards but he isn't seen with Richard again, suggesting he was either killed in the collapsing building or somehow managed to escape on his own. |
| 611 | [[/folder]] |
| 612 | |
| 613 | [[folder:Ned]] |
| 614 | [[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ned_the_venture_bros_5558.jpg]] |
| 615 | ->'''Voiced by''': Christopher [=McCulloch=] |
| 616 | ->''"Ned go boom boom."'' |
| 617 | |
| 618 | Sally and Cody's mentally challenged cousin. Due to the the family's lab accident, his skin is basically one giant callous, leaving him incredibly tough, but also in constant pain. After Sally leaves Richard, Ned follows her to Spider-Skull island to live with Jonas Jr. |
| 619 | ---- |
| 620 | |
| 621 | * BringMyBrownPants: His response to seeing scary things is to poop himself, which he refers to as a "boom boom". |
| 622 | * CaptainErsatz: Of The Thing from ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'', except mentally handicapped and with incredibly calloused skin instead of stone. |
| 623 | * DumbMuscle: Subverted, as he was mentally challenged ''before'' the freak accident that gave him superhuman strength, not as result of it. |
| 624 | * FullFrontalAssault: Runs around pantless at the gala in "Now Museum, Now You Don't!", which the Pirate Captain claims is making people sick.[[note]]The uncensored version reveals that Ned's penis -- an unmoving StockFemurBone covered in flesh and sticking out of his pubis -- is closer to a walrus phallus than a human one.[[/note]] |
| 625 | * HandicappedBadass: The guy's roughly the same size as Brock, and his skin is incredibly thick, so he can pack a wallop when he wants to, but is mentally challenged and in constant pain from his condition. |
| 626 | * HulkSpeak: He rarely speaks in complete sentences. Unlike the TropeNamer, this isn't due to his superpower, as he was mentally challenged ''before'' the accident. |
| 627 | * KindheartedSimpleton: Although he occasionally causes trouble for his family, he has the mind and innocence of a child. |
| 628 | * {{Manchild}}: He has the mind of an innocent child due to his mental handicap. |
| 629 | * RequiredSecondaryPowers: Like Cody, he Deconstructs this idea. His calloused body makes him super strong and super tough, but also leaves him in near-constant pain. |
| 630 | * SuperpowerDisability: Has the SuperStrength and increased toughness that comes from being a CaptainErsatz of The Thing, but the lack of RequiredSecondaryPowers means he's pretty much in constant pain because of it. |
| 631 | * SuperStrength: His large size and condition leave him incredibly strong. |
| 632 | * SuperToughness: His skin is basically a giant callous, leaving him much more durable than a normal person. For example, Doe and Cardholder's {{Tranquilizer Dart}}s just bounce of him in "The Lepidopterists". |
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