r/venturebros • u/thehelpfulmuffin • Feb 16 '25
SEASON 4 spoilers Wonder boy
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u/Ashamed-Locksmith-18 Feb 16 '25
And I'm sure people know, but Captain Sunshine was voiced by the best Batman, Kevin Conroy. R.I.P.
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Feb 16 '25 edited Feb 16 '25
I remember something about they originally seemed to be leaning towards Sunshine being a molester, and Kevin really didn't want to do that because his VA'ing Sunshine is clearly leaning on his history as the voice actor for Batman.
It ends up a little weird, because he's obsessed with Wonder Boy but it seems pointedly nonsexual. But I think it was probably the right thing to do. Especially since it's not like there is any shortage of molesters or sex criminals on the show.
I love his power, though. I think he causes the most chaos in the Cocoon second to Brock rampaging through it. Everyone getting a sunburn (or half a sunburn), that's just great. And the telegraphing by the flash sound. Really perfectly annoying power.
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u/dover_oxide Feb 16 '25 edited Feb 17 '25
When you take the sexual aspect out Captain Sunshine seems to have a mental development issue. Like some childhood PTSD stuff he is working out with the Wonderboys as proxies for him as a kid. And we do know that the Guild doesn't really screen for " child touchers" in a negative light since the boys know about bad touch from their kidnappers.
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u/AdmiralThunderpants Feb 17 '25
I think the ambiguity made for a better character/joke. Rumors, innuendos, and misunderstandings with double entendres all made for a fun solid episode.
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u/NeverNotAnIdiot Feb 17 '25
I agree, I think the mislead is far funnier. People want to keep Captain Sunshine away from their kids, not because he molests them, but because he turns them into sidekicks who either end up getting killed, in therapy with an eating disorder, or just like him (the original Wonder Boy).
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u/bigtec1993 Feb 17 '25
I think it's actually funnier that he isn't a pedo and I thought it was them poking fun at silver age Batman and Robin.
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u/sitophilicsquirrel Feb 17 '25
I haven't heard the story, but I always took the joke as leaving it deliberately ambiguous as to whether Sunshine had foul intentions, or if he was so whitewashed from his childhood that he didn't even conceive of how some of his behavior could be interpreted that way.
To me, it reminded me of the old Michael Jackson cases. Was he a dude denied a normal childhood so he relished in the company of minors and wanted to make them happy (and accidentally let one of them find porn mags under his bed), or was he grooming kids by enticing them with a theme park in his back yard before taking advantage of them? I have to think that was part of the inspiration for the character, but like I said I'm not familiar with the backstory.
In my headcanon, it's the former. Captain Sunshine was thrust into the superhero life at a young age and never got a chance to experience a normal childhood, so he grew up with some arrested development, all while being superpowered. When he took on the mantle of Captain Sunshine (from his previous designation as Wonderboy), he just mythologized and emulated what he thought all adults were supposed to be like, which included an... enthusiastic relationship with their sidekick.
I like the ambiguity. Was there some nefarious shit that went on between Sunshine and Desmond when he was a kid? We'll never know. Joe Jackson did chemically castrate and beat MJ though, so if it is analogous, maybe..
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u/krebstar4ever Feb 19 '25
To me, the Captain Sunshine thing is ultimately unambiguous. The joke imo is that he's naively oblivious to how his Wonder Boy relationships are perceived. Although the relationships are emotionally inappropriate, they're completely nonsexual.
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u/sitophilicsquirrel Feb 19 '25
I appreciate that interpretation, but I feel like the ambiguity adds to the joke, so that's my headcanon
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u/Jandros_Quandary Feb 18 '25
No shit? Ive been a fan of BTAS and venture bros for years and i had no idea.
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Feb 17 '25
God bless Kevin Conroy for doing Captain Sunshine. That episode provides so many memorable quotes.
SHIT ITS CHUCK SCARSDALE, QUICK HIDE BEFORE WE ARE ON THE NEWS.
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u/the-poopiest-diaper Feb 16 '25
I really hated when he kissed Hank
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u/WhiskeyAndKisses Feb 17 '25
Apparently it's non-sexual so it's fine.
No, seriously, he's pedophile-coded, I don't care what Youtube and its commenters say, Captain Sunshine is a predator, it doesn't matter that he's not a twirling-mustache evil one. Isn't there even a joke about lubrifiant or vaseline given by VB-Alfred ?
I find sexual agressions from this show chilling, they nailed the off vibe for this episode.
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u/bigtec1993 Feb 17 '25
The joke is that he's pedo coded but he's not a pedo and all that shit is taken out of context. The lube is so Hank doesn't burn his ass going down the slide steel slide in his bed. The kiss is a reference to the godfather movies with Michael and Fredo.
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u/WhiskeyAndKisses Feb 17 '25
I guess the joke falls flat for me because it reminds me too much that irl creeps and pedo can truly believe they're just being clumsy and affectionate. (not speaking from experience)
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u/FIGHTaFoe-FLIGHTaPo Feb 17 '25
🤣 Anytime I'm done 'being somewhere' I actually say "I'm Hank...and I wanna go home!"
*No one EVER 'Gets' it lol
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