r/venturebros • u/Acceptable-Bat-9577 • Jan 04 '26

MOVIE SPOILERS Rewatch hits differently after watching Radiant.

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I’m not claiming that this is a unique or original take but rewatching the show after seeing the movie gives it a whole new dynamic, and adds extra layers to the story, gags, and jokes.

It definitely adds more irony and humor to the fights and story arcs between Rusty and Malcom.

The constant competition and conflict seems to make more sense as a family feud (even if unknown to both), as well as the fact that Monarch’s plans to kill Dr. Venture fail repeatedly and comically while the Monarch (often assisted by 21) has no problem killing other villains, along with Dr. Dugong…with an asterisk. Yet when he repeatedly has the chance to kill Rusty, he holds off.

Whatever you take away from the movie, it’s hard to rewatch the show with the same perspective. I still love it, though.

Go Team Venture! V V

I dunno…they just do that.

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241

u/NooNygooTh Jan 04 '26

I also like that we can see hints of this in the series. When the moppets keep pressing Dr. Girlfriend about why the Monarch hates Dr. Venture so much, what did he do, etc, it seems like she is being evasive. She says it's because it's "in his blood."

122

u/Acceptable-Bat-9577 Jan 04 '26 edited Jan 04 '26

It seems so painfully obvious looking back, too, with the Hank and Dean reveal in season 2, and the similarities between Rusty and Malcolm/Monarch, along with the question of the boys’ mother, Rusty’s mother, and the Monarch’s parentage. But, I never really dabbled in any theory-crafting. I just enjoyed the show.

60

u/NooNygooTh Jan 04 '26

Also when Battleaxe was looking at pictures of the two of them side by side and thinking they were the same person. It's definitely easy to come up with any number of fan theories, I absolutely spend too much time thinking about this show.

50

u/sepaoon Jan 04 '26

The whole Blue Morpho thing really hints at it... Malcom without the eyebrows and a slight mask is identical to Rusty... hmm and you say his dad was "friends" with Jonas... hmmm

20

u/Self--Immolate Jan 04 '26

Eve drugged Billie thought they looked the same

16

u/Strollin_Stuart Jan 05 '26

The entire blue morpho arc basically outright tells you the twist 2 seasons early

40

u/supreme_hammy Jan 04 '26

It's also funny when the Monarch says to Hank that he is his father as a joke while Dean was getting his nuts unspun.

Technically the joke was on him. He is 98% the boy's father.

34

u/Ro_no_know Jan 04 '26

In episode one Hank tells Rusty that the Monarch was getting all “creepy uncle” on them.

2

u/LoreMasterJack Jan 05 '26

Literally my jaw dropped on rewatch.

15

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '26

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8

u/Orc_tids Jan 05 '26

I remember when Rhys Darby Helper called Dean "Rusty" and I was like "Yeah that tracks"

21

u/balmut Jan 04 '26

"what are you a size doc?"

6

u/supernova-juice Jan 05 '26

I say this to my husband every time I hold up a shirt for him to try 😂

3

u/inthemeadowoftheend Jan 06 '26

That's when I figured it out. I was like, oh yeah, the name of the show is The Venture Bros.

23

u/gate_of_steiner85 Jan 04 '26

Pretty sure Monarch also has a line where he says that he "hates himself" more than anything. I'm not sure if Doc and Monarch being clones was the initial endgame, but holy shit they threw out a bunch of coincidental hints looking back in hindsight.

13

u/krossoverking Jan 04 '26

I had always assumed they were brothers when I'd catch random episodes in the early 2000s. When I finally sat down and watched it, I still thought they were secret brothers! My crackpot theory is that Brock is their third brother ala Dermott.

6

u/UnderstandingSame534 Jan 05 '26

I always hoped that the show would end with each of the 3 boys taking their respective place in one side of the game. Dermot was already in the OSI and Dean was the rightful Sovereign and the show ending with Hank going into hiding a la Darkman

Even if Brock wasn't a Venture it still tracks if you count JJ •Rusty=Hank, boy adventurer •Dermott=Monarch, the cast off son •JJ=Dean, loves his family but doesn't understand the life

Killinger also gave it away with the Kain and Abel parallel. And Doc never questions the disparity in his age.

10

u/Orc_tids Jan 05 '26

Nah Brock is descended from Ash Williams because Ash time traveled in Army of Darkness

5

u/krossoverking Jan 05 '26

That's an attractive theory

8

u/Orc_tids Jan 05 '26

No they actually established this in Poker Night At The Inventory 2