Blood of the Father, Heart of Steel

"Blood of the Father, Heart of Steel"
The Venture Bros. episode
Episode no.	Season 4 Episode 1
Directed by	Jackson Publick
Written by	Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick
Production code	4-46
Original air date	October 18th, 2009
Episode Chronology
← Previous "The Family That Slays Together, Stays Together (Part II)" Next → "Handsome Ransom"
List of The Venture Bros. episodes

Blood of the Father, Heart of Steel is the first episode of Season 4 and the overall fortieth episode of The Venture Bros.

Episode Cast

• James Urbaniak: Dr. Venture
• Patrick Warburton: Brock Samson
• Mike Sinterniklaas: Dean Venture
• Chris McCulloch: Hank Venture, Sgt. Hatred, Doe, Hunter Gathers, Steve Summers
• Doc Hammer: Henchman 21, Cardholder, Shore Leave
• Steven Rattazzi: Dr. Orpheus, Fritz
• Brendon Small: Surgeon, OSI Scientist, SPHINX Agent 1
• Mia Barron: Molotov Cocktease

First Appearances

• Fritz (deceased)
• Hitler/Giant Boy Detective (dog, deceased)

Cultural References

Adolf Hitler

• A group of Nazis charge Dr. Venture with cloning Adolf Hitler from a dog that contains his blood.

Apocalypse Now (1979)

• The "Submariner" segment contains a shot of Brock Samson's head emerging from the water, a visual homage to a similar scene featuring Martin Sheen in the 1979 Francis Ford Coppola film Apocalypse Now.

Babe Ruth

• Colonel Gathers refers to Brock as "Babe Ruthless", a play on the name of baseball legend Babe Ruth.

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

• When Brock finally returns home, Dean hugs him and says "I knew you couldn't quit us!" One of the most famous lines of the film was "I wish I knew how to quit you."
• A critical scene in the movie has the protagonist tenderly caressing his deceased lover's denim jacket. Hank, who idolizes Brock and has been pouting since he left, receives Brock's denim jacket in the mail from Argentina and becomes obsessed with it--wearing it everywhere and eventually writing a song about it with Dermott Fictel in Operation P.R.O.M.

CGC Rating

• Certified Guaranty Company (CGC) is a Sarasota, Florida comic book grading service and the first independent, impartial third party grading service for comic books.
• The linear continuity of this episode can be determined by the CGC Rating displayed: the higher the rating, the better the condition of the comic and the earlier it is in the episode. As the timeline within the episode progresses, the condition of the comic diminishes and the CGC rating declines from 9.6 (M), worth $500K, to 0.0, worth $0.

Charles in Charge (1984 - 1990)

• When Hank contests that Sgt. Hatred is not the boss of him, Hatred counters that he is, "[F]ull on Charles in Charge of you", referring to the American sitcom television series starring Scott Baio. This statement by Hatred later proved to be somewhat prophetic as Scott Baio would be accused by a fellow cast member in 2013 of alleged child molestation beginning when she was just 14 years of age. Mr. Baio has vehemently denied the allegations.

Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan (2004 - 2012)

• Dr. Orpheus states that, "Not even the great Cesar Millan could whisper this Hell Hound", in reference to Dean's dog, Hitler. Cesar Millan is a Mexican-American dog trainer known for his television series Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan.

Highlander (1986)

• Henchman 21 offers his condolences to Hank calling him "Highlander " and stating that he'll never see the Quickening, implying that Hank is no longer "immortal" as all of his clones were now destroyed, so he has no more additional lives left.

Iron Man (2008)

• When Brock asks Dr. Vulcano to remove H.E.L.P.eR.'s head from his chest the doctor asks him what changed his mind and states that he's installed a lot of those that year. He then points out that, "Ever since the Iron Man, everybody wants the robot hearts".

Lee Harvey Oswald

• Sgt. Hatred reasons that, "[I]f Oswald can squeeze off three hot slugs in six seconds, old Hatred can drop evil Nazis in half that time", referring to Lee Harvey Oswald's assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas in 1963.

Live Action Role-Playing (LARP)

• Henchman 21 arrives at the Venture compound on the X-1 with his LARP crew in tow, the Orchard Street Wolfpack, in order "to keep the peace".

Marvel Comics #1 (1939)

• In 1939, pulp-magazine publisher Martin Goodman expanded into the newly emerging comic book field by buying content from comics packager Funnies, Inc. His first effort, Marvel Comics #1 (cover-dated Oct. 1939), from his company Timely Publications, featured:
  • The Human Torch: an android with fire-based powers, created by writer-artist Carl Burgos
  • The Angel: a costumed detective created by artist Paul Gustavson
  • Namor The Sub-Mariner: an aquatic antihero created by Bill Everett
  • The Masked Raider: a Western hero created by writer-artist Al Anders
  • Ka-Zar the Great: a Tarzan-like jungle hero; writer-artist Ben Thompson adapted the pulp story "King of Fang and Claw" by Bob Byrd for this comic
  • Jungle Terror: one-shot story about an adventurer named Ken Masters, written by the quirkily named Tohm Dixon
  • Now I'll Tell One: five single-panel, black-and-white gag cartoons by Fred Schwab on the inside front cover of the comic
  • Burning Rubber: a two-page prose story by Ray Gill about auto racing
• Each section of this episode is named after a different story and/or character from the comic book Marvel Comics #1.
• Henchman 21 gives his mint condition copy of Marvel Comics #1 to Dr. Venture as collateral in lieu of the half a million dollars Dr. Venture would charge him to clone Henchman 24. 21 says the comic is a family heirloom passed down from his father, who in turn received it from his father.

Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 

• Hank claims to have killed hundreds of Nazis, many with a grenade launcher, to an incredulous Sgt. Hatred and Dr. Orpheus. He then clarifies that it was while playing the video game Medal of Honor: Heroes 2.

Pillsbury Doughboy

• Colonel Gathers refers to an obese Brock Samson as "Poppin' Fresh", which is the name of the Pillsbury Company mascot, more widely known as the Pillsbury Doughboy.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

• The opening sequence employs heavy references to the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark.
• Dr. Orpheus is wearing the same ceremonial robes that Belloq wears when they open the Ark towards the end of the movie.
• Also referenced is when he tells Dean to "not look at it, no matter what happens." This is the same instructions Indiana Jones gives to Marion when the Nazis open the Ark.
• When Dr. Orpheus unleashes the magic lightning from his staff, his destruction of the Nazis holding Dr. Venture hostage mimics the scene where the Nazis are killed by the Ark of the Covenant. The two guards are pierced by the magic lightning and their leader even exclaims "It's beautiful," just before his face melts off in the same manner as Toht.

RuPaul 

• Upon seeing Dean's camo paint scheme on his face Sgt. Hatred states that he should have had RuPaul paint it. RuPaul Andre Charles is an American drag queen, actor, model, singer, songwriter, and television personality.

Who's the Boss? (1984 - 1992)

• When Hank contests that Sgt. Hatred is not the boss of him, Hatred counters with, "I'm Tony Danza to your spunky Alyssa Milano ", referring to the American sitcom television series Who's the Boss?.

Wilhelm Scream

• A Wilhelm Scream is heard when Brock jumps out of the O.S.I. Hover-Quarters and lands on a trooper using a jetpack.

Production Notes

• One of the animation directors (Kimson Albert) has a "nickname" inserted into his credits. The nickname is an unusual line or word from the preceding episode. For Blood of the Father, Heart of Steel the credit reads Kimson "Babe Ruthless" Albert.

Trivia

• Dean names the dog containing Hitler's blood "Giant Boy Detective" after his favorite series of books.
• Dean reads aloud from GIANT BOY DETECTIVE and The Haunted Mine to Mr. Doe, annoying the O.S.I. agent to the point of giving him a migraine. Doe snatches the book from Dean, flips ahead five chapters to the end, and reads him the conclusion to shut him up.

Goofs

• When Brock returns to the Venture Compound and asks where everybody is, Dean replies that Hank is in the bathroom with Mr. Doe. Mr. Doe was actually in the room with Dean and Brock (though unconscious, having just been knocked out by Brock); Mr. Cardholder was the one guarding Hank.

Preceded by: "The Family That Slays Together, Stays Together (Part II)"

The Venture Bros. episodes Original Airdate: October 25, 2009

Followed by: "Handsome Ransom"