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.

Plot

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Blood of the Father, Heart of Steel

• 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.