Dr. Thaddeus "Rusty" Venture

Thaddeus S. Venture
	The Venture Bros. character
	; Dr. Venture, Opening Card.
First appearance	The Terrible Secret of Turtle Bay
Last appearance	The Saphrax Protocol
Voiced by	James Urbaniak
Information
Nickname(s)	Rusty; Rust; Doc; Rus
Aliases	Rusty; T.S.; Dr. Venture; Chairman
Occupation	Super-Scientist
Relatives	Lloyd Venture (great-grandfather); Jonas' father (grandfather); Jonas Venture Sr. (father); Unknown Mother (mother); Jonas Venture Jr. (twin brother, deceased); Hank Venture (son); Dean Venture (son); Dermott Fictel (bastard son); The Monarch (blood relative)
Notable; characteristics	Self-proclaimed "super-genius"; Endless amount of cynicism; Amphetamine addiction
Current; Alliances	Team Venture; Venture Industries; Venture Techno Industries; Brock Samson (bodyguard)
Prior; Alliances	Hector Molina (forgotten childhood friend); Myra Brandish (former bodyguard, lover, and child-care provider); Original Team Venture; Professor Impossible (former instructor and think tank supervisor)
Enemies	Baron Werner Ünderbheit; Cult of Osiris; Haranguetan (Wide Wale licensee, deceased); Mike Sorayama (deceased); The Monarch (would-be main archenemy, and by extension the Fluttering Horde and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch); Monstroso (hired by the Monarch to cheat Venture out of his wealth but cheated them both, deceased); Myra Brandish (stalker and frequent kidnapper of the boys); Otaku Senzuri; Phantom Limb (and, by extension, The Revenge Society); Professor Impossible (Dr. V turned Sally Impossible against him); Sri Lankan Devil Bird (assigned by the Guild, deceased); Think Tank (Wide Wale licensee, deceased); Wes Warhammer (Wide Wale licensee, deceased); Wide Wale (current holder and license granter of the arching rights to Dr. V.)
College Fraternity	Gamma Psi Delta

Dr. Thaddeus S. "Rusty" Venture (born April 30 1960) (voiced by James Urbaniak) is the main protagonist of the 2003 Adult Swim animated TV series The Venture Bros.. He is the son of late super-scientist Dr. Jonas Venture Sr. and the older twin brother of the late Jonas Venture Jr.. His family has a long history of super science and their legacy has impacted much of the super hero and villain world. He is also the father of the Venture twins, Hank and Dean, as well as Dermott Fictel.

Personality

Ostensibly a super-scientist, Dr. Venture's life has left him scarred, emotionally insecure, apathetic, cynical, stressed out, and addicted to pills. He lives - and is effectively trapped - in the shadow of his famous father, Dr. Jonas Venture Sr., an incredibly renowned and universally respected genius in virtually every field of science and engineering who built a space station, fought diseases, solved mysteries, and is usually indirectly linked to most of the advanced technology on the show. Dr. Rusty Venture, however, is a sad failure of a man in every fashion, crushed under the weight of the expectations placed upon him; equally imprisoned by his crippling feelings of inadequacy and self-imposed incompetence caused by intense sloth and brutal emotional bullying by his father as a teen.

Despite being the supposed protagonist of the show, Rusty is extremely self-entitled and a narcissist, believing he deserves better than his fate, and often is prone to bouts of overconfidence when he believes he has the upper hand. Often this backfires as he is generally unskilled and completely unwilling to take the advice of anyone. He is a prisoner not only of his circumstances but of his own myopic behavior brought on by the lack of parenting he received as a child and the near constant horrors he witnesses in his daily life such as mutant monsters, men being torn limb from limb, and the acts of the various supervillains (esp. The Monarch) by whom he is menaced.

Despite the pride with which he wears his title, Dr. Venture is in fact not a doctor of anything; as first revealed in The Incredible Mr. Brisby, he never finished his education at State University, leaving after the death of his father. His "doctorate" is an honorary degree from a Tijuana community college,^[1] which is occasionally brought up by those in the know to spite him.

In spite of his laziness and characteristic ineptitude, Rusty is extremely talented in science. He could probably father's equal if not for his many personality flaws. He has proven capable of building incredible feats of technology and engineering—in the second episode, Dia de los Dangerous!, he was able to jerry-rig his robot servant H.E.L.P.eR. into a portable dialysis machine, and has built several kinds of robots including a "walking eye", and multiple new chassis models for H.E.L.P.eR. Other accomplishments include heavy ray shields for a space station, a nuclear-powered, impenetrable force field, a fully operational (and highly illegal) clone farm, and even the reanimation of the dead. However, an oft-recurring theme in his own work is that he cuts corners, again because he is lazy and self-entitled. As a result, problems almost inevitably arise and mayhem ensues. While he probably live up or surpass his father's legacy his upbringing has left him in a self-sabotaging state due to his fear of failer and a sense of inadequacy.

Rusty has few friends—namely his former bodyguard, the daring OSI agent Brock Samson, his tenant Dr. Byron Orpheus, and Billy Quizboy and Pete White of Conjectural Technologies. This seems to be as much a conscious choice on Rusty’s part as it is an inexorable result of his caustic, egocentric personality. Throughout the series he gains more friends and allies such as the The Pirate Captain and Sergeant Hatred, but he ultimately remains highly insular and distrustful (if not outright disdainful) of most people.

A recurring theme throughout the show is his feelings for his sons. While he is too self-absorbed to consider his children the most important thing in his life (as discovered by Dr. Orpheus when he entered his psyche to rid him of possession by The Monarch), and often he seems to resent them, he does value them deeply—taking steps to protect them from physical or psychological harm and ensuring their education. This includes a panic room attached via a chute to each of their beds, as well as a massive cloning operation used to “re-make” the boys when they suffer fatal accidents (which, as revealed by Rusty, happens very often). While utterly blasé about the cloning of his children, this stems from the fact that Rusty considers the clones to be the ultimate way to protect the boys from harm, and to shield them from the worst consequences of the Venture lifestyle. He even goes so far as to throw “birthday parties” for each new pair of clones after they’ve been fully awakened.

While he seems to obviously favor Dean, the more intelligent twin, considering him the successor to his "legacy", Hank’s brash and curious demeanor reminds Dr. Venture of his childhood self and his days as a boy adventurer—and thus he tries to allow Hank to develop on his own. It becomes clear as the series progresses that Thaddeus truly loves and cares for his sons, although, because of the severe emotional damage from his own father, he does not often show it. In reality, Thaddeus is a much better parent to his sons than his own father ever was to him. Though belied by his flippant attitude toward many of his sons’ concerns, Thaddeus consciously treats them better than his own father treated him. He home-schools the boys to ensure their safety, and often entertains many of their childish whims. He also sincerely (albeit awkwardly and with varying degrees of success) attempts to impart life lessons into them—although, considering the state of Thaddeus' own life, this advice may or may not be particularly valid. When he learned that Dermott Fictel was his son as well, he was shocked but has gotten around to it. Rather than keep Dermott away, Thaddeus regularly lets him hang out at the compound and treats him like he would his other sons by giving him chores and attempting to discipline him. After he realized that Dermott found it out, he was shocked and could only look after him in silence. After moving to New York with a fortune, Thaddeus treated Hank and Dean with the new benefits and also enlisted Dermott to the O.S.I., as he wanted to give his sons a chance at bettering their lives.

His emotional scarring, drug addiction, lack of confidence, failure as a scientist, and insecurity as a man can all be traced almost exclusively to his treatment at the hands of his father. As a child he was constantly dragged on dangerous missions by the original Team Venture. Several times he was forced to kill men with his own hands: once by his father (who made Rusty use a house key for the deed), and another on the insistence of Colonel Gentleman, when Rusty’s father was taken captive and being tortured.

In fact, many of the traumatizing incidents that occurred during Rusty’s childhood were inflicted by those close to him. One example being that, for an unknown amount of time, the Action Man would wake Rusty up in the morning by putting a gun to his head and pulling the trigger. According to Dr. Venture, he could “still feel the cold of the barrel” and the snap of the trigger making his teeth rattle, even decades later. His constant exposure to violence and horror, even in his own home, numbed him to the point that watching a man melt in front of his eyes leaves him completely unfazed. It seems to have also instilled in him a disregard for human life and the laws of nature as he runs experiments on animals and humans when he isn't stopped.

While his traumatic upbringing gives a sympathetic explanation to his behavior, he shows recognition that his childhood is the result of his behavior uses it as an excuse to justify his selfish actions, shift blame and avoid responsibility. Likely from a sense of entitlement to be compensated for his unfortunate life.

As the series progresses, he has made some self discoveries both good and bad that have helped him grow somewhat as a person and overcome at least the worst of the emotional damage his father and his life has relentlessly inflicted. He has come to see that he is not a complete failure and loser like drug addicted Johnny Quest or the former Wonder Boy. He has come to appreciate the family he has built and the fact that, as sad as his business is, it is still his business, which miraculously keeps afloat. He has also discovered how envious he truly is of his brother and this realization haunts him. Despite his personality and life of failure, he has gathered a group of family and friends around him who truly care about him and his sons. Together they form an unconventional, but still loving family that manages to survive and overcome the crazed and violent world of super science.

By season seven he is showing much more leadership both in his company and as a super scientist even leading the second meeting of the OSI and The Guild. His invention of the teleporter could be considered his greatest achievement to date.

History

Rusty Venture, the Boy Adventurer

Thaddeus Venture was born to Dr. Jonas Venture Sr. and an unknown mother. Thaddeus was supposed to be a twin, but devoured his twin in utero, causing a fetiform teratoma to grow inside of him. He would be haunted by terrifying dreams of eating a baby until the teratoma became an issue.

Thaddeus would later gain the nickname Rusty due to his copper-rust hair, and become a renowned traveler alongside his father and his dynamic team of action heroes, Team Venture. On the surface, his life was incredibly exciting, as a sort of idealized version of Jonny Quest. In truth, he was constantly under threat from the horror of monsters, non-stop violence and super-science, as well as almost entirely isolated from other children (with the noted exception of Tara Quymn, although he also befriended a Mexican child named Hector). Only H.E.L.P.eR. remained consistently there for him through it all. The horror, violence, and casual death imbued him with a deep and severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder that only now has begun to recede.

Furthermore, despite his all-American attitude, Dr. Jonas Venture Sr. turned out to be a lousy father with no serious concern for the welfare of his child - even inventing a "learning bed" to simply stick Rusty in to rather than actually teach or mentor his child. Before Rusty was an adolescent, he at least seemed fatherly, but (as pointed out by Dr. Henry Killinger) he shifted from protector to ruthless tormentor. As Rusty reached puberty, the rest of Team Venture began viciously hazing him. For example, the Action Man would wake Rusty up by pointing an unloaded gun at Rusty's head and fire, saying "Not today, Rust." This culminated in Rusty's 16th birthday party, where Dr. Venture Sr. invited beautiful models and actually hired prostitutes for the party, and Team Venture pulled down his pants and shrank his penis in front of the crowd of women.

While he eventually came to terms with the "good" part of his childhood - that he was an incredible boy adventurer who did amazing things, whose own life story as a child was so impressive that a fictionalization of it in cartoon form was the smash hit cartoon of its day - he overall despises his past, and most people who know of that Dr. Venture and Rusty Venture are one and the same view him as a sad, washed up bum mooching off his own past.

At some as-yet-unspecified point in his childhood the original Rusty died. The current Dr. Venture is a clone of this original created by his father as a replacement.

College Years

Rusty left home to attend State University, where he met his future enemy Baron Ünderbheit and his friend Pete White. He was a member of Gamma Psi Delta, the same fraternity that his father had pledged. He was in one of Professor Impossible's science classes, which he would have failed if not for the D that Impossible gave him out of pity when Rusty's father died. He later shared a room with Brock Samson, until Brock killed a member of the football team and went on a rampage assaulting Rusty, Pete, Ünderbheit, and Mike Sorayama. Brock would apologize the morning after, then bluntly inform him his father died. Rusty did not return to State college after this until trying to enroll Dean as a 'legacy.'

Thaddeus was unfairly blamed for an explosion in a school lab that blew off Ünderbheit's jaw. However, The Monarch actually placed the bomb in an attempt to murder Rusty, who was Ünderbheit's lab partner.

Adult Life

After leaving college, Rusty took his father's place as head of Venture Industries, which quickly fell into ruin. The OSI assigned Myra Brandish as Rusty's bodyguard as part of Operation Rusty's Blanket, a missioned designed both to protect him and the ORB.

At this point, The Monarch began to attack Rusty frequently, but Myra thwarted him every time. Rusty and Myra soon grew closer and ended up sleeping together. Rusty eventually lost interest in Myra and began to leave the compound without telling her, causing her mental stress.

At some unknown point Rusty had twin sons with an actress named Bobbi Saint Simone, although he let Myra believe she was their mother. He became obsessed with Bobbi and emotionally smothered her until she stopped taking his calls, changed her name, and moved to another state. Rusty named his two sons Hank and Dean Venture. Myra eventually had a mental breakdown and was forced away by the O.S.I. Around the same time Pete White showed up at the Venture Compound with a young Billy Quizboy looking for work, but they were quickly turned away.

Myra was replaced by Brock Samson. Rusty gave him a tour of the compound, including his cloning facility. At some point in the past both his sons died, forcing Rusty to clone them to bring them back.

Hank and Dean would eventually be killed multiple times as they got older, which forced Rusty to repeatedly clone them. They can no longer be cloned as all of the "slugs" were destroyed in The Family That Slays Together, Stays Together (Part II).

A few years after Hank and Dean were born, Rusty fathered Dermott with Nikki Fictel, the president of his fan club who told him she was 20, when she was actually 15. Nikki's mother refused to let Rusty be involved with Nikki and their child's life, threatening to bring the incident public. As a result, Rusty did not know his other son until Dermott was in his teens.

Later Life

In the Pilot, Rusty would then be invited to a science expo for his new invention, but before they go a meteor lands in their yard (Which at the time had three of The Monarch's Henchman in it). Rusty decides that they can check it out when they get back and proceeds to fly the X-1 to New York. Rusty, Brock and the twins then go to the hotel for the night. During the night a ninja known as Otaku Senzuri attempts to steal the invention, but ends up kidnapping Hank and Dean. Brock then leaves Rusty to find them much to Rusty dismay. Rusty then goes to the expo to show off his Oo-Ray, which basically is just a death ray. This angers the UN representatives, which confuses Rusty since he says you do not need to use it for evil. Otaku eventually then shows up and begins to masturbate to the Oo-Ray, which reveals he is a techno-fetishist who can only get aroused by advanced technology. Rusty then sells his Oo-Ray to the military unsure why they would want it.

Throughout later seasons, Rusty goes on many adventures with him getting caught up in many situations mostly dealing with his self-proclaimed enemy The Monarch. His sons frequent deaths and idiocy cause him no end of trouble, the discovery that he has a twin brother who he ate while both were in the womb was a change in his life and brought out major impacts on the later series. He prevented Brock from killing his brother Dr. Jonas Venture, Jr. and allowed him to start a new life with half of Venture Industries as a gift.

The fourth season revealed that he had a third son Dermott Fictel though this discovery was not as shocking as most would think and he lets his new child hang out at the compound and treats no differently than the others. In his adventures, Rusty has had brief moments of success only for something new to appear and hinder him.

In Season 6, Rusty finally gets the break he's been waiting for after he discovers his late brother has left him a multi-billion dollar company and a new home in New York(to replace the destroyed Venture Compound). The loss of his brother was still a huge blow he hasn't quite dealt with yet. Upon moving to New York, he makes himself right at home before firing the staff and going on a spending spree. However, this choice came with consequences as he later learned that his firing of the staff led to the company stocks depleting. Dr. Venture then turns to his new staff (consisting of The Sea Captain, Pete White and Master Billy Quizboy) for advice and new inventions. He has changed his attitude to business and tries to take care of the company criticizing Billy for his video. Even taking Dean's advice to continue the corporations normal operations and instead setting up a new department to continue his experimental research.

In Season 7, he has a problem in the building and believed it to be a hacking while his family and Brock thought it was a haunting. Thaddeus is not pleased when Dean contacts Dr. Orpheus and The Order of the Triad to get help, since he wouldn't believe it. During the night, many specters appear as Thaddeus recalls them before it leads them to a machine before Team Venture shows up and the machine is opened to show the disembodied head of his father Jonas Venture Sr.. Thaddeus was shocked to learn that his father was really alive and just in a comatose state but Jonas went wild and started to destroy the building.

During Arrears in Science, Thaddeus begged his father to not destroy the building. After he was calmed by The Blue Morpho, who appeared seeking Jonas and Thaddeus pointed him out to Jonas. Thaddeus then asked Team Venture about this and he learned from them about his father's death and was angry at not being told that they knew this whole time. Later on, Thaddeus spoke to his father for the first time in twenty years through his wrist watch and the latter wanted him to clone a new body for him after he takes Vendata's body as a temporary substitute. Thaddeus seemed shocked to speak with him for so long and Monarch arrived and was aiming to kill Morpho until he realized what was going on. Thaddeus learned Monarch's name is Malcom from Morpho and laughed at it. Soon Jonas went mad and he, Thaddeus, Monarch, and Vendata were launched through the streets. Thaddeus kept his father's head, while wishing he could see the parade though stated he was dead but begrudgingly gave the head to the O.S.I.

Relationship with Other Characters

Family

Jonas Venture (Father)

Is Thaddeus's father, for many years he was brought along many of his father's adventures and sometimes had experiments tested on him. Flashbacks depict Jonas attempting to be a loving parent. However, Jonas was shown to be very neglectful and showed no care to how much danger his son was in or the impact such terrors had on a young mind. In Spanakopita!, while he does beat up the men who kidnapped his son, Jonas was at fault for leaving his child unattended for days while he went to a wedding. Intentional or not, Jonas was known to be very narcissistic and egotistical, something that was reflected in how he raised Rusty. It was also suggested in The Inamorata Consequence, Jonas had cloned his son several times, similar to Thaddeus' way of Hank and Dean. Thaddeus may not be aware of this, since he was confused by Dean's words on this matter.

Jonas was mainly responsible for instilling trauma within Rusty which corresponds with how Rusty raised his own boys. One example was when Jonas attempted to perform therapy on Rusty. However, instead of listening to his son or caring how he felt, he snuck out of the room and appeared at the end of the session just in time to rebuke his son's problems and just mainly called him ungrateful for the opportunities given to him. Another example was when Jonas threw a "swingers" party at his home, where instead of having Rusty at another place, he held the party only rooms away from Rusty and Tara Quymm.

The last time the two spoke was during Rusty's first days in college. Rusty was complaining about his time there so far and Jonas can be seen on the watch communicator having a party while talking to his son. Later, Rusty is told by Brock that while he was in the nurse's office his dad died, leaving Rusty quite shocked at the news.

Despite hostile feelings he had for his father, Rusty still had some form of respect for him as in ORB, he admitted aloud to Billy that while his father was a terrible parent, he was a great scientist. He seemed to care about him as in Twenty Years to Midnight, when an alien disguised as his father appeared he begged him to stay thinking that it was his father but was upset after learning the truth. In Self-Medication, Thaddeus stated while he may have resented his father he never wanted to hurt him (in contrast to Lance Hale and Dale Hale), showing that he loved him in spite of his faults.

In The Venture Bros. & The Curse of the Haunted Problem, Thaddeus was shocked to find his father's disembodied but still living head connected to a machine. He was horrified that Team Venture withheld this from him and his father's state. However, he was shocked that Jonas regained consciousness and called out to him and he was amazed at this, before he was forced to run away.

During Arrears in Science, Thaddeus begged his father to not destroy the building. After he was calmed, he learned more truth of his father's death and was still angry at not being told. Later on, Thaddeus spoke to his father for the first time in twenty years through his wrist watch and the latter wanted him to clone a new body for him after he takes Vendata's body as a temporary substitute. Thaddeus seemed shocked to speak with him after so long and was unsure of his plan, before he was launched with The Monarch and Vendata through the streets. After Vendata and Jonas were incapacitated, Thaddeus kept his father's head, while wishing he could see the parade though stated he was dead but begrudgingly gave the head to the O.S.I.

Jonas Venture Jr. (Younger Twin Brother)

Is Thaddeus' younger twin brother who he ate while in the womb forty years ago. For several years, Thaddeus had subconscious memories of the event but always passed it off as nightmares. He also took many prescriptions to help him keep his mind intact from these supposed delusions.

However, Jonas Jr. managed to survive all that time and when emerged he tried to kill Thaddeus who was surprised at the revelation of having a brother before realizing he was the root of his nightmares while the latter showed nothing but contempt and vengeance against his brother even declaring to Thaddeus "You stole my life from me! Well guess what Rusty, I'm taking yours and claiming my birthright. The Venture empire is mine !!!". In the end, J.J. was defeated and was about to be killed by Brock, but Thaddeus (in a rare moment of compassion) stopped him calling the dwarf his "brother" and in an attempt to make amends for trapping him for over four decades gave him half of Venture Industries.

In the year that follows, Thaddeus' attitude towards Jonas Jr. has changed radically, perhaps because he senses that in a short period of time, J.J. has made great progress towards fulfilling the world's expectations for the son of Jonas Venture Sr. (which Thaddeus had utterly failed to do in his entire adult life). By the beginning of the second season, Thaddeus had begun treating J.J. with the same contempt he displays for nearly everyone else, avoiding him whenever possible and bitterly mocking him when forced to interact with him. J.J., however, appears to ignore his brother's scorn in a good-natured manner.

While jealousy and bitterness do drive a wedge between the brothers, it appears that they do not completely despise one another; in The Doctor is Sin, Thaddeus was given the opportunity to become a super-villain and the arch-enemy of Jonas Jr. as a way of dealing with his sense of inadequacy instilled by his father. Thaddeus declined without stating a given reason, additionally giving up the numerous benefits arranged for him by his benefactor, Dr. Henry Killinger; the incident left him feeling drained and intensely depressed, while also debating as to whether he was an immoral person or not.

Before the start of Season 6, J.J. started to treat his brother with respect and told him how he got all the good genes and had people that he can rely on. He then confessed that he had cancer and was dying, which completely shocked Thaddeus who hugged and held his brother in his arms for a while. In his final moments, J.J. happily bid his brother farewell before sacrificing himself (along with General Treister). During his funeral, it is revealed he gave his brother the mult-ibillion dollar HQ of Venture industries in New York something that caused Thaddeus to faint with joy.

In Hostile Makeover, when hearing a recording of J.J.'s voice on Dean's phone; Thaddeus went into complete silence and told Dean "too soon" showing he respected his brother.

Henry Allen "Hank" Venture (Son)

Is Thaddeus' son, throughout most of the show the two are constantly at odds with each other mostly due to Dr. Venture favoring Dean over Hank. Despite this, he does seem to care about Hank as in Ice Station - Impossible!, he attempts to protect the latter from being possibly shot by Richard Impossible. In Mid-Life Chrysalis, while suffering from a mutation he attempts to get Hank to shoot him should he try and harm him and Dean in his mutated caterpillar form.

During Any Which Way But Zeus, Hank and Sgt. Hatred pretend to hold Dr. Venture hostage and mistakenly call out Dean's name. Hearing this, Dr. Venture screams out to take him instead of Dean which shocks both Hatred and Hank. This causes Hank to reveal that they kidnapped him as well but Thaddeus states they can do whatever they want to him. This revelation causes Hank to become depressed, and before administering "torture" to his father, he asks why Thaddeus loves Dean more than Hank. Thaddeus rebuffs this statement by saying he does love Hank and says he only told them to torture Hank because he knows Hank is tough, like himself, and could endure the torture. Thaddeus explains that Hank, like Thaddeus, didn't want to be what his father wanted either and he is in fact proud of his son's resistance. After this, Hank understood that his father deeply loves and cares for him.

His care is shown again, in Venture Libre where he is shown worried when he asks Hatred if he contacted to which Hatred states dead causing Thaddeus to worry until he mentions it was his wrist watch relieving him.

During season 6, there is not much interaction between father and son but Thaddeus still shows that he does love Hank and was proud that his son got a job when they moved to New York.

In season 7, while under the effects of medication at the hospital Thaddeus admitted that he does love Hank.

Dean Venture (Son)

Is Thaddeus' son, Thaddeus for the most part, is shown to be a reluctant father. He frequently expresses nothing but annoyance towards the boys, and shows a general lack of concern over their well-being (sometimes wondering where they are only after they have been missing for many hours). In one instance, Dean admits that Dr. Venture sometimes calls him Don or Dave, implying that he can not be bothered to remember his sons' names. Later on, it is revealed that their father does genuinely care for them and his avoidance of his own father way of abusive parenting shows that he is at least somewhat of good father if not very attentive to their needs.

In an uncharacteristically paternal moment, however, Dr. Venture took Dean to the mall as a birthday present to buy him his first "speed suit" -- which turned out to be an identical version of the short-sleeved jumpsuit his father habitually wears (except Dean's was red). Venture's decision to buy this garment for Dean but not Hank may indicate that he is grooming the more academic boy to be his successor as a "super-scientist." This is proven in the episode Perchance to Dean, when Dr. Venture, after deciding Dean's "clock was ticking" after Dean lost some of his hair, decides to start Dean's super-science training, giving him access to his "Egg": a chair in which he listens to progressive rock records for inspiration. He also gives Dean his very own miniature lab in the panic room, to keep him from distractions. Dean takes to both and tries to grow his hair back, only to think he accidentally cloned himself (it was actually a mentally deranged clone of him that was rejected by his father; see below). Also in Every Which Way But Zeus, when Thaddeus is supposedly kidnapped and Hatred accidentally mumbled Dean's name, Thaddeus was quick to tell them to take him instead of Dean showing concern for his son.

After finding out he was a clone, Dean adopted a more rebellious and sarcastic personality which caused him to distance himself from Thaddeus. However, Dean still loved his father as in The Devil's Grip he was very shocked to learn that his father might be dead but held on the belief of the latter still being alive which turned out to be true.

In All This and Gargantua-2, Dean has mostly mended his relationship with his father, even managing to encourage the latter in the space station's darkest hour. In return, Thaddeus was very proud and impressed with Dean's quick thinking and intelligence which ended up saving the space station. In Faking Miracles, he was proud of Dean for enrolling in college at Stuyvesant University.

Dermott Fictel (Son)

Is Thaddeus' illegitimate son born from a sexual encounter with Nikki Fictel. Before Dermott was born, Thaddeus attempted to be in his life, but was forbidden by Nikki's mother Margaret who was furious at Thaddeus for sleeping with her underage daughter. Thaddeus never saw Dermott grow up which led to him failing to know who he was years later when the now teenage Dermott showed up in The Buddy System. Initially, Thaddeus thought of Dermott as a hooligan but allowed him to come to the compound and associate with his sons. Dermott reacts indifferently when interacting with Thaddeus. It is shown in the beginning of the Jacket special, that he seems to believe Dermott is Brock's son but by the end he eventually deduces his parentage by recognizing Dermott's last name and estimating his age, whereupon he quickly ends the interview. For most of season 5, whenever Dermott is at the Venture Compound, Thaddeus (now aware of their relationship) treats him exactly how he treats his other sons Hank and Dean, though without revealing the details of their relationship. A notable example is in the A Very Venture Halloween special, whereupon Venture is seen trying to discipline him at the beginning of the episode stating "I have my reasons" when Dr. Orpheus notes how Doc is hard on Dermott.

In Momma's Boys, it is shown Thaddeus gives Dermott chores whenever he comes over, which irritates the latter who wants to know the reason. Dermott eventually learns who his real father is from Dr. Orpheus and while that was happening Thaddeus (in a death bed confession contest) confirms his knowledge by telling Sergeant Hatred "Hank's friend Dermott-- that's my illegitimate son". At the end of the episode Dermott shocks Thaddeus, Hank, and Dean by calling Dr. Venture "Dad". Maybe the open admission of their father-son status will essentially change their relationship.

In Season 6, Thaddeus moves to New York City. Dermott is not seen again until the Season 7 episode The Inamorata Consequence, where it is revealed that Thaddeus has pulled some strings to get Dermott a position as a private in the O.S.I. (on the condition he not reveal their illegitimate father-son relationship to anyone.)

Friends

Brock Samson

Thaddeus met Brock in college and the two were roommates but hardly saw each other. While depressed over an incident on the football field, Brock (in a drunk rage) attacked Thaddeus, Pete White and Baron Werner Ünderbheit resulting in them being sent to the nurse office. When Brock was leaving college, he apologized for attacking Thaddeus and informed him while he was in the nurse's office his father died. They met again when Brock, now an OSI agent, was assigned to be Thaddeus' bodyguard and the latter showed him around the compound. The two get along quite well as Brock is one of the few to refer to Thaddeus as "Doc" but at times Brock has to be the voice of reason to some of Thaddeus' plans. Thaddeus also has a lot faith in Brock's abilities as he screams his name whenever he is in danger. At the end of Season 3, Brock quits his job at the OSI and by extension his job as the Venture's bodyguard. In Season 4, while as a SPHINX agent Brock still continues to protect the Venture family from danger. In Season 6, Brock, again a part of the OSI, is reinstated as the Venture Family bodyguard after Thaddeus inherited his late brother's company and moved to New York, which made him a high-level target for the Guild requiring Brock-level bodyguarding.

Pete White

Thaddeus met Pete in college and they were often shown hanging out. Pete views himself as Thaddeus's best friend and is one of the few to refer to him as "Rust" or "Rus", while Thaddeus seems to view Pete as an associate. Whatever the case, they are often shown getting along quite well.

Though Thaddeus may not accept it, Pete is one of the real few friends that he actually has. A good example was in A Very Venture Halloween, where they hang out and have a friendly game.

In Season 6, Pete and Billy went to work for Thaddeus in New York after Thaddeus purchased their company from Augustus St. Cloud.

Billy Quizboy

Billy was a fan of The Rusty Venture Show idolized Thaddeus as a child and was overjoyed at the thought of meeting him. Upon their first meeting, he was disappointed when Thaddeus turned him and Pete away.

Nevertheless, the two became friends as Billy is often seen at the compound and helps the family sometimes helping them in their time of need. Billy even reattached Doc's arm after it got cut off in Victor. Echo. November.. During A Very Venture Halloween, where Billy dressed as Doc as a kid and they have a friendly game that Billy wins a round at.

In Season 6, Pete and Billy went to work for Thaddeus in New York while there he comes to (falsely) believe Dr. Venture is The Blue Morpho occasionally dropping hints which confuses and annoys Thaddeus.

Eventually, he learns the truth in season 7 and was shocked to see he was wrong about Dr. Venture being the vigilante.

Dr. Orpheus

Is a tenant of the Venture compound. Thaddeus allowed Dr. Orpheus to stay in the compound and they get along quit well and Orpheus refers to Thaddeus as "Mr. Venture". On occasion their respective occupation as a scientist and sorcerer clash though not enough to stop Dr. Venture from going to Orpheus for help about supernatural. Now that Venture Compound has been destroyed and Thaddeus has moved to New York, Dr. Orpheus hadn't been seen with Thaddeus in Season 6.

In The Venture Bros. & The Curse of the Haunted Problem, they meet again and Thaddeus was annoyed to see that Dean had contacted him after a supposed haunting of VenTech Tower, which he didn't believe. Dr. Orpheus' antics led to Thaddeus discovering the disembodied head of his father that was still alive.

Sergeant Hatred

Sergeant Hatred was assigned to be Thaddeus' enemy and acted as an intentional annoyance to Thaddeus more than a threat. In season 4, he becomes the family's new bodyguard and it is shown that they get along pretty well and Hatred is one of the few people to refer to Thaddeus as "Doc". They are often seen bickering or competing over petty matters but are on good terms with Hatred one of his good friends. A good example was in A Very Venture Halloween, where they have a friendly game that Hatred wins a round at.

In All This and Gargantua-2, Hatred said he let Dr. Venture down when the compound went up in flames something Venture nonchalantly confirmed. In the same episode, it is shown that Thaddeus doesn't consider Hatred when making plans, as he went into space and had the power and water to the compound stopped, leaving Hatred in the dark. In Hostile Makeover, Hatred is replaced by Brock as the family bodyguard, with his only options with the OSI being riding a desk or retirement, he gets a job as a tour guide to go around the rule and continue to protect the Ventures who he now sees as a family. After helping Brock prank/foil an arching by Wide Whale as his only backup, Hatred was promoted to head of security for the Venture Building. He and Thaddeus are still on good terms as It Happening One Night they are shown playing Team Fortress 2 together, although Thaddeus still shows disregard to Hatred when he killed him with Hatred responding "Oh c'mon Doc, we're on the same dang team!" Interestingly, in this scene Thaddeus was on the opposite team as Hatred. This could either be an oversight of the stock footage used, Hatred being confused on which team they were assigned to, or simply Thaddeus changing teams and killing Hatred to spite him.

Enemies

The Monarch

The two had met in college and an unknown event led to the Monarch (then known as Malcom) to make an unsuccessful attempt on Venture's life. Ever since then, The Monarch has repeatedly made attempts (with varying levels of success) to ruin Thaddeus' life. The Monarch views Thaddeus as his enemy and is extremely fixated on exclusively targeting Thaddeus, as the Monarch will go after the boys and Brock/Hatred if they're in the way or to use as leverage but does not bear them any grudges or even really try to hurt them the way he does Thaddeus. In return, Thaddeus views the Monarch as some "prick in a butterfly costume" and wishes the latter would leave him alone.

In Season 5, while infiltrating the compound The Monarch finds a photo of him and Thaddeus as kids, meaning that he and Thaddeus were once childhood friends. In Season 6, The Monarch takes up the identity of The Blue Morpho to eliminate villains assign to arch Venture so he could arch Venture himself. This act led to people mistaking Thaddeus as the vigilante and putting him in danger with the The Guild of Calamitous Intent. Neither are aware they are potentially half-brothers through the same father.

During The Saphrax Protocol, Dr. Venture learns that he and the Monarch are related.

Baron Werner Ünderbheit

Thaddeus and Baron met in college and were on good terms until Baron lost his jaw in accident (caused by the Monarch) and Ünderbheit placed blame on Thaddeus despite the latter being in the nurse's office at the time of the incident. Ünderbheit's reason for the grudge is because according to him, his lab partner was supposed to look out for him but Venture didn't, so he began his arch-relationship with Dr. Venture ever since. Thaddeus has repeatedly denied any responsibility in the loss of the villain's jaw which is ignored as the villain (unfairly) holds him accountable for his injury. His hatred for Thaddeus increased when he lost his throne due to almost marrying Dean which left him out on the streets of New York until he joined The Revenge Society. In Bright Lights, Dean City, he and the other members of the Revenge Society attempt to kill Thaddeus but he escapes their clutches.

Skills/Powers

Genius Intellect - Although he is not very professional, Thaddeus is a genius in his own right, he has proven that his intelligence and capabilities are far above average in science. Examples are him being able to solve complex equations, build advanced devices, re-clone his sons multiple times, reviving people such as Venturestein, Ted and Sonny and creating a group of venturesteins for the army and bringing back congresswoman Marsha Backwood (even though he was without access to his lab equipment and she had just been blown up). In Operation P.R.O.M., he showed skill in genetic engineering by unknowingly creating a serum which turned members of the Black Hearts into giant mutant houseflies. It was implied by Thaddeus' Superego stated that if he just stopped taking the easy way out and applied himself, he would be the man he wants to be but seems to lack the motivation and patience to make his inventions work. His invention of teleporters threatened to disrupt the world economy.

Creativity - With his above average intelligence, Thaddeus has shown to be able to come up with creative solutions to his problems, such as cloning the boys repeatedly to keep them alive, creating a powerful Oo-ray, and hooking himself up to H.E.L.P.eR. after his kidneys were stolen. In Victor. Echo. November., using his past experience with Team Venture, he was able to kill a GUILD henchman by himself (even though he lost an arm). In Rapacity in Blue, he had Billy Quizboy create a mind control gas which makes people hallucinate. If he used his creativity more often, he would be much more successful as a super-scientist. There has yet to be a situation he has not been able to think his way out of given enough time.

Survival Experience- Rusty has been in more deadly situations then any other boy in existence by his own admission. He has even killed multiple people with his own hands, even once using a house key. The amount of weirdness he has seen has made him almost immune to surprising situations. Where others would be terrified by an alien stepping through a portal Venture sees it as just another day at the office. This vast experience makes him deadly to unsuspecting villains who think him a washed up has been. He has witnessed the deaths of countless arches over the years despite his ineptness and has a vast knowledge of how to survive all sorts of deadly traps and situations to the point where he is mostly bored by them.

Compassion - Although he rarely displays it, Rusty is shown to occasionally genuinely care for his sons, attempting to cheer Dean up when he was feeling overwhelmed by his life of constant villain attacks, and even confiding to Hank about his humiliating 16th birthday. He has few friends but is on relatively good terms with them, as Pete White considered Rusty to be his best friend in college and Billy looked up to the young Rusty Venture on TV. He was also very nice to Charlene (Dr. Girlfriend in disguise) when they were dating, and she later even remarked that he's "not so bad once you get to know him." As a father, he is much more caring and protective of his boys then his own father was -- not submitting them to the horrible mental abuse he endured and making sure they each got a good education. He was willing to trade places with Dean when he believed they were kidnapped to spare his son pain and felt Hank was more like him in his rebellious stage and wanted to hug him, as a form of an apology for his phase. He accepted Dermott as his son, after learning of their connection and treats him like his other sons. He also got him a place in the O.S.I. to better his path. He even refused to become a villain to arch his brother, despite being jealous of the latter's success. He seemed reluctant in destroying Venturestein, since the latter was an invention that hadn't failed him and was building an empire. When seeing his father for the first time in decades, he seemed happy to reunite with him but was put off by his intentions to kill another person to have a second chance at life.

Friends and Family - Over time he has gathered friends and (reluctant) allies that have helped him survive and even thrive in the dangerous and insane world of super science. Jonas Venture Jr. even mentions that, unlike him, rusty has children and friends to rely on in times of trouble and support. Indeed, individuals like Brock Samson, Pete White, Master Billy Quizboy and the immensely powerful Dr. Orpheus have consistently come to his rescue and see themselves as his dearest friends even when Rusty does not. These friends have often proven the difference between life and obliteration for Rusty on uncountable occasions.

Luck? - Although Rusty has manage to escape danger due to his child-adventurer/scientist/survival skills, he has survived more dangerous events by having others save him like the original Team Venture, his bodyguard Brock, or just by sheer incompetence of the people trying to kill him. There have been times, where Rusty would be in a near death scenario only to get out by sheer luck or uncanny chances that would NEVER happen to anyone else in the show. Like how the Monarch planted a miniature explosive on him, only to become a dud when he sat in a water-Jacuzzi right before it was to explode, or how when the members of The Revenge Society had him cornered and ready to kill him, only to have Fat Chance trip over Rusty and he went through his "enigma hole" where he was sent to another universe where he encountered a alternate (and better) version of himself who brought him safely back home. The most apparent form of his luck was when a giant disco ball hit right on top of him, though simply got minor cuts and bruises from it.

Weaknesses

Drug Abuse - Rusty has been known to abuse various prescription drugs, most notably 'diet pills' (amphetamines). The drug use has left his body "toxic with chemicals" and causes multiple health problems like breathlessness and impotence. His body chemistry is so messed up that when Mr. Brisby used a truth serum it made him act in an erratically effeminate fashion; Mr. Brisby chalked it up to his habit of "pill-popping". It seems that as the series progresses he has laid off at least some of the drugs as he is no longer seen using the diet pills. Whether this is a permanent change is unknown.
Impatience and Laziness - Rusty has a habit of putting off his work until the last minute, often leading to rushed, malfunctioning inventions. His narcissism doesn't help either, as he believes he can get what he wants without putting in a corresponding amount of effort. This tendency has seemly faded somewhat in season seven as he is shown confidently attempting to lead his company forward and working to perfect a teleporter.
Overly Analytical - While this is also one of Rusty's strengths, he tends to be analytical to the point where even close friends and family members see him as cold and uncaring. For example, when Dean is clearly in pain from his Testicular Torsion, his father does not comfort him but approaches the problem in a purely rational and scientific manner, which was not very helpful in this particular situation. Another sign of this is his approach to raising his sons like he is conducting an experiment, cloning them when they die, and treating them like problems needing to be solved rather than sons.
Emotionally Insecure - His failure as both a scientist and a father has made Rusty incredibly insecure to the point where even the slightest insults provoke a very strong reaction. Rusty's reserved and confident facade hides this weakness, but those close to him know he is not as strong as he would like to appear to be. In trying to live up to his father's legacy, Rusty has grown detached, emotionally and mentally, from his family. His attempts at healing these rifts has worked somewhat.

Trivia

A running gag in the show is that nearly all the women who find Dr. Venture attractive are shown to have a mental instability (these women include Sally Impossible, Myra Brandish, and Nikki Fictel.)

Rusty did not lose his virginity until he was 24 years old, an experience he does not recall fondly.

It is unknown who his mother is or what happened to her.
Despite appearing bald, Dr. Venture claims that he still grows hair around the sides of his head, which he shaves off using a "Daisy" brand women's razor.
Rusty always appears to wear a turtleneck sweater while wearing a suit. It is frequently shown however that he is in fact not wearing a turtleneck sweater, but actually a simple collarpiece that makes it look as if he is. No explaination for this peculiar habit is ever given.

Of his two sons, Dean is his favorite, although neither of them are included in what he values most. But in Any Which Way But Zeus he does express pride in Hank for not wanting to follow in his father's footsteps.
- In early episodes, Rusty was frequently shown to forget his sons names, before being corrected by other characters.

In the episode Assasinanny 911 he reveals he is 135 lbs of "grade-A, American come-and-get-it".

As of What Color Is Your Clean Suit?, both Hank and Dean have grown to be taller than their father.

In Home Is Where The Hate Is, Rusty mentions he hosts a monthly book club at the compound.

Rusty cannot drink caffeinated coffee anymore - in Maybe No Go, he switches to "Caffix", a grain based coffee-like substance.

He possibly has two half-siblings from his father's string of affairs, with them being Dr. Quymn and The Monarch.

Dr. Venture has appeared in almost every episode except The Lepidopterists, The Silent Partners and The Rorqual Affair.

Episode Appearances

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

Season 6

Season 7

Gallery

References

↑ Pinstripes & Poltergeists

[1] Pinstripes & Poltergeists

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