Shadowman 9: In the Cradle of Destiny

"Shadowman 9: In the Cradle of Destiny"
	The Venture Bros. episode
	; "Am I 9? I thought I was Shadowguy 6."
Episode no.	Season 3; Episode 1
Directed by	Jackson Publick
Written by	Jackson Publick; Doc Hammer
Production code	3-32
Original air date	1 June 2008
Episode Chronology
← Previous; "Showdown at Cremation Creek (Part II)"	Next →; "The Doctor Is Sin"
	List of The Venture Bros. episodes

Shadowman 9: In the Cradle of Destiny is the first episode of Season 3 and the overall twenty-seventh episode of The Venture Bros.

Plot

The episode begins with the The Monarch thinking back to the aftermath of the battle with the Phantom Limb. He recalls the last words Dr. Girlfriend said to him, which pertain to the dark secret she revealed, after they presumably consummated their marriage. However, he's forced to focus on the battle at hand as he and Dr. Girlfriend struggle against the Guild of Calamitous Intent's killer robots, the SlaughterBots and The Diamond Dogs.

The Monarch's henchmen, led by 21 and 24, are organizing in the aftermath of the Cocoon's destruction and The Monarch's disappearance. However, Dr. Girlfriend's Murderous Moppets, Kevin and Tim-Tom, show up and insist they have senior rank since they're her Number 2's and all the Monarch henchmen through at least 18 are dead or MIA. The henchmen point out they outnumber and outweigh Moppets, but the diabolical duo quickly kick all of the henchmen in the groin and establish their dominance.

The robots have successfully captured the Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend and bring them to a secret location for separate interrogation. The Council of 13 have assembled and appear as shadows on view screens to interrogate them about the Phantom Limb's betrayal of the Guild. Dr. Girlfriend says that the Phantom Limb ruined her life, but the Council show footage of her in her younger days, when she went on a picnic date with Phantom Limb where he revealed his Phantom limbs. He then asked her to come to his side so they could unite to spread evil and chaos.

The Council point out to the Monarch how easily Dr. Girlfriend was seduced, but the Monarch knows about her past. However, he's reluctant to admit his own connection to the Phantom Limb. The Council respond by showing footage of Dr. Girlfriend preparing for her training as a Number 2 after the failure of her solo career as Lady Au Pair. The hooded villain Watch trains her at the Citadel of Attribution only to be interrupted by his partner Ward. They suggest she might take on a sexual theme but she'd rather apply her training. The Phantom Limb and his army of Shadowmen interrupt them, and the master villain insists that he will train her. Watch and Ward quickly concede the issue and the Phantom Limb calls forward Shadowman 9 to prepare Dr. Girlfriend. Shadowman 9 can't stop staring at Dr. Girlfriend, and in the present she realizes that he's the Monarch before he started his career of master villainy.

The Council turn on the Monarch, noting that he "arched" Dr. Venture ever since college without establishing his credentials in the Guild. The Monarch explains that he first tried to blow up Venture in his science lab at college. However, he only succeeded in blowing off Baron Ünderbheit's jaw (something Dr. Venture was blamed for). After Venture left college upon the death of his father, the Monarch went after him in a crude prototype of his Monarch costume and Monarch Mobile. He managed to get inside the Venture compound but the doctor's bodyguard at the time, Myra, easily disposed of him. The Monarch claims that he didn't know about the Guild but the Council point out that they have plenty of paperwork showing Dr. Venture filed complaints against the Monarch, and he was still a Shadowman at the time, as well as "henching" for other established Guild villains. It's now the Monarch that must stand trial, and the penalty is execution.

Back at the Cocoon, Henchman 21 and 24 find the old Monarch Mobile and decide to overthrow the Moppets. They realize there's only one person who can dispose of the Moppets: the same person who keeps disposing of them, Brock Samson.

Dr. Girlfriend demands to be heard defending her new husband, and the Monarch also puts on a spirited defense. He has the Council display footage of the night he first wooed Dr. Girlfriend, showing that he was on assignment to serve appetizers at a Guild ball. Henchman 24 (then a Shadowman) found him in costume but the Monarch convinced 24 to take his place in return for becoming his Number 2. It becomes clear the Monarch donned a costume not just to arch, but to pick up Dr. Girlfriend. The Council is less than impressed with this defense.

Dr. Girlfriend has the Council show the later footage showing that the Monarch was hitting on her at the ball where he attended as a villain. He shamelessly flattered her and got her out to his car in the parking lot. Impressed, she comes up with ideas to improve his image and play up the monarch/king motif. They start to brainstorm together but are interrupted when he decides to admit his dark secret. He removes his helmet but before she can recognize him, the Phantom Limb's Shadowmen yank the Monarch out of the car and the master villain prepares to dispose of him. Phantom Limb tells Dr. Girlfriend to return to the party but she refuses. Attracted by the noise, the Council of 13 come out and the Phantom Limb is forced to let the Monarch go to avoid making a scene. As the Monarch departs, he lies and makes up a name, claiming he's "The Manotaur". The Phantom Limb swears vengeance. Henchman 24 (filling in for the Monarch as Shadowman #9 at the party) asks the Monarch to fulfill his end of the deal but Dr. Girlfriend thinks he's the Shadowman who was staring at her back at the Citadel and the Monarch leaves 24 standing by the side of the road.

Dr. Girlfriend concludes her case, saying that the Phantom Limb couldn't have possibly been stupid enough to not recognize the Monarch as his own Shadowman. Therefore the whole thing must have been a set up. The Council say nothing but simply disappear, and the newlyweds are reunited. The Sovereign then appears and announces the Guild's ruling.

Brock arrives at the Cocoon and 24 and 21 watch nervously as he simply talks to Kevin. Tim-Tom sneaks up behind them and demands to know who called out for help. Henchman 21 blames 24, and Tim-Tom surprisingly thanks him and says they're going to call in even more help. The entire Guild arrives to help rebuild the Cocoon.

The Guild agents strip the Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend down to their underwear and the Sovereign congratulates them. They have fought off the robots, stayed loyal to each other, and proven the Monarch's innocence. He gives the Guild's blessing and the duo-ship ceremony is conducted with the traditional binding of hands with a poisonous snake.

The Cocoon is rebuilt and the Moppets christen it. Henchman 21 calls a truce and they shake hands. However, when two other henchmen dump a jug of Gatorade on the Moppets to celebrate, things go horribly, horribly wrong.

The Sovereign concludes the duoship ceremony by telling the Monarch to complete his first mission: the usurpation of the Phantom Limb's home. The Monarch bursts in and tells his henchmen to dispose of everyone, then tries to carry Dr. Girlfriend over the threshold into their new home.

In the epilogue, an elderly, retired Manotaur returns to his apartment. Unfortunately, the Phantom Limb has survived and has sought out the person he believes to have stolen his number two/girlfriend; despite Dr. Girlfriend's argument to the contrary, it appears that Phantom Limb really is "that stupid." (Alternately, it could be a sign of his growing post-Season Two insanity; see The Revenge Society.) Manotaur tries to get to his costume but Phantom Limb has already stolen it. Phantom Limb then uses his phantom right hand to give Manotaur a painful death, though his wounds from his attempt to take over the Guild show – he walks with a cane and his left hand appears to be mechanical.

Episode Cast

James Urbaniak: Phantom Limb, Councilman 7
Chris McCulloch: The Monarch, Henchman 24, Watch, Tim-Tom Moppet, Councilman 2, Councilman 8, Councilman 9, The Sovereign, Truckules (uncredited)
Doc Hammer: Dr. Girlfriend, Henchman 21, Ward, Kevin Moppet, Councilman 1, Councilman 3

Phantom Limb's House Party

A flashback during the Council of 13's "crucible" shows a house party at Phantom Limb's "Lair of the Phantom" in Malice. The attendees included:

Augustus St. Cloud
Bearded Spectre
Bettie Rage
Chairman Wao
Curse
Dr. Quentin Ball
Guild Strangers
Helicoptro
Intangible Fancy
Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Nightmare Coat
Manaconda
Mommy Longlegs
Notorious Headface
Otaku Senzuri
Phantom Limb
Plug Face Guy
Queen Etheria (Dr. Mrs. The Monarch)
Shadowmen
The Council of 13
The Monarch
The Sea Anemone
Torrid
Truckules
Unicornelius
Unnamed Fishman Villain
Unnamed Jetpack Scientist
Unnamed Magician Villain With Hazmat Hat
Unnamed Villain in Bird Costume
Ward

Cocoon Repair Crew

In a showing of villainous solidarity a massive number of Guild members and henchmen arrive to help repair The Monarch's damaged Cocoon. The repair crew included:

Connections to Other Episodes

Careers in Science

During his time in The Crucible, when The Monarch asks the Council "Hey who killed him (Jonas Venture Sr.) anyway? You guys must know.", Vendata answers him, cutting him off and steering the conversation back to the inquisition. This is an oblique reference to the Movie Night Massacre, first mentioned by Bud Manstrong in Season 1's Careers in Science.

Mid-Life Chrysalis

The song that plays during the sequence where The Monarch and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch make love for the first time is "Revv Me Up" by Jasper McVain, first heard during Brock Samson's training montage in the season one episode Mid-Life Chrysalis.

Past Tense

This episode reveals that Dr. Venture was not responsible for the loss of Baron Ünderbheit's jaw as stated in Past Tense. The Monarch actually blew off Baron Ünderbheit's jaw in college in an apparent attempt on Dr. Venture's life that somehow misfired. The blame merely fell on Venture because he was Ünderbheit's lab partner at the time.

Hate Floats

Part of "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity" from The Planets by Gustav Holst serves as the soundtrack to the end of the episode. "Mars, the Bringer of War" was referenced in the episode Hate Floats.

Victor. Echo. November.

When the Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend meet at the party, she has red streaks in her hair, referencing the line in the episode Victor. Echo. November. when Monarch remarked she had red streaks like the singer Saffron from the '90s electronica band Republica.

Fallen Arches

During the rebuilding of the Cocoon, Curse appears, still without legs. He had them magic-ed away by Dr. Orpheus in Fallen Arches.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Kills

This episode expands upon a flashback sequence shown in I Know Why the Caged Bird Kills in which The Monarch is beaten up by Myra Brandish.

Now Museum-Now You Don't

The Manotaur is one of the three original members of the Fraternity of Torment. He is unable to join the other two at the opening of Jonas Venture Jr.'s Museum of Jonas Venture in Now Museum-Now You Don't, owing to his death at the end of this episode.

Handsome Ransom

A giant penny with The Monarch's face on it is removed from the wreckage of the Cocoon, similar to the one in Captain Sunshine's mansion in Handsome Ransom.
At the party The Monarch explains that Captain Sunshine believes him to be indestructible. This point is later brought up in Season 4's Handsome Ransom.

Assisted Suicide

Henchman 21 revealed in Assisted Suicide that the gitant penny with The Monarch's face on it was used to kill Wonder Boy III. The one in the Cocoon may have been a spare.

Cultural References

Adobe Premiere

Councilman 3 is mentioned as using commercial video editing program Adobe Premiere to do post-production video wipes on the Guild of Calamitous Intent's video library.

Adolf Hitler

Henchman 24 calls the murderous moppets "Midg-itlers" in reference to the moppets becoming dictators in tone á la Adolf Hitler.

Arnaud Amalric

The Monarch's war cry of "Kill everyone; God will recognize his own" refers to a statement attributed to the papal legate Arnaud Amalric during the Albigensian Crusade.

Batman

In repairing The Monarch's Cocoon, one of the Henchmen is seen rolling a huge penny with The Monarch's face on it. This references a penny Batman once used to capture a minor villain, The Penny Plunderer. The giant penny is stored in the Batcave.

David Bowie

The Monarch refers to the Guild Council as "super creeps", a reference to the David Bowie song Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps). David Bowie was revealed as The Sovereign during the season two finale, Showdown at Cremation Creek (Part II).

Dune (1984)

When Brock Samson goes to the cocoon and talks to the Moppets, Henchman 24 questions whether Brock's name is a killing word. This is a direct reference to the movie Dune and its Weirding Modules which use sound and words to cause destruction.

Fritos

Ward is seen eating a bag of Fritas, a reference to Fritos corn chips.

Gatorade shower

After the Cocoon has been rebuilt, several henchman from The Fluttering Horde pour Gatorade on The Moppets in celebration.

Hervé Villechaize

Henchman 24 says he hopes that the "murderous moppets" will "pull a double-Villechaize". Hervé Villechaize was a dwarf actor who committed suicide via gunshot in 1993.

Jasper McVain

The song on the radio when The Monarch and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch make love for the first time, "Revv Me Up", is performed by fictitious glam musician Jasper McVain. Jasper McVain is a musical side-project created by Doc Hammer, writer and actor Terrence Fleming (voice of Bud Manstrong), and Max Vanderwolf (Glenn Max), singer of the band Last Man Standing. The concept behind the project is that Jasper McVain is a glam rock personality along the lines of Marc Bolan, albeit insane. Six Jasper McVain songs were recorded in the '90s, with Hammer composing the music, Fleming writing the lyrics, and Vanderwolf singing.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

One of the villains The Monarch used to hench for is named Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Nightmare Coat, a reference to Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Marathon Man (1976)

When The Monarch asks "What kind of torture is this? Couldn't you just drill my teeth or shove bamboo under my nails or something?" the former is likely a reference to the 1976 film Marathon Man where a character is tortured by having a dentist drill into his teeth.

Marquess of Queensberry Rules

Henchman 21 calls in Brock Samson in an attempt to get rid of the Murderous Moppets. He wonders aloud why Brock hasn't attacked the Moppets, to which Henchman 24 responds "Marquess of Queensberry Rules?" The Marquess of Queensberry Rules are a code of generally accepted rules in the sport of boxing. In popular culture the term is sometimes used to refer to a sense of sportsmanship and fair play.

Night Court (1984-1992)

The Monarch mentions his strong attraction to Markie Post of Night Court.

Shadowman

Phantom Limb's henchmen, the Shadowmen, are similarly named to the Valiant Comics superhero Shadowman.

The Funky Phantom (1971-1972)

Councilman 2 of the Council of Thirteen looks like The Funky Phantom.

The Notorious Bettie Page (2005)

One of the villainous identities the Guild offers Dr. Girlfriend is the Murderous Bettie Rage, a reference to Bettie Page and her biopic The Notorious Bettie Page.

The Planets (1918)

Part of "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity" from The Planets by Gustav Holst serves as the soundtrack to the end of the episode. "Mars, the Bringer of War" was referenced in the episode Hate Floats.

The Rhino

Councilman 8 of the Council of Thirteen looks like the Spider-Man villain The Rhino.

The Sugarcubes

The song that The Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend originally have sex to is by Icelandic band The Sugarcubes, as the Council references band members Einar Örn Benediktsson and Björk.

The Transformers (1984-1987)

Truckules says "Roll over", a reference to Optimus Prime's oft-repeated quote "Roll out". Truckules' appearance is based on that of Optimus Prime from the animated series The Transformers.

YouTube

Upon viewing a past moment in which Phantom Limb reveals his abnormality to Dr. Girlfriend for the first time, The Monarch immediately states that he hopes that the clip won't wind up on YouTube.

Production Notes

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Shadowman 9: In the Cradle of Destiny

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 Shadowman 9: In the Cradle of Destiny the credit reads Kimson "Malevolent Murder Maze" Albert.
This is the first episode to be filmed in 16:9 widescreen.^[1]

References

↑ "Publick Nuisance entry dated 10 October 2007". http://jacksonpublick.livejournal.com/18830.html. Retrieved 2007-10-10.

	Preceded by: "Showdown at Cremation Creek (Part II)"	The Venture Bros. episodes Original Airdate: June 1, 2008	Followed by: "The Doctor Is Sin"

[1] "Publick Nuisance entry dated 10 October 2007". http://jacksonpublick.livejournal.com/18830.html. Retrieved 2007-10-10.

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