The Mantis-Eye Experiment

Summary

Questions are answered and truths are revealed. Learn how Henchman 21 copes with life without 24. See what happens when Brock and the Venture family are forced to part ways. Discover the final fate of H.E.L.P.eR. And all the while, the balance of the free world hangs in the hands of Dean Venture, who must kill Hitler.

Capsule

We start off with a familiar scene from the end of season three:

BROCK
Hey Monarch!

THE MONARCH
Huh?

BROCK
I'm taking your fucking car!

THE MONARCH
[gurgles] Yea, yeah...

The car explodes.

Fade out, and then back in. From Brock's perspective on the ground we see complete chaos. Henchmen and OSI agents are wandering around in shock. Dead clone slugs litter the Venture Compound. A hysterical 21 is stumbling around crying 24's name and clutching his dismembered head. An OSI agent finds Brock and calls for a medic. Fade out again as Brock loses consciousness.

Still from Brock's perspective we see he's on an operating table. Two surgeons talk about removing shrapnel from his chest, but Brock suddenly goes into cardiac arrest. He looks up at the lights on the ceiling and we fade out.

At the outer boundaries of the Venture Compound Sergent Hatred, sporting some rather pretty camo paint, looks through the scope of a sniper rifle. He's looking at Dr. Venture, who is tied up to a chair. Hatred grabs his massive phone-walkie-talkie thing and asks Hank if he has a shot. Hank confirms as Hatred contacts Dean, who seems startled by his walkie-talkie.

SGT. HATRED
Did you stab him to death yet?

DEAN
No, I lost my knife again- 'cause I hate it.

HANK
I'm gonna take my shot now. I have it figured out that if I can just skim pop's belt buckle, maybe the bullet will ricochet off it and kill the guy with the gun.

SGT. HATRED
Hank, I will give you so much money to not shoot your dad.

DEAN
I don't wanna do this, Mr. Hatred.

SGT. HATRED
I'm not giving you a choice here! You gotta stab Hitler!!

[Scene changes to Dean and Dr. Orpheus in front of a vandalized X-1. Dean has a dog in his lap]

DEAN
I can't!!

SGT. HATRED
Alright you forced my hand!

Hatred calls for HELPeR over the intercom. HELPeR complies, but he's apparently undergone some... changes. He now appears to have the body of Dr. Venture's walking eye. HELPeR deploys his gun and takes aim at Dean, Orpheus and the dog. The dog flips out and charges HELPeR as Dean tries to hold him back. The leash breaks and Dean attempts to run after the dog, but Dr. O stops him and deploys some patented Dr. Orpheus brand purple magic. His spell shorts out HELPeR, gives Sgt. Hatred a small shock through his walkie-talkie and spreads throughout the entire Venture Compound.

Meanwhile in his cloning lab Dr. Venture is still tied up as three bad guys (two hench, one leader-type) point guns at him. The lightning barges in right as the leader is about to shoot Dr. Venture and breaks all the cloning equipment. The leader becomes distracted and yells about how beautiful the magic is. However his henchmen probably disagree as they are killed by the lightning shooting through their eyes and torsos. The leader likewise meets a gruesome death as he is enveloped by the spell which causes his face to melt. He falls down on top of Dr. Venture, dead.

DR. VENTURE
Ahhh!! You're getting face all over me!! Hot melting face!!

Outside the compound:

HANK
I did it. Yeah, I hit every light with one bullet. [his communicator watch sparks in his face] Ow!

Roll opening credits.

Brock awakens, startled and in pain. His torso is wrapped in a blood-stained bandage. He gets up from his hospital room bed and leaves the room. In the hallway it's clear he's at OSI headquarters. A sign on the wall reads 'S.H.E.D. Speculative Human Engineering Division'. In an open room Brock hears two doctors talking about a rogue agent who they consider to be a traitor. However higher ups at OSI have decided he's still useful and needs an 'attitude adjustment'. We see that Sgt. Hatred is tied up in the room with with them. One of the doctors holds up a needle and informs Hatred that it's time to make all the little naked boys in his head go 'bye-bye'.

Brock continues to wander the hallway when the doctor yells "Stop him!" A number of OSI soldiers run towards Brock, who ducks into an alcove. However the agents begin to fire paint balls which hit an invisible man. Just then the doctor notices Brock. He nonchalantly asks him what he's doing up, but before he can finish his sentence Brock grabs him.

BROCK
What'd you bastards do to me?

OSI SCIENTIST
You were dieing! We saved your life!

BROCK
Why?! So I could be one of your zombies?! I know the kind of shit you do on this level.

OSI SCIENTIST
The sick bay was full of wounded! We had nowhere else to bring you!

BROCK
[groans in pain] What the hell did you do to me?! [he rips open his bandages to reveal HELPeR's head embedded in his chest]

HELPeR
[beeps] [vomits blood]

OSI SCIENTIST
Just- relax Samson. Let's take care of you.

Brock angrily hits a red button nearby, opening a hatch in the flying OSI headquarters. Brock pushes the scientist aside and jumps.

HELPeR
[series of highly concerned beeps]

BROCK
No! No, HELPeR! Whatever you do, do not engage your helicopter blades! You'll kill us both!

HELPeR
[high pitched beeps]

BROCK
No I won't. Just... trust me.

Brock straightens out and glides down towards the earth. A number of OSI soldiers with jetpacks are flying below him. Brock lands on one, knocking him out of his pack, and rides the pack, surfboard style.

In the Venture Compound bathroom Hank is reading a comic book with a hole in it. Dean is applying makeup to Sergent Hatred's face and Dr. Orpheus is polishing a golden dagger of some kind. They're discussion the situation they will have to deal with, presumably to do with Dr. Venture's predicament. Hank comments that Nazis always wanting to clone Hitler is not very original. Hatred agrees, suggesting that maybe they do that because everyone hates them so much and all they can think of is making 'rotten Hitlers'. Dean then goes off on a tirade about how he loves Hitler and Hitler loves him, and that he only needs someone to believe in him. Hatred points out that Hitler is a mass murderer, and that Dean has to kill him. Dean seemingly wants no part of this and runs out of the room crying.

HANK
I'll kill Hitler! I've killed hundreds of Nazis before. Many of them with a grenade launcher.

[Sgt. Hatred and Dr. Orpheus stare at him in disbelief]

HANK
Medal of Honor: Heroes 2. I can also blow up a submarine.

DR. ORPHEUS
He must be killed with this golden dagger. And only after the cleansing of fire!! And Dean is the only one he'll let get close enough to do it.

SGT. HATRED
Alright. [grunts] Everybody out. I gotta wipe.

DR. ORPHEUS
Good lord. Have you been using the toilet under there this whole time?

SGT. HATRED
We are at war with Hitler again! This is how it's done on the front lines, soldier! Hank, hand me that magazine. We're, uh, we're out of TP.

A shot of outside the bathroom reveals Agent Cardholder. Hank shouts out that he's out of toilet paper. Cardholder is annoyed. The scene cuts to Hank sitting on the toilet, except he's back to his old style white shirt and blue kerchief thing. He convinces Cardholder to get him a new roll of TP.

Outside the compound an OSI helicopter takes off and we see a number of soldiers clearing dead clone slugs and Monarch henchmen off the lawn and into trucks. They all drive away once the cleanup is done. Brock surfaces since he's been hiding underwater in the fountain.

In the living room Dean is reading a Giant Boy Detective story aloud as an annoyed Agent Doe listens. Doe asks Dean to stop, but Dean points out he only has five chapters left. Frustrated, Doe grabs the book from Dean and reads the ending to him. Dean, shocked but not upset, says he didn't see that coming. Just then two boots appear on each side of Doe's head and are smashed together, knocking him cold. It's Brock! Dean happily greets Brock and HELPeR. Agent Cardholder comes down the stairs and shouts at Brock who quickly grabs Dean's book and throws it at Cardholder, hitting him in the head and knocking him out as well.

DEAN
Brock! Are you on the lam?

BROCK
No time to explain. [he takes off his communicator] Here, give this to your dad. I gotta go.

DEAN
W-wait! Are you taking HELPeR with?

BROCK
Yeaaah, Dean, I'm afraid I gotta borrow him for a while.

DEAN
Then, here, take my hover bike. [he holds the keys out for Brock]

BROCK
You keep it, Dean! And tell your brother to, I don't know, tell him to stay gold, or... you write something, you're good with words. [he leaves]

HANK
[walking down the stairs] Whoo, had a total Cray-Pas situation up there. Took me a while to lock it down. [he notices Doe and Cardholder on the floor] Woah, what happened to these guys? What did you bore them to death?

DEAN
Brock... he was just here. You missed him.

HANK
Ohhh, yeah, and what? He whisked away up the chimney with a thumb of his nose! Oh! Wait! I think I hear hoofsteps up on the roof!

[Dean holds up Brock's communicator, Hank says nothing else and looks at it sadly]

We crossfade from Hank to Hank, except now he's got longer hair and is playing video games. The X-1's engines are heard and Hank rushes over to the window in hopes of seeing Brock's return. Dean has a dog with him named Giant Boy Detective and apparently Dr. Venture wants him gone.

The X-1 lands and out marches 21 with his LARP crew, the Orchard Street Wolf Pack. The X-1 has also been supremely defaced, sporting all kinds of pro-Monarch and anti-Venture graffiti as well as a large 'RIP 24' mural. 21 walks away, saying he has business to attend to. Dr. Venture tells Sgt. Hatred to kill the LARP crew before he runs off to catch up with 21.

DR. VENTURE
Look, I'm sorry, but I'm in deep doo-doo with this whole cloning thing! The OSI's on my ass and and now I have these other nutbags trying to make me clone their dead hero- [makes air quotes] Or else.

HENCHMAN 21
I don't care! I gave you a priceless family heirloom and you deceived me, now good day! I have come to seek council with the necromancer in your village.

[In Dr. O's kitchen, 21 is sitting at the table and Dr. O is making an omelet]

HENCHMAN 21
But you're a necromancer! That's what necromancers do! That is the definition of necromancer!

DR. ORPHEUS
Well yes, technically. But the term is used loosely these days. Magician, wizard, warlock; they sound rather goofy. Necromancer is all we've got left. Omelet?

HENCHMAN 21
You can't do anything?

DR. ORPHEUS
I'm sorry I can't [growling noises are heard] help- What is that racket?!

In Dr. O's study we see Giant Boy Detective (the dog) chewing on a mummy arm of some kind. Dean is trying to get him to drop it but the dog refuses. Dr. O and 21 rush in and Dean explains that he wanted to hide the dog since his dad wanted to kill it. Dr. Orpheus is unclear as to where the dog even obtained the hand, and notes that he has a great evil in him. 21 says that it's usually learned behavior and the owner is at fault for that. Orpheus takes the comic Dean is holding and gives it to the dog in exchange for the mummy hand. The dog takes it and runs away. Orpheus informs Dean that his dog is the spawn of hell and must be killed. Dean laments everyone wanting his dog dead. Dr. O then magics himself away to prepare 'the ritual of cleansing'. After a brief chat about how cool it would be to live next to Dr. O, 21 asks Dean what comic he was reading.

We cut to a tent in the jungle somewhere. The Nazis from earlier in the episode are talking to the surgeon we last saw after Hunter's surgery. They are carting away a covered crate. The lead Nazi thanks the surgeon who doesn't seem overly thrilled about the situation. He turns to wash his hands as the Nazis leave and we hear the sounds of them getting beat up followed by Brock entering the tent.

BROCK
I need an operation fast, and you're the best I know at this kind of... unorthodox work.

SURGEON
Let me guess, you wanna beat up Hunter, but you can't punch a girl, so you want me to make a snip snip, meow, cat fight!

BROCK
Nah. I, uh, want you to remove something a little higher up. [he opens his jacket]

HELPeR
[beeps]

SURGEON
What made you change your mind?

BROCK
Huh?

SURGEON
I put in a lot of those this year, ever since the Iron Man, everybody wants-a the robot heart.

BROCK
Yeah, well, theirs probably don't talk this much. [he lies down]

SURGEON
[holding scalpel and anesthesia mask] How come all a sudden you trust me now? What's to stop me from killing you when you're under?

Brock silently pulls a grenade out of his pocket and pulls the pin, keeping the lever pressed. He then sticks it in HELPeR's mouth.

BROCK
Him.

In the Venture Compound hangar (which is empty), Sgt. Hatred sleeps with his head down on a table while Dean fusses with something. It's a handgun that he's attempted to put back together while Sgt. Hatred times him. Dean completes it and asks for a time, but Sgt. Hatred points out there aren't any hours on the stopwatch so, whatever. Dean has also assembled the gun wrong in a number of ways, but what can you do?

Hank enters with his comic book and wearing Brock's jacket as before. Hatred asks him where his uniform is and Hank says he's not going to wear it. Sgt. Hatred yells at Hank for refusing to be part of 'the unit', which is supposed to act as one.

SGT. HATRED
You are my unit-

HANK
Unit.

SGT. HATRED
-and a unit operates as one! We dress the same, we walk the same, we eat the same. You like pineapples and ham on your pizza?

HANK
Gross, no!

SGT. HATRED
Well you do now! Why? Because I do! Unit!! Go put on your Venture Blues before I tell you how much you country and western music.

HANK
Brock is my bodyguard! Not you!

SGT. HATRED
[puts down Hank's comic and hands Hank his handgun] Take this.

HANK
Cool. Okay!

SGT. HATRED
[walks a few paces away] Now shoot me.

HANK
Uhhh, really?

SGT. HATRED
Henry, I trust you. And if you don't trust me then I want you to shoot me.

HANK
Hank. I don't like Henry.

SGT. HATRED
Well I love Henry! Now shoot me!

Hank aims and fires but hits the ground. Hatred gripes that he's going to take every missed shot out of Hank's allowance. Dean freaks out and runs away crying (again). Hank asks if Sgt. Hatred is sure about this. Hatred says that he's tried everything to get Hank's respect and this seems like the only way. Hank shakily aims the gun at Hatred again, fires, and again misses. Hank fires a few more shots wildly, hitting the floor, the table, his comic until finally a shot ricochets and grazes Sgt. Hatred's arm. Hatred is ecstatic about this, and Hank is mortified. Hatred tells him not to worry, and that he should remember this time since it will unite them. Just then Dean screams and runs back through the hangar. Dr. Venture is at the entrance saying that HELPeR is back. Only instead of HELPeR we have HELPeR with the body of the walking eye. HELPeR seems excited to see Dean (and a little wobbly on his new feet), though the feeling is clearly not mutual.

Brock, now much fatter and with a full beard, has apparently been staying at Steve Summers and Sasquatch's cabin for a while. It's not time for him to leave, however. Steve tries to dissuade him, but Brock's mind is set on fixing things. Revenge and freedom. Steve points out that Brock isn't exactly in the best shape and might need to remedy that before he does anything. Brock notes that running with Steven in the mornings wasn't fun due to Steve's bionic legs. Sasquatch comes in to say his goodbyes as well, hugging Brock and giving him a ski mask. Brock gives them a painting of Steve and Sasquatch he made, which they accept gracefully. They say their final goodbyes and Brock leaves.

Dr. Venture is talking with the Nazis who are rather beat up looking. They want Dr. Venture to clone someone for them. Dr. Venture is annoyed, saying everyone wants clones and he's not taking any more barters. The Nazis say that Dr. Venture will be paid in the future, after the 'new glory'. They salute and Dr. Venture realizes that they're Nazis and that they want Hitler cloned from the dog that's with them. He refuses to clone Hitler but Fritz points out that it's not a request and gives Dr. V eight months to comply. If he doesn't the consequences 'will be deadly'. They leave just as Hank and Dean enter. Hank is wearing Brock's coat but not the 'Venture Blues' uniform. Dr. Venture notes that they can't wait for Brock and more and are going to need a bodyguard. Hank is unhappy with this and Hitler dog takes a dump on the floor which Dr. Venture picks up using the comic as a scoop.

At the Black Hearts building Molotov and Hunter are having a quick meeting, bartering out the assassinations. Brock is sneaking around in the ventilation system above their heads. He crawls to a nearby vent but ends up meeting what appears to be a SPHINX agent. They exchange words a bit and crash through the ceiling right when Molotov is mentioning that she believes there is a spy in their organization. They fall on her and Brock takes down the SPHINX agent. Brock brandishes his knife and looks at Hunter and pulls off his mas.

HUNTER
Samson! Jeeze, is that you? You have really let yourself go.

BROCK
What are you gonna do little man? Woman. I know you know how to stab me in the back but do you really have the balls to shoot me?

HUNTER
Nope. [he lowers his gun] But she does. [nods towards Molotov]

Molotov, now conscious again, shoots Brock. hitting him in the chest and knocking him out the window. A palm tree lessons his fall but he still looks in bad shape. Nearby SPHINX agents waiting in a van see him fall and quickly grab him.

Dr. Venture and 21 are in his cloning lab having a conversation:

DR. VENTURE
Alright, let's say I do it. You do understand he'll be a little baby, and will have none of your friend's memories.

HENCHMAN 21
Really? Aw, that's a gyp. I thought maybe he'd look like Hank.

DR. VENTURE
[guffaws] Fat chance! I lost all my slugs with your friend out there.

HENCHMAN 21
Fine. Do it. I will raise him as my own son. Anything! Just bring 24 back to me! Please!

DR. VENTURE
Okay, okay! Let's see the half-mil.

HENCHMAN 21
[pulls out a flat, velvet bag] This relic belonged to my father's father and has been passed down to the first-born male in my family's line.

DR. VENTURE
[takes a comic out of the bag] What? It's a comic. A comic that has a price on it for ten cents!

HENCHMAN 21
Comic! That is Marvel number one!

DR. VENTURE
Look, I wasn't born yesterday, there's no way something featuring 'Kazar the Great' and 'twelve pages of jungle adventure' is worth half a million bucks!

HENCHMAN 21
That's in almost dead mint condition! That is CGC rated at 9.6! It's like a miracle!

DR. VENTURE
Ohh, why don't you go sell your magic beans to another super-scientist with an illegal cloning facility! I'm done with this crap! [he hands the comic back to 21]

HENCHMAN 21
Well, hold onto this. [hands the comic back] Look it up on the internet. You will see that what I tell you is completely true. And take this. [hands Dr. Venture a cooler]

DR. VENTURE
What's this? The world's most valuable cooler?

HENCHMAN 21
Cloning material. It's 24's finger. It still has the Black Beard's Diamond Treasure I got him. Well you can keep that too, I guess, that's worth two low payments of twenty-nine ninety-five.

DR. VENTURE
[Hank enters with a large box] Alright, get out of here, I don't want to tell my kids about this crap.

HENCHMAN 21
[as he passes Hank] Yep, sorry about the bad news, Highlander. Looks like you'll never see the quickening.

HANK
Huh? [pause] Hey, pop, this came from you all the way from Argentina.

DR. VENTURE
Hank, this is open already.

HANK
I had to. It was beeping!

DR. VENTURE
So explosive device never occurred to you? Hank, you've got to be more careful now. Your safety net's gone.

HANK
I know! Brock's gone.

DR. VENTURE
Oh! Yeah. That too. [pulls out the contents of the box] What is this?

HANK
It's HELPeR's head wrapped up in Brock's coat.

DR. VENTURE
Good god, he's been left on! It's okay, I know, I know boy. It must have been a nightmare. Hank, push the eyes for five seconds while I hold this.

HANK
Are you retrieving his data files to find out where Brock is?

DR. VENTURE
He's in Argentina near a Mailboxes Etc. No, this is hard reboot. I'm not about to send a robot to therapy.

HANK
Hey, can I have Brock's jacket?

DR. VENTURE
If you're so excited about worthless garbage do you want this too? [he hands Hank the comic]

HANK
Yeah! Totally! [Hank pulls the comic out of the slipcase and starts thumbing through it]

HANK
What is this crap? Where's Batman?!

Brock is tied to a chair, naked, and being interrogated by SPHINX agents. They want to know his relation to Molotov and the Black Hearts. Brock tells them it's complicated. They ask if he knows anything about their operation, but Brock has no clue what they are talking about. He didn't even know that SPHINX still existed! They're not convinced, but Brock tells them that he quit OSI, or possibly was fired. He's not sure. One of the agents says they'll leave the two of them to discuss it and they both leave.

BROCK
Two of you?

HUNTER
[on a chair behind Brock's] A little pickle we got us into, eh boy-o?

BROCK
Hunter?! Oh they got you to, huh? Well it serves you right you two-timing bitch.

HUNTER
Why the hell are you so P.O.'d at me for? So I sick those three reprobates on you?! So what!? You're Brock Samson, damnit! Thought it'd add a little spice to your life!

BROCK
So, so what, you did me a favor?!

HUNTER
You're damned skippy I did! I got you out of that dead-end job and back to doing what you're best at!

BROCK
And then what? You were hoping I'd be so grateful to you and Molotov that I'd join up with your little thrill-kill girls club, sorry, I don't have the tits for it.

HUNTER
Oh yeah, coulda fooled me, Poppin' Fresh.

BROCK
Unless... you were working undercover. [Hunter stands up]

HUNTER
[cutting Brock's rope] That's it. Work it out, thinkenstein.

BROCK
The sex change, the defection. It was all a ruse so you could infiltrate Molotov's group.

HUNTER
Well you're half-right so far.

BROCK
You're still with OSI, aren't ya! SPHINX wasn't after Molotov, they were after you! I knew it! [he catches Hunter's hair]
HUNTER
Boy-o, you don't know dick!

The lights come on to reveal Hunter, back to being a man (and holding his crotch to prove it) with Shore Leave, Sky Pilot and the surgeon behind him. They are all wearing SPHINX uniforms.

Roll end credits.

Back at the Venture Compound we see the aftermath of the opening scene. Orpheus finishes up his lightning spell. Dr. O points out that it's time for Hitler to die. Again. Dean points out that Giant Boy Detective ran away.

In the mountains overlooking the compound Hank is still watching. Giant Boy Detective sneaks up on him, ready to attack. Hank tries to calm the dog, but he lunges. Right before he connects a man in a SPHINX uniform tackles him. Hank tries to call Sgt. Hatred but Shore Leave appears and stops him. The SPHINX agent and dog Hitler struggle a bit but the agent raises the golden dagger and stabs the dog, who squeals and disappears in a flash of light.

BROCK
Yeah, I can cross 'stab Hitler to death' off my list of cool crap I thought I'd never get to do.

HANK
Brock?

BROCK
Hey Hank! Killed Hitler.

HANK
[hugs Brock] Wh- why are you here? Why are you wearing that? Why didn't you say goodbye to me when you-

BROCK
Hank, Hank! Listen, buddy. You have to trust me. You can't tell anybody we were here. This is our little secret.

HANK
Why did you leave me?

BROCK
Hank, I'll never leave you. But right now these guys need me a little more. You can share me Hank, can't ya? I mean, look at how big you got! I can barely get my hands around these shoulders!

SGT. HATRED
[calling out from off screen] Hank! Haaank!

HANK
I'm over here! It's okay, I'm with- [he looks behind him but Brock and Shore Leave are gone]

SGT. HATRED
Hank... [picks up the dagger] Did you kill Hitler?

HANK
No, it was... it was... an angel.

SGT. HATRED
Oh. Thought it was you. I was gonna buy you an ice cream cake and stuff.

HANK
[laughs] I was just kidding! Yeah it was me. I totally killed Hitler!

Notes

• In customary Venture Bros. fashion, this episode was actually the second to last one written for the first half of season four, hence the higher production number.
  
  
• The titles shown throughout the episode (right after various scene changes) are titles lifted from Marvel Comics #1, which is featured in the episode in a number of ways. Marvel Comics #1 is the first comic book issue put out by Timely Comics, the precursor to Marvel. It was released in 1939 and featured the first appearances of Human Torch (not to be confused with the Human Torch, aka Johnny Storm) and Sub-Mariner among others.
  
  
• The comic itself is worth approximately $270,000 when rated at 9.0 ('near mint') on the CGC scale and $460,000 when rated 9.2. 21's copy was initially rated at 9.6, which is higher than any existing copy of this book that I can find, so it's difficult to verify the $500,000 value the episode claims.
  
  The CGC grading scale is a number from 0.5 to 10.0 that represents the quality of the comic with 9.6 being 'Near Mint+' which would mean very little visible wear or damage to a comic.
  
  
• The episode itself follows a structure not unlike that of the film Memento which is about a man with short-term memory loss and has half of its scenes shown in reverse to allow the viewer to experience the situation in a similar way to the main character. Similarly this episode is two different (but intersecting) storylines with one shown in chronological order and the other reversed. Jackson started on his blog that the Venture scenes were shown out of order as to drop viewers of season four into as chaotic a situation as possible. Brock's scenes are all shown in the order they happen and the scenes with the boys and Dr. Venture (except for ones where they interact with Brock) are shown in reverse order. The CGC rating for 21's copy of Marvel Comics #1 is also an indication of the timeframe, and Brock's scenes contain logos from the stories in the comic.
  
  
• HELPeR, in spite of what Jackson and Doc have said (especially Doc) survived the explosion at the end of season three only to have his head embedded in Brock's chest. The body Dr. Venture attaches him to is that of the walking eye featured in Fallen Arches, though now colored HELPeR blue instead of its usual black.
  
  
• This episode marks the sixth time the opening credit sequence has changed. The other five are the Dr. Girlfriend/Monarch opening from last season's premiere, the Dr. Venture Brothers opening from the season two premiere, the Christmas episode opening, the shortened season two opening and the original opening. The main difference is the addition of Sgt. Hatred.
  
  
• There are numerous references to Raiders of the Lost Ark in this episode. Orpheus' garb and staff are the same as those worn by Dr. Rene Belloq, one of the two main antagonists, during the opening of the Ark scene. Since Raiders takes place in 1936, Belloq and Major Arnold Toht (the other antagonist) were searching for the Ark in order to give it to Hitler (though Belloq had other plans). Likewise in this episode two Nazi henchmen and one leader are reminiscent of Toht and his soldiers in Raiders. And indeed they even meet the same demise, with the two soldiers getting zapped and Fritz's face melting (similar to the famous scene from Raiders). Orpheus's line "Don't look, no matter what happens!" right before he casts his spell is the same line spoken by Indy when the Ark is opened, and Fritz's line "It's beautiful!" is the same as Toht's from the same scene.
  
  
• Wilhelm Scream Alert! When Brock lands on the flying OSI soldier and steals his jetpack, the soldier makes the Wilhelm scream as he falls.
  
  
• The game Hank mentions, Medal of Honor: Heroes 2, is a Wii and PSP game released in 2007.
  
  
• If Agent Cardholder's voice seems a bit off, that's because it is. Doc Hammer (who voices the character) seems to have put a little more Dr. Girlfriend into the voice for this episode. In The Lepidopterists his voice is far less gruff.
  
  
• Agent Doe calls Dean 'Wishbone' which is a reference to a PBS show of the same name which featured a dog who daydreamed about taking part in many classic literary works.
  
  
• The mummy arm Giant Boy Detective/Hitler is chewing on is that of Saint Moses the Black of Scetes, who is a saint in the Catholic and Orthodox churches. He was a monk in Egypt (which is where Scetes is, if you were curious).
  
  
• In the same scene 21 also says that Hitler's behavior is learned and you need to show them who the alpha male is. Dr. O says that not even the great Cesar Millan could train this dog. Millan is a well known dog trainer, famous for his television series Dog Whisperer where he takes out of control dogs and attempts to train them to become well behaved.
  
  
• The triumphant return of Brendon Small, as he reprises his role as the plastic surgeon last seen in Assassinanny 911. Known for his part as writer/voice actor/creator in Home Movies and more recently the same roles on Metalocalypse. Brendon only had a few parts last season (mainly voicing Action Johnny) but was a pretty big part of season two.
  
  
• SPHINX is revealed to still exist, and also apparently may be in some kind of counter-movement to a potentially corrupt OSI (speculation on my part). SPHINX has thus far only appeared in flashbacks, with their most prominent being the OSI Montage/GI Joe parody in The Invisible Hand of Fate. What the future holds for OSI and SPHINX remains to be seen of course.