6. Handsome Ransom
“Handsome Ransom” opens to a kidnapping of the Venture Brothers as The Monarch tries to broker the best possible ransom for at least one of the boys while Hank calls his father a “honky.” Suddenly, the roof of the cocoon bursts open as the heist is botched by one Captain Sunshine.
Kevin Conroy, the avatar of Batman, voices Captain Sunshine, a non-Kryptonian solar-super-powered caped crusade who considers Hank his “Super Friend,” inviting him to become his new rainbow boy wonder, Wonder Boy.
Perks of this henchman/sidekick position include room and board in his Sanctum Solarium, which in proper Bat-cave fashion features a giant penny with the Monarch’s face on it, because c’mon, if you’re going to have Kevin Conroy, you’ve gotta have at least an element of Batman present. Specifically, it’s the part of Batman that necessitated the inclusion of Bat Woman back in 1956– his somewhat… “unique” relationship with Robin.
Captain Sunshine, like a surprisingly large amount of Venture Bros. characters, was originally mentioned in a Henchman war story in Season Two, expanded upon as one of the Monarch’s cocktail stories where he claims to have an invulnerable suit of carapace armor, leading to a very disturbing scene of the Monarch asking Captain Sunshine “where do you want the *****?” while making a diamond hand gesture in a much too tight boy-leotard.
This episode also features the introduction of Ghost Robot, a ghost who lives in the head of a robot, who the creators admit is without a doubt, one of the dumbest things ever. Therefore, it is one of my favorite things.
