Hulk-Busters! Play a fairly important role in this week’s Hulk and the Agents of Smash. Meanwhile, Beware the Batman continues its trend of not caring who guest stars on it. All that and more, on this week’s Boomb Tube.
It’s six episodes in and Beware the Batman has Metamorpho on it. No lie, that’s an incredibly bold direction for a show everyone said was going to be grim and gritty before its released to take. Security guard Rex Mason is maxing with the love of his life, the daughter of that Simon Stagg fellow from the first episode. Simon Stagg doesn’t like it when guys mess with his daughter, he’s a real Simon Dragg. As a result, Simon lures Rex into a chamber filled with gases that make him Simon Gagg. Rex turns into a hideous monster/silver-age icon and escapes Frankenstein style. Batman arrives on the scene and after realizing that Metamorpho’s just frightened, Mason melts through a sewer. Batman then gets hit on by the doctor from the Magpie episode and agrees to go with her on a date so he can do the Batman thing where he stands a girl up while fighting something.
Metamorpho breaks into his girlfriend’s apartment so he can Simon Nagg her into realizing he’s still the same man underneath the monstrous interior. Batman’s probably there because he was just lucky when it came to that night’s sleeping-young-woman watching. Actually, Bruce had been going through the videos, discovered that Simon didn’t want his daughter seeing Mason, and was then promptly attacked by Simon who’s just wandering his offices with a shotgun at 2:00AM. Mason loses it upon discovering that Stagg exposed him to the Metamorpho gases and attacks the Stagg building for revenge. Batman shows up, threatens to blackmail Stagg, and sets up a trap to get Mason back in the Metamorpho chamber. Mason is lured into it during his rampage, and when it’s reactivated it doesn’t do anything because of course not, it’s the same machine as before. Batman claims he made an antidote but the gases look exactly the same so I guess he just thought he might get lucky this time. Metamorpho then scerams some more and dissolves which makes everyone think Batman killed him even though Metamorpho literally has the word “morph” in it. Bruce then reveals he already called the police on Stagg, leaves the video showing Simon leading Mason into the chamber, and Batman walks out of the room with a lot of Simon Swagg. Later at their date, Bruce leaves to make a call while his date texts an unknown benefactor to claim that Bruce is hooked and properly evily seduced. He spent more time in this episode talking about trying to find ways to sleep less than he did thinking of her, so I really don’t think that’s the case.
Review Score: 7.2 – Solid episode, but I’m starting to notice that every character is similar to another. Metamorpho/Clayface. Humpty Dumpty/Mad Hatter. Anarky/Joker. That’s not necessarily bad, but the show could do more to distinct itself in some cases. Still fun though.
Over on Hulk and the Agents of SMASH, the Agents of Smash are fighting Blastaar underneath New York because literally whatever. Iron Man shows up to help defeat Blastaar and they all follow him back to his base for reasons. Hulk reveals in the show’s obnoxious “reality show confessionals” segments that the team isn’t getting along because Red Hulk’s a jerk, A-Bomb is immature, and Skaar is literally a double agent for The Leader. I’m all down for a Hulk that’s not entirely driven by rage, but watching one that’s totally cool with a double agent on the team is really weird. Also boring. Marvel Animation is 90% heroes fighting each other out of confusion but if someone actually turns out to be a valid threat you just let them mess with Seth Green’s belongings, it’ll be fine.
At Iron Man’s base, Red Hulk stumbles upon the Hulkbuster armors, a collection of suits designed to take out each Agent of SMASH. To be fair though, the only difference in any of them is how Red Hulk’s is Red, and Skaar’s has a sword. Surprisingly, Seth Green’s Hulkbuster contingency plan isn’t jus a fly swatter. While the Hulks leave the base, the Hulkbusters activate on their own because of course. The Hulks team up with Iron Man and scavenge one scrapped Hulkbuster so we can have a five second cameo from Hulk’s “Planet Hulk” outfit. Iron Man helps by turning off the lights even though the robots have no eyes and already walk in with night vision. They all fight The Busters until the true hacker, The Leader who has literally no motivation or background here, reveals himself and forms three of the Busters into one Mega-Buster. Now he’ll finally be able to take on Dr. Wily. Mega-Buster grabs Iron Man and flies off to New York to self destruct. The Hulks jump out of the base onto the surface except for Skaar who, in what’s probably some animation error, flies out. He’s amazing.
Hulk jumps onto Mega-Buster, pulls Tony out, and kind of just lets Mega-Buster fall and acts relieved when it safely lands in the harbor. Iron Man and Hulk then share a good laugh over the ordeal topped off by Hulk making Iron Man promise he’ll take The Hulk out if he loses control. #ScienceBros! Meanwhile, A-Bomb questions Hulk as to why they let Skaar stay with them when they know he’s a traitor. Hulk says they might have the chance to use him to get to Leader… and maybe… to make Skaar a friend. That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. I’m not saying Hulk needs to be constantly crushing cities but wow he doesn’t also need to be Fred Goddamn Rogers.
Review Score: 4.5 – This show has a kind of off, very boring, characterization for The Hulk, and Seth Green somehow outdoes Drake Bell in terms of annoying narrator.
