‘The Venture Bros.’ Has Quietly Been Telling One of the Most Brutal Family Sagas on TV

Despite its love of bizarre superheroes and quippy one-liners, The Venture Bros. has always been about failure. Whether an episode is following the latest Monarch scheme that will inevitably blow up in his face or Rusty’s fight with his allies, The Venture Bros. is about a group of weird losers who are practically incapable of getting life right. But in its most recent season, this joyfully odd show has been piecing together one of the saddest and hurt-filled stories on television — a quiet story about the brutal scars of failed fatherhood. Season 7 spoilers ahead. 

There’s no question that The Venture Bros. has always had a complicated relationship with its paternal figures. In early seasons the animated comedy really leaned into the comedic beats of its cold father Rusty (James Urbaniak) and the two sons who could never live up to his standards, Hank (Christopher McCulloch) and Dean (Michael Sinterniklaas). Especially early on, Hank and Dean were like two giant, dumb puppies, and their father’s frustration with them was so funny the show could ignore the trauma his disappointment was causing them.

That changed in Season 5 when Dean, and later Hank, learned that he wasn’t really himself. Dean was part of a long line of twin clones created by his father. Despite the morbidity, there was an underlying sweetness to Dean’s existential crisis throughout this season. Clearly Rusty needed the boys in some way or he would have let them die. Rusty did care for his Dumb and Dumber sons, the season argued, but he was incapable of showing that care in any outward manner.

But in Season 7 The Venture Bros. throws all of that good will out the window by exploring Rusty’s complicated relationship with his own father, Dr. Jonas Venture Sr. (Paul Boocock). Both men’s approach to fatherhood can be described as gilded cynicism. But by seeing the deep scars Jonas left Rusty with and realizing that Rusty is currently making the same mistakes with his own sons, this season questions whether we’ve been too quick to give our favorite losing scientistic dad a break. Rusty is a complicated father, yes. But do his wounds make up for the ones he’s already inflicted?

All of that moral questioning starts with the thought-to-be-dead Jonas. Jonas is established to be a near-perfect hero. He’s classically handsome, tall and muscled, and capable of accomplishing scientific feats so incredible they almost feel like magic, one thing he has in common with his son. In fact he’s so classically perfect, the series itself intentionally skims over how emotionally distant he was to his son. It’s almost as if The Venture Bros. itself wants to give Jonas the unfair break he received his entire life. That dichotomy plays out in full force during “The Venture Bros. & The Curse of the Haunted Problem” and “Arrears in Science.”

As Jonas’ old friends croon about how impressive it is to see him again and monologues about what exactly he may be doing in his digital realm, the most interesting character dynamic is quite literally pushed aside. Rusty’s reunion with his long-gone son plays out in the background of Jonas’ revival. He tries to take control of what should be his story, yelling about being confused and making passive aggressive remarks about how being ignored is nothing new, but it’s all for naught. Rusty is almost completely shut out of his own dad’s return.

In fact the only momentous conversation Rusty has with his son happens over his watch. In that moment, likely the last time Jonas will ever talk to his son, he doesn’t say that he loves him or ask for forgiveness. He barks an order.

That intentional distance also plays into arguably one of the most shocking plot twists in Venture Bros. history — the revelation that Rusty and The Monarch (McCulloch) are actually half brothers. The series has been hinting at this truth for years, but during a charged confrontation between Jonas and his former best friend Blue Morpho (Paul F. Tompkins) it’s all but confirmed. While arguing about the fertility trouble Blue Morpho — The Monarch’s father — had with his wife, Jonas casually brings up how he “assisted” the situation. The pair immediately return to fighting again, as Blue Morpho robotically declares that Jonas is a terrible friend. It doesn’t take much detective work to figure out how Jonas “assisted.”

Ultimately, Jonas and Blue Morpho’s fight ends not with a satisfying act of vengeance but with a whimper. They kill one another, neither revealing to their sons that they’re actually related. The Monarch proudly accepts responsibility for his father’s death, though his pride is as hollow as his happiness.

Rusty is given the more complicated conclusion. While watching the Venture Bros. parade with the ashes of his actually-dead father, he forlornly wishes the older man could see it. After a three-episode arc that proved Jonas was anything but a good father, his son is still shown missing him.

The Venture Bros. has let Rusty get away with so much over the years. His cynicism and emotional distance are explained away as a product of his depressive tendencies. His hostility toward Hank and Dean is a result of how hard it is for him to connect with other people. For years now Rusty’s faults have been brushed off as a product of his unfortunate upbringing. But through this three-episode arc that’s been a long time coming, The Venture Bros. finally gets to the question it feels like it’s been wanting to ask for ages. Is it OK to hate one monster, but forgive the monster who learned from him?

The Venture Bros. likely has a dozen more soul-crushing twists packed with existential dread in our future. But for the moment we’re just like Rusty and the boxed remains of his callous dad. It’s so tempting to lean into the good of this show, it’s easy to ignore the rotten core it wants us to examine.

New episodes of The Venture Bros. premiere on Adult Swim, Sundays at midnight ET.

Where to stream The Venture Bros.