The calls for Marvel to let go of its four-quadrant approach strategy continued all summer, despite the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine. Around Marvel, challengers for superhero storytelling, like Invincible and The Boys, continue to draw acclaim. Lucky for Marvel, Hit-Monkey returns with a second season, allowing the bloody animated series to occupy that space for them. Almost completely disconnected from the Avengers characters one usually associates with Marvel, Hit-Monkey highlights a unique angle for the studio. It’ll be curious to see if they follow this path, because the results make for an incredibly fun and emotional story.
Hit-Monkey Season 2 Plot
After the deaths in Tokyo, Monkey and the ghost of Bryce Fowler (Jason Sudeikis) move to New York City. Here, they can slowly build up Monkey’s reputation and draw the attention of Bryce’s former agent Eunice (Leslie Jones). However, their past is not done with Monkey or Bryce. Monkey’s former friend Akiko (Olivia Munn) wants revenge. Bryce’s daughter Iris (Cristin Milioti) works at a diner, but Bryce yearns to reconnect. At the same time, he hides a secret from Monkey and the arrival of their friend Haruka (Ally Maki).
Hit-Monkey – The Critique
Like many shows that cater to adults, Hit-Monkey walks a line between traditional animation and gross-out moments. Unlike many of those shows, Hit-Monkey not only stylizes the violence but finds ways to craft some of the most absurd sequences you’ve ever seen. What makes them unique in Hit-Monkey is how the violence stems from an honest exploration of these unique powersets. With ghosts, demons, and absurd psychic powers on display, comic book creativity makes its way into the animation.
Even beyond the pure aesthetic and inspiration, animation house Floyd County Productions uses Hit-Monkey to further push its style. Known for their work on Archer and Dicktown, Floyd County Productions has shown the ability to blend genre and eras to recreate specific vibes for a series. Throughout Hit-Monkey, the visual inspirations are recreated to perfection. Pulling from exploitation films, not too subtly hinting at 70s Kung-Fu movies and the work of Tarantino, the series can introduce newcomers to a gorgeous visual while providing brilliant homage for those in the know.
The comedic tone becomes even stronger throughout the season. Sudeikis undeniably sets the tone, allowing his biting sarcasm to return after years on Ted Lasso. He’s far more subversive and vulgar in Hit-Monkey, but his SNL background makes him perfect for the role. He leads the way, but the addition of Leslie Jones proves pivotal. Her humor gives us the “fish-out-of-water” character, who remarks on the ridiculousness of the situation. It’s a great performance from Jones, who helps us buy into Eunice as a strong, overqualified character from the jump.
There’s a heart that Sudeikis brings to Hit-Monkey, helping supplement the primary character’s monkey howls and grunts. It’s truly a triumph of voice acting that Sudeikis makes you laugh so hard while still dropping some of the most emotionally crushing monologues you’ll hear on TV. However, do not let that fool you. Showrunners Will Speck and Josh Gordon tell an incredibly intimate story through Monkey, allowing context and the non-verbals of animation to keep us in our hero’s mind the entire time.
Perhaps the weakest aspect of the season stems from its underdeveloped villains. The series has two primary antagonists, and neither feels as personal as the first season. While some aspects of these characters are intriguing, they pale compared to Bryce’s connection with his daughter or Haruka’s journey to understanding. It makes the confrontations with the villains a bit surface-level and fits into the tropes established for years before the rise of comic book entertainment. Compared to the complex emotional journies for the characters we love, Hit-Monkey‘s antagonists rarely feel unique or creative (despite some cool powersets).
Conclusion
Hit-Monkey takes a step up from Season 1 regarding emotional storytelling, and the years away allowed the comedy to be sharpened. Marvel wisely lets Monkey stay away from larger connections to the MCU, and if it continues to feel as cool as this, it will only strengthen its storytelling. With some huge swings and a complex emotional arc running through its center, Hit-Monkey surprises as one of the strongest animation shows of 2024.
8/10
Watch Hit-Monkey on Hulu or Disney+. Season 2 begins on July 15, 2024. All ten episodes were provided to FandomWire for review.
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