List of The Venture Bros. characters

This is a list of main and recurring fictional characters and organizations from The Venture Bros., the Adult Swim/Cartoon Network comic science fiction series.

Contents

Team Venture

Team Venture composes the central characters in the show; they live in a fortified compound in an undisclosed location somewhere in the United States. The compound doubles as the headquarters for Dr. Venture's company, Venture Industries.

Venture acquaintances

The Order of the Triad

Original Team Venture

Archvillains and henchmen

The Guild of Calamitous Intent

The Guild of Calamitous Intent is the primary organization of antagonists in the series. It acts as a sort of supervillain trade union, providing benefits such as health insurance and setting the rules of conduct between its members and their enemies. It is led by a mysterious figure known only as "The Sovereign" and a group of men called the Council of Thirteen.

The current incarnation of the Guild was apparently founded around 1959 by Phantom Limb's grandfather, but its history can be traced back to the late Victorian era, where it was a heroic organization led by Colonel Lloyd Venture, Rusty Venture's grandfather, dedicated to the protection of an item known as the "ORB."

Members

He was said to have been at attendance at The Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend's wedding, but he was not seen on screen. Brock believed Dean may have been torturing him with Snapple facts, when Dean was, in fact, hallucinating in the bellows of the Cocoon.
In Pinstripes & Poltergeists he tried to double cross the Monarch by seizing his arch-enemy's property and his own through legal means. He was prevented by Henchman 21 and Brock Samson.
In The Silent Partners, Monstroso has the Investors kidnap Billy Quizboy, we learn that he is dying of heart failure and requires a transplant, namely the heart taken from King Gorilla by an agreement he made with the Investors to rescind his life sentence. Billy was chosen because of his skills, and the Investors would return the favor by forging documents signed by Billy to "officially" give him credentials to be legally recognized as a doctor and "immortality" for his recognized fame as a great surgeon because, the surgery is so difficult. (and performed in international waters).
Billy completes the transplant, and the Post credits scene, Monstroso appears to be recovering from his surgery, although he appears to be unaware that he is no longer on his boat but actually at the Sphinx headquarters on the Venture compound, Billy checks on him and returns to Brock. The only thing Brock is worried about is if Monstroso is “well enough so I can kill him yet?”.
However, in Operation: P.R.O.M. Monstroso is rescued by Molotov, and it is revealed that he and Molotov are in a romantic relationship.

The Revenge Society

A new, independent organization of villains set up primarily to oppose the Guild of Calamitous Intent; as such, a number of its members have had unpleasant dealings with the Guild in the past. Its founder is Phantom Limb, who initially created the society as his "team" to obtain the ORB for use against the Guild; however, this version of the Revenge Society was merely Phantom Limb himself along with a coffee mug named Wisdom, a toaster named Chuck, and a shoe called Lady Nightshade that he believed (possibly deludedly) were real people. After escaping Guild custody later on, Phantom Limb teamed up with Richard Impossible to found the current Revenge Society, which has since had quick success in the field of villainy (though there are only six members) and they fail to kill Dr. Venture, twice in Bright Light, Dean City.

Members

S.P.H.I.N.X.

Originally a terrorist organization (an homage to G.I. Joe's Cobra Command) that was the primary adversary of the O.S.I. 20 years ago until its defeat in the Pyramid Wars of 1987. Several members of the O.S.I. who were disillusioned with its ineffectual bureaucracy decided take up the S.P.H.I.N.X. mantle, along with their leftover equipment, to create an organization to deal with rogue supervillains (those who do not abide by the rules of organized villainy mandated by institutions like the Guild of Calamitous Intent).

Recurring and minor characters

The Impossibles

Ünderland

Imprisoned villains

Jonny Quest

Although The Venture Bros. is a parody of Jonny Quest, some Jonny Quest characters appear in several episodes. This is because Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. owns the rights to the Jonny Quest characters. Some of these characters, particularly Action Johnny, are drawn with variable line weights in the same style as the original comic-book-like Jonny Quest cartoons, as a visual homage.

Organizations

Name Purpose Information
Team Venture/
Venture Industries
Adventuring and scientific research The world's foremost scientific adventuring organization decades ago. It consisted of a group of extraordinary gentlemen led by the late, great, Jonas Venture. Although the present group is a less-than-worthy successor to the original team, they occasionally manage to have fantastic adventures nonetheless. In Now Museum-Now You Don't Jonas Venture Jr, mentions one of Dr. Venture's first missions was to stop the Rosenbergs, indicating the original Team Venture began in the early 1950s. As Dr. Venture died in the 80's it's likely the original team ended then.
The Guild of Calamitous Intent Organized super-villainy syndicate A shadowy syndicate of major and minor supervillains, ne'er-do-wells, and otherwise outlandish criminals. The Guild has rules and guidelines regulating villainous behavior. Undercover Guild operatives are called "Strangers." The activities of Strangers are monitored by two Guild operatives (Watch and Ward), who receive orders from the mysterious entity, Sovereign, who was revealed to be none other than David Bowie.
The Fluttering Horde Henching for the Monarch The loyal henchmen of The Monarch, who claims they prefer to be called "minions" rather than "henchmen". They are responsible for keeping the cocoon up and running as well as carrying out orders. They are armed with dart guns. The only henchmen that appear to continuously survive The Monarch's many botched attempts at killing Dr. Venture are Henchmen 21 and (until recently) 24.
The Order of the Triad Adventuring Dr. Orpheus' adventuring team recently approved for arching by the Guild of Calamitous Intent.
Office of Secret Intelligence Secret spy organization The supersecret spy organization of which Brock Samson was a member. According to agent Hunter Gathers, the O.S.I. has been in existence since "the second American Revolution — the invisible one". It trained him into the wonder he is today. Its name seems to be patterned after that of the real-life Office of Strategic Services, the precursor to the CIA or the Office of Scientific Intelligence, the controlling organization of The Six Million Dollar Man.

Its military outfits are vaguely reminiscent of those of S.H.I.E.L.D., but the dress code was discontinued in the 80's, leading some members to choose flamboyant costumes. This is a deliberate reference to shows like G.I. Joe, where members of a military organization have highly individualized costumes as opposed to uniforms.

Impossible Industries Scientific research and development A scientific empire headed by Professor Richard Impossible. It includes a think tank in a secluded location near the North Pole and main headquarters in New York City. Pete White, Master Billy Quizboy, and Dr. Venture were selected to participate in an undisclosed project for the think tank. In the episode "20 Years to Midnight", several characters fall from a window in the New York City headquarters through a subway ventilation grate and directly into the path of an oncoming V train (on the F, V, B, D line) at which time a "5th Ave" sign is posted in the station. Based on this, the Impossible Industries headquarters is located across the street from/near the 53rd Street and 5th Avenue V station. It is also noted in "20 Years to Midnight" that the New York City headquarters was formerly a Venture Industries location.
Ünderland Troops Forced military of Ünderland for former leader Baron Ünderbheit Soldiers (formerly) at the service of Ünderland and Baron Ünderbheit. Seem to be proud of the discipline involved and unfazed by the fact they would be executed at age 38.
Conjectural Technologies Business A business started by Pete White and Master Billy Quizboy, operated out of the trailer in which they live. Dr. Venture contacted them to help identify and cure Dean's testicular torsion and enlisted their help in trying to fix his father's shrink ray to win a bet with Dr. Orpheus.
State University School A University which was attended by many of the series major characters, in two different time periods (Thaddeus Venture, Brock Samson, Pete White, Werner Ünderbheit, Mike Sorayama, and The Monarch during the early/mid eighties; Dr. Girlfriend, Billy Quizboy, and the future Sally Impossible during the late eighties/early nineties). Brock left to join the Army during his Freshman year, and several tragedies befell the others, but it is unknown if any of them graduated. Professor Hamilton Fantomos was employed there, until the accident which transformed him into Phantom Limb. Billy Quizboy attended for a few weeks, but only as a spy for O.S.I. who were looking into Fantomos. Professor Richard Impossible was also on the faculty, and shared an office with Fantomos, and taught at least one class attended by Thaddeus Venture. Impossible left the faculty shortly before Fantomos' accident, a result of a scandal involving his student Sally (later, his wife).
The Blackhearts Elimination Agency Assassins Guild An all-woman group of mercenary/assassins run by Molotov Cocktease. It is unknown whether it still exists: most of the members mutated to "Giant fly humanoid" in Operation P.R.O.M.
S.P.H.I.N.X. Independent Secret Spy/Peacekeeping Organisation Originally a terrorist organisation that drew many parallels with Cobra Command, it was shut down by the O.S.I. and later revived by disgruntled former O.S.I. agents who disliked the system set up with the Guild of Calamitous Intent. The organisation currently exists in secret, hunting down international threats who have not signed up with the Guild and thus are beyond the O.S.I.'s power. Agents known thus far are its leader, Col. Hunter Gathers, his protégé Brock Samson, former operatives Shore Leave and Mile High, and an unnamed German plastic surgeon. They currently maintain a secret base hidden inside the Venture Compound.
The Revenge Society Independent Villain Group Formed by Phantom Limb, and named after his alternate codename–Revenge–the first incarnation consisted of himself, Billy Quizboy, Guild Councilmen 3 & 8 (all of whom he had kidnapped and forced into service), as well as three inanimate objects which Phantom Limb believed to be alive. After freeing himself from guild incarceration, Phantom Limb formed a second version of the Society with Professor Impossible, Baron Werner Ünderbheit, Fat Chance, and Lady Bird and Lyndon Bee (characters based on the fantasy film Ladyhawke and American President Lyndon Johnson and his wife.

References

  1. ^ Season 2 DVD commentary for "Powerless in the Face of Death"