BH's Bizarre Bad-Venture

+ October 31, 2021 (Cartoon Network Mexico)
* May 23, 2023 (Max United States)

"**BH's Bizarre Bad-Venture**" is the fifth episode of the first season of *Villainous*, and the fifth episode overall.

It was released on HBO Max Latin America on October 29, 2021. and aired on Cartoon Network Mexico on October 31, 2021, and it was released on Max United States on May 23, 2023.

## Synopsis

G-Lo, a superhero sidekick, is working on crowd control when the superhero Bicep arrives. She expresses relief upon seeing him, and informs him they're dealing with Black Hat Organization, much to his concern. While he expresses confidence to the public, Bicep tenses up until G-Lo relies the information that he'll face the villain wearing the paper bag; with the confirmation that Black Hat is not around, he gloats about his strenght and tells the young heroine to step aside. Entering the building, he faces the villain hiding in the shadows, surrounded by strange symbols written on the walls; however, his foe reveals himself to be larger than expected, and Bicep screams in pain as he is brutally assaulted.

Back in the lab, Dr. Flug watches the computer, half asleep, while in the background 5.0.5. is drawing with crayons and Demencia is throwing paper planes at his butt. Flug is awoken by the phone; answering it, an unknown client thanks the organization for dealing with Bicep and comments on how expensive the service fee was. Although he reassures the client, Flug is suspicious and upon hanging up, he asks Demencia (who has her mouth stuffed with cereal) if she remembers taking such a mission; she replies that the hero's name doesn't ring any bells, and chokes after pouring milk down her throat. Since the name isn't registered on the computer's files, the doctor checks the news to gather information.

Several headlines describe Black Hat Organization beating different heroes, none of which they have ever faced, and Flug comes to the conclusion that someone is impersonating them - and worst of all, they're taking the money for their service as well, much to his and Demencia's annoyance. After Flug decides to go after the impostors, the team recieves a message in a dumbbell that was thrown through a wall and hits 5.0.5. in the face. The impersonator mocks the trio and gloats about its success in stealing their identities and lives; a second dumbbell arrives, this time being caught by Demencia, and the second message challenges the team to a duel where "only the strongest will survive", with an address written on the back. To Demencia's delight, Flug recognizes the invitation as a trap but decides to go nonetheless, as he points out there's still time before Black Hat returns from his lunch break. (The scene cuts to Black Hat in a pet shop, choosing a puppy for himself.) The team poses to the camera and a colorful transition ensues.

In the Hat Ship, Flug analyses the impersonator's activity and *modus operandi:* they have been using their identities for a while and only take contracts against bodybuilders and particularly strong heroes. Demencia expresses annoyance that someone would *dare* to impersonate Black Hat, while Flug remarks they have to deal with it themselves since the Hat-Lawyers aren't done with their most recent plagiarism charges; in a court room, a Hatbot-ler wearing a fedora, glasses and a blue suit inquire the Bag-Headed Cashier, Nergal, Frankie Foster and the Creature about impersonating its clients. The Hat Ship lands in canyon, where the trio finds a replica of Black Hat's manor with biceps flexing carved in rock. Entering it, Demencia's keen sense of smell detects nothing but metal, sweat and body lotion. Flug tells everyone to keep their guard up, as the enemy may be near; a rough voice declares that indeed they are, prompting 5.0.5. to hug the doctor and Demencia to jump atop the bear's head, hissing like a cat.

Out of the shadows, a muscular version of Flug (dubbed Dr. Flex) appears, shocking the trio. Demencia remarks on the resemblance between the two doctors. Behind them, her own muscular counterpart (Dolencia) taunts them, and she mistakingly identifies her as 5.0.5.'s copy. 5.0.5. is then hit in the rear by spines, revealing a cactus planted in a bottle of whey protein with a paper attached to it, labelled 6.0.6. (with a mean face drawn inside the 0 and the second 6 written in reverse, forming the image of a man flexing his biceps). The copies corner the originals against an elevator, which opens to reveal the muscular Black Hat clone, now calling himself Black Hot. He greets the villains and as Flug scolds himself for not figuring it out earlier, Demencia drools over and lunges at him, only to have her way blocked by her counterpart and a fight starts. Black Hot then starts telling his story.

After his creation, the clone realized he was meant for more than being surrounded by freaks, so he ran away from the manor. He decided that his beauty should be seen and admired by the whole world wheter they liked it or not. Flug interrupts his flashback, wondering how he managed to go unnoticed by the Organization, but he proceeds. After participating in a bodybuilding contest and throwing a whole gym into the sun, Black Hot built his own organization - but before he can share its purpose, he scolds Flug for ignoring him. Flug nonchalantly blasts him with a disintegrating beam, only for the beam to bounce off of the clone's chest and destroy the gun itself. Black Hot orders his henchmen to imprison their counterparts and leaves to cover himself in "evil lotion."

With every member of the team fighting their counterparts, things seem dire for Black Hat's subordinates. Things take a turn, however, once they change adversaries with one another: Demencia is able to defeat Dr. Flex by jumping on his back and rendering him unable to reach her - proving him not that flexible, which deflates his ego and his muscles; 5.0.5. stops Dolencia in her tracks as she gets an allergic reaction to the flower atop his head; Flug simply kicks 6.0.6.'s pot, which in turn gets his foot prickled. The trio then reassembles to face Black Hot, finding him at his office, working out. He expresses his disbelief at their victory against his comrades and approaches the three villains; Demencia runs towards him, once more enamored, but she gets the whole team in position for a cage to be dropped upon them by none other than 6.0.6. Black Hot mocks them, telling he never intended to fight them personally and they were simply bait for his true target: Black Hat.

He informs the team that his motivation all along was to impress Black Hat, who was disgusted with his existence, and prove to him that he is a worthy rival to the greatest villain of all. Flug, however, doubts that his boss will ever acknowledge him, as he doesn't even know they left - and even if he did, he cares about nothing more than suffering. Black Hot takes from this that should he ever hope to be noticed by his counterpart, he ought to give it all he's got and train harder; coming to this conclusion, he jumps out the window and escapes by swimming through the dirt, to Demencia's disappointment.

The team escapes the cage and captures Flex and Dolencia, taking them back to Hat Island. Flug states that they'll see Black Hot again, and that for now a *weight* has been taken off their backs. While he laughs at his pun, Demencia punches him. They take off with the Hat Ship, not realizing 6.0.6. was strapped to the ship's underbelly.

In the mid-credits scene, the judge in the court room sends the defendants away, having found them guilty. He then announces the next trial: Black Hat Organization against Hector Con Carne and his crew.

## Credits

* English version
* Spanish version

* **Dubbing Studio:**
	+ VOA Studios Miami
* **Translator:**
	+ Cindy Perez
* **Director:**
	+ Jose Aparicio
* **Sound Engineer:**
	+ Nico Chang
* **Voices by:**
	+ Alan Ituriel as Black Hat
	+ Yian Ruiz as Dr. Flug
	+ Cindy Eliz as Demencia
	+ Connie Fernandez as Swolencia
* **Secondary Voices by:**
	+ Roly Gutierrez as Bicep and Dr. Flex
	+ Yenni Ann as G-Lo

- **Producer/Director**
	* Alan Ituriel

- **SVP & CM WarnerMedia Kids LATAM**
	* Pablo Zuccarino

- **Head of Original Production WarnerMedia Kids LATAM**
	* Jaime Jiménez Rión

- **Executive Producers**
	* Humberto Cervera
	* Andrés Milán

- **Associated Producers**
	* Ernesto Alemán
	* Jácora Xochitl

- **Executive VP of AI Animation Studios**
	* Mayte Sanz

- **Written by**
	* Diego Valenzuela
	* Stephan Schöer Silva
	* Alan Ituriel

- **Story Editor**
	* Diego Valenzuela

- **Original Story**
	* Alan Ituriel

- **Storyboard Artists**
	* Julio Villegas
	* Ariadna "Ami" Guillén
	* Carlos Ramírez Bernal
	* Lucía Delgado Mixcoatl

- **Original Score by**
	* Kevin Manthe

- **Production Manager**
	* Mariana Arroyo Aguayo

- **Production Coordinator**
	* Jorge Arturo Baltazar Toscuento

- **Production Assistants**
	* A. Gabriela Morales Piña
	* Gerardo Alejandro Oviedo Rodríguez

- **Casting**
	* Karla Falcón

- **Dialogue Director**
	* Alan Ituriel

- **Voice Cast**
	* José Macías as Dr. Flug and Dr. Flex
	* Melissa Gedeón as Demencia and Dolencia
	* Mark Fischbach as 5.0.5. and 6.0.6
	* Alan Ituriel as Black Hat and Black Hot
	* Alicia Vélez as G-Lo
	* Daniel del Roble as Bicep
	* Mauricio Pérez as Boris Ursus
	* Stephan Silva as Hat-torney
	* Jocelyn Robles as Frankie Foster
	* Pablo Moreno as Gym Wimp
	* Elliot Leguizamo as Lord Judge

- **Additional Voices**
	* Elliot Leguizamo
	* Emmanuel Bernal
	* Marysol Lobo
	* Mauricio Pérez
	* Roberto Gutiérrez
	* Betzabé Jara
	* Alan Ituriel

- **Lead Character Artists**
	* Ami Guillén
	* Alan Ituriel

- **Character Artists**
	* Miguel Ángel "Thor" Sánchez García
	* Ramsés Uriel Villegas Ochoa
	* Diana Vanessa Montoya Calvadón

- **Concept Art**
	* Miguel Ángel "Thor" Sánchez García
	* Ami Guillén
	* Ramsés Uriel Villegas Ochoa
	* Carlos Alberto Sánchez Caballero
	* Diana Vanessa Montoya Calvadón
	* Alan Ituriel

- **Props Design**
	* Ramsés Uriel Villegas Ochoa
	* Miguel Ángel "Thor" Sánchez García
	* Ami Guillén
	* A. Gabriela Morales Piña

- **Background Supervisor**
	* Oscar "Yoke" Flores Tovar

- **Background Artists**
	* Oscar "Yoke" Flores Tovar
	* Miguel Ángel "Thor" Sánchez García
	* Paul Köhn Díaz
	* José Manuel Cuautle Sortano
	* Moisés E. Morales "Ares"
	* Ramsés Uriel Villegas Ochoa
	* Alma Canchola
	* Andrés "Kalegrro" del Valle

- **Location Design**
	* Oscar "Yoke" Flores Tovar
	* Miguel Ángel "Thor" Sánchez García
	* Paul Köhn Díaz

- **Animation Supervisor**
	* Stephan Silva

- **Animation Team**
	* Alejandrea Crissel Luna Flores
	* Sonia Cortés González
	* Eduardo Rivas Juárez
	* Damián Esteban Cianeto
	* TheFlyingPanda (Nanda W)
	* Marco Antonio Villagómex
	* Ana Guerrero
	* Ornella Antista
	* Aide Eth Paulina Olvera Ruiz
	* Diana Vanessa Montoya Calvadón
	* Juan Miguel Figueroa Vega
	* Adib Cherit Hernández
	* Iris Lilián Palacios Fernández
	* Ian Felipe Cortés Esqueda
	* Erick Peláez Castillo
	* Lucía Ramírez Cimate
	* Veronica González Riviera
	* Hernán Rodríguez Carrillo
	* Jesús "Krizth" Rojas López

- **Color Supervision**
	* Jorge Arturo Baltazar Toscuento
	* Adriana Cid Flores

- **Colorists**
	* Ana Ferrer
	* Araceli Calderón Garcia
	* Veronica González Riviera
	* Mariolt Granados "Xerzewyth"
	* Moisés E. Morales "Ares"
	* Adriana Cid Flores
	* Hernán Rodríguez Carrill

- **Composition Supervision**
	* Iván Javier Hernández García

- **Lead Composition Artist**
	* Brenda Lizeth López Becerra

- **Recording Studio**
	* SDI Media de Mexico

- **Audio Post-Production**
	* Audio 4 Media

- **Dialogue Editing**
	* Juán David Chaparro

- **Foley Artists**
	* Robert Pérez
	* Mauricio Mendoza
	* Nicolás Gutiérrez C.
	* Nikol Pizarro

- **Sound Design**
	* María Claudia Mora
	* Juán David Chaparro

- **Sound Design Assistant**
	* Robert Pérez

- **Final Mixing**
	* María Claudia Mora
	* Juán David Chaparro

- **Animatic Editor**
	* Gerardo Alejandro Oviedo Rodríguez

- **Editing Supervision**
	* Carlos "Xicuer" Damián

- **Editing**
	* Gerardo Alejandro Oviedo Rodríguez

- **Editing Assistant**
	* Alejandra María Belmont Álvarez

- **Characters from *Samurai Jack* belong to**
	* Genndy Tartakovsky

- **Characters from *Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends* belong to**
	* Craig McCracken

- **Characters from *Codename: Kids Next Door* belong to**
	* Mr. Warburton

- **Characters from *The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy* and *Evil Con Carne* belong to**
	* Maxwell Atoms

- **Characters from *Regular Show* belong to**
	* J.G. Quintel

- **Characters from *Johnny Bravo* belong to**
	* Van Partible

## Cartoon Network/Warner Bros./Hanna Barbera references/cameos

* A Broccoloid from *The Powerpuff Girls* is seen inside Flug's lab.
* Black Hot entering a bodybuilding contest and then literally eliminating the competition with a single move is a reference to the *Regular Show* episode *Power Tower*. The contestants and the judge are also drawn in the show's artstyle.
* The background shown at the beginning of the episode shows background locations of various Cartoon Network shows such as the Coffee Shop from *Regular Show* or the Malphs mall from *The PowerPuff Girls*. Other locations include generic-ones shown in various Cartoon Network City bumpers from 2004-2008 such as the Candyland store.
* The gym where Black Hot used to train is named "Johnny's Gym", in reference to the character Johnny Bravo. In fact, Johnny himself can be spotted in a crowd near the beginning of the episode.
* Val Halen and The Infraggable Krunk from *Dexter's Laboratory's* back-up segment, *The Justice Friends* make a cameo appearance on Flug's holograph screen. Val Halen is shown with cactus thorns and Krunk is repeatingly rocking himself in a fetal position.
* During the court scene showing the Hat-botler attorneys, Harvey Birdman from the Adult Swim series, *Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law*, makes a cameo appearance. This is the first time an Adult Swim property makes a cameo appearance in a Cartoon Network production and the first time a Hanna-Barbera property makes an cameo appearance in Villainous.
* The BHO-lookalikes that are presiding in the court are the Bag-Headed Cashier from *Codename: Kids Next Door*, Nergal from *The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy*, Frankie Foster from *Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends* and The Creature from *Samurai Jack*.
	+ This is an obscure notion of a Google image created by twitter user DesignsNexT where the BHO members were compared to these characters, minus the Cashier whom was compared to the character Bucky McBadBat from the Nickelodeon series, *The Fairly OddParents*.
	+ Frankie Foster (originally played by Grey Griffin) was voiced by Jocelyn Robles for her cameo in the episode instead of Liliana Barba, who normally voiced the character in the Spanish version of Fosters'.
		- Initially when the English version was released on HBO Max Latin America and on Max in the US, Frankie was muted instead. However, as of July 2023, the scene, as well as the ending Lord Juez scene, were re-recorded and Frankie, presumably due to union restrictions, was voiced by an unknown actress instead of Grey Griffin.
* Towards the end credits, the next plaintiffs presiding in the court would be Hector Con Carne, Boskov, Major Dr. Ghastly and General Skarr from *Evil Con Carne*. Villainous fans often compared both shows due to their similarities.

## Trivia

* Episode Lip-Sync: English
* Although Mark Fischbach reprised his role as Black Hot in the English dub, he was uncredited in the dubbing credits. This may be due to union restrictions.
* On the Max US release of the English dub version of the episode, Roly Gutierrez' characters (Dr. Flex, Hatbot-ler Attorney, etc.) had their voices edited to a normal pitch rather than a deep pitch for Dr. Flex and a high pitch for the attorney.

## Errors

* Dolencia, whom was renamed Violencia in the English dub, was credited as Swolencia instead.
* The judge Lord Juez identifies Hector Con Carne by his original English name rather than "Héctor Ado", which is what the character has been renamed to in the Latin American dubbing of the show, entitled *"Malo con carne"*.
	+ Subsequently, the English version called Hector as "Mr. Evil Con Carne" instead.

## References

* The title of the episode is a reference to the popular shonen/seinen manga *JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.* Several references to the manga are scattered throughout the episode.
	+ When Black Hot is confronted by the protagonists in his office, he emits an aura while walking towards them, in reference to the duel between Jotaro Kujo and Dio Brando in *Stardust Crusaders* (and the meme that spawned from it).
* In Johnny's Gym, the man running on the treadmill that Black Hot was weightlifting bears a resemblance to Obelix from the French comic *Asterix*.
	+ According to Ami Guillén, whom designed the character, the reference was intentional as a memoriam to Asterix illustrator, *Albert Uderzo*, whom passed during the episodes' production.
* A girl in the pet store resembles Little My from the Finnish *Moomins* franchise.
* When switching with Demencia to fight Dr. Flex, Flug says "Demencia, I choose you!" This is a reference to the *Pokémon* anime, where the protagonist Ash Ketchum says the same line to announce the Pokémon he's bringing to battle. It's also a reference to Flug's VA, José Macías, voicing James in the Latin American Spanish dub.
* Demencia calling Violencia/Dolencia a faker with the latter responding if she's comparing herself with her is a reference to the video game Sonic Adventure 2.
* Demencia taunts Dr. Flex by posing with a hand on her hip and the other pointing up, saying "You're too slow!" in a reference to the famous videogame character Sonic the Hedgehog.
	+ This was omitted in the English version with Demencia just saying "What's wrong, slowpoke?".
* Albeit not openly named in the episode itself but the credits, the Russian-accented client who called Flug in the beginning of the episode was credited as "Boris Ursus", a shout-out to the character of the same name from *Total War: Warhammer III*.

## References

1. ↑ https://twitter.com/DesignsNexT/status/1596273369518841856/photo/1
2. ↑ https://twitter.com/lemonteaflower/status/1596537752597708803
3. ↑ https://twitter.com/lemonteaflower/status/1596534828416921601
4. ↑ https://twitter.com/Spocktacklez/status/1595873530650017792?cxt=HHwWgIC-zaqh16UsAAAA
5. ↑ https://twitter.com/lemonteaflower/status/1463219503756685316/photo/1
6. ↑ https://twitter.com/lemonteaflower/status/1595950070876164097