Review: Avengers: EMH "Gamma World"

Well, if an evil scheme's worth trying once, it's worth trying twice. Although I think the Leader has found himself firmly inside "Fool me twice, shame on me" territory.

Plot
This episode has been building since the Micro-Episodes. Remember when we first met Thor? The Leader had sent the Wrecking Crew to get him a Gamma-emitter. Of course, that “Leader” was Loki in disguise, but still.

A few of the major aspects of the episode were lifted from then-fairly-recent comics. The Gamma dome was taken from the Warbound miniseries, and the characters becoming Hulks is nothing new. As for the actual plot… well, it’s a quintessential Leader story. He wants to rule the world, and tries to use Gamma radiation to do it. With a few tweaks, though, you could easily turn this into a pilot for a Hulk series.

Have S.H.I.E.L.D. ask the Hulk for help in stopping the events at the Cube. He does, but discovers something that makes him ditch S.H.I.E.L.D. and flee while the Leader enacts phase 2 by irradiating Las Vegas. Someone goes to get the Hulk, but he says that he’s done working for S.H.I.E.L.D. But with a little convincing, the Hulk and his new friends form a team of their own: the Gamma Corps.

Hmmm…. Almost makes one wonder if this episode actually was reverse-engineered from a pilot for a Hulk cartoon. After all, that’s what they were working on before they changed this into an Avengers show from a Hulk show. And Doc Samson’s character arc of redemption is perfect for a main character in such a show….

Which makes me pretty bummed that this is what we ended up getting.

Themes
There are a couple that stand out.

Redemption
Doc Samson’s heroism is born from his guilt at ignoring Bruce Banner until it was too late. And when you add to that Hawkeye clearing his name and the Hulk re-joining the team after proving himself to be a hero, the message becomes clear. But what’s a bit more subtle is the other theme….

Worthiness
The Leader considers himself worthy to rule the world simply because he’s the smartest person in it, though he lacks the strength needed to enforce his will. Thor, whose strength gives him the power to enforce whatever he sees fit, has a worldview that disgusts the Leader as much as the Leader’s view disgusts Thor. Instead of Thor letting might make right, he uses his might to enforce what truly is right. Instead of deciding what’s right. And in the end, that’s what makes him worthy to not only lift Mjolnir, but to unleash his strength upon the world.

As if we needed this pointed out further, Thor controls the Absorbing Man when he takes on the properties of Thor’s hammer. Absorbing Man, working for the Leader, is not worthy to inflict his will upon the world. But Thor is.

Sexuality
While not a "theme," per se, this is something I should probably address.


I am a straight white male. So a lot of the causes I support are not necessarily "my own." When I discuss topics like female sexuality as portrayed in the media, I’m not doing it to be a White Knight. I’m doing it to discuss the work in question. (Although I was probably a bit harsh on "A Little Night Magic.") And this work in question... zigzags a bit.

There are many people who will jump to vilify any female sexualization in the media, and in some cases, they're justified. Like when a film’s casting call basically tells women not to show up unless they’re hot.

But in some cases, it’s okay for female characters to be… well, I hate to say “sexualized," so instead I'll just ignore this sentence and try again.

I'll explain what I mean with the various examples of sexualization in this episode and how some of them are, for lack of a better word, “justified.”

First up, we have the Wasp checking out her own butt.

It's still there, Janet. Right where you left it.

Ostensibly, this is so Janet can see how good she looks in the unflattering radiation suit. Which is completely in character for her. But it also acts as a way to throw a bit of a bone to those who find the character attractive. So while it is partially meant to titillate that portion of the audience, it is, for lack of a better term, justified in that this is something the character would conceivably do, since Janet is interested in fashion in most depictions. After all, her comic day-job has her as a fashion designer.

The same goes for Vapor kissing Cap when she and the other U-Foes attacked.

I wonder if his lips taste like apple pie.

From a practicality standpoint, she’s forcing toxic gasses down Cap’s windpipe to take him down.

From a character standpoint, she’s a bit of a seductress.

And that’s fine. Female characters are allowed to be sexual on their own terms. We don’t need to slut-shame every single female character who might deign to use sexuality to her advantage. Or even just for fun. Or because they’re bored.

On the other hand, what she’s doing is sexual harassment, which is decidedly not okay in real life. So feel free to shame the character for that. I mean, she is a villain.

"Miss, this is sexual harassment. And I don't have to take it."

But on the other side of the coin, we have Black Widow. Her establishing moment in this episode?

Her lovingly-animated butt.

That’s… pretty hard to rationalize as not being exploitative. Is she in any kind of situation here where she would be intentionally flaunting her looks? No. On top of that, there isn’t a single person watching her apart from Hawkeye. And he’s probably not checking out her butt. So if the character isn't sexualizing herself, or perceived by any characters in-universe this way at the moment, then the entire point of this shot is to make sure we, the audience, notice her butt.

Basically, this shot only exists so we can be perverts. There is literally no other reason for this shot to be framed the way it is. And that's when sexualization crosses the line into exploitation.

It actually kind of undermines the fact that we’re supposed to think of her as a threat. Not that we aren't allowed think of her as a sexy threat, but in this moment, when all we can see is butt, she’s not being treated like a mysterious character with an unknown agenda. She’s being treated like… well, porn.

Speaking of that….

Really?

Hawkeye tied her up in a way that just happens to push her breasts out? I mean, I guess it would make it more difficult to escape if her breasts were in the way of slipping the ropes off, but still.

For the too-long-didn’t-read crowd, in the end, when a work is sexualizing a female character for no one’s benefit but the audience’s, that’s a bit exploitative. But again, that’s not to say that female characters aren’t allowed to flaunt their sexuality. Not too much, though. After all, this is a kids' show. Disney's Standards and Practices are hankering to censor something.

Characters
Hawkeye
Hawkeye has finally cleared his name. I think that they might have been able to drag it out a bit longer, but hey, the subplot’s moving forward. I won’t complain.

The last time he worked with a team was when he and Black Widow worked on the same side. So we’ll see how well he works with the Avengers. Speaking of Black Widow….

Black Widow
Something’s up. She offered the Hulk’s blood to HYDRA, but quickly pocketed it again when Hawkeye’s attack distracted everybody. But while Hawkeye finally caught her, she slipped away before she could be taken into custody. And now that she’s got S.H.I.E.L.D. chasing after her, so who knows what she’ll be desperate enough to do. Or what her overall goal is.

Hulk
Hulk does not want to be left alone, surprisingly enough.

While he grumps at Hawkeye when they first meet, he quickly agrees to let Banner out. After all, Hawkeye made him laugh. And after working together to defeat the Leader, there’s clearly a bit of a bond there. But one that the Hulk doesn’t want to admit. Which is why he only agrees to stay with the Avengers if Hawkeye does, while also making fun of him.

It’s a complicated relationship. Clearly, Hawkeye’s blunt attitude is a bit refreshing for the big guy. Hawkeye might be abrasive, but he’s not deceptive. And somebody with the Hulk’s trust issues would easily appreciate that. But somebody with the Hulk’s difficulties socializing would also find that hard to admit. And since both of them were chased by S.H.I.E.L.D. for a while, there are shared experiences there.

It’s really a fascinating relationship… which is why it gets replaced with a childish rivalry when Avengers Assemble comes along. Naturally.

Leader (Jeffrey Combs)
Jeffrey Combs, the man who made the Scarecrow pants-crappingly scary, returns in full force as the Leader. The Leader talks like somebody angrily explaining something to a little kid, which makes sense, given how smart he is. He says things with such simple conviction that claiming to be able to rule the world begins to seem plausible.

His evil plan, though… standard stuff. Mutate the world and rule over them with mind control. While the execution was pretty much flawless, the plan itself wasn’t anything to write home about. Still, at least I can believe that this version of the Leader is a super-genius. I can think of a certain other version that doesn’t even know the steps of the scientific method.

Doc Samson
Following up on Doc Samson’s character arc, he’s finally fixed the damage his mistake caused. More or less. And since now he’s got some Gamma-powered muscles backing him up, this certainly won’t be the last time Doc Samson plays superhero. Good thing, too. He’s a nice guy with a booming voice who would be awesome to watch fight monsters. Like the Marvel Universe version of Tom Strong.

Animation
There are a lot of nice little cameos amongst all the Gamma mutants. You can see characters resembling Skaar, A-Bomb, Harpy, and probably others. I really have to give props to Thomas Perkins, the character designer for EMH. The mutations he designed are creative, sleek, and horrifying. I highly recommend checking out his blog. You can find concept art for EMH as well as some of his other projects.

Final Thoughts
In the end, this was an excellent two-parter. It tells its own story, while at the same time moving several subplots forward. And it does so in the show’s usual funny, action-packed, and exciting way.

Next time, somebody wants revenge against the Avengers. Who will need to be avenged in turn. Plenty of vengeance to go around. See you then!