Mister White - S.P.H.I.N.X.

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).

• Col. Hunter Gathers (voiced by Christopher McCulloch): Brock's former mentor from when he was in training for the O.S.I. Gathers has since gone into hiding after undergoing sex reassignment surgery (SRS), taking a job as a dancer at Nightingales, a strip club. The character appears to be modeled on Hunter S. Thompson, and his name is a play on the term hunter-gatherer (indeed, the character appears to be a sort of cross between Thompson, with the author's aviator sunglasses and cigarette holder, and Col. Nick Fury, similar to Doonesbury's Uncle Duke.) Other than Brock, Gathers was the only O.S.I. agent who believed the Guild was still in existence in the late eighties, as seen in "The Invisible Hand of Fate". Despite being extraordinarily eccentric, he seems to sincerely care about his job and defending his country. He also taught Brock the strict rule of never killing women or children, as that differentiated them from the "baddies". This is something he used to his advantage when he went rogue from the O.S.I. who then sent Brock to kill him (as Brock doesn't kill women). He is apparently a member of Molotov Cocktease's "Black Hearts" assassination guild, as shown in the scene following the end credits of "The Family That Slays Together, Stays Together (Part II)". However, despite the SRS, he still has the same face and voice as before — including perpetual five o'clock shadow. He also stated in "The Invisible Hand of Fate" that he wanted to be born with "big, beautiful tits", which turns out to be foreshadowing (down to the fact that he has large breasts, but can still grow facial stubble). The sex reassignment and apparent betrayal of the O.S.I. were revealed in the Season 4 opener to have been an elaborate ruse to infiltrate the Black Hearts; when Gathers and Samson were captured by Sphinx agents, Gathers revealed himself as an undercover Sphinx officer, complete with revealing the reversal of his surgery with the statement to Samson "You don't know DICK!", uttered while pointedly grabbing his own groin. In the episode Pinstripes & Poltergeists, it is revealed that Gathers and other members of the O.S.I., disgusted with its ineffectual bureaucracy, eventually quit the O.S.I. and took S.P.H.I.N.X's name and equipment to form an organization capable of covertly and effectively combating super-powered villains (mostly those who do not abide by the rules of organized villainy) against whom the O.S.I is powerless. S.P.H.I.N.X. seeks to terminate villains who do not abide by the rules of organized villainy mandated by institutions like the Guild of Calamitous Intent (basically acting as a regulator of sorts, keeping the more dangerous supervillains in check). Slogan: "If someone points a gun at you, call the police. If a bunch of guys are pointing guns at you, you call SWAT. If they're in spandex and pointing a super laser at you, you call the OSI. And if they're dressed regular and they're pointing a super laser at your daughter, you call S.P.H.I.N.X."

• Shore Leave/Holy Diver: (voiced by Doc Hammer) A former O.S.I. agent fired for violating O.S.I.'s don't ask, don't tell policy. His appearance and code name seem to be a parody of G.I. Joe characters, as Shore Leave resembles the character Shipwreck. His other code name is taken from the Dio song Holy Diver. Shore Leave had joined Hunter Gathers in SPHINX. In the episode Pinstripes & Poltergeists, it is revealed he and Mile High faked being a couple (while Mile High was only pretending to be in a gay relationship with Shore Leave, Shore Leave himself thought their relationship was real) as well as their conversion to religious fanaticism, for their cover. (Shore Leave's name is spelled "Shoreleave" in the Season 4 credits.) Shore Leave is often teamed up with Brock. He is also an extremely skilled combatant, matched only by Brock Samson and possibly Henchman 21; though in contrast to Brock he favors firearms over melee combat (specifically a matched set of pistols, with which he is deadly accurate). He has started flirting with the Alchemist in the last episode of the 4th season, and ended up making out with him.

• Mile High/Sky Pilot: (voiced by Christopher McCulloch) A former O.S.I. agent fired for violating O.S.I.'s don't ask, don't tell policy. His appearance and code name seem to be a parody of a G.I. Joe character. He had joined Hunter Gathers in Sphinx. In the episode Pinstripes & Poltergeists, it is revealed he and Shore Leave faked being a couple (while Mile High was only pretending to be in a gay relationship with Shore Leave, Shore Leave himself thought their relationship was real) as well as their conversion to religious fanaticism, for their cover. His name is a reference to the mile high club, as well as to the 1968 song "Sky Pilot" by Eric Burdon & The Animals. In the season finale "Operation: P.R.O.M." it is revealed he was a double-agent working for the OSI.

• Brock Samson (voiced by Patrick Warburton): Though not related to the Ventures biologically, Brock is the bodyguard of the Venture family and an agent with the Office of Secret Intelligence. As a "Super Secret Agent," he has a license to kill and an amazing zeal to use it. His background has been revealed to be "half Swedish, quarter Polish, quarter Winnebago". Though Brock usually displays a relaxed and casual attitude, his temper can cause him to snap into psychotic violence at the slightest provocation. His ability to dispense punishment is equaled by his ability to sustain it, to the point that he is seemingly unkillable. He also has a superhuman sexual appetite, with conquests ranging from beauty queens to sleazy strippers to "the Queen of the Ant People." He is extremely loyal to the Venture family, actually living with them in the compound, and now seems to serve as a bit of a mentor for the boys, to whom he has an avuncular relationship.