The series' predominant homage is to Jonny Quest, as it is the basis for many of the main characters. Dr. Venture is modeled after what a child such as Jonny Quest might have grown up to be like after having lived through a childhood filled with bizarre, life-threatening events. Brock is modeled on Race Bannon. The Venture boys parody the Hardy Boys and take the places of Jonny and Hadji. However, the original Jonny Quest characters also make appearances on the show. In the episode "Ice Station – Impossible!", Brock mentions that he had served with Race Bannon on several occasions. He regards his fellow agent with respect calling him "one of the best."
Dr. Venture is a washed up, pill-popping super-scientist who treats his children and those around him with overt disdain and contempt; Brock is their hyper-aggressive bodyguard with a (frequently used) license to kill and a love for Led Zeppelin; and the boys are two pie-eyed teens stuck in an out-of-date mindset. One newspaper critic remarked, "If filmmakers Woody Allen and Sam Peckinpah had collaborated on Jonny Quest, it would have come out a lot like this." In season 2, Jonny Quest was introduced into the show as Action Jonny, a homeless drug addict who deeply resents his father. As of season 4, Jonny is somewhat stable, and in a support group for former-boy adventurers, along with Dr. Venture, the second Wonder Boy, RoBoy, and The Hale Brothers–the final three being parodies of Robin, Astro Boy, and The Hardy Boys respectively.
Read more about this topic: The Venture Bros., Themes, Homages, and References
Famous quotes containing the word quest:
“The quest for certainty blocks the search for meaning. Uncertainty is the very condition to impel man to unfold his powers.”
—Erich Fromm (1900–1980)