Netflix’s mixed-mode dark comedy superhero extravaganza, “The Guardians of Justice,” is sensory overload. Adi Shankar, the showrunner of “Castlevania”, created the series inspired by video games and popular superheroes. Plus, the show is also full of laid-back pop culture references, with a recreation of an iconic scene from Georges Méliès’ “A Trip to The Moon.”
At first, the series looks like a standard parody of “Justice League” in an alternate universe. But luckily, it doesn’t take long for the villainous tale to spiral out of control. You might be wondering what happened in the flashy, dark finale since your mind must have exploded after the twist ended. Let’s probe deeper. FRONT SPOILERS.
Guardians of Justice Season 1 Recap
In an alternate universe, Hitler emerged alive from the Berlin Raid and gained a mechanical body, becoming “Mecha Hitler”. Mecha Hitler led the world into World War III in 1947, but the descent of the alien superhero Marvelous Man saved the day. After the destruction of his planet at the hands of the titan Galacron, Caltron, Marvelous Man, was a true refugee and he chose to be a good Samaritan for planet Earth.
Marvelous Man has assembled a team of superheroes, ruling from above in the orbiting Citadel of Justice. The current story begins in 1987, and like every year, people around the world are waiting to hear Marvelous Man’s speech on his day – the day he ended World War III. News host Van Dawson is thrilled to hear from him, as are others who watch his show.
However, shocking the people of the planet, Marvelous Man takes his life on camera. Virtually nothing can kill him except for the “god killer” bullet that Logan Lockwood and company designed specifically for this purpose. However, how Marvelous Man got hold of the ball remains a mystery. After the tragedy, Knight Hawk summons all the other Guardians – King Tsunami, The Speed, Awesome Man, Blue Scream, Golden Goddess, and Black Bow. Knight Hawk sends them on different missions, but following Marvelous Man’s death, their unity seems to be lacking.
Carnegie’s city commissioner runs a secret human trafficking cartel, but with Mr. Smiles’ arrival in town, his time seems to be up. Word on the street is that Mr. Smiles works for Knight Hawk. Meanwhile, Marvelous Man’s wife Laura Louis comes on TV claiming her husband was murdered. Knight Hawk embarks on an investigation to decode the mystery behind the immortal hero’s death. Knowing this can lead to neural damage, he takes control of the Cortex, a synthetic AI that Marvelous Man carried (something like Iron Man’s JARVIS).
Then a new truth emerges. We learn that Marvelous Man was battling clinical depression and used to see a psychiatrist named Dr. Ravencroft. In the present, Dr. Ravencroft plans to break doctor-patient privilege by publishing an outrageous memoir about Marvelous Man. However, Knight Hawk and his sidekick, Little Wing, go to Dr. Ravencroft to talk him out of publishing the memoirs. Dr. Ravencroft is later killed by Mr. Smiles, and the killer passes this off as suicide.
After the appearance of the terrorist organization Anubis and due to the eagerness of the Russian president, a nuclear threat hangs over the planet. When Sepia Spider dies, Knight Hawk summons Red Talon, Knight Hawk’s former sidekick. But he is currently busy fighting a group of Irish insurgents. Well, Red Talon eventually agrees, but not before Anubis kills Van Dawson on his show. Red Talon also dies, but Little Wing wreaks havoc on the Anubis. The world goes up in flames with Knight Hawk becoming a tyrant, and the final episodes unpack a bag full of surprises.
Guardians of Justice Season 1 Ending: Who Killed the Wonderful Man? Was Marvelous Man gay?
Marvelous Man’s death initially looks like a suicide, but Laura Louis, his wife, suspects foul play. Once the information comes to light, Marvelous Man’s best friend and fellow superhero, Knight Hawk, sets off on an investigation. The sixth episode revisits death behind the camera. Laura Louis cheated on Marvelous Man with King Tsunami, and Marvelous Man was a closeted gay. Following a bromance with Knight Hawk, Marvelous Man also teamed up with Mind Master. Mind Master loved Marvelous Man more than his life, but Marvelous Man wasn’t ready to break off his public marriage.
Therefore, Marvelous Man asked Mind Master to bring out Lockwood Industries’ “god killer” caltronite bullet. Mind Master employed Motion Blur, Speed’s rival who possesses the same Fast Force, to steal the ammo. Before Knight Hawk, Mind Master claims he tried to enter Marvelous Man’s mind to stop him from pulling the trigger, but Marvelous Man’s death drive was a bit too strong. Therefore, it becomes apparent that Marvelous Man committed suicide. However, Mind Master’s name is Mind Master, and we cannot trust every word he speaks. Since he is the inventor and sole owner of the drug Mellow Devil, which would end “free will”, it’s possible that Mind Master ultimately encouraged Marvelous Man.
Is speed dead or alive?
Speed seems to breathe its last at the end of the season finale. Speed openly opposes Knight Hawk’s overbearing ways and embarks on an affair with Awesome Man. When Knight Hawk gathers his own private army to wage war on the Anubis, Speed heads to the Citadel of Justice for an open confrontation. One of Speed’s points of contention against Knight Hawk is that it sets up teenagers like Little Wing for violence. However, an important twist in the finale implies that Awesome Man is Little Wing.
Awesome Man is mentally weaker against Knight Hawk’s overbearing and manipulative persona. Therefore, when Knight Hawk instructs Awesome Man to “remove (Speed) him from the board”, Awesome Man cannot defy the order. After attacking Speed, Awesome Man asks if he did the right thing and if Speed was a morally corrupt person. It’s obvious that Awesome Man is incapable of making his own judgment, but Knight Hawk assures him that Speed was a good person. They bury him in a good place, erecting a statue in front of it. However, Speed’s voice haunts Knight Hawk even after his death. Knight Hawk has a reason to gather an army, but what if it’s his illusion?
Who created the Anubis? Why does Knight Hawk build the army?
The series often aligns itself with geopolitical incidents that take place in the real world, albeit in a parodic fashion. Anubis is a terrorist organization with close ties to Russia, and they are believed to be behind Marvelous Man’s death. The truth couldn’t be further, though the Russian President is lifting his support of Anubis following their tragic fate at the hands of Little Wing. The Anubis, led by Queen Anubis, have also taken over Van Dawson’s workshop to spread their propaganda. At the end of the mind-blowing finale, we learn that it was Knight Hawk who created Anubis. He diverted the world’s population with a show while gathering the army to fight the real war.
Knight Hawk builds a private army with the help of the government, while his open crackdown on terrorists earns the president four more years in office. However, the real reason for his enterprise is a prophecy that Cortex, the AI, divulges. There is a titan in the universe named Galacron, and he intends to devour planets with intelligent life forms. According to Marvelous Man’s father, the titan may be looking to Earth as its next prey, and Knight Hawk is gathering an army to counter the alien threat. However, we must consider the possibility that Cortex tricked Knight Hawk into taking such drastic measures. The titan may never find Earth – Speed’s voice expresses his doubts in Knight Hawk’s mind.
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