Whipsnap was turning EVERYTHING into a freaking therapy session. She was seriously high maintenance. She needed therapy, not a reality LARP.

That's an excellent point.

I think that would have been my final 3, too, looking over the whole cast. I thought they were the most interesting, although I think Defuser and Hygena would have rounded out my top 5. Looking at all of them as overall heroes, Hyperstrike would have gotten my vote no matter what - he had the look, the heart, the mindset, and looked good on the green screen.

Actually I don't think Hyperstrike is all that cute - IMHO, he fit the role of superhero better than Hygena (who I thought was too wimpy, overall) and Defuser (who I thought was too pushy, overall). Sure, they all had great backstories (interestingly, Hyperstrike didn't cry like the other two, but I thought his speech on the block was absolutely spot on perfect for why he should win), but when I looked at them overall, I just really felt it should have been Hyperstrike.

I also note he definitely looked the best on film - that circus training obviously prepared him for the spotlight, and I think watching the movie (which of course will be infamously bad) would have been a hell of a lot more interesting with him rather than the dark-haired Dolph Lundgren known as Defuser. Bleh.

I will say that I'm glad Feedback won season 1 - he was, IMHO, the most heartfelt and sincere lover of comics in the bunch. :)

Watching the show play out, I was glad that all three made it to the final round. Stan said it's about the heart of a hero, but it's also about being able to market a movie and comic book. I found Defuser rather boring. And I disagree about HyperStrike's back story - it seemed rather Peter Parker to me.

I suspect Stan was won over by the video footage of what a comic geek Defuser can be in real life. Last year's winner Feedback had the same advantage (mind you, I think he did deserve to win).

And Parthenon was kicked off because he was gay. When Defuser's wife came up and he kissed her and told her how much he loved her, I turned to Quincy and said, "Could you see them letting Parthenon do that with his lover on national television?" Quincy said, "That's why they kicked him off - 'Oh, you have a hangnail... AND YOU'RE GAY. Bye!'" :)

Oh, no doubt he fucked up the kids challenge royally, but based on his performance up to that point (which Stan repeatedly says he takes into consideration), I wouldn't say it was *enough* to kick him out for just that - as he said in the after show with Feedback, he'd been on all the winning teams, he'd won all the solo challenges, and he'd just been praised for his ingenuity when they were trapped in the storage container (even if everyone else said he was too pushy).

Certain Stan's decisions are seemingly arbitrary, but I really think they were looking for a reason to oust him because he was gay.

Either that, or when Stan says, "The person leaving the lair tonight is..." he throws a dart at a dartboard during that pause before announcing who's going home. :)

I'm going to have to write some post-show Hyperstrike/Parthenon slash now. ;)

Look for the toaster oven soon. ::shakes tiny fist::

except that that's exactly the sort of thing that normally goes way over with Stan Lee's audience. Think of say, Nightcrawler. Hell. The guy's name was even John Stork - totally a 60s secret ID type name.

The problem is, Dark Horse doesn't do that sort of character, and they had a voice in the elimination discussions. Which is why something as gimmicky as Hygena or Fat Momma won't win, either. Dark Horse takes itself awfully seriously.

When he went with 3 finalists it was kind of interesting - all had revealed too much info in the makeup room, but Stan praised Defuser and Hygena for their roles. Based on that, I thought Hyperstrike would go home, so I'm glad he went with 3. When I then looked at all 3 overall, I really felt Hyperstrike was the most suitable superhero, based on everything seen up to that point - Hygena was too wimpy, and Defuser was too pushy and "cop like." I thought Hyper had it all. Very bummed.

And as much as Parthenon screwed up the kids challenge, I still think he was sent home because he was gay. Interestingly, though, in his after-show interview, Feedback pointed out that Mindset and Whipsnap both got kicked out their first time on the block, too, but still...

But, like I said, I guess now is the time to write the post-show Parthenon/Hyperstrike slash, eh? ;)