“Kite Man: Hell Yeah!” Season 1 Review

It might sound baffling that among all the absurd characters from the Harley Quinn cartoon, Kite Man gets his own spin-off. In truth, Kite Man might be the most interesting villain to explore further. He started off as an obnoxious dude-bro whose ruthless enthusiasm worked its magic into Poison Ivy’s life. His budding romance in season one and breakup in season two revealed a surprising amount of growth. Not being a part of Ivy’s life after season two, he moved onto a better relationship. Since Harley has continued onward, why not the Kite Man?

Kite Man: Hell Yeah has the same postmodern cocktail of tinkering with superhero lore and mixing it into relatable adult problems, albeit with a more established universe to step into. Kite Man (Matt Oberg) and Golden Glider (Stephanie Hsu) continue to be a couple as they take new steps in their relationship. This begins with the central premise of them deciding to own and manage their favorite villain bar, Noonan’s. With each episode, they grow a little more as they embrace moving in, handling each other at their worst, and eventually, marriage. What makes their dynamic more interesting than Harley and Ivy is that these two are genuinely in love and have insecurities more personal and traumatic that are born from their environment. While Harley and Ivy are not so sure they can balance work and romance, Kite Man and Glider struggle with realizing they are good enough and promptly breaking down those barriers over the course of one season.

Of course, there’s a bigger overarching plot to make this show still exist in the realm of comics and not turn into Cheers with supervillains. Lex Luthor and Darkseid are hunting for the Anti-Life Equation and Noonan’s bar happens to be a prime location for Lex to keep it concealed. While the Anti-Life Equation is a big deal in the comics, it’s treated more like a prop to make this season complete. I have mixed feelings on this aspect. On one hand, downplaying something like the Anti-Life Equation to make the show more about the love between Kite Man and Glider is on-brand for what was established with Harley Quinn. On the other hand, the ultimate resolve for this arrives in the form of an abrupt deux ex machine that feels like there should be a bigger joke beyond a business-as-usual shrug.

What holds the show together are the fantastic comedic supporting players. Bane was always a lot of fun on Harley Quinn and he is present in every episode with several ongoing plots. He still has ambitions to succeed in the Legion of Doom that are constantly squashed, but also has a desire to find someone that loves him as much he loves “‘splosions.” Malice becomes the cynical and rich-bitch voice of apathy that slowly betters herself. Noonan’s dated perceptions of masculinity makes him the flawed father figure Kite Man needs so desparately. Queen of Fables returns with a plot about searching for a new body after she was decapitated, eventually breaking out her killer fairy tale book once more.

My favorite aspect of the show is the strong recasting of some returning characters. Giancarlo Esposito did a fine job as Lex Luthor, but recasting him with Lance Reddick (in one of his final roles) was a brilliant, even if only a handful of episodes recorded his dialogue. Janelle James takes over as Queen of Fables, putting more acidic bites in her delivery than her predecessor of Wanda Sykes. I’ve grown used to Michael Ironside in the role of Darkseid for years, including Harley Quinn. Keith David, however, has a much more vicious take to the character, making his line deliveries even funnier when stressing how he doesn’t want to fuck math equations.

Kite Man’s first season is a bit rocky, but it still flies high by matching Harley Quinn’s tone and humor. The stakes feel lower and sometimes uneven, but the chipper attiudes of the loving couple made the show more enduring. I also never grew tired of Bane’s constant slurring of words and innocent deliveries, where it’s easy to feel for him when he’s body-shamed at a villain restraunt. Despite some heel-dragging and abrupt resolves, there’s enough new corners explored in Kite Man: Hell Yeah to make it worth the trip as the chummy bar just around the corner, where loser villains like 6 Pack can be heroes.