Plot: After a Japanese snow monkey’s tribe is slaughtered, he joins forces with the ghost of an American assassin, and together, they begin killing their way through the Yakuza underworld.
Review: Marvel adaptations have changed over the years. With Marvel Studios bringing almost all of their characters and creative endeavors under one roof, there was apprehension that Kevin Feige’s oversight would eliminate some of the edgier takes on these beloved characters. Earlier this year, M.O.D.O.K. brought a Robot Chicken sense of humor to screen and now Hulu is trying for another mature animated series with Hit-Monkey. Based on the 2010 comic book by Daniel Way and artist Dalibor Talajić, Marvel’s Hit-Monkey channels the quirky animal assassin through the lens of anime and manga. The results are a surprisingly fun show that is not short on bloodshed or profanity.
Faithfully adapting the origin from his 2010 introduction, Marvel’s Hit-Monkey shows how the titular snow monkey (portrayed by veteran voice actor Fred Tatasciore) went from wild animal to killer of assassins. Thanks to the guidance of hitman Bryce (Jason Sudeikis) who haunts Hit-Monkey as a spectral mentor, the primate protagonist grows into an intriguing lead character rather than a silly throwaway gag. Sudeikis does the majority of the heavy lifting here as Bryce is able to communicate and understand Hit-Monkey, resulting in hilariously one-sided conversations. It is also the polar opposite of Sudeikis’ award-winning performance as Ted Lasso. Both Ted and Bryce share a penchant for wordplay, but Bryce is foul-mouthed and brutal compared to the AppleTV+ coach who prefers to kill with kindness.
The ten-episode season consists of half-hour episodes, each delivered in a serial format. While the first episode serves as an origin for Hit-Monkey, the entire season works as a complete journey for the character. It feels silly to be talking about an animated animal as having as much character development as some humans in superhero stories, but writers Will Speck and Josh Gordon (Blades of Glory, Office Christmas Party) do a solid job of imbuing Hit-Monkey with emotions. The animation is not nearly as polished as other recent traditionally animated shows like Invincible, but it is good enough to keep you engaged and believing in these characters as fully drawn creations.
Sudeikis and Tatasciore are complemented by the supporting cast that includes George Takei as politician Shinji Yokohama and his niece Akiko, voiced by Olivia Munn. The police investigating the rash of deaths at the hands of Hit-Monkey and his enemies are Ito (Nobi Nakanishi) and his partner Haruka (Ally Maki). With the majority of the voice cast either Japanese or of Asian descent, this show does a great job of delving into the side of Marvel Comics that has until recently been only seen in The Wolverine. Clearly not connected to the MCU, this series does give us a look at some familiar Marvel characters like Fat Cobra, Lady Bullseye, Yuki, Ogun, and Silver Samurai.
Where Marvel’s Hit-Monkey ultimately falls short is in the lack of connection to the Marvel Universe. In the pages of the comics, Hit-Monkey had run-ins with Deadpool and Spider-man before teaming up with Domino and various other X-Men characters. The original plan was for this series and M.O.D.O.K. to crossover with the now-canceled series for Tigra, Dazzler, and Howard the Duck. The Offenders, as it was set to be called, could have been a very fun alternative to the mainstream MCU offerings. Instead, this show suffers a bit by being isolated from the rest of the fictional universe of characters it could pull from. I also wish the animation were a bit more robust.
Marvel’s Hit-Monkey is one of the better-animated offerings from the new regime at Marvel Studios in charge of television projects. The series has some solid twists and character reveals that definitely should earn it a second season. but I wonder if the fact that this is a cartoon and not live-action will prevent some viewers from checking it out. Thanks to Jason Sudeikis once again providing his talents to an underdog of a project, Marvel’s Hit-Monkey should get more exposure than it otherwise would have. Just know that this series is definitely not aimed at younger audiences and should appeal to the same viewers who made Deadpool a hit. Maybe, if we are lucky, we will see the Merc with the Mouth and the Ape Assassin team up in a future season.
Marvel’s Hit-Monkey premieres on November 17th on Hulu.