Batman villains are in a league of their own, and their immense popularity across different media platforms partly proves this as well. Not only the well-known faces like maniac duo Joker and Harley Quinn, who have become staples in most DC projects nowadays, but even really obscure Bat-baddies like Kite-Man are making their mark on the screen, as the animated series Kite-Man: Hell Yeah is about to be released later this week. A spin-off series of the crazy popular Harley Quinn animated series, the solo venture of Kite-Man is already making a lot of buzz and promises to be a great addition among a myriad of DC animated project releases this year. Let us briefly familiarize you with this luckless, clumsy supervillain and discuss what you can expect from the series itself.
Spoilers Ahead
Comics Origin of Kite-Man
Kite-Man is a relatively lesser-known character, as even the most avid DC fans usually don’t remember much about him except the funky kite-themed costume and the character’s reputation for being really lousy at his job. So, it definitely comes as a surprise to learn that not only has Kite-Man been around since the Silver Age, but also that the oft-unsung genius co-creator of Batman, Bill Finger, conceptualized Kite-Man alongside Dick Sprang (another legendary Batman writer). Kite-Man’s alter ego, Chuck Brown, and his entire gimmick of flying with a kite themed glider extension on his back are a reference to the Peanuts comic strip character Charlie Brown and his kite flying habit.Â
Like a number of silver age characters with funky characterization, Kite-Man has been used as a butt of jokes since his first appearance and was nearly forgotten until writer Tom King added much depth to him as a character in his DC Rebirth-era Batman series, The War of Jokes and Riddles. Turning to villainy being forced by circumstances, Kite-Man was unwittingly entangled in a war between Joker and Riddler, which exacted a heavy personal cost from poor Chuck (which we are not revealing due to major spoilers) and was also the origin of his iconic catchphrase, ‘Hell Yeah’. Complementing the silliness of the character with a certain level of poignancy, Tom King’s single arc changed the readers’ perception of Kite-Man. He isn’t just another D-list villain to be pushed aside.Â
Kite-Man in the Harley Quinn Series So Far
Outside the comics, Kite-Man’s only major appearance as a mainstay character was in the Harley Quinn animated series, starting right from the first season to the fourth one. Staying in sync with the series’ zany, satirical tone, Kite-Man is presented as a clumsy fool. However, despite knowing how outmatched he is in the city of Gotham with Batman and his iconic rogue gallery running around, Kite-Man has unshakable confidence in himself. Eventually, as the audience gets to know him, he appears as more of a pitiable, sympathetic bloke who is a genuinely good person, and his unwavering devotion to winning Poison Ivy’s heart soon becomes the highlight of his arc. This occasionally leads to the narrative taking a love triangle approach as both Harley and Chuck Brown remain dedicated to Ivy. However, unlike Harley, who is clearly a bad influence in Ivy’s life, Chuck tries his best to guide her to a better path, and eventually his determination leads Ivy to gain a new sense of appreciation for him. The duo nearly get married as well, until Ivy cheats on him with Harley, resulting in a heartbroken Chuck coming to terms with the fact that Ivy will be better off with Harley. After breaking off his engagement with Ivy, Kite-Man starts dating Lisa Snart, aka Golden Glider, and the focus of the upcoming animated series is going to be the camaraderie between the two.Â
What To Expect From the Series?
As highlighted in the series synopsis and trailers of Kite-Man: Hell Yeah so far, Kite-Man and his new love interest Golden Glider are going to find a place for themselves as the owners of Noonan’s bar, the go-to joint for Gotham’s baddies. Matt Oberg and Stephanie Hsu will reprise their roles as the lead villain power couple, and the late actor Lance Riddick’s last voiceover role as Lex Luthor will feature in the series as well. Kite-Man’s tragic past wasn’t hinted at in the Harley Quinn series, so we can expect his own solo venture to focus on that later on. What excited us as fans the most is that the New God Darkseid and his fearsome underlings are seen preparing for battle, and given that his Parademons trashed Chuck and Ivy’s wedding back in the day, funnily enough, Kite-Man has a score to settle with the Lord of Apokolips. Does the gliding supervillain punch above his weight by taking on bigger threats and justify having a series of his own? I guess we will find that out soon enough as Kite-Man: Hell Yeah premieres in Max.Â
