The Venture Bros. is a comedic animated television series that both parodies the original Jonny Quest series and includes Jonny Quest characters in some episodes.
Character archetype comparison[]
The Venture Bros. is a homage and parody of Jonny Quest. The setup of the main characters parallels the original Quest Team:
Main characters | Jonny Quest | Venture Bros. |
---|---|---|
Scientist father | Dr. Benton Quest | Dr. Thaddeus Venture |
Adventurous sons | Jonny and Hadji | Hank and Dean |
Family bodyguard | Race Bannon | Brock Samson |
Pet dog | Bandit | Scamp |
The pilot episode has several moments that parallel the original Jonny Quest series. The Venture team flies in a Dragonfly-like plane and the team is seated exactly as the Quest team sits in the Dragonfly, and this scene is featured in the opening sequence. The opening also features a spider-like robot, similar to Dr. Zin's robot spider.
Jonny Quest characters[]
Several of the original Jonny Quest characters are introduced in the series. Since The Venture Bros. and Jonny Quest are both owned by the same company, it was initially okay for The Venture Bros. to use the original characters' names. So Race Bannon and Jonny Quest both had their original names when they were introduced in seasons 1 and 2. But due to licensing concerns over how the characters were portrayed, the production team was later asked to change their names.
Main original series characters:
- Race Bannon, later renamed "Red Bannon"
- Jonny Quest, referred to initially as "Jonny" and "Mr. Quest", and later renamed "Action Johnny"
- Hadji, called "Rajni"
- Dr. Quest, deceased by the start of the series, he's referenced multiple times
Other original series characters:
- Dr. Zin, called "Dr. Z", Jonny's former nemesis
- Turu, the pterosaur from episode Turu the Terrible
Prominent non-canon characters:
- Mrs. Z, Dr. Z's wife
- Rajni's unnamed wife
Vehicles:
- Quest Bell One, a bathysphere (submersible), the design is taken from the episode Pirates from Below
Crossover episodes[]
List of episodes[]
Episode | Aired | Crossover appearance |
---|---|---|
1.09 Ice Station - Impossible! | Sep 18, 2004 | Race Bannon, Jonny (mentioned) |
2.05 Twenty Years to Midnight | Aug 06, 2006 | Jonny |
3.01 Shadowman 9: In the Cradle of Destiny | Jun 01, 2008 | Dr. Z (silhouette) |
3.02 The Doctor is Sin | Jun 08, 2008 | Rajni, Johnny |
3.03 The Invisible Hand of Fate | Jun 15, 2008 | Red (flashback) |
3.05 The Buddy System | Jun 29, 2008 | Johnny, Dr. Z |
3.09 Now Museum-Now You Don't | Jul 27, 2008 | Johnny (background cameo) |
4.05 The Revenge Society | Nov 15, 2009 | Dr. Z (silhouette) |
4.06 Self-Medication | Nov 22, 2009 | Johnny, Dr. Z |
4.10 Pomp and Circuitry | Sep 19, 2009 | Dr. Z (silhouette) |
4.16 Operation P.R.O.M. | Nov 21, 2009 | Johnny (mentioned) |
5.01 What Color is Your Cleansuit? | Jun 02, 2013 | |
5.02 Venture Libre | Jun 09, 2013 | Turu |
5.07 Bot Seeks Bot | Jul 14, 2013 | Dr. Z |
6.00 All This and Gargantua-2 | Jan 19, 2015 | Dr. Z |
6.01 Hostile Makeover | Jan 31, 2016 | Dr. Z |
6.03 Faking Miracles | Feb 14, 2016 | Dr. Z |
6.05 Tanks for Nuthin' | Feb 28, 2016 | Dr. Z |
6.06 It Happening One Night | Mar 06, 2016 | Dr. Z |
6.07 A Party for Tarzan | Mar 13, 2016 | Dr. Z |
7.02 The Rorqual Affair | Aug 12, 2018 | Dr. Z |
7.03 Arrears in Science | Aug 19, 2018 | Dr. Z |
7.04 The High Cost of Loathing | Aug 26, 2018 | Dr. Z |
7.06 The Bellicose Proxy | Sep 09, 2018 | Dr. Z |
7.08 The Terminus Mandate | Sep 23, 2018 | Johnny, Dr. Z, Red Bannon (flashback) |
7.09 The Forecast Manufacturer | Sep 30, 2018 | Dr. Z |
7.10 The Saphrax Protocol | Oct 07, 2018 | Dr. Z |
Ice Station - Impossible![]
Race Bannon is mortally injured while on a mission with the Office of Secret Intelligence. Brock Samson, an old friend of his, finds him and holds his hand while Race dies, and Race's last words are to tell Jonny he loves him. Brock completes Race's mission.
Twenty Years to Midnight[]
Jonas Jr. and the Captain go to the submersible Quest Bell One looking for a needed component, and they're surprised to find Jonny Quest - in his underwear, paranoid, holding a gun, and surrounded by pill bottles. The Captain convinces Jonny that Jonas Jr. is a doctor who can write him any prescription he needs, and Jonas Jr. plays along.
The Doctor is Sin[]

Rajni and Johnny
Rajni calls Jonas Jr. from the office as Johnny is having a breakdown behind him. Rajni doesn't know what to do, but his wife will leave him if he brings Johnny to the house again. Rajni says that Johnny is "like a brother" to him, reminding Jonas Jr. that he has his brother Rusty on the other line. At the mention of Rusty, Rajni jokes, "Has he asked you for money yet?" Jonas tries to transfer over to Rusty, but Rusty's left his phone. Rajni says, "Shit, did he hear us?"
The Invisible Hand of Fate[]
In a flashback from the agency, Red Bannon steps out of a room, covered in blood. Behind him in the room is a man tied to a chair, where Red has obviously been torturing him for information.
The Buddy System[]
At "Rusty's Day Camp for Boy Adventurers", Action Johnny is a featured guest. He has his own booth where he signs "baby pictures" of himself, which appear to be an eleven-year-old Jonny Quest. Action Johnny also appears on stage and speaks to the crowd, but he goes on a rant about his issues with his father and he has a breakdown on stage. Brock mentions that he liked him better when he was strung out.
Dean later gets Johnny's autograph, and Johnny tells him that if he "just says the word" he'll get Dean out of there because he doesn't need to live like that. Johnny is later upset that the program says he has a special guest star. On stage, Dr. Z arrives and tells him to give "Uncle Z" a hug. Johnny breaks down and is taken away, and Dr. Venture tells Dr. Z that Johnny's "been clean for a month" but he's been "downing xanax like they're cheetos".
Behind the scenes[]
Creator Christopher McCulloch, under the pseudonym Jackson Publick, spoke on some of the Jonny Quest connections in a 2007 interview:[1]
The basic idea of The Venture Brothers was taking the world of Jonny Quest and jumping back into 30 years later, seeing how someone who grew up like Jonny—with that kind of space race enthusiasm and disregard for other cultures—would turn out. Dr. Venture is a boy genius who didn't grow up to be what he should have been.
The thing that always struck me about Jonny Quest is: What kind of parent brings his kid to the Amazon so that yetis can throw boulders at him? We were playing with that, that kind of callous disregard for proper parenting in the name of the pursuit of science. Other than that little hint of sadism, we haven't really taken the wind out of the 60s guys.
Gallery[]
[]
Jonny Quest crossovers |
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Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law 2000 - 2007 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 2011-2012 Jellystone! 2021 - ongoing Judy Jetson Meets Jonny Quest • Space Ghost • Scooby-Doo • Future Quest • Browse crossovers |
External links[]
- The Venture Bros. Wiki - note the section on Jonny Quest, and pages for Action Johnny, Red Bannon, and Dr. Z.
References[]
- ↑ Reason. "The Horrible Truth about Super-Science" by David Weigel. 17 Apr 2007.