I’ve been looking forward to new Dispatch episodes every week. After Episode 6’s heartbreaking ending (spoilers), I’m dying to know what happens next.
But before the story goes to a halt next week, there’s one thing Dispatch did so well that I still can’t wrap my head around: Subverting the evil Superman trope.
Note that there are spoilers for the game’s story here, so you’ve been warned.
In recent superhero movies and other media, there’s always that superpowered being with a god complex. The Boys’ Homelander or Invincible’s Omni-Man are the perfect examples of this trope. They are gods walking among mortals, power tripping the masses using their godlike powers. Pair that with severe emotional issues, and you have a recipe for disaster.
AdHoc Studios’ Dispatch, on the other hand, throws away that trope in exchange for something completely hilarious and unexpected.
If you're out of the loop, in Dispatch, there’s a character named Phenomaman, who is arguably the most powerful superhero in the game’s lore. He’s an alien who somehow crashlanded on our planet.
He’s power-scaled to be like Superman, with flight fast enough to create sonic booms, and godlike levels of strength and speed. Safe to say, he’s not someone you’d want to piss off.
My first impression of Phenomaman wasn’t entirely positive. I thought for sure he was going to be the game’s ‘evil Superman’ trope or the big bad villain. It wasn't until the first plot twist, right at the end of episode 2, revealed that Phenomaman and Blonde Blazer are a couple. This is my first red flag, and I was deeply worried for Robert’s life if he found out about our thing with Blonde Blazer.
The next few episodes completely flipped my expectations. Imagine my surprise when they turned Phenomaman into a depressed man who just needed some love. Apparently, Blonde Blazer and Phenomaman broke up hours after the events of episode 2. After that event, this once-mighty demigod was a wreck. He’s seen wandering through expressways, sleeping in parking lots, and even refusing to fly. I just felt so bad for him.
Then the later episodes had me choosing between him and Waterboy as the newest member of the Z-Team. After removing Coupe, I had no choice but to add a powerful hero to the team. Obviously, given his strengths, I had to pick Temu Superman. I love Waterboy, but he’s just not Z-Team material to me. Phenomaman is the perfect fit, and he’s been a great help so far....until he gets really depressed.
Whenever I roll a negative during dispatching, he gets super bummed out, and he takes a long time to recover. This makes him a major liability in my team, and I find it equally hilarious and frustrating.
You see, Phenomaman’s breakup with Blonde Blazer has been eating him alive. It’s like watching a kid who can’t grow up. Eventually, I had to be the bigger person and adapt to his declining mental state. Besides, he’s technically an alien.
Phenomaman is definitely one of the craziest surprises I’ve seen in Dispatch’s superhero workplace comedy. I feel bad when he’s around, but it’s also hilarious to know that this guy is not what I think he is. He’s not a monster, he’s just a lost alien boy looking to find some love in a world gone mad.
And honestly, I love it. It’s a refreshing take compared to yet another evil Superman trope.
Unless?
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