–See what I mean about Brock? This is classic Samson, right off the bat. The payoff is a little weak, but the luchadore sniffing Brock’s shirt more than makes up for it. Also, the sound effects indicate that after Brock takes off his underwear, he gets an erection. The thing that kills me about it is that he seemingly does so for the sole purpose of distracting his enemies. And here’s something I noticed about the opening credits – in these early days, the Monarch doesn’t appear at all in the opening (other than as a tiny inset in a montage, and even then he’s in the wrong costume). He does get added later on, to the point that the signature Venture skull turns into a flurry of butterflies. Considering that Baron Underbheit shows up prominently, I have to think that the Monarch wasn’t originally intended to be as important as he became.
