ASSIST ME! Season 3 - Shadows of the Past Overview

Overview

It begins with a dream that plays out in flashbacks. We see Wesker and Birkin, just before the events of Resident Evil. Birkin is delivering the Progenitor virus strain that will make Wesker into the superpowered villain we know him as. He briefly describes the effects he expects it to has, and during this scene there is a brief flash of Dark Phoenix, accompanied by the evil voice that haunted Doom in the Deadpool episode of season 2 (and later Jean Grey, in the Phoenix episode).

"Break him," the voice commands her.

Wesker seems hesitant to take the virus, and asks Birkin if he would inject himself with a virus if it were his best shot at survival. William humorously responds "No! No, no, no. Jesus no... Well... maybe."

The dream flashes to another memory. Wesker, dressed for his STARS mission, is with Crimson Viper. She discourages him from his course of action, telling him that if he comes with her the CIA will protect him.

"Maya, if I don't find a way out, I get exposed as a double agent. That happens - I die," he tells her.

"If you inject that virus, you're already dead. You'll become a monster. Don't do this. Please," she warns him.

But Wesker brushes past her.

"Make him remember," the evil voice again. "Make him suffer."

We see brief flashes of Wesker injecting the virus into himself, and writhing in pain as it takes hold.

And then we're in the dark Umbrella lab. Wesker is with Chris and Rebecca. Barry enters with Jill at gunpoint, and the scene turns humorous. Wesker's irritated with Barry, as he didn't want to deal with Jill until after he dealt with Chris (Resident Evil players should get the joke here.)

A huge argument breaks out between the STARS team. Chris is live tweeting the entire thing, Barry is tired and sick of Wesker's scheme, Jill and Rebecca are confused as hell, and Wesker's just sick of everybody. He kicks Barry and Jill out and shoots Rebecca.

A final flash of the nightmare reveals Wesker standing over Max and Doom, dead on the couch. Nightmare Wesker turns to the camera with an evil grin.

"Break him down," the evil voice one last time.

And Wesker wakes up. He grabs his phone to call in a favor from the CIA.

The next scene is Doom and Max back at the house. Max finds Doom in a heap of beer bottles, bags of chips, and cans of yogurt, snoring on the couch. When he wakes up, Max asks if he's okay. Doom plays off that he's enjoying his newfounds bachelor status with the charm only Doom can muster.

Max asks, "You're not upset about that whole Morrigan and X-23 thing?"

"Check it out, Max, I'm giving the world's smallest fuck!" Doom says, thrusting his pinky into his fist.

Max offers to give Doom advice on women, should he need it. Doom scoffs, asking what he could possibly know. Max points out that he has a wife. Doom asks where she is, and Max admits he has no idea.

Wesker enters, clearly shaken by his dream, and armed with a leather purse that Morrigan tells him "is very 'in'." Max and Doom team up to give him sass about his weird taste in turtlenecks, skinny jeans and leather boots, and Wesker finally snaps, thrashing Doom off-screen while Max winces.

Wesker steps into the garage, where he finds an attache case with a biohazard emblem. His CIA order came through, delivered by Crimson Viper. They scuffle for a second, almost as if they're testing each other, but they break away to talk.

Wesker asks her what the CIA wants in exchange for his request - which C Viper reveals is the vaccine to his Progenitor virus. The CIA wants data from AIM, which Wesker captured from MODOK after the battle at the end of season 2. Wesker still hasn't unencrypted it, but tells her she'll get in when he does.

C Viper wants to know why he ordered the anti-virus, but he won't tell her. She knows it has something to do with whoever has been hunting Max and Doom, and reminds him:

"You had potential to be a good man, but that was a long time ago. Why are you trying to protect them? What's in it for you?"

"Max and Victor are my friends," he answers.

"Everybody has friends."

"I don't."

Seeing his potential character-turn, she offers to help, but Wesker tells her that it's too dangerous. She's offended, obviously, being the badass in her own right that she is. But he tells her that she should be with her daughter. When she exits, she tells him that when the time comes, she hopes he makes the right choice.

"So do I," he mutters to himself.

The somber scene is finally broken when Doom enters the garage for a round two brawl. A bitchslap fight breaks out between the guys before we roll credits.

Author's Notes

 

Development

As I've mentioned in previous posts, my original outline for season 3 included short films that focused on individual character arcs. As I recall, I definitely had episodes focusing on Strider (who is now completely absent from season 3), Doom, X-23, and Wesker. These episodes took place between the traditional tutorial episodes and helped to thicken the plot significantly.

Max wanted me to trim season 3. Though I really liked the idea of every character getting a larger arc, I'm sure he had his reasons for wanting it shorter. He told me that from his perspective, season one was Max's story, season two was Doom's story, and season three should be Wesker's story. I ran it by him that we keep "Shadows of the Past" in the season, because it was the Wesker episode and it had some pretty significant plot points. He agreed, and so it remains.

The original drafts of this episode were somber and to the point. Wesker was supposed to be humanized in this season, and facing some fairly dark inner-demons, and without the rest of the episodes to justify it, the episodes seemed unfittingly dark for the series. I rewrote it numerous times to maintain the character development, but added appropriate humor to make it feel right.

What's Left?

The entire dream sequence is still unfinished. We shot preliminary footage of Wesker and Birkin, but should we pick the season back up it will be reshot. We also never shot Chris' footage of the STARS scene, hence why I only have a shot of Barry and Jill. These are both easy pick-ups to film though, so if the show continues it'll be no problem to finish this episode.

The Plot Thickens

Max and Doom seem to be carrying on with their lives, but Wesker can't help but pursue closure to the events of season 2.

In the beginning of the Dante episode, we see Wesker torturing a mercenary to find out who hired Taskmaster. Aside from that, the Dante and Morrigan episodes play out without any advancement to the main plot. This episode brings it back, hard, right in your face. The evil presence that taunted Doom and Phoenix is back, now using Phoenix to torment Wesker.

It's also evident in Wesker's conversation with C Viper that he still doesn't know what he's up against, but he knows it's big, and he knows it's bad, which is why he turns down her offer for help.

And How 'Bout that C Viper?

C Viper was never meant to get her own tutorial (sorry guys!) but she's used in this season because her role was important to me in telling Wesker's story. I see her and Wesker almost as opposite sides to the same coin. They both serve evil corporations as double agents, but while Wesker embraces the dark side, C Viper is ultimately fighting for good. Wesker has shut family out of his life to pursue his goals, while C Viper makes time for her daughter. There are even little details in C Viper's costume design (like the colorization of her gun) to show that she's the Yin to Wesker's Yang.

Or the Yang to his Yin. I don't know which is which.

Anyway, there's a lot of implied history between them. Running off the basic Resident Evil lore, Wesker took data from Umbrella to eventually go to Tricell, yadda yadda, but in this episode we're seeing that he had another option - the CIA - and he was too afraid to take the path of good.

He and C Viper would have been double agents in communication with each other - she would have been his route to the light side, so to speak. And it's clear they were at least close enough to be friends. He cares about the safety of her family, and she cares about his path. When he sees her again at the end of the episode, it's bittersweet for him, because he's reminded of his years and years of mistakes, which is a big part of his arc in this season.

So Wesker's Not So Bad?

In the continuity of Assist Me!, Wesker has obviously been an over the top villain on the path to redemption, and this episode sort of explains it, in as much time as a show like Assist Me! can afford to. Wesker was backed into a corner when he took the Progenitor virus from Birkin, what with Umbrella, Tricell, the CIA, and all of that spy life coming down hard on him. He took the route that seemed safer, because he was afraid of dying.

At this point in his life, he was just a guy trying to make a living, and he clearly got in over his head.

Birkin even tells him that the virus may bring out his best qualities, or his worst. Clearly, it brings out his worst - he becomes a power hungry maniac bent on "saving" the world via eugenics. But gradually, over years, and through his relationship with Max and Doom, that "normal guy" starts to come back.

Smash Bros. ASSIST ME! Link

If you're reading this blog, hopefully you've already seen Learn to Smash, which is Max's basics tutorial for Super Smash Bros. 4. If not, check it out here:

In this video, I had the honor of playing one of my childhood video game heroes, Link from the Legend of Zelda franchise.

The backstory here is that when Matt and I were young cosplayers, we dressed as original designs of Link and Agahnim. When it came time to cast for Smash Assist Me!, Simmons egged me to play Link. At first I resisted, because I'm pushing 30 and didn't think I'd be able to pull off the young Elven look anymore. But he insisted, and so I compromised that I would play Link if I could keep my beard and basically play Link as a gritty, battle-hardened man. Matt was fine with that, and so we moved forward.

When it comes to the question, "Why does Link look like that?", that's the short answer. Of course, I couldn't leave it at that. So if you want to know the in-depth reasoning behind this twist on such a classic character, read on.

Which Version of Link is This?

There are some hints here right in the video. I wanted to include some more with the costume, but time and budget prevented that. This Link is the Hero of Time, or the Link that appears in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. The big clue is the inclusion of Navi, who is only a companion to that incarnation of Link.

One of the more subtle hints is the design of his Hylian Shield. I wanted to feature the decals from Ocarina of Time, but make the shield look old and customized, hence the sharpened edges. The style of his baldric (the belt around the chest for the sword) is also based on his Ocarina of Time design, just more detailed.

The reason I went with the Hero of Time incarnation. instead of the more modern Hero of Twilight or Hero of Skyloft, was simply a matter of personal preference. Ocarina of Time was a game I played over and over as a kid, and it is still my favorite in the series. I still consider that Link to be the true original Link (any game they say takes place before it in the timeline can suck it). It's that Link that I wanted to portray.

Why the Beard and Eyepatch?

Since I am portraying Link at an older age, I wanted him to look the part. Many older Hylian men are depicted with facial hair, so they're not like Tolkein elves, which seem to never have any whatsoever. The eyepatch is actually something I thought would be fitting because in Twilight Princess, you encounter the restless spirit of the Hero of Time, and he's missing his right eye.

The Hero's Shade, as he's known.

I interpret this as an indication that he lost his right eye at some point in his life. When exactly is anybody's guess, but it seems I'm not alone in this.

Credit to Sage-of-Winds at DeviantArt.

That there was one awesome piece of fanart that inspired the design of my Link.

Is This Link a Badguy?

Link does some pretty dark stuff in the episode. He breaks a pot, steals some money from it, eats Doom's yogurt, and ultimately stabs Doom with the Master Sword.

That being said, no. My Link is not a badguy. In his world, it's pretty normal to break pots and keep money found in them (any Zelda fan knows this.) And come on - Doctor Doom may be a fan favorite in Assist Me, but he's not exactly one of the goodguys. Link tormenting him is all in a day's work for a hero - and it's funny.

I actually think of my Link as somebody who has lived longer than his appearance suggests. His adventures in Termina (Majora's Mask), may have actually taken years without aging him, as he was reliving the same 3-day cycle. His scars and old wounds show that he has seen a lot of fighting (it's assumed that in his timeline, Ganondorf attacked Hyrule and was ultimately captured). I think of the Hyrule he comes from as war-torn and hard to live in.

Despite that, he's a good guy. He's a hero, sort of a paladin. But he's older, he's seen some shit, and he's (at least a bit) belligerent and bitter.

Other Inspiration

This article wouldn't be complete without crediting artist Aaron Morse, whos portfolio is found at www.threenineart.com. I stumbled across his redesign of Link:

He kindly granted me permission to use this as a starting point for my Link costume. I used the pointed jerkin, the overall shape of the shield, and the attached cowl (hood) from this design. Of course I took some of my own liberties, but this awesome model was a huge inspiration.

Will We See Link Again?

I like to think we will. We have some other plans for Smash Assist Me!, if it continues to grow in popularity. So keep your ear to the ground! Thanks for reading!

Morrigan ASSIST ME! is Happening

Those of you who follow Max on Twitch know that I was up in LA for the streams this last weekend. If you missed it, catch it on the YoVideogames YouTube channel when Simmons gets it uploaded (hopefully in the next week or so, because it was so hype.)

Anyway, the reason I'm writing today is because I talked to Max about the next episode of Marvel ASSIST ME! (Morrigan) and he confirmed it is in fact happening. We filmed the episode nearly a year ago, and it's insane how that time blew by. Max was swamped working on other projects since the Dante episode came out, but he now has a tutor for the character (I'll leave it to him to announce who when the time's right.)

So it's happening! We went over the live action footage and he made a few tweaks. There's still lots of sound editing (Doom VO, music, etc.) and probably other work to do, but it is happening. I'm so stoked it'll be coming out. Don't know when, so don't ask me, but it is gonna happen and I think you guys are gonna love it.

For reasons that escape me entirely.

Stay tuned!

The "Operation: Raccoon City" Special That Never Happened

Digging through my old files tonight. Found a funny one that was meant to be a promotional video for Resident Evil Operation: Raccoon City.

This hilarious affront to the gods of gaming.

When ORC was still in its promotional phase, we had some connections to CAPCOM and used them to pitch an idea that we'd shoot a small comedy introduction video for the six playable USS characters. The story was conceptualized by Simmons, and I wrote up the script. It involved HUNK and Night Hawk (a USS pilot erroneously renamed 'Lone Wolf' in ORC) searching for people to recruit to Delta Team.

I would be playing HUNK, Simmons would be Night Hawk. I had actors lined up for every other role, and locations as well, but ultimately communications with CAPCOM fell through the cracks and so we never shot it.

There are some nice ASSIST ME! references here, and I think the comedy's decent. This is the rough draft of the script, but enjoy it!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SCRIPT!

What's It Like Playing Wesker?

This is entry #1 in a series of posts that will detail my insights to the characters I play in ASSIST ME!

Up first is my favorite of the bunch, Albert Wesker of Resident Evil, who makes far more appearances than any other character I play in the show. Wesker has a rich history of actors playing him. First voiced by Sergio Jones in the original video game, Wesker was made a fan favorite by Richard Waugh, who took the reigns in Resident Evil Code: Veronica. Waugh set the standard for Wesker's mid-Atlantic accent (sort of a midway point between an American and British accent and often attributed to Americans of a high social class). Waugh was eventually replaced by D.C. Douglas, who voiced him for his more recent video game appearances, including UMvC3.

In live action, he's been played by the likes of Jason O'Mara and Shawn Roberts. However another source of Wesker's character is Ken Lally, who did the motion-capture work for him in Resident Evil 5 and also portrayed him in the live action versions of the cut-scenes done by Reuben Langdon's studio Just Cause Entertainment.

What a boss.

I had the pleasure of meeting Ken (and several of the mo-cap and voice actors from RE5) at Fanimecon 2009. Ken got a kick out of my Wesker costume, and we talked at length about the character and his interpretation of Wesker's body language and martial arts background. It was a great source of character research that I did well before I expected to play Wesker in any videos. Ken helped me work on Wesker's posture, explained to me why Wesker often had his left arm tucked to his body and had his right hand free by loosely near his neck or upper torso. Wesker's left arm tucks down his holstered Samurai Edge so that if he needs to draw it, it's ready to go. His right hand is always loose and ready to draw if needed, but he also keeps it ready to block any incoming attacks to his head or neck. Cool stuff.

Ken also talked about one of Wesker's character traits that he wanted to implement, but didn't because in CG it looked weird. Wesker is always watching the ground - his combat arena, if you will - to be constantly aware of his surroundings, enemy movement, obstacles and potential traps. He may be superhumanly strong and fast, but he doesn't survive by being careless.

One thing I picked up from reading interviews with Richard Waugh was that Wesker always refers to people by their first name (this is why instead of "Doom" or "Dr. Doom" or anything, he calls Doom by the name Victor.) Waugh also liked to cut out abbreviations (his Wesker says "will not" instead of "won't" and so on) although this isn't a trait that survived into the D.C. Douglas era, and so it wasn't something I picked up on since my Wesker is based on RE5.

I try to implement the official actors' quirks when appropriate into my physical portrayal of Wesker. Of course, ASSIST ME! being a comedy allows lots of freedom for other character quirks.

Aside from making sure Wesker appears confident and ready for a fight, there are other things I do specifically as Wesker. When Wesker does take a seat, he relaxes. Not so much slouches, but just chills. I figured if Wesker would bother sitting with his enemies, he's going to at least make himself comfortable. (This is opposed to Deadpool, who sits forward facing and is always eagerly childish.)

Another source of inspiration comes from Tom Cruise's character Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder. In ASSIST ME!, Wesker's hot headedness and precise insults are a bit of a nod to Les. I try to avoid it being a knockoff as much as possible, but it seemed appropriate for the parody series.

In season 1 and Ultimate, Wesker being the villain made my job easy. I just took what he was like in the games and made it funny. But with season 2 and on, Wesker starts to get this really interesting character arc. Of course we first see him help Max and Doom survive Deadpool's attack, but that's more for his own gain than any other reason. In the Chris episode we see Wesker is living with Max and Doom, but tensions are still there. Ironically enough, the first real hints we see of his arc are in "Doom and Wesker Watch Resident Evil 6 Trailer #2", which takes place after the Chris episode and is alluded to in the "last time on ASSIST ME!" bit of the Phoenix episode. What seems like a one-off joke was actually integral to the plot, and it's the bit where Wesker finds out he has a son.

Now, Wesker (in the show) has always had daddy issues. He admits to them in his own tutorial episode, referring to the fact that his father never taught him to play baseball (before drinking a lot). Now that he finds out he's also a deadbeat dad, he panics. This, in addition to Doom's accusations of Wesker causing the zombie outbreak, cause Wesker to leave the apartment.

It's actually a way heavier character moment than the viewers may have realized, because Wesker just had his whole world turned upside-down by the revelation that he's just like the father he hated. And it was that that turned him around and made him start towards the good-side of the fight. You'll see it more in season 3 (assuming it's released) but you do see it at the end of season 2 when he comes back to help the guys fight Taskmaster. He didn't come back but for any other reason than that he's trying to right his wrongs.

These are the eyes of a man who hates himself.

It's one of my favorite things about playing Wesker in the series. He comes off as cocky, brutish and villainous, but he's actually a deeply delicate character who ultimately recognizes his own sins and starts to right them.

And probably, nobody noticed that til just now.

Q&A - Round 1

Yesterday I offered to make a blog based on a Q&A both on my Facebook and my Twitter. I didn't get a huge response but I'll answer those questions here. I may do it again in the future.

Q: Is there a cosplay or character that you would totally refuse to do? (From Ayrton Frank Pilares Delgado via Facebook)

A: This is an interesting question. I look at cosplay personally as a way to express my love for a character. I don't cosplay a character if I don't already like them a lot. Hence, my list of cosplays is short even if I've rebuilt each of them a dozen times. Since I started, I've cosplayed as Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean), Link (Legend of Zelda), Jecht (Final Fantasy X), HUNK (Resident Evil) and Albert Wesker (Resident Evil). I guess you could also count Deadpool (Marvel Comics) and Thanos (Marvel Comics) although I did those costumes for ASSIST ME! rather than personal cosplay. Of those characters, Jecht was the one time I did a cosplay based on friends wanting me to do it. It was a fun and simple enough build, but I honestly didn't enjoy wearing it because I had no attachment to the character and no love for the series.

For me anyways, when you wear a costume you have no particular attachment to, it's boring. Plus you'll get people who are fans coming up to you to talk to you about the series, and you don't know what they're talking about, and then you look like a douche.

Pictured: my Jecht costume, apparently.

In the future I have plans to make costumes of Batman (DC Comics), Edward Kenway (Assassin's Creed), and perhaps an originally designed Hylian Knight. That's all stuff I want to do, and I know I'll enjoy it.

So in short, there's not really any one costume or character I'd refuse to do. The fact is I simply won't do it if it's not interesting to me. I guess that technically puts the count of characters I would "refuse" to do pretty high though.

Q: Will you be going to Anime Expo this year and/or any convention this year? (From Matthew Nevarez via Facebook)

A: I have no intentions to go to Anime Expo unless they return to Anaheim. The last time I went to AX was 2007 when they did it in Long Beach. The location wasn't the problem as much as the fact that in 2006 and 2007 the con was run so awfully that it just turned me off. I would go back to Anaheim for the sake of nostalgia though. Really, I've fallen out of the con scene. They just aren't all that fun to me these days. I might get back into them in the future, but I did them for 10 years and to me they got dull.

Q: When is next ASSIST ME!? (From Alvin Li via Facebook)

A: That's really a question I can't answer. Season 3 was almost entirely filmed in the spring of 2013. We do have some pickups to shoot, and we haven't shot the finale episode yet. The next episode of UMvC3 (Morrigan) is completely filmed, but to my knowledge Max hasn't had time to do the in-game stuff yet. He's been extremely busy with paid projects (as I've said before, ASSIST ME! costs more to produce than Max gets back from YouTube hits). I don't know when he will, you'd have to hound him for it. Soon, I hope, while people are still interested. That said, he has talked to me about doing more Killer Instinct episodes. They'd be easier to make, and that's what he's passionate about right now. I wouldn't be surprised if he releases some KI episodes before we see Morrigan.

I NEED AN ADULT.

Q: How exactly did you do the Deadpool mask? (From Jaymic Schliesman via Twitter)

A: Pretty simply, actually. The red part of the mask was just a cotton-spandex blend fabric (the same as the outfit) that I sewed into a custom balaclava. I based the thing off of his appearance in Marvel Ultimate Alliance, which gave me the idea to have black makeup instead of fabric to allow for eye movement. Our makeup artists then covered my eyebrows and most of the rest of my face in layers of liquid latex to give the appearance of twisted, chunky, fucked up Deadpool skin. They painted that black with some grease makeup, eyeliner around the eyes, etc. and popped in white mesh eye contacts. It took over an hour to get the makeup done, and taking it off hurt like hell, but I think it was worth it.

eBay? Ain't nobody got time for that!

Q: Any advice for cosplay beginners? A friend of mine wants to do Chris Redfield soon. (From Dan via Twitter)

A: As I detailed a bit in my first answer above, stick to what you like. Do what you're passionate about. Even when doing commissions, if I work on something that I'm not interested in it just isn't nearly as fun. At the end of the day cosplay is supposed to be fun, so don't get too caught up on anything but doing something you want to, and doing it the way you want to. For some people that means a big extravagant debut in their first costume, which is cool and all, but that shouldn't be your standard. Enjoy yourself.

Also, make sure your costume is easy to change out of, use the restroom is, breathes as much as possible, doesn't totally block your peripheral vision, doesn't drag on the floor (an escalator will fuck your shit up) and isn't Hetalia.

Fuck Hetalia.

"Day Of" Jokes

To my understanding, an honest-to-God film production doesn't have changes made the day of filming. The risk of continuity errors, etc. is just too much to handle. Once a script is written, it'll be used in rehearsals, screen tests, and otherwise edited probably a ton before the final version is ultimately settled, but come filming day nobody's throwing out new ideas or coming up with new dialog.

At least, that's my understanding of it. Don't take my word for it.

In ASSIST ME! things are a lot different. I usually write scripts well before we're ready to film, and send them out to the cast for feedback. Due to our conflicting schedules and travel distance, we can't get together for a bunch of rehearsals and discussions. So everybody reads it, sends me any feedback they might have, and I'll make some changes. Usually my second or third draft is what I call the "final" draft, but that doesn't mean that the script is scripture when it comes time to film.

A lot of the rest f the crew doesn't pay much mind to a particular episode until filming day. And since we don't get together for rehearsal not even I can be sure what the flow and feel of the episode will be like until we're in character, bouncing lines off each other and the camera's rolling.

To somebody used to professional procedure, this is probably an enormous headache. But to those of us just doing it for fun, it's kind of a blast. Everybody gets to toss in ideas, and what we agree works best is what we go with. A prime example is "magic hood" gag, where Doom pulls random plot devices or other props out of his hood.

Back when we were filming Ultimate ASSIST ME!, Max had written the script for the first episode and  if memory serves me correctly, the script just called for "Doom pulls out a copy of Ultimate Marvel 3." When it came time to film, Max realized there needed to be some kind of interesting reveal. We didn't just want to have Doom snap it into existence because we had done that for mundane props before - the early copy of UMvC3 was a big deal in the plot, so we needed something new. After we all thought on it for a few seconds, I said "Just have him pull it out of his hood."

Doom's hood is friggin' huge. So we stuck the game up in there and had him pull it out like there was some mystical pocket. It was a bit of a pain to make it work, because with his gloves on Simmons couldn't even feel the case, but after a few tries we got it down, and magic was born.

Since then, Doom's "magic hood pocket" has been iconic in the series. We made a throwback to the gag in the Deadpool episode. When Max wants to show Deadpool a change from the vanilla version, he reaches into Doom's hood (notice how he reaches into the opposite end that Doom pulled Ultimate from - aw, shit!) and pulls out the game to Doom's surprise. As Max and Deadpool play, Doom pulls an assortment of random crap from his hood, surprised at everything he finds.

The inside of Doom's hood, probably.

We used the joke again in Retro ASSIST ME! when Doom sticks old games into one side of hood, and after horrible grinding noises pulls Infinity gems from the other side. (And also plutonium, because comics are stupid.) It's one of the seemingly intentional iconic pieces of ASSIST ME! lore that was literally thought up on the fly during filming.

And that's just one thing. The amount of jokes and gags in the show that we come up with day of is ridiculous. This is why even though I'm often credited as the main writer, I've said before at pretty much every panel we've done that nobody can really take full credit for any particular episode. The whole process is so organic and involves a lot more heads than one.

Sometimes it works out really well. Other times not as much. But really, it's a fundamental part of the show. I wouldn't have it any other way.