HBO’s Last Week Tonight is now on hiatus, but thankfully John Oliver released a new web exclusive where he pitches the ideal solution to the oversaturation of Marvel/DC superhero movies: a fresh, new superhero franchise based on the fearless superhero he created in fifth grade, Johnny Strong.
Advertisement
The term refers to the tiredness fans can sometimes find themselves afflicted with after a barrage of releases, and to combat it, Oliver designed an entirely new superhero that he believes moves away from the stereotypical storyline and opens up an entirely new dialogue around the genre.
However, the bulk of Oliver’s video is devoted to the introduction of his own signature hero: Johnny Strong, a character he jokingly claims to have to relation to despite the clear resemblance between them and the fact that Johnny Strong’s alter ego just happens to be John Oliver with a slightly different pronunciation. Johnny Strong’s superpowers are a bit vague, but he “has seen a boob and knows what the F-word is”. John Oliver treated viewers to the tales of “Johnny Strong”, a superhero Oliver invented as a kid.
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver is regrettably off until September 25, but that didn’t stop the HBO host from airing a new segment created to combat superhero fatigue. 25 at 11 p.m. ET.
Another villain from Johnny Strong’s rogues gallery includes the dreaded Mrs. Thomas, a clarinet teacher who tries to convince kids the clarinet is cool.
Oliver says the whole series “is chock full of adventures that are begging to be adapted to the silver screen”.
Advertisement
Oliver even details his homemade comic’s first issue, a story about Johnny Strong fighting a mutant – albeit completely normal-looking – cat with a laser beam and inadvertently waking up Olivier’s baby sister.
