Who Wants to be a Superhero 2, The Finale: And Then There Was One

As the heroes sleep, the lair converts itself into a broadcast center, beaming Stan Lee’s mug to every device in the world. Very cheesy, especially the NASA bits. Thousands tried out, blah blah.

Stan “reflects” on all three finalists. Hyper Strike showed him something in his audition, in a horrible white outfit displaying his moves. He’s got the moves and showmanship, but is he a superhero? He was never afraid to speak his mind. There were slipups in revealing his identity, but he was an inspiration. His actions and words convinced Stan that he was a worthy finalists.

Hygena was more of an underdog than a superhero at first, doubting herself. But she never wavered as she pushed herself. Her sacrifice plan against the dogs took her to new heights.

Defuser was a leader from the word go, even though some thought he was overbearing. But he learned humility along the way, and how to work with others. Against the dogs, he was the picture of determination as he balanced teamwork with leadership.

Flash back to last episode as Balls Mahoney (ah, synergy. Watch ECW on SciFi, kids!) surprises the heroes and tells them that he was sent by… Stan. Defuser visably relaxes, as it looks like he was ready to break the Champaign glass to use as a weapon like in old westerns. Well, they didn’t drink Champaign in old westerns, but you know what I mean. Balls is going to teach them the physical aspects of being a hero the next day.

The next day, Balls welcomes them to superhero stunt school. He introduces John, one of the top stuntmen in Hollywood. John gives Balls a chairshot to the head, and Balls shows them that, yeah, it hurts. Just look at the dented chair. Hygena says she’s not doing that.

They perform in front of a green screen. Hygena and Hyper Strike do quite well, the latter being obvious as he has performed in the circus. Defuser is, in his words, apprehensive. He worries that the ropes will hold him, and doesn’t look very graceful, complaining of a super-wedgie.

Next, the heroes learn how to stage fight and pull punches. After some training, Balls tells Hygena to “mop up” the Defuser. For inspiration, Balls says that Defuser did laundry and didn’t use fabric softener. She’s mad now. Balls is digging this. It looks good. Hyper Strike again does a great job, integrating a cartwheel kick.

After the end of the lesson, Dr. Dark suddenly drops into the gym. They have a fight scene that’s quite entertaining, although it’s obviously choreographed to take us out of the reality of the show. I mean, having a fake fight with Balls Mahoney is one thing, but a staged fight where they use their “powers” against their series-long foe is another.

Bitchiness aside, they finish him off and he goes flying through a door. After a bit of celebration, Stan pops onto their wrist communicators and congratulates them. He says that he will take care of Dr. Dark (oh sure, now that the work is done…) and sends them back to the lair.

At the lair, Defuser is surprised that Dr. Dark tried to take all three of them at once. He thinks their action figures could have taken him. Heh. The StanScreen buzzes to life and Defuser is surprised, as usual. The competition all comes down to this – they will each meet with Stan for a one-on-one interview in the living room.

Hyper Strike is first and sits down in front of the big StanScreen. Stan compliments him on his athleticism again, as Hyper Strike notes that his heroes were all athletic. Stan wants to get to know the real Hyper Strike, and calls him John. He freaks out a bit and asks if it’s OK, since they’re alone in the lair. Heh. John didn’t have many friends as a kid, he doesn’t even know why. He thinks it’s partially his last name. Stan says those kinds of challenges build character.

Hygena is up next. Stan asks why this is important to her. She wants to share her heart with others. Stan talks to Melody, her “secret identity.” It was emotional for her on the first night away from her husband. She didn’t expect all the emotion, but it helped her push forward and get over her fears. She had a late-term miscarriage a few years ago, and she’s been terrified to try again. But hearing people during the show tell her what a good mother she would be has given her the courage to try again. Wow. That’s awesome. She says without this opportunity, she may not have been able to find the courage. Stan is impressed, saying he had no idea when he started out that the show would have that sort of impact.

Defuser is nervous, but seems to relax as Stan calls him Jared. When he was 12 or 13, his sister “went off the path” and got lost with the wrong crowd for many years. He wanted to help his family but couldn’t. If he could have gotten a hero out of the comics to help, it may have made a difference. It’s a bit jarring to see the big tough Defuser crying, but it’s certainly understandable. Stan gives him a moment. Jared says that heroes are needed. He’s had his sister back for the last couple of years, and it’s amazing. He says he doesn’t tell that story to many people. Whoops.

The winner is (after a bit of a fake-out) to be announced as Universal Studios Hollywood, and we get a neat little transporter effect. The special effects have been top notch this season, I gotta say.

Stan appears on a huge StanScreen overlooking the citywalk. The winner will get their own action figure (for sale, I would assume, as they all already have one), a comic for their hero, a role in a SciFi movie, and their very own StanScreen. Really. No word on if you can talk to Stan through it.