Abhiroop Das
Created by Ben Edlund and based on his comic-book character of the same name, ‘The Tick’ reinvents the saga of the eponymous superhero, whose powers remain as ambiguous as his origins. However, that doesn’t stop him from stepping up in the face of injustice and protecting anyone in need. During one such excursion, his path crosses with that of Arthur Everest, a regular accountant who seems convinced that the Terror, a malevolent supervillain presumed to be dead, is actually alive. As the two of them become partners, a series of supernatural events ppullsArthur deeper into the world of action and politics. The season 1 finale of this superhero comedy series, mouthfully titled ‘The End of the Beginning (Or the Start of the Dawn of the Age of Superheroes)’ gives way to as grand a climax as any. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Tick Season 1 Plot Recap
‘The Tick’ season 1 begins with a world where superhumans are the norm, and superheroes very quickly become celebrities. While The City is believed to have gotten rid of its most fierce villain, the Terror, only a single man, Arthur Everest, seems to be convinced that the threat is far from over. A meek accountant with no superpowers, Arthur spends his spare time researching the Terror and how he might be using the city’s gangs as proxies. The reason for his determination dates back years, when his father was killed by the villain in cold blood. In the present, he observes Ramses IV, the present kingpin, and Lint, the Terror’s former right hand, receiving a mysterious package. Just then, Arthur is discovered by the Tick, who turns out to be an amnesiac superhero interested in helping him out.
Though the Tick and Arthur’s dynamic doesn’t land at first, the former still manages to steal the package, blow up Ramses’ factories, and then sneak his way into Arthur’s room. Inside the package is a mysterious suit, and the Tick wants Arthur to wear it. Though Lint and company manage to track the two of them soon enough, Arthur’s suit manages to protect him from all attacks, while the Tick is revealed to be a nigh-invincible force of nature. Together, they begin concocting ways to bring down the mob group and force the Terror out into the open, and in the process, they collaborate with another rogue superhero named Overkill. While the Tick also wants help from the first superhero of this world, Superion, the latter turns out to be sick, and Arthur suggests that this might be the Terror’s doing.
Eventually, Arthur and company manage to storm one of the Terror’s hideouts and a scientist named Karamazov, who also happens to be the creator of Arthur’s suit. Despite Lint and Overkill’s attempts to have that vest for themselves, it’s revealed that this suit has now customized itself to fit only Arthur, and also that its real purpose is to kill Superion. With all his cards dwindling, the Terror comes out into the open at last, revealing a devastating plan to use the Very Large Man, AKA VLM, to trample over The City. Worse, VLM’s constitution also makes him uniquely powerful against Superion, which means that other powers of the world must deal with him first. Just then, the Tick and Arthur manage to intercept the Terror’s ship just in time, clearing the path for the disaster to be averted.
The Tick Season 1 Ending: Who is Big Brother? Is AEGIS Active Again?
‘The Tick’ ends season 1 with Arthur and the Tick beating the Terror for good, only for a bigger, more powerful opponent to sneak up behind them. After the dust settles and people begin returning to their usual lives, Midnight, the talking dog, pays Arthur and the Tick a rather ominous visit, telling them to be wary of Big Brother. While neither Arthur nor we quite know who this figure is, the name itself is an obvious reference to a character of the same name from George Orwell’s ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four.’ Big Brother is the chief antagonist of the classic dystopian novel, and emerges as not only the leader of the super-state, but also as a symbol of surveillance-based oppression. Though there are no direct tie-ins to these elements in ‘The Tick,’ we still have a pretty good guess as to what this connection means.
In the last scene of the season, we see a spy drone carrying the logo of AEGIS, or the Association for the Enforcement of Global Interstate Superhumanity. What makes this scene confusing, though, is the fact that it’s been established that AEGIS shut down years ago and is, by all means, a dead company that only exists as an archival database of superhumans. By contrast, the final scene conveys that not only is AEGIS alive and well, but it has also locked in Arthur and the Tick as the targets for its surveillance. Given that the story starts with Arthur claiming that a presumed-dead antagonist is actually alive and well, it wouldn’t be a surprise if we see something similar happening with AEGIS.
Though AEGIS was primarily designed to keep a track of superhumans and supernatural activity, it doesn’t sound very hard-fetched for it to go rogue, or get into the wrong hands. Armed with a database that potentially keeps track of all superheroes’ weaknesses, personal details, and other valuable information, any supervillain worth their salt can become a global threat on par with the Terror. Midnight seems to know about AEGIS already, and this might be a reason for him to create such a stark difference between his public and private life. If the Tick and Arthur are to survive the future without putting themselves or their loved ones in jeopardy, they might have to wise up about their enemy before it’s too late.
Is the Terror Defeated? What Happens to Lint?
At the end of season 1, Terror’s plan to kill Superion comes undone, and from there it’s only a matter of time before the big bad is put behind bars. As Superion is effectively the power ceiling of this world, it makes sense for the Terror to eliminate him before putting energy into any grander plans. However, the plan to use VLM as a killing machine goes sideways when Arthur and the Tick step in, reorienting things in a way that spares Superion from a fatal dose of the big bismuth. From there, it doesn’t take long for Superion to locate the Terror and freeze him on the spot with his Arctic Breath ability. As the Terror is apprehended in front of the public eye, this time his chances of getting out are slim, if not non-existent. Superion, on the other hand, is heralded as the city’s hero once again, regaining the popularity he had begun to lose over the years.
Though the Terror’s run ends with the finale, his right-hand, Lint, manages to escape before things go out of control. Right before the Terror’s ship crashes to the surface, he and Lint manage to find an escape pod. However, in a critical moment, she decides to leave him behind and boards the ship all by herself, confirming that she’s decided to part ways and start anew. Whether this new path is that of a superhero or a supervillain, however, remains to be seen. Before she became the fearsome Miss Lint, she was actually a close contact of Overkills and likely even protected people as a hero, if only for a brief time. While her recent battles with Overkill and company have likely sprung up a new internal dilemma, for now, Lint remains the dark horse of the story.
Does VLM Return to Normal? How?
After the Very Large Man emerges as the most serious threat of the story, capable of stomping down an entire city with mere steps, the Tick and Arthur realize that invincibility alone cannot save the day. The way out, however, lies in figuring out the origins of Arthur’s mysterious suit, and through that, they eventually contact Dr. Karamazov, the creator of the suit, who also happens to be responsible for VLM’s predicament, as well as his own. As Karamazov details the past, we learn that it all started when a big stock of big bismuth was found in his home country, Urmania. Being a natural deterrent for Superion, big bismuth caught the attention of the nation’s dictatorial regime, but not before Karamazov began experimenting with the element itself.
It is Karamazov’s attempts to simulate superhuman effects in regular humans, via big bismuth, that lead to the creation of VLM. Before Karamzov’s growth ray is able to hit VLM, however, it creates an adverse effect on his own body, slowly shrinking everything except his head. In VLM’s case, the device goes overboard in the opposite direction, injecting big bismuth into every little inch of the man, till he grows to gigantic proportions. Fittingly, the way to return him to a normal size is by redirecting an internal explosion, one that safely disposes of the big bismuth quantities in his body, without triggering a city-wide explosion. With this, Karamazov is able to kill two birds with one stone, ensuring that VLM can lead a regular life once again.
Will Arthur Become a Full-Time Superhero?
After the fall of the Terror, Arthur’s personal vendetta is met after years of hard work and sacrifice. However, this merely marks the beginning of another journey for him, that of being a superhero. Not having any powers growing up meant that Arthur always felt a survivor’s guilt, one of feeling too weak to protect his own father. While he is able to get over those self-destructive thoughts and tendencies, the newfound power gives him an altogether different means of putting his kindness to use. Unlike the Tick, who has been saving lives purely on instinct, Arthur now has the option to don the suit for good and step out into the world as a conscientious superhero.
While Arthur becoming his own superhero will likely mean that he is no longer the Tick’s sidekick, that isn’t even one of the main worries. Before anyone forgets, Arthur also has a regular job as an accountant at Fishladder & Sons, and while this world isn’t exactly known for harboring secret identities, maintaining two jobs at once is still a hassle. Going forward, Arthur will likely have to make the tough decision of either committing to the life of fighting those against the innocent, or returning to his former, trepid way of life. The hero’s choice is at the heart of ‘The Tick’ in many ways, and if there’s one thing that the eponymous superhero has inspired in Arthur’s heart, it’s that one doesn’t need a unique reason to save lives.
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