Season Review: Vindicators 2: Last Stand Between Earth and Doom

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Overview:

Earth is in great peril. The monstrous Doom-Nomitron is on his way to consume the entire planet. Thankfully, The Vindicators are on his tail, and all they need is a plan. Or they could just bail and let Rick Sanchez handle it. With the extra free time, the group of heroes dive into their own base desires. And when Sanchez’s machines do take care of the evil Doom-Nomitron, they are there to take all of the credit.

 

Our Take:

Rick and Morty managed to confuse their own fan base in season three when the fourth episode was released, titled “Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender”. Surely, Google was loaded with Rick and Morty fanatics trying to fill in the blanks of where Vindicators 1 & 2 took place. But that was the joke; at the time, “Vindicators 3” was their first appearance and a deep play on the endless collection of superhero films that were released at the time.

Five years after the debut of The Vindicators and the blanks have been filled in. Many fans may be surprised to know that Vindicators 1 has already been completed. Although, you would need to be following the underrated collection of Rick and Morty comic books. Released in March 2018, Rick and Morty Presents: The Vindicators #1 is the official unofficial beginning of the superhero team. Arguably, the animated series may also choose to refill in this blank with their own origin story. However, as of right now, the comic works as a placeholder.

But now, thanks to a special release from Adult Swim, Vindicators 2 is now cannon. Released over San Diego Comic-Con weekend, Vindicators 2 is a ten-part series of shorts released on the Adult Swim YouTube channel. And it is currently free to watch.

The series deep dives into the main headliners of the team, including Million Ants, Vance Maximus, Crocubot, Noob Noob, Alan Rails, and especially gives feature to the team leader, Supernova. Each of these main characters receives a 2-minute episode unto themselves, while the collected series works with a cohesive plot around Alan Rails and Supernova’s relationship.

Meanwhile, there are a few new heroes that we haven’t met and a terrible new villain. However, if you are hoping for a cameo from Rick Sanchez and his awkward grandson, don’t hold your breath; these Youtube shorts are all about the titular superhero team.

With 20-plus minutes of content, there is reason to hope that this limited series would work like an additional episode of Rick and Morty. However, the slow-moving surface-level plot and character-focused vignettes would not work for the fan-favourite animated series. Truthfully, this is bonus content that helps to add some depth to some near-forgotten characters. Whether the Vindicators ever make a return to the animated sitcom is truly a wildcard, as Harmon and Roiland have a plethora of side characters that may or may not make any reappearance.

Regardless, if you consider yourself a Rick and Morty fan, you will likely consume these shorts for your completist state of mind. However, without many laughs and a bland plot that leads nowhere, Vindicators 2 is a skippable bonus feature in the post-DVD era.