The Guardians of Justice (also known as Adi Shankar's The Guardians of Justice (Will Save You!)) is a live-action/adult animatedmixed media superhero television series created, directed, written, and executive produced by Adi Shankar. The series is a Bootleg Universe production and a satire of DC Comics and the Justice League starring WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page as Knight Hawk, a parody of an older grizzled Batman.[3][4] The series was released on Netflix on March 1, 2022.
Plot
After defeating Robo-Hitler and ending World War III, peace has been maintained on Earth for 40 years thanks to the alien superhero Marvelous Man (Will Yun Lee). In 1987, this peace is thrown into chaos with Marvelous Man's death. Marvelous Man's former lieutenant, Knight Hawk (Diamond Dallas Page), investigates his death with the help of the idealistic hero The Speed (Sharni Vinson) in order to prevent a nuclear war.
After an alien superhero named Marvelous Man stopped World War III, the planet has been at peace under his care. Forty years later, Marvelous Man shocks the world by appearing to commit suicide during his yearly live address. Tensions rise and war looms in his absence, and his lieutenant Knight Hawk rallies the Guardians of Justice to step up. However Knight Hawk suspects that Marvelous Man's death may have been murder, and the culprit could be one of the Guardians themselves.
2
"Chapter 2: A Mentally Shattered Megalomaniac"
Kenlon Clark
Samuel Laskey
March 1, 2022 (2022-03-01)
Knight Hawk begins investigating Marvelous Man's death, starting with the caltronite bullet that killed him. Suspecting one of the Guardians of stealing it, Knight Hawk begins surveilling his teammates. Meanwhile he reaches out to former protege Red Talon, and takes his current ward Little Wing to interrogate Marvelous Man's salacious therapist. Running low on leads, Knight Hawk uses the Cortex, an alien computer system that implicates The Speed and Motion Blur.
3
"Chapter 3: Anubis and How I Learned to Love the Nuke"
Enol Junquera
Samuel Laskey
March 1, 2022 (2022-03-01)
Without Marvelous Man to keep them in check, Anubis terrorists are on the rise and world powers are drifting towards nuclear war. Red Talon sends junior superhero Sepia Spider into Anubis territory, but he's captured and killed. In a highly publicized spectacle, Red Talon attacks Anubis himself, and is also killed. Finally Knight Hawk sends Little Wing, who succeeds in killing the Anubis Queen.
4
"Chapter 4: You Can Own the Word 'Justice'"
Luis Pelayo Junquera
Shawn DeLoache
March 1, 2022 (2022-03-01)
Knight Hawk investigations lead him to discover more of the Guardians' buried secrets, including King Tsunami's affair with Marvelous Man's wife, as well as Black Bow and Blue Scream's involvement with a rising street drug. Meanwhile, a romance blossoms between The Speed and Awesome Man.
5
"Chapter 5: When Guardians Fall in Love"
Enol Junquera
Samuel Laskey
March 1, 2022 (2022-03-01)
Awesome Man is forced to save Knight Hawk when a confrontation with Golden Goddess becomes hostile. Awesome Man and The Speed go on a superpowered date. Meanwhile The Speed follows a lead of her own, where she confronts Motion Blur and learns information about Marvelous Man's death.
6
"Chapter 6: Shame Is a Lower Vibration than Anger"
Kenlon Clark
Shawn DeLoache
March 1, 2022 (2022-03-01)
Knight Hawk's investigation closes in on Mind Master and Marvelous Man's most closely held secret, that they were in a relationship together. Knight Hawk kills Mind Master rather than let Marvelous Man's sexuality come to light, creating his own narrative instead. Meanwhile, The Speed learns about Knight Hawk's fascist agenda and a secret army he's building.
7
"Chapter 7: Proximity to Power Corrupts More than Power Itself"
Enol Junquera
Samuel Laskey
March 1, 2022 (2022-03-01)
Knight Hawk begins using his army to take power. Armed with the truth about Knight Hawk, The Speed and Awesome Man plan to unite the other Guardians to take him down. She attacks to pave the way, only to discover that Awesome Man was secretly Little Wing in an alternate form. At Knight Hawk's orders, he kills her "for the greater good."
Production
Development
On July 29, 2015, HBO was set to develop Adi Shankar's Gods And Secrets with Adi Shankar writing, showrunning and directing the tragic superhero satire.[5] On September 27, 2021, the series became The Guardians of Justice with Shankar showrunning the hybrid-animation tragic superhero satire.[6][7] On October 13, 2021, Shankar revealed that his vision included the use of multiple mediums and tones.[8]
Believing that most artists have a broader range of performance capability than the professional industry classifies them into, Shankar said he wanted to cast the series with an eclectic mix of actors to capture the feeling of the world coming together. Carmen Aiello was the casting director for the entire series and was later credited by Shankar as the first Inclusivity Advocate on a television series.[10]
Animation
On September 27, 2021, Graham Hughes was revealed to be lead graphic designer of the series.[7] On October 13, 2021, Shankar revealed the origin of the multiple mediums were used.[8]
Release
Film festivals
On October 12, 2021, the series played in competition at the Canneseries festival in France.[11]
Reception
Paste wrote that if a viewer can handle the combination of tongue-in-cheek filmmaking and extreme gore, the show was "worth the watch" to see its mixed commentary on the rise of the superhero genre in popular culture.[12]
Decider recommended the show with a "Stream It" rating, citing the show's "riot of visuals and breathless narrative.[13]
Winteriscoming.net praised the show for its "inventive, creative, and fast-paced" approach.[14]
GameRant called it a "mixed-media experience that must be seen to be believed."[15]
Comicon.com compared the show to early hip hop artists, saying "Just as graffiti will appear as vandalism to some and street art to others The Guardians of Justice will be a polarizing series".[16]
Mint Lounge said of the show "Shankar has created something highly original out of something all too familiar."[17]
ReadySteadyCut gave it four out of five stars, saying "Any even remotely geek-savvy viewer will delight in picking up every reference".[18]
