WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Season 1 of Hit-Monkey, now streaming on Hulu.
Marvel's Hit-Monkey is an unexpected entry into the Marvel animation library. Although it has humor, it's nothing like a series like Marvel's M.O.D.O.K. In fact, the weight that the series carries while following a monkey on a hunt for revenge shows that it has as much emotional trauma as The Punisher while packing in hours of bloody action, but one episode particularly focuses on how the titular assassin singlehandedly redefines heroism.
Hit-Monkey follows a monkey on a path for revenge after his entire tribe is killed by men hunting an assassin, Bryce. Though the monkey can't fend for himself in the human world, the hitman's spirit serves as his guide and a constant reminder that they have a job to do before he can cross over. In Season 1, Episode 4, "The Code," audiences learn that the monkey, while ruthless, has a code that he lives by. As a result, tasks are much more difficult for him to complete but ultimately pay off in the end.
Early in the episode, the monkey and Bryce try to break into a prison to find one of the men on their list. Almost immediately, they encounter a dog who's ready to kill the monkey without hesitation. Although the monkey has a gun, his code keeps him from killing something that doesn't deserve it. Because of this, he is forced to sneak in through a dusty air vent. While inside, he also finds a rat in a glue trap, and even though he rescues him, his kindness only gets him bitten.
The first half of the episode drives home Bryce's point that having a code of any sort only leads to lower returns and poor luck. However, once they're sent to the pit, where they're target is, the monkey's luck begins to turn around after a fateful battle with a martial artist, Fat Cobra. When given a chance to kill the skilled fighter, the monkey spares his life and earns an ally. This leads to a chain of events that creates a massive prison riot and their target being eliminated, but even as all exits seem blocked, the monkey's luck turns around thanks to his kindness from earlier.
The rat finds the monkey and escorts him to a safe exit after apologizing for biting him earlier. Thanks to the monkey's kindness, he and Bryce escape unscathed while others are mowed down by the guards. Even the gun the monkey lost while confronting the dog is returned by the rat, proving what goes around comes around. Although Bryce feels the code cost the monkey important moments that would have made their mission easier, he learns how empathy can create allies that will help in the future.
Hit-Monkey is a powerful story about purpose and a person's true character, but one episode shows that even violent killers like the monkey aren't incapable of kindness. In fact, by having a code, he can keep the goodness in his heart thriving as he wades through the waters of revenge, unsure of what he will become after emerging from the other side. Because of his actions in "The Code," audiences can see that not all heroes are as black and white as those shown via other outlets.
To see Hit-Monkey save lives, the first season is now streaming on Hulu.