Korgoth of Barbaria

A classic example of What Could Have Been, Korgoth of Barbaria was a pilot never made into a full series that falls somewhere between being a parody and deconstruction of the Barbarian Hero, (especially Conan the Barbarian) with a lot of Black Comedy thrown in. The result didn't just cross over the line, it continually played hopscotch going back and forth over it.

The story takes place long After the End, in a world where magic, demons and mutants are mixed with the remnants of technology and precious little civilization. Korgoth appears to be stereotypical dim, brutal and violent Dumb Muscle from the frozen north, (although there are hints that he's smarter than he looks, well, at least sometimes) whose direct and ruthless fighting style and extensive world experience makes him a perfect survivor in this Crapsack World.

Although the pilot was heavily hyped by Cartoon Network as part of its Adult Swim lineup and received a positive response from the fans, the network played an extended Will They or Won't They? game, complete with rumors flying about them picking the show up and starting a series before the project died a quiet death.

If you've never seen it, here's a short scene to get you started. You probably don't want it open it at work or school, however.

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This pilot contains examples of:

• Affectionate Parody: Of Conan the Barbarian and similar Sword and Sorcery narratives.
• After the End
• Anti-Hero: Oh, just guess who it is.
• An Arm and a Leg
• An Axe to Grind: He swings it with the speed a man his size would get swinging a wiffle ball bat.
• Badass: Korgoth is one.
• Bar Brawl
• Barbarian Hero: Pretty light on the "hero" part
• Black and Grey Morality: Grey? There was grey?
• The Blob: The gum monster
• Bloody Hilarious
• Body Surf
• Butt Monkey: Stink.
• Chaste Hero: So very averted.
• Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon: A Giant Mook tries to do this threat to Korgoth. Korgoth is less than impressed.

"YOU! You will regret what you have done this day! I will make you regret ever being born! You're going to regret you ever left you mother's womb, where it was warm, and safe, and wet! I'm going to show you pain you never knew existed, you're going to see a whole new spectrum of pain! Like a RAINBOW! But! THIS rainbow is not just like any other rainbow, it's--"

• • Ironically enough, the reciter of this threat promptly suffers a Cruel and Unusual Death by getting half the skin of his body torn off, alcohol thrown into the open wound, and then set on fire.
    • This entire scene Crosses the Line Twice, because after each action, the guy screams and the shots cut around to other people in the bar also screaming at the horror (some of whom have already suffered horribly at Korgoths hands). EACH TIME.
• Dead Baby Comedy
• Disposable Woman
• Distressed Damsel
• Evil Sorcerer
• Explosive Leash: Gogmagog poisons Korgoth, forcing him to go on The Quest in exchange for the antidote.
• Eye Beams
• Eye Scream
• Fan Service: Plenty of it.
  • Fan Disservice: Plenty of that too.
• Faux Affably Evil: Korgoth's "employer" Gogmagog.
• Fetch Quest
• Flaying Alive
• Funbag Airbag: One of the guys attacking Korgoth gets flung across the room, lands right in the barmaid's cleavage, and doesn't move for the rest of the fight.
  • Unless one counts what sure looks like vigorous motorboating in the process of screaming sympathetically for the aforementioned Giant Mook.
• Funny Background Event: A portrait of a man with what appears to be an enormous member can briefly be seen in the tavern.
• Giant Flyer: Monstrous pigeons, which Korgoth and Gogmagog's henchmen use to reach Specules' lair.
• Giant Mook: The one who made the ill-fated Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon threat above.
• Go-Go Enslavement: Gogmagog is a fan of it, he keeps a bikini-clad chick in a cage.
• Gorn
• Groin Attack: A lot.
• Heroic Comedic Sociopath
• Hey, It's That Voice!: Deirdrich Bader, voice of Korgoth, also voices such other characters as Hoss Delgado and Batman.
  • He was also Oswald on The Drew Carey Show
• Hook Hand: On the place of mook leader's left hand.
• I Have You Now, My Pretty
• Killed Mid-Sentence: What Korgoth does when he's not impressed by a Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon threat.
  • Actually, he doesn't die for quite awhile after the sentence is interrupted. Considering what Korgoth does to interrupt, this is extremely disturbing.
• MacGuffin: The Golden Goblin of the Fourth Age. Turns out it's some sort of figurine that plays tinny music and dances, like a cheap gift one would buy from a low-end retail store.
• Made of Plasticine: Anyone and anything that tries to fight Korgoth.
• Manly Tears: Korgoth briefly gets these at the end of the episode, complete with crumpled paper sound.
• Meaningful Name: Many names are puns or references.
• Metaphorgotten: "I've dated girls uglier than you for breakfast!"
• Mook Lieutenant: The hook handed guy.
• Neck Lift: Korgoth to Gogmagog, when he finds out Gogmagog tricked him into eating poisoned food.
• No Name Given: Hook hand guy. Not even a title or rank.
• Oh My Gods: "Hairy balls of the gods!"
• One-Episode Wonder
• Poison and Cure Gambit
• Shout-Out: The intro shows Korgoth's lover turning into a monster mid-session, referencing Conan the Barbarian.
• Reactive Continuous Scream: During the bar fight.
• Talk to the Fist: A classic and hysterically funny (in a very dark way) case
• There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Korgoth breathes this trope
• Testosterone Poisoning
• Too Dumb to Live: A few examples. Korgoth's Lizard Mount eats a strange, apple like fruit and promptly explodes. Korgoth and the Mooks traveling with him promptly drop the exploding fruit, but one shrugs and eats it anyway. Guess What Happens
• We Are Team Cannon Fodder: Pretty much everyone who's not Korgoth will will die horribly, with few exceptions. Granted, He's Korgoth of Barbaria and they're the Gogmagog's Random mooks.
• We Have Reserves: Gogmagog specifically tells Korgoth he'll send his best men with him... and some of the less strong ones, for the sake of amusement.
• What Could Have Been: We can't have nice things.
• When Trees Attack
• Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Korgoth doesn't like magic or magicians.

Korgoth: I despise all weavers of the black arts. Speaking of which, could you pass the gravy?

• World of Buxom: All of the damsels who appear in the show are quite busty.
• Wretched Hive: Where the story begins
• You All Meet in An Inn
  • And then most of you die in an inn.
• Your Head Asplode