‘Kite Man: Hell Yeah!’ Reviews: “This is a fun, foul-mouthed send-up of the superhero genre with expressive voice acting and a gleeful murderous streak that guarantees its NSFW-ness.”

Photo by Sarah Dorweiler on Unsplash

On July 18, 2024, Max premiered the ‘Harley Quinn’ spinoff, ‘Kite Man: Hell Yeah!’, which has received predominantly positive reviews, currently holding at 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. In the series, the title fan favorite character opens a bar with Golden Glider next to Lex Luthor’s Legion of Doom. The series also boasts a Critics Consensus that reads, “A properly foul mouthed and spirited spin-off from the already meta and giddy Harley Quinn, this glide through villainous theatrics is a well served home base for Kite Man: Hell Yeah!.” The ensemble cast includes Matt Oberg, Lake Bell, Stephanie Hsu, Jonathan Banks, James Adomian, Janelle James, Natasia Demetriou, Michael Imperioli, Judith Light, Lance Reddick, and Kaley Cuoco. But what did the critics say?

Johnny Loftus of Decider notes, “This is a fun, foul-mouthed send-up of the superhero genre with expressive voice acting and a gleeful murderous streak that guarantees its NSFW-ness.” Concluding, “Early on, James Adomian steals Kite Man as a still malicious and masked-up, but wholly eccentric version of Bane. And Adomian’s voice acting riffs on Tom Hardy’s squawky and muffled take on the character, so in #banevoice you get the villain saying things like “He has no powers, he’s just got a kite! Like a Victorian child in a sailor suit!”

Cassondra Feltus of Black Girl Nerds praises the series, stating, “Kite Man: Hell Yeah! is a Cheers-inspired workplace comedy that is just as wildly fun, ultraviolent, and hilarious as its predecessor. It’s different enough to feel fresh and surprising while maintaining the tone and humor of Harley Quinn.”

Samantha Nelson of IGN Movies was less impressed, stating, “Kite Man would have been better off remaining a footnote in that story rather than failing to make it on his own with a series that adds nothing to this satirical vision of superheroes and supervillains.” Concluding, “Malice (Natasia Demetriou of What We Do in the Shadows) is the spoiled goth goddaughter of Darkseid (Keith David), and is somehow able to make him proud by taking on the role of social media manager for Noonan’s. Malice’s blasé attitude and demeanor are reminiscent of Parks and Recreation’s April Ludgate, but while it took several seasons of that show for April to become more than a moody coworker who hates everyone and her job, Malice quickly develops a loyalty to the Kite Man crew without any real work from other characters pushing that growth. When she’s brought along for side plots, it’s only because people are obviously trying to avoid being alone with someone else.”

Garrett Blaney of Collider writes, “Kite Man’s inability to supervillain correctly always made him a funny match for Ivy, a villain heavily courted to join the Legion of Doom by villains like Lex Luthor (Giancarlo Esposito in Harley Quinn, Lance Reddick in Kite Man). But his adorable wit and Golden Retriever charm were enough not to question it for the time being. It came down to a simple factor, really: Kite Man was funny enough to hang with the crowd, whether with the occasional zinger or his profound capacity for failure. Kite Man: Hell Yeah!earns its admission to the party at least with its humor alone. Yes, the series pulls in characters from Harley Quinn, but that doesn’t ensure Kite Man will be a similar product. Rest assured, however, if you are a fan of the humorous, suggestive vibe of DC’s Harley Quinn, you won’t be disappointed by the new spin-off.”