Captain Underkid: The End is Near (2021 film)

still. not. a. real. movie.

Captain Underkid: The End is Near is a 2021 American comedy action superhero film and the fourth and final installment in the Captain Underkid franchise. The film is produced by The Heroes Productions and distributed by Gabriel Combs Movies. It stars an ensemble cast, featuring Lennon Richardson, Gabriel Combs, Josh Gad, Darcy Combs, Colbi Shofler, Dylan Bond, Mark Hamill, Chris Pine, Josh Gad, and Bill Murray.

The film was released theatrically in the United States and on video-on-demand on January 1, 2021. It grossed $1.4 billion against a $100 million budget, and received critical acclaim for its plot, casting, performances, humor, heart, and proper closing to the franchise.

Plot
Shortly After the Events of the Previous Film, Chaos (Josh Brolin) continues to celebrate his success. Pajama Man (Colbi Shofler) and Bug Man (Dylan Bond) are the only heroes alive on Earth. They try to come up with a new plan to stop Chaos, but begin to believe that there’s no hope left. Chaos becomes the supreme ruler of the Multiverse.

One Year Later, Captain Underkid (Lennon Richardson) suddenly returns from Death, along with No-Shirt Boy (Gabriel Combs). The two realize that they lost the war and decide that they need all the heroes they can get and reunite with Pajama Man, Bug Man, and Ninja Dog (Gabriel Combs). Ninja Dog’s friend Teddy (Gabriel Combs) also arrives for the final war.

Soon, they realize that they have no ideas left until Captain Undergirl (Darcy Combs) returns from vacation after 3 Years. The heroes then plan to put an end to Chaos’ plans by destroying his power source, the Vitronium Crystal, found within his spaceship. Captain Underkid, No-Shirt Boy, Pajama Man, Bug Man, Captain Undergirl, Ninja Dog, and Teddy then prepare for their final war with Chaos.

In the Spaceship, they discover an Orb, the Infinity Orb, that has the power to kill heroes. They then discover the Crystal, but it is revealed to be a fake, as Chaos can only be defeated with the Cyber Sword. The heroes then steal the Cyber Sword and escape to try to come up with a new plan. No-Shirt Boy suggests Time Travel and they create a Time Machine to travel back in time and put an end to Chaos’ plans.

Captain Underkid and No-Shirt Boy travel back to 2015, where they first became superheroes. As No-Shirt Boy steals one of the Crystals from Professor Private’s (Mark Hamill) spaceship, Captain Underkid has a battle with his 2015 self. He wins due to being wiser and the two escape with the Crystal. Pajama Man and Bug Man travel back to 2017, when they first became superheroes, and search for the Crystal. They remember that Doctor Danger (Chris Pine) ate the Crystal and they make him throw it up. As they return to their timeline, Captain Undergirl goes to 2018 alone, discovering that Professor Private’s new spaceship is powered by the Crystal. As the 2018 versions of them land the ship, Undergirl steals the Crystal and returns to 2021. Ninja Dog and Teddy travel back to 2017, where Ninja Dog fought Rowley the Owl. They retrieve the Crystal, and past Master Bear nearly catches them, believing that they are rips in the Space-Time Continuum.

The heroes then arrive at Chaos’ lair with the fully-formed Crystal and they prepare to use it on Chaos. As they fight him, Pajama Man uses the Crystal and discovers that the Crystal caused a rip in the Space-Time Continuum. Chaos then steals the Crystal, becoming more powerful than ever. He overpowers all of the heroes. Ninja Dog tears the Crystal out of him and the heroes discover that they need to destroy the Crystal to weaken him. Chaos unleashes Professor Private, his henchmen (Josh Gad and Bill Murray), and Doctor Danger upon the heroes. They defeat the villains, but Chaos grabs Infinity Orb and tries to use it on the heroes. Captain Underkid destroys the Crystal, and weakens Chaos, who then uses the Infinity Orb on No-Shirt Boy. Chaos finally dies, fading to dust like Captain Underkid did.

The heroes believe that they won and everything went right until they realize that No-Shirt Boy is slowly dying due to the Infinity Orb being used by Chaos. All No-Shirt Boy asks from Captain Underkid is to “live his life to the fullest” as he dies. The world returns to normal, but without No-Shirt Boy. Everyone shows up to his funeral as they put an end to their problems. Pajama Man and Bug Man send the villains to the Dark Dimension, Ninja Dog and Teddy reunite with Master Bear, and Captain Underkid retires from his job as a superhero and Housecleaners Workshop. Captain Underkid then creates a stone in memory of No-Shirt Boy as he waves to his deceased partner in the clouds.

Cast

 * Lennon Richardson as Mike Johnson/Captain Underkid, the leader of the heroes who returns from the dead to save the world from Chaos.
 * Gabriel Combs as Big Boss Joe/No-Shirt Boy, Captain Underkid’s sidekick who returns from the dead to help save the world from Chaos.
 * Josh Brolin as Chaos, an evil Bear who destroyed the Multiverse and plots to kill the heroes one by one.
 * Darcy Combs as Sally Jenkins/Captain Undergirl, Captain Underkid’s former partner who returns from vacation.
 * Colbi Shofler as Jimmy Walker/Pajama Man, Bug Man’s crime fighting partner.
 * Dylan Bond as Joe Johnson/Bug Man, Pajama Man’s crime fighting partner.
 * Gabriel Combs as Ninja Dog, a superhero who is a Dog and a friend of Teddy.
 * Gabriel Combs as Teddy, Ninja Dog’s crime fighting partner and best friend.
 * Mark Hamill as Professor Private, the archenemy of Captain Underkid.
 * Chris Pine as Doctor Danger, the archenemy of Pajama Man.
 * Josh Gad and Bill Murray as Chaos’ henchmen.

Additionally, Gabriel Combs makes a voice cameo as Master Bear in the film, along with J.K. Simmons appearing as the Chief of Police in the end.

Reception
The film received critical acclaim for its plot, casting, performances, humor, heart, and proper closing to the franchise. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a 95% score, based on 987 reviews, with an average score of 9.44 out of 10. The website’s critical consensus reads, “Funny, Emotional, and Full of Heart, Captain Underkid: The End is Near easily delivers a satisfying ending to the franchise.”

Release
The film was released theatrically in the United States on January 1, 2021. The film’s Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital release dates are unknown for now.