The Monarch and Henchman 21 have slowly been re-establishing their credibility within the Guild of Calamitous Intent, but they’re still far from finished with the frustrating red tape and bureaucracy that come along with the villainous association. There’s an extended look into the many different departments that make up the Guild, such as the hypnosis training center, hologram training center, and the vicious animal training center.

The episode has some fun with this look behind the curtain as it makes the Guild’s trainings centers so cumbersome and numerous that even seasoned Guild members have a hard time keeping them straight. All of these bizarre corners of the Guild could fuel entire episodes, but perhaps the most interesting of these areas is the Guild’s surgical alteration center. “The Bellicose Proxy” shows this program in progress as someone undergoes surgery and comes out looking like Dave Grohl. This adds a fascinating wrinkle to the idea that the Guild is a home for many washed up or former rockstars, like David Bowie. While this is still likely the case, this does perhaps mean that the Guild simply alters its members to look like famous musicians.

The entire episode could solely be the Monarch and 21 getting a tour of the Guild’s inner machinations and it would still make for an entertaining endeavor, but this material is merely the backdrop for what’s to come next for the Monarch. The villain is beyond eager to jump back into fieldwork and get back on the villainy wagon, but he learns that the only way that such a thing will be possible is if he jumps through some more mandatory hoops for the Guild.

The Monarch and 21 can return to arching if they agree to take part in the Guild’s “Big Villain Evil Mentor Program” where they take a struggling Level-1 villain under their wing and impart valuable evil onto them. This has the potential to be a daunting task, but it looks even bleaker when it turns out that the Monarch’s pupil will be Augustus St. Cloud.

Augustus St. Cloud is as non-threatening as Guild members come and the guy doesn’t so much care about being a villain, as he just wants to make Billy Quizboy’s life as miserable as possible. However, St. Cloud’s lack of ambition isn’t a problem for the Monarch, especially since his connection with Billy means that the Monarch will be closer to Dr. Venture, by proxy. He’s definitely an unexpected character to pair up with the Monarch and 21, but it’s a combination that works.