Mysterion

Mysterion is the super hero identity of Kenny who appears in the episodes "The Coon", "Coon 2: Hindsight", "Mysterion Rises" and "Coon vs. Coon and Friends". He is one of Mr. Garrison's fourth grade students at South Park Elementary masquerading as a vigilante under the pseudonym 'Mysterion'. He unveiled himself after the Coon persuaded them to for the good of the town. Due to the way the characters' facial characteristics are—their eyes, lack of noses, and mouth — it was initially unclear who Mysterion was to the audience, but the townspeople recognized him immediately.

Originally, Trey Parker and Matt Stone intended for Mysterion to be a one-time character and had not planned for his identity to ever be revealed, or even intended for him to be a particular character and intended him, like Eric Cartman's father, only to cause debates among fans. However, during Season 14, Mysterion returned in a story arc beginning in "Coon 2: Hindsight" as a member of Coon and Friends, and in the follow-up "Mysterion Rises" his identity was revealed to be Kenny, and he possesses a superpower - his familiar inability to die as well as the fact no one remembers him dying.

Personality
Mysterion is the embodiment of the anti-hero character archetype. Much of his attitude and view of the world stems from his experiences as Kenny, from his poverty, his willingness to help others in a time of need, as well as his inability to convince his friends of his inability to stay dead, which he views as a curse. Most of the time he is calm and calculating, makings him an excellent strategist. However, there are times when, usually when people fail to take him seriously or in discussions with the Coon, that his temper gets the better of him - he came very close to lashing out violently at Kyle when he said that not being able to die would be "pretty cool". On another occasion he said that he finds pissing Cartman off "extremely funny" - possibly the only time Mysterion has laughed. He also displays a different persona than his real-life self, coming off as more gruff, intense, authoritative and grounded, whereas Kenny (usually) tends to be more lighthearted, easily amused and annoyed, also tending to play more of a supporting role with his friends.

Despite being the near-exact opposite of the Coon, Kenny has used his alter ego to improve his own life to an extent - he convinced his parents to stop beating each other up, stop smoking marijuana (although he has only been semi-successful with both of these demands) and give their sons allowances. However, given his nature of being almost completely selfless under other circumstances, this is forgivable.

Appearance
Mysterion looks very much like a child superhero, as he wears a pair of white underwear briefs over his base suit, which is an off-lavender and has a bright green 'M' on the front of it. Around his waist, there is a plain, thin black belt with a dark grey, standard buckle. Brown boots adorn his feet. There is a dark purple cloak that drags on the ground wrapped around his neck and provides a shield for his hair or any defining features. This cloak has a bright green question mark made of some type of sturdy material attached to a spring that juts out from the top of Mysterion's head. Finally, he wears a black half-mask that covers his face from the bridge of the nose up.

Unfortunately, there are little clues as to what features Mysterion possesses that makes him distinctive. Like most children in South Park's animation style, Mysterion has a perfectly round head, an averagely sized body, two tilted oval eyes with black pupils, and a mouth. He is extremely agile, and can run away quickly enough to disappear while a string of fireworks are blowing up.

When he shows his face in "The Coon", that is Kyle, not Kenny, as shown in a deleted scene, where Kyle is in jail, and Mysterion walks up to him. The real Mysterion then shows his face. However, deleted scenes are non-canon in most television shows, so this may not hold true.

Vigilante Activities
Despite everyone's insistence on how important Mysterion was to the town, he appeared to stop relatively small crimes. The only crimes we saw him stop were public disorderly conduct and graffitti by reporting them to the police. He also beats up Professor Chaos (Butters) and General Disarray to stop them from blowing up a hospital (although fellow "hero" The Coon was really behind that plot) and his dialogue with Chaos indicates that he has probably stopped his "evil" plots before.

Weapons/Tools
In Coon vs. Coon and Friends, he is seen toting a handgun, although he never uses it for his vigilante activities, but only to shoot himself on two seperate occasions. The only tool we had seen Mysterion to use was a strand of firecrackers, which is illegal in the state of Colorado, in order to escape from the Coon.

Powers/Abilities
Mysterion seems to be more of a hand-to-hand combat fighter, as we see when he fights with Professor Chaos and General Disarray. Mysterion has great agility, as he made it to the top of buildings without the use of ladders, stairs, or elevators.

In "Mysterion Rises" we are to discover Mysterion possesses a superpower - he is unable to die, always waking up in his bed every day as if nothing ever happened, with nobody remembering his death. He has died "countless" times, and is unaware of why himself. It is implied however, it has to do with the Necronomicon and the cult of Cthulhu. In "Coon vs. Coon and Friends", it was also revealed that he may use his immortality as a sort of improvised teleport: Since he will go back to his bed after he dies, he kills himself to be sent back there. He uses this technique to escape the sunken city of Ry'leh.

Mysterion has an unconscious ability to manipulate the memories of others; whenever he dies, witnesses forget the memory quickly.

Identity
Before Mysterion was revealed to be Kenny, Cartman had named Craig, Kyle, Kenny, Stan, Clyde, and arguably Wendy as suspects, and during the unmasking Cartman claims he'd "knew it all along; [he] even said so before!" However, Mysterion is shown confronting Kyle in private, which ruled him out. Mr. Garrison pointed out Mysterion is a member of his class. No female had been listed as a suspect on Professor Chaos and General Disarray's wall of Mysterion suspects, which implies Mysterion as a male, and in addition, the amateur drawing of Mysterion shows a clearly male character with a masculine form and jaw, as well as a very deep voice. Also, the underwear worn are 'male' underwear, even farther ruling out Wendy or any other female student as a suspect.

He is able to move around without aid, so he could not have been Jimmy or Timmy. Also, he remained extremely calm under pressure and did not twitch, making Tweek extremely unlikely. Clyde was shown sleeping in class the day after Mysterion and the Coon (Eric Cartman) met, which some fans claimed he was tired from his activities as Mysterion. However, other students are shown tired, so it may have simply been to illustrate disinterest in the Coon's identity.

In the Season 13 DVD, the deleted ending of The Coon reveals that the boy unmasked at Town Hall was Kyle, and he was arrested as a result. Mysterion, however, appeared to Kyle outside his cell and revealed his face, repeating the gag again. While this would also dilute both Garrison and Cartman's clues, it is a general rule of thumb in fiction for deleted scenes to be non-canonical.

In Coon 2: Hindsight, the Mysterion suspects are narrowed down to two people: Kenny and Clyde. Kenny and Clyde were called out by Cartman and he said "I even said it was you,", unlike Bradley, who was not even on Professor Chaos' suspect list, nor accused by Cartman. Stan is shown as a separate hero within Mysterion's presence, ruling him out, and Craig does not appear in the episode.

In Mysterion Rises, it is revealed he is Kenny McCormick, after he urges Captain Hindsight to shoot him.

Allusions to Superheros/Supervillains
Mysterion seems to share similar characteristics with various other superheroes, particularly those from DC Comics' Batman franchise. Matt Stone and Trey Parker state on the commentary for "The Coon" he was intended as a parody of modern "dark' superhero films, using The Dark Knight and Watchmen as examples.

The Spirit
Some of Mysterion's quotes are very similar to those of The Spirit. One such example is the quote, "The city needs my help. It cries for protection, and I will answer the call to save her".

Batman
Batman, the alter ego of Bruce Wayne, often uses a low voice to disguise himself. Mysterion did this as well so none of his classmates or the people he knew as a regular child would recognize his voice. The contact that Mysterion had with the police was similar to that of Batman's partnership with the police commissioner of the city of Gotham, James Gordon; both of them report to their respective informants for relaying information about crime. Also, Mysterion's manner of disguise and choice of words allude to Batman's, for they both hide their defining features, especially around the face, and consider themselves symbols of their cities/towns. They both speak only when necessary and tend to spend more time alone, prowling the streets for crime. His reluctance to work with other heroes is also similar.

Rorschach
Rorschach, one of the central characters of the graphic novel and film Watchmen, is mentioned by Stone and Parker in the DVD commentary as a major inspiration, along with Batman, for Mysterion. Like Batman, Rorschach has a deep, throaty voice similar to Mysterion's. Also in one scene, Mysterion speaks directly to the viewer via inner dialogue, and his inner dialogue is similar to Rorschach's journal throughout the film and graphic novel.

The Riddler
One of Batman's most prominent foes, the Riddler shares his icon, the question mark, with Mysterion, who wears it atop his cloak. While question marks mean different things in regards to each, they are similar in appearance, with the exception that Mysterion's is bright green and Riddler's are many colors.

Quotes

 * "I’m an angel keeping watch over the city at night. As violence and darkness take over the streets, I work to rid the city of crime. I’m the symbol this town needs."


 * "I might be Craig, and then again, I might not be. My identity must remain a secret. You cannot know."


 * "I assume you must be Cartman because you’re fat."


 * "Kyle hates Eric Cartman. Are you saying you’re Eric Cartman?"


 * "I cannot stand here and make idle conversation any longer. The city needs my help. There are innocents to protect."


 * [Inner dialogue] "I could no longer sit by and watch as my city became a cesspool of crime. I have lived in South Park all my life. I decided it was up to me to keep this town safe. Nobody at school knows my double life. To them, I’m just another fourth grader, but tonight, I am Mysterion."


 * "The city needs my help. It cries for protection, and I will answer the call to save her."


 * "I cannot be unmasked, for then I would stop being a symbol. I need help. Somebody who can do background checks for me, do some investigating."


 * "Citizens, tonight has shown me that I have no choice but to unmask myself."


 * "As long as my identity is a mystery, this will just happen again and again. It has to end. I will show my face."
 * "I didn't mean you should dress up and pretend to be me to take the fall." (deleted scene)
 * "I guess I owe you that much..." (to Kyle when asked who he is, deleted scene)


 * "I am Mysterion. I have joined forces with other superheroes in my neighborhood to help save the Gulf. Even the other heroes do not know that unlike them, I do have a power. A power they will now begin to understand. And all will know who and what I truly am."


 * "Then do it! Pull the trigger, Hindsight- if you don't believe us then you don't have a choice. Pull the trigger, you pussy!"


 * "I can't die. I've experienced death countless times. Sometimes I see a bright light. Sometimes I see Heaven, or Hell. But eventually no matter what I wake up in my bed wearing my same old clothes."


 * "You wanna whine about curses, Hindsight? You're talking to the wrong fucking cowboy."
 * "I can't die."
 * "Pretty cool? Do you know what it feels like to be stabbed? To be shot? Decapitated? Torn apart? Burned? Run over? It's not pretty cool, Kyle! It fucking hurts!"
 * "No, Stan, I'm being serious! I really really can't die!"
 * "Aw, that fucking hurts!"
 * "And it won't go away, and nobody will believe me! [walks away, then turns around] Remember this time! Try and fuckin' remember!" [pulls out a gun and shoots himself in the head]
 * "You guys have no memory of me shooting myself in the head, do you?"
 * "What we need to do is talk to people in that cult! I wanna know where my powers come from."
 * "Will you guys listen to me?! I actually have a power that I actually want to know about!"
 * "What are you doing with that thing?!"
 * "I don't know, but... I feel like... I've... been here before"
 * "I'm going to try to get you all out of here. If this works. Or, I could be wrong."
 * "That god you pray to just took away all my friends."
 * "How do I fight him?!"
 * "Tell me what that means!"
 * "That's it! That's the place I just was!"
 * "And what about Cthulhu's power? Why can't Old Ones die?"
 * "Wherever Cthulhu is!"
 * "Maybe, but with any luck I might find the reason for my powers."
 * "You don't understand!"
 * "Hey, fat boy!"
 * "To the sunken city of R'Lyeh fallen from the stars! [approaches him] You little fucking prick! What is wrong with you?! What kind of sick fuck does that to his friends?!"
 * "You are the bad guy, fat boy! YOU!"
 * "For you! You're making it a better place for you!"
 * "No! This is what superheroes do! [walks up to Cthulhu] You banished me but I'm back! What does that make me?! [that gets Cthulhu's attention] Bring back my friends! Take me!"
 * "Only an immortal can kill another immortal! [to Cthulhu] Here's your prize! Take this curse away from me, you big pussy!"
 * "Go on! Kill me before I kill you! But bring my friends back, wuss!"
 * "No! Come back! I have to know what I am! Come back!"
 * "Come back, you fat piece of shit!"
 * "Yeah. I'm tired, guys. I think I'm gonna go to bed"
 * "Who cares if a hero doesn't want to be part of Coon and Friends?"
 * "Look, all we need to do is wait for the next disaster, then try to beat Hindsight to the scene."
 * "My God! Another oil spill could mean absolute devastation for the Gulf!"
 * "Agreed."
 * "We all have a say in this organization, Coon! Let Mosquito talk!"
 * "Those people down there need help! Sometimes being a hero means helping in smaller ways"
 * "He means we need to discuss things with you!"
 * "Aw, I don't wanna tell him. TupperWear, you tell him!"
 * "But we get the headquarters and all the equipment."
 * "We've already discussed this with her. Mrs. Cartman?"
 * "Please escort the Coon out of our secret base."
 * "I am Mysterion. Though only nine years old, I dedicate my life to helping people - when I'm not in school. [the book opens to a random page. On that page he is defeating Professor Chaos] For months now I've been protecting my town from crime. But now, something has happened that even I cannot fight alone. [a picture of the oil rig, updating every few seconds to show the spread of the oil slick] The BP Oil Company has drilled and caused a spill in the Gulf like no other. The President of BP apologized."
 * "But they drilled again, and tore open a portal into another dimension."
 * "I have joined forces with other superheroes in my neighborhood to help save the Gulf. But even the other heroes do not know that unlike them, I do have a power. A power they will now begin to understand. And all will know who and what I truly am!" [a swarm of ?'s flies around the screen, and the name of the episode appears]
 * "Becauses it pisses Cartman off beyond belief, and I find that [chuckles] extremely funny."
 * "Hindsight, that isn't Courtney Love! Our former member, the Coon, tricked you!"
 * "Then do it! [walks right up to the pistol and places himself at the end of the barrel] Pull the trigger, Hindsight! If you don't believe us then you don't have a choice! Pull the trigger, you pussy!"
 * "You guys go! I'll deal with this prick!"
 * "I said it's fine! Just go!"
 * "I've experienced death, countless times. Sometimes I see a bright light. Sometimes I see heaven. Or hell. But eventually, no matter what, I wake up in my bed, wearing my same old clothes. [turns away] And the worst part? Nobody even remembers me dying. I go to school the next day, and everyone is just like, "Oh hey Kenny." Even if they had seen me get decapitated with their own eyes.
 * "Uhh, what? [goes to see. He looks at the screen and his expression changes to one of dismay. His parents are pictured getting arrested along with the creepy man and Mr. Adler, shop teacher, among others. In normal boy voice] What the fuck?! I m-I mean, [going into his superhero voice] uh, what the fuck?!" [takes over as Human Kite leaves the chair]
 * "Makes sense. Unrelenting despair and a thousand years of darkness sounds pretty goth."
 * "What does it mean? "That is not dead which can eternal lie"?"
 * "You're going to tell me everything you know!"
 * "These people still meet? Where?"
 * "What happened at those meetings?"
 * "What should I do? [shown getting a massage] Should I forget about the past and not care about my powers?"
 * "Maybe I should just... disappear."
 * "Ten years ago you were arrested for being in some kind of cult."

Episodes In Which He Is Prominent

 * "The Coon" - He is stealing Cartman's superhero chance.
 * "Coon 2: Hindsight" - Mysterion is in part of Coon and Friends
 * "Mysterion Rises" - Mysterion is seen part of Coon and Friends again However, took Cartman's place as the leader. also his true identity is Kenny McCormick
 * "Coon vs. Coon & Friends" - Mysterion is still part OF Coon and Friends still However, He wanna know his powers come from and wanted to know how to fight Cthulhu.

Deleted Ending to The Coon
Here is Mysterion unmasking himself in The Coon

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