I don't have tv anymore, so no Nickelodeon programs, but my original review of Henry Danger back in 2014 called it a "gay subtext classic." I don't know if it's lived up to my prediction, but I have notice that the slim, ultra-fey Jace Norman, who plays the teen sidekick to befuddled superhero Captain Mann (Cooper Barnes), has grown up.He's got abs and a chest.
Compare to the skinniness of a few years ago.
In a pool with friends. He's the one who looks slightly nauseous.
Sean Ryan Fox, who plays Henry's best friend Jasper, used to be a bit portly, but he's slimmed down and developed abs of his own. Soon he'll be a teen idol.
No doubt there's a lot of teen fan fiction shipping the two.
Apparently they're best buds in real life, too.
See also: Henry Danger
You missed a little development by not following ‘Henry Danger’, then!
ReplyDeleteJace grew up to be very pretty for a young man and filled out nicely; he looks positively twunky these days (he’s 23 years old now, it’s ok to say that!). Apparently he lives in WeHo, now, of all places, He not only returned for reprise cameo appearances as Henry in the spin-off show ‘Danger Force’ (2020), but also worked as a producer on almost every episode of that show.
In both ‘Danger Force’ and the final fifth season of the preceding ‘Henry Danger’—in which Henry/Jace was aged around 18-19 years old– the homoerotic subtext expanded and veered into more way obvious innuendo. Even if you didn’t like the show much or enjoy the first seasons, the last season is a must-see for the camp factor, on a level with ‘Drake & Josh’ (there’s even a similar iconic partner dance scene...)
It seems like by the end of their show, Jace & co-lead actor Cooper Barnes (who played hunky muscular Captain Man aka Ray Manchester) really embraced and leaned into the idea that there could have been burgeoning romantic feelings or physical attraction developing between their characters as adults, though they were playing the dynamic comedically (it’s Nickelodeon, silly). The two characters as adults bicker like a couple, banter flirtatiously, share food, cry on and make eyes at each other, as physically intertwine when they fight. It became very obvious in the last year or two.
It’s easy to notice for example how Ray becomes increasingly needy, possessive & admiring of a growing graduate-age Henry, while Henry for his part becomes much more eager over time to be physically and emotionally affectionate with Ray and shares more serious intimate honesty with him. In one episode (‘Return of the Kid’), Ray even drools copiously all down his t-shirt and hears sexy-romantic theme music when a grown-up prodigal Henry once unexpectedly shows up back at Ray’s superhero headquarters (called The Man Cave/Mans’ Nest...really). Ray is hurt whenever Henry ignores his calls or communicates more with the Danger Force kids than with him, and we learn in another episode that Ray for some reason has security cameras feeding footage from Henry’s bedroom at home to his headquarters. On one episode Ray even openly cries over Henry in a rare sober moment, when he comes close to accidentally killing Henry with a cannonball.
Henry displays similar flashes of jealousy throughout the series, such as whenever Ray mentions his former older sidekick-turned-villain Drex, flirts with Henry’s beautiful mother or any other woman, or overly favours his crop of new sidekicks the Danger Force. Henry literally gives up most of his normal teen educational & dating life just so he can fight and work and socialise alongside Ray—this becomes a sticking point eventually, but only when Henry almost fails his GED—and it’s shown that he even sometimes leaves his dates or solo missions as an adult to help Ray if asked. Watching closely, it’s clear that Henry always seeks to stand or sit close to Ray physically, and interact with him before anyone else in the room.
Some argue—as does Nickelodeon, officially—that the relationship between Ray & Henry is purely platonic start to finish, only that of a surrogate father & son, but that falls apart when considering that one of the characters on the show is Ray’s biological son (named Jasper) around Henry’s age who Ray treats with far less adoration and attention and affection. Where Ray will typically encourage, praise and gush over Henry (especially an older Henry), he’ll often ignore or mock or deride Jasper. Ray is not a patient, willing or natural father figure to the Danger Force kids, either—paternal fondness is not in his nature. So that interpretation just doesn’t add up.
^Worth noting also that Henry’s antagonistic relationship with the aforementioned Drex is also replete with innuendo & homoeroticism. During their first big public fight, a mid-20 something aged Drex gets the better of a then-16 year old clumsy Henry, and ends up literally putting Henry over his knee and gleefully spanking him. No, I’m not making that up (Henry even pays Drex back with the same treatment later). Years later, in one of older Henry’s visits to ‘Danger Force’, Henry battles Drex again, and after a narrow victory he chooses to leave the team again to go and pursue a fugitive Drex by himself (without help from Ray or the Danger kids) in a new city, because he feels they have unfinished business...one wonders what that could be.
ReplyDeleteHonourable mentions: Henry falling briefly in love with Jasper in one cracky episode (thanks to an enchanted muffin—don’t ask); the androgynous Danger girl Chapa is depicted trying as hard to impress girls as well as boys in social situations; and all the Dangers (2 male & 2 female) becoming besotted with a pretty male barista in their town.
Definitely a franchise that enjoys playing with expectations!