The Venture Brothers may have started out as a funny little parody of Johnny Quest and 1960s superhero comics, but over the course of four seasons it's evolved into an incredibly complex and detailed satire of pop culture. It also might be the gayest cartoon on television right now.

The show centers on self-serving super-scientist Thaddeus “Rusty” Venture and his sons Hank and Dean, naïve Hardy Boys wannabes stuck in a permanent state of clean-cut curiosity. But they're just a small slice of a massive ensemble cast that includes some of the most original gay characters we've seen in years.

Without further ado, here are six super gay things about The Venture Brothers.

1. Shore Leave

Shore Leave is a nautical-themed hero who once belonged to a team of G.I. Joe-style agents modeled after the Village People. Presently, he's a member of SPHINX, a secret organization that hunts down unlicensed supervillains. Joining him is Mile High, who pretended to be his lover as part of a deep-cover assignment ... although that didn't prevent them from having actual sex.

Flamboyant and sassy, Shore Leave could easily have been depicted as just another clichéd stereotype, but he's actually a pretty excellent example of a gay action hero. Plus, he proves that being effeminate doesn't prevent you from kicking major ass.

Shore Leave and fellow agent Brock Sampson prepare for action:

2. The Alchemist

A middle-aged, magical monk with a love of Jimmy Buffett, The Alchemist is an openly gay member of the supernatural-themed Order of the Triad. Although he's employed his sorcerous abilities to search for a cure for AIDS, “Al” takes his work far less seriously than his overdramatic colleague Dr. Orpheus, and he's less likely to go out vanquishing evil than to fret about his ex-boyfriend who broke up with him via MySpace.

Al joins the Order of the Triad:

3. Baron Underbheit

Although this metal-jawed supervillain is apparently straight as an arrow, he did accidentally marry Dean (who was dressed in a Princess Leia outfit at the time) and was subsequently arrested for illegal same-sex marriage. Also, he keeps two gay eunuchs around as servants (ostensibly so he can be sure that they won't hit on his wife).

Underbheit gets busted:

4. The Sovereign and his henchmen

The Guild of Calamitous Intent supervises and regulates most of the world's villain activity, and this diabolical organization is led by none other than... David Bowie?

Yes, that David Bowie. The gender-bending glam star isn't just the Sovereign of the evil Guild, he's also got shape-shifting powers. And what's more, his (traitorous) henchmen are Iggy Pop and Klaus Nomi. Klaus Nomi, you guys.

This is happening:

5. Colonel Gentleman

The Colonel is ... unusual. Elderly, sex-crazed, and most likely utterly insane, Gentleman is a retired member of Team Venture, the former adventuring companions of Rusty's late father.

Colonel Gentleman isn't gay, exactly. Series creators Doc Hammer and Jackson Public describe him as “beyond sexuality.” His current main squeeze, however, is his Moroccan manservant Kiki, with whom he has an interesting relationship.

Kiki revives the Colonel from a junk food coma:

6. Everything Else

This show has an all-around amazingly gay sensibility. Even when gay characters aren't present, there's always just a hint of queerness in the air, whether it's The Monarch's bizarre obsession with Rusty that borders on sexual, or Dr. Girlfriend's inexplicable man-voice, or just a conversation sparked by a sighting of Dave Gahan.

New episodes of The Venture Brothers air Sunday nights at 11:30 PM as part of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim lineup.