Foster^s Home for Imaginary Friends
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stereotypes, or enforcing them. Many of the most well-known superheroes have
an alter-ego, a “non-naf’ identity he or she takes on save for times of crisis.
Neither Imaginary Man nor Nemesis have an alter-ego, as they are imaginary
friends, and thus exist in “superhero” or “villain” form in perpetuity. Therefore,
their “super” forms spring from the imagination of children, replete with their
gender stereotypes. Imaginary Man’s greatest weapon is the Sonic Belch, and he
possesses a pathological fear of flowers. Nemesis draws her power from the
volume of her hair, which leads to her beauty appointment at the Salon de Sisse
in an attempt to achieve the biggest hair possible. Her plots involve what a
reporter describes as “crimes against masculinity,” including the involuntary
makeovers of a hard-core male rock band, and the swapping of prom dresses for
a football team’s uniforms.
Unquestionably, the lines between exterior expressions of masculinity
and femininity are clearly drawn in Imaginary Man and Nemesis. Yet the
episode explores the issue of gender with greater subtlety. Although Nemesis
favors make-up, pink, and rainbows, she is a far cry from the first incarnations
of female superheroes, who often did little but play second fiddle to the males.
Instead, she takes the standard hallmarks of femininity and turns them into
weapons. She follows in the footsteps of other recent female characters who
demonstrate courage and strength without sacrificing their femininity. Even
Biiffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Cellar) from
the Vampire Slayer,
arguably a potent icon of female power, “was most concerned with the
ephemera and trivialities of adolescent life in modem suburbia” (Fingeroth 84)
before she knew of her destiny. Even then, she stmggles to balance woman and
warrior. Additionally, with the exception of one plan initiated by Lord Uniscorn,
Nemesis devises her own plots for aggravating Imaginary Man and males in
general. Furthermore, she proves an equal opponent to Imaginary Man, despite
his greater physical size. Where Imaginary Man utilizes physical strength or his
Sonic Belch, she uses cunning and speed to expose him to his dreaded pansies.
This works both ways. Although Imaginary Man comes to her aid, in the end the
pair ends up quickly at odds again when they are adopted out to two cousins, the
children of their original owners. Nemesis does not give up her ways simply
because a male saves her and sets her on the right path. Finally, Imaginary Man
and Nemesis spmng from the minds of children, and therefore do not reflect
how their creators will behave as they mature. They reflect instead a brief span
of time wherein boys find girls gross and vice versa.
The revelation that Imaginary Man and Nemesis are really brother and
sister collapses the idea that the “traditional comic narrative is based on the
conflict between Good and Evil, both understood in absolute terms” (Robinson
5). The viewer later learns that their creators were brother and sister, hence the
relationship between their imaginary friends. When Mac and Bloo stand on the
verge of defeating Nemesis, with Bloo pulling on her hair. Imaginary Man
immediately comes to the rescue of his “Nemesis-ter.” He declares that only he
has the right to pull her hair, and spirits her away from the scene. The popularity