ScAvengers, assemble!

“BUBBLE Gang” celebrates its 24th anniversary with an Avengers-themed celebration.

After more than two decades in the television scene, the longest-running, multi-awarded gag show, GMA Network’s Bubble Gang, has assembled the newest, wackiest band of superheroes named The ScAvengers in a two-part, telemovie special for the show’s 24th anniversary, airing on 15 and 22 November.

Director Bert de Leon revealed that in his four years of doing the annual special show, this episode has got to be the heaviest for him. “This is my fourth anniversary special with Bubble Gang and I’m amazed by the amount of energy and creativity that these guys and the whole creative team put forth every year,” he said.

“Of course, special yung Parokya, but eto I think will even top that. And tinulungan kami dito ni Rico Gutierrez. Mahirap tong ginawa nila na ‘to (Of course, the Parokya is still special, but I think this will top that. Director Rico Gutierrez also helped. They’ve worked hard for this),” De Leon added.

The Scavengers is a parody of the Marvel Studio hit The Avengers that revolves around a group of homeless people who scavenge for a living and find extraordinary scraps that fall from the outer space. It turns out their scavenged scraps possess superpowers that will transform them into a team of superheroes called The ScAvengers.

Michael V., who is credited for his monumental contribution leading the show’s success, said he had always dreamed of working on genres like these. “Actually ako, matagal ko nang pina-pangarap yun. Panahon pa nung mga parodies ng Star Wars, lumaki ako dun sa mga ganung klaseng parody ng movies (I wanted and dreamt of this back when there were parodies for Star Wars and such. I grew up watching those kinds of movie parodies),” he shared.

“Never atang nagawa ng isang TV show, so parang nod lang lahat ng mga yun. And it was a great opportunity para mag-merge ng lumang konsepto sa bagong konsepto. Kasi Avengers alam natin na napaka-millennial niya, napaka-‘in’ niya ngayon. So, yun yung ginawa naming pagme-merge ng ideas (I think it has never been done by a show before, so this is like a nod to all the parodies done in the past. It’s a great opportunity to merge old concepts into newer ones. We all know that Avengers is really for the millennials and it’s ‘in’ today. So, that’s how we got the concept),” the comedic genius explained.

He said social media played a huge part not just in determining trends these days for their concepts but also for increasing the show’s social awareness and longevity. “Kailangan lang na socially relevant ka. Malaking natulong ang social media samin, particularly yung mga nagv-vlog. Kasi yun yung paraan para malaman namin kung ano yung nagustuhan ng mga tao sa show. At kung ano yung mga ayaw nila, ayun nalang yung iniiwasan namin (One just needs to be socially relevant. Social media helped a lot particularly those who vlog. That’s our way of knowing what the masses liked or not in our show),” he said.

Michael V. also expressed that the show’s duration is an achievement in itself. “Yung pag-tangkilik ng audience namin hanggang ngayon nandoon pa din, pinapanuod pa din, nilalagyan pa din ng advertisers and tuloy tuloy yung support ng management sa show na ‘to. Lahat, for me is quite an achievement. So I couldn’t ask for anything more (Our audiences continue to watch our show until now. We still get all the support from advertisers and management. Everything, for me, is quite an achievement to have),” he said.

Along with Michael V. as Allan Peter Kuya Thanos, the main villain of the show is the rest of The ScAvengers to stop him: Antonio Aquitania as Thorpe/Tor; Paolo Contis as Plantsa Man/Mr. Tonio; Kim Domingo as Black Panty/Tasia; Boy 2 Quizon as Capt. American Tiki Tiki/Esteban; Sef Cadayona as Hukay-Ukay/Boy Pana; Betong Sumaya as Hulkluban/T’yo Bruce; Analyn Barro as Regyula; Archie Alemania as Mang Stan; Mikoy Morales as Squatterman/Pedrito; and Chariz Solomon as Gumorah. Valeen Montenegro, Lovely Abella, Arra San Agustin, Jak Roberto, and Denise Barbacena will play as Kuya Thanos’ cohorts, while Arny Ross, Liezel Lopez, Roadfill, Mykah and Diego are townspeople.

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and Spiderman star Jacob Batalon will have a special participation in the show as Yorme and Need, respectively.

Kapuso viewers from across the globe can also catch their favorite Kapuso shows via GMA’s international channels GMA Pinoy TV, GMA Life TV and GMA News TV International. For the program guide, visit www.gmapinoytv.com.