Long before Cartoon Network introduced its Adult Swim roster of adult-oriented animated content in 2001, MTV showcased its own collection of mature cartoons through a program entitled “Liquid Television.” Debuting on June 1, 1991, the series functioned as a variety show featuring odd animations and eccentric segments. It was the launching pad for “Beavis and Butthead” in 1992, and it also introduced a dystopian cyberpunk series named “Aeon Flux,” which infamously killed off its main character.
You might recognize the 2005 live-action adaptation starring Charlize Theron, yet the original animated series aired from 1991 to 1995 and was conceived by writer Peter Chung, who also designed characters for Nickelodeon’s “Rugrats.” “Aeon Flux” is quirky, avant-garde, and perfect for fans of dark sci-fi. Similar to a certain animated adult sci-fi feature that warranted more recognition, we can inform you where “Aeon Flux” is available for streaming, but ensure you watch it after the kids have gone to sleep.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series boasts a 90% Tomatometer score and an 83% Popcornmeter score, with critic Sonia Saraiya remarking for Vanity Fair about Season 3 that “It’s disconcerting, vile, fluidly animated, and intentionally unsatisfying, with a thematic focus that was far ahead of most animated shows of its time.” Like the animated sci-fi film featuring Keanu Reeves and Robert Downey Jr., “Aeon Flux” was entirely unique.
Minimal dialogue but abundant fatalities in MTV’s ‘Aeon Flux’
Initially produced as a series of animated shorts on “Liquid Television,” Season 1 of “Aeon Flux” comprised six segments, each lasting two minutes. Season 2 consists of five episodes, each five minutes long. Besides a lead character who meets her demise in every episode, the first two seasons are remarkable for their almost complete lack of spoken dialogue, save for an occasional laugh or a guttural sound.
The narrative centers around the titular character (voiced by Denise Poirier), a secret agent and assassin hailing from the nation of Monica. While viewers are provided minimal information regarding her background or motives, Flux constantly interacts with her rival and love interest, Trevor Goodchild. In each mission, Aeon Flux employs her superhuman agility to exact her own brand of justice, that is, when she isn’t succumbing to death. As Chung never envisioned “Aeon Flux” evolving into a full series, they simply had her perish in each episode during the first two seasons and hinted that Aeon is a series of clones.
Even in the very first episode, Aeon meets her end from a tack in her foot, and she often dies in episodes because of her own negligence. However, by the third season, her deaths are reduced to just one. Although the surreal series was intended to receive a true reboot on Paramount+ (aside from the poorly received live-action film), such a reboot has yet to be realized. It is a worthwhile experience to explore, and “Aeon Flux” is available on Paramount+.