Let the Adventure Time fandom weep and behold as Pendleton Ward’s seminal series returns to the small screen. As part of HBO Max’s first year of original content, the Cartoon Network original will be getting a spin-off titled Adventure Time: Distant Lands, which comprises of four specials that each tell a unique story.
These will cover the misadventures of BMO, Princess Bubblegum, Marceline, Peppermint Butler, Finn, and Jake within the aftermath of “Come Along With Me.” Given that these will be hour long content that will extend the reach of the series, many fans are hoping that they will also clear the air on some long time questions, especially given the open-ended style of the finale. As the first special “BMO” draws near, here are a few questions to look out for within the coming months.
What Happened After The Finale?
This is a pretty general one but considering that Distant Lands will be taking place some time after the finale, fans could use some catching up with what’s happened in the world of Ooo.
Since the series last left off, the various kingdoms were just finishing a war against a literal deity of chaos, Simon started his own adventure to find Betty, a new Ice King begins rule over the Ice Kingdom, and Lumpy Space Princess became a Lumpy Space Queen. It will be nice to see how (if at all) the Land of Ooo has changed and what the general current events look like for its citizens.
How Will Humans React To Ooo?
One of the biggest bookends for the original finale was seeing Minerva’s community of humans finally arrive at Ooo’s shores. While it’s touching to see some progress for the world and particularly this sheltered community, the finale clearly didn’t have enough time to go into detail as to how these people would exactly react to the realm of magic.
Minerva in particular is a person whose built her life on the premise of science. Can she help her community thrive within a new territory? Are some people just bound to be terrified? Will Minerva find some kinship with fellow patron of science, Princess Bubblegum?
Do Simon & Betty Ever Reconnect?
Simon’s journey throughout the story never quite seems to end. While Betty was finally able to save him from his trance as the Ice King, she would eventually find herself infused with the chaos being GOLB in an effort to save Simon in the end as well as all of Ooo’s citizens.
Much like how Betty began a massive, magical quest to try and save Simon, the series ended with the newly-freed man going on his own heroic adventure. It was a little rattling to see these two be neglected a happy ending or, at least, a conclusive one, and that may very well change with Distant Lands.
What Ever Happened To Sweet P?
When The Lich was given new life as Sweet P., he played the role of Chekhov’s gun for several seasons, leaving fans to wonder if he would naturally go back to his destructive ways.
Oddly enough, said plans never come into fruition, and the finale, for a short moment, even teases that Sweet P. still lives on within the distant future and even took hold of the Night Sword. Distant Lands could delve into how Sweet P. got to that point and what his older years may have looked like.
What Are The Origins of Music Hole?
Music Hole is a mysterious, magical being whose origins seem to be tied with the very essence of Ooo. As she teased before, she is as old as the kingdom and is a being who can connect with both the innocence and greater misery of the world.
It would be easy to just chock up her life as just another random, magical event of the series; but to give the writers more credit, it would be interesting to see why her life intersects with the very creation of the world and, subsequently, the ending of the previous one. Some have theorized that she is the impact point for either the mutagenic bomb or a previous catalyst comet, but nothing has been set in stone.
What Are Moe’s Ties With The Fire Giants?
Adventure Time fans’ were delighted to hear that one of the specials would specifically be dedicated to everyone’s favorite, talking console. And while a wacky, zany space adventure could quench any long-time fans’ robot thirst, there’s plenty of opportunities within “BMO” to expand more on the little toy’s origins and that of all MO products.
Specifically, fans have been wondering who exactly Moe was and what his relationship with the “fire giants” was. Was he somehow tied with the end of the previous world? If so, how did he even survive it? And why did a mastermind behind massive bombs begin building friendly robots in the first place?
Why Did PB & Marceline Ever Break-Up?
Perhaps even more so than getting an entire “BMO Power Hour,” fans are excited to get an entire special dedicated to Princess Bubblegum and Marceline’s relationship. While it was gratifying to see in the finale, some fans were disappointed to see how short and inorganic their kiss fit into the episode.
“Obsidian” may very well be the second chance to really do these two’s romance right as well as delve a little further into their history. Specifically, the series as a whole brushed over how these two came to date and unfortunately broke-up much earlier in the series. Distant Lands has a major opportunity in this instance to both play with the future as well as the past.
How Did Peppermint Butler Get Involved With Magic?
While “BMO” and “Obsidian” are both fun concepts for a story, they both hardly touch on the magical side of Adventure Time. That’s where “Wizard City” can really bulk up on the colorful zaniness that drew people’s eyes in the first place. Peppermint Butler has been resurrected but as a child.
Having to rebuilt his life from square one, “Wizard City” will be going over his attempt to retrain himself among Ooo’s magical scholars. This special will have plenty of opportunities to reveal Peppermint Butler’s past and how exactly he became involved with the dark arts in the first place.
What Are The Origins Of Magic?
On that note, “Wizard City” and Distant Lands could provide more insight to the origins of magic as a whole. Adventure Time never really thrived with hard world-building, but that never stopped fans from craving the hard details of this colorful world.
The series has already teased an entire community of magic users, and there’s some foundation with the Elementals. Using these as a jumping off point, the specials could craft the biggest origin story of them all.
Why Did Finn & Jake Split-Up?
While the series may be coming back, it’s evident in the early episode descriptions that plenty has changed. And while fans have weathered some of the most shaking events, they’ve always done so through the lens of Finn the Human and Jake the Dog. However, “Together Again” seems to shake up even that familiarity.
Finn and Jake had apparently went on separate paths long ago and will be spending this special trying to reconnect and rekindle their brotherly bond. Fans are left to wonder why they split-up in the first place and how their lives have changed since everyone last saw them.
