Susan Strong’s Tragic Backstory In Adventure Time: Islands Explained

Susan Strong appears in the Adventure Time miniseries Adventure Time: Islands and her imposing appearance belies a tragic backstory. Adventure Time: Islands takes place during the eighth season of Adventure Time and while it’s not a complete spin-off of the show, it does feel like a tangential series of episodes. Released in 2017, Adventure Time: Islands encompasses eight episodes that begin with a mysterious transport ship landing on the beach in Ooo. The transport ship contains evidence of human technology, and Finn and Jake decide to use it and travel back to the land it came from, where they discover what really happened to the humans.

Besides human technology, Jake and Finn also find a human visitor on board, and they dub her Susan Strong. Susan is unable to speak English at first and, despite her immense size and strength, is afraid of everything new. After the trio travels to Susan’s home, the island of the Hyoomans, Jake and Finn help Susan regain her memories. However, they also learn there is a tragic reason for Susan’s amnesia, and her sad backstory makes for one of the best series of episodes in Adventure Time.

Susan Strong’s Real Name Is Kara And She Was Training To Be A Seeker

Susan Strong’s backstory is revealed via flashback in Adventure Time season 8, episode 24, “Islands Part 5: Hide And Seek”. In the episode, Susan remembers as a child, she, along with all the other Hyoomans, was separated into specific castes. Susan, who was actually named Kara, was trained to be a “seeker”, someone responsible for making sure no one left the island. Dr. Gross, who trains the humans, put a cybernetic implant in the seekers which gave them enhanced strength but also left them at her mercy.

One day, Susan Strong befriends a human named Frieda at lunch. Frieda tells Susan how she doesn’t agree with Dr. Gross’ system and wishes to leave the island. When Susan inadvertently tells Dr. Gross this, she is mind-controlled to destroy Frieda’s boat and capture her former friend. Remembering this, Susan is overcome with guilt, realizing that she betrayed her friend. Even though it wasn’t entirely Susan’s fault for stopping Frieda, her initial hesitation about going against the Founders’ plan, which Dr. Gross uses as the basis for her system, is what causes Susan to tell her about Frieda’s plan to escape.

Did Susan And Frieda Make Up?

Once Susan Strong remembers her betrayal, she seeks out Frieda, hoping to make amends. She eventually finds her and, surprisingly, Frieda says she holds no ill will toward Susan. Tragically, however, Frieda has lost her will to explore and glumly states how she’s now fine with the Founders’ plan. Susan attempts to reignite her former friend’s passion and a rousing speech from Finn inspires Frieda. She decides to join Susan and departs with her friend, sailing away in search of adventure.

Susan and Frieda’s journeys mirror one another. Susan began her life accepting the “Founders’ plan, happy to be part of the system. Her experiences off the island convince her that the plan is wrong. Frieda at first hated the plan but after years of being forced to work under it, she came to accept it as a fact of life. It’s only when the two old friends finally reunite that Frieda is reminded of her love for adventure and Susan is absolved of her guilt for betraying her friend. Together, the friends can be their true selves, and the once-tragic Adventure Time: Islands story becomes one of redemption.

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