Gus, the protagonist of the Netflix fantasy series Sweet tooth, has very unique powers. The first of a generation of hybrid born, part animal and part human born children, Gus has deer traits that include heightened senses, night vision, and of course the striking pair of antlers on his head.
Based on the comics by Jeff Lemire, Sweet tooth takes place in a post-apocalyptic world considered normal by children like Gus, who grew up not knowing what the world was like. While traveling to reunite with his mother in Colorado, Gus crosses paths with a vigilante hybrid advocate called Bear, who believes that hybrids (and the deadly virus that emerged at the same time they did, wiping out the major part of the human population) are nature’s means of combating the destructive tendencies of mankind. Because hybrids have animal characteristics, they can live off nature and be a balanced part of the ecosystem in ways that ordinary humans cannot.
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Raised in Yellowstone National Park by his “Pubba,” Gus learns many survival skills that are independent of his deer DNA, such as growing plants for food and harvesting nearby maple trees for syrup. But as he ventures out into the world with a gruff wanderer called Tommy “Big Man” Jepperd, Gus’ unique deer powers are revealed one by one.
Wood
The most obvious outdoor display of Gus’ hybrid nature are his antlers, which start out as little knots when he’s a baby and develop to three points on either side by the time he’s 10 years old. Male deer antlers have two purposes that are intertwined: mating and fighting. Males with large, healthy antlers have a better chance of attracting does, and they also use their antlers to fight off their competition. Gus uses his antlers as a weapon for the first time in Sweet tooth episode 1, painfully ramming one of the poachers free, and they will surely become even more dangerous as he grows older. Although it has not yet been shown in the series, deer lose and regrow their antlers every year, so Gus can presumably grow his own if he loses them as well.
Increased senses
Those big, edgy ears aren’t just for show. Gus has extremely sensitive hearing – an important survival trait for deer, which must be alert to possible dangers at all times. Deer also have about 1000 times more sense of smell than a human, which is why Gus is able to smell the food inside the Yellowstone Visitors Center and pick up the scent of the “candy” from. Tommy inside a metal box at a considerable distance. far when they are at the station. In daylight, the deer’s eyesight is actually worse than that of humans, so Gus doesn’t have super-vision to go with his super nose and super ears. At night, however, her eyes can really shine.
Night vision
Gus might be cute, but he has a pretty scary trait when the lights go out: bright eyes. It’s because of a layer of tissue in his eyes called light tapestry, which reflects light and therefore increases the total amount of light passing through the retina, allowing improved vision in low light. This is present in many animals, including not only deer, but also dogs, cats, horses, cattle and badgers. Deer are mainly nocturnal or crepuscular (sleeping during the day and foraging at dawn, dusk and at night), their low-light vision therefore allows them to navigate at night, find food and remain vigilant against possible threats.
Speed ​​and agility
When Gus is first introduced into Sweet tooth, he is still a bit clumsy and has a hard time jumping to the last stone on the other side of the river near his home. During the first episode, however, his speed and agility improve until he is able to run through the forest as easily and gracefully as a deer. Actor Christian Convery had actually trained in parkour for two years before making Sweet tooth, which allowed him to create the quick and agile movements of the hybrid stag-boy. These skills are especially highlighted when Gus decides to leave his house in the woods and pursue Tommy at the end of Episode 1, clearing the fence surrounding the forest with ease and jumping to the ground from a considerable height. Given how much Gus’ speed and agility improves between the ages of nine and ten, he will likely be much faster and more powerful by the time he reaches adulthood.
Talk to animals
Twice in Sweet tooth season 1, Gus demonstrates a curious ability to communicate with animals, who seem to recognize him as one of their own. When a young doe enters Gus and Pubba’s house, she remains calm as Gus reaches out and strokes her. Then, when Tiger takes over the animal army and attempts to execute Tommy by having him eaten by his captive tiger, Gus is able to calm “Daisy” simply by standing in front of her and saying, “Please don’t eat my friend. “This is a power unique to her as a hybrid, as prey like deer obviously cannot negotiate with predators not to be eaten. Like the deer that entered the house, Daisy seems to recognize that Gus is both an animal and a human, and shows him a strange deference.
This ability to communicate with animals, at least to some level, strengthens Bear’s argument that hybrids are the natural way to restore balance between animals and humans. Humans destroy nature to build cities on it and put animals in cages. Even the Animal Army, which loves hybrids and dresses itself in animal costumes, is guilty of imprisoning Daisy and using her as a weapon. But hybrids like Gus are able to coexist peacefully with animals, providing a bridge between the animal world and the human world that could be the key to the planet’s future.
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