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Op-Ed: How fitting Arnold Schwarzenegger makes his comeback as a cartoon

When Ah-nold became California’s governor in 2003, I thought I entered some bizarro world where action stars became political darlings. Huh? How could a bodybuilder known for punching robots run the country’s most populous state?

Now one of the country’s worst governors, according to one report, is making a Hollywood comeback by starring in a comic book and cartoon about The Governator. Entertainment Weekly reports the superhero will “have a fleet of super vehicles at his disposal, a closet full of ‘Super Suits’ that allow him to fly and perform other super stunts, and a team of colorful sidekicks, such as Zeke Muckerberg, the precocious 13-year-old computer whiz who acts as the Governator’s cybersecurity expert.”

It sounds like a joke or an Onion story, but Schwarzenegger is dead serious, and he’s not alone. Spider-Man creator Stan Lee is on board to help craft the comic book. Lee told EW of the semi-fictional character: “We’re using all the personal elements of Arnold’s life. We’re using his wife [Maria Shriver]. We’re using his kids.”

I’ve always respected Lee and his project, but I can’t help but shake my head at this one. Does anyone but Terminator fanatics really care about Schwarzenegger’s fade to black? Will the under-18 set tune in to a show about a politician-actor they never heard of?

Becoming a caricature highlighting superhero powers is appropriate for Schwarzenegger. In interviews, he couldn’t help repeat film catchphrases, and he even guest-starred in the box-office flop The Expendables. I got a feeling Ah-nold always missed Hollywood, because the political rat race can be ugly in a different way: instead of dealing with agents, he had to navigate through lobbyists and ass-kissing donors. Maybe he enjoyed that lifestyle, but now that he’s returning to the spotlight, Schwarzenegger must feel like he’s back in his comfort zone.

I’ve never taken Schwarzenegger seriously, but then again I’ve never lived in California during his tenure. But just like I could never see the political value in former wrestler Jesse Ventura governing Minnesota, I fail to respect a big-name politician with minimal experience in the field.

I guess we can be thankful Schwarzenegger isn’t considering a political return. He’s better suited for a child’s short attention span; perhaps they will see something in the actor we never saw.

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