Guyver: Dark Hero is a 1994 American Tokusatsu superhero film written by Nathan Long with Steve Wang serving as director, lead effects artist and producer, Guyver: Dark Hero is an adaptation of the Japanese manga, Guyver, by Takaya Yoshiki. A sequel to the 1991 American live-action film, The Guyver, there is no costarring of Mark Hamill this time; but the final product is widely considered a much better result despite a lower budget. This is thanks to much less Executive Meddling than last time, allowing Wang and company to keep the tone consistent note . Replacing Jack Armstrong from the last film, David Hayter stars as Sean Barker.
A year has passed since Sean Barker became the host of the bio-boosting armor unit, the Guyver, and destroyed the Chronos Corporation headquarters. Driven to find out more about the unit because it's compulsion to fight and kill threats has lead to him moonlighting as a very lethal superhero, Sean finds out the dreams he's been having match up to finds of a recent archaeological dig. It turns out supposed werewolf and monster sightings near said dig show him the Kronos corporation and their zoanoid shocktroopers aren't as destroyed as he thought they were.
Not to be confused with MacGyver.
Provides examples of:
- Ancient Astronauts: Mentioned in the first time with their ship seen here, they're responsible for making the first Zoanoid and Guyver units.
- Big Bad: Arlen Crane, a Hyper Zoanoid in charge of Chronos' operation in the movie.
- Bloodier and Gorier: Than the first movie big time! Part of the whole reason the film was made as to emulate this part of the manga.
- Catch and Return: variant. After blocking a few bullets with his palms, the Guyver deflects and ricochets one back at the source.
- Composite Character: Crane seems to be an amalgamation of traits from ZX-Tole (a Hyper Zoanoid and Guyot’s Dragon from the Manga/Anime) and Oswald Lisker (an evil Guyver with a damaged unit who dies the same way), plus his armour uses design elements from Guyver III.
- Darker and Edgier: Than the first movie. The violence is more brutal, there's no slapstick humor, and an ongoing subplot concerns the Guyver unit demanding Sean fight and kill, which is why he starts the film moonlighting as a vigilante.
- The Dragon: Volker, a Chronos security officer who acts as Crane's right-hand man and enforcer. Fittingly he's much stronger than a typical Zoanoid and actually survives a fight with Sean.
- Defiant to the End: After having the electricity for the camp blasted into her, the fried female Zoanoid grabs at Atkins' ankle as her final act before Atkins finishes her off.
- Elimination Catchphrase: Crane bothers to loudly yell, "You're fired!" before fighting Marcus.
- Godzilla Threshold: Crane knowingly bonds with the heavily damaged Guyver unit, something that could very easily kill him in a horrific way, because Guyot will have his head in a day if he doesn't capture Sean and secure the spaceship, and he doesn't have the power to do it otherwise.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Crane the Big Bad of the film, but he is another cog in Chronos' system and still working for Gouo/Guyot, another Zoalord presumably equal in rank to Balcus from the last movie.
- Hybrid Monster: Crane uses a Guyver unit bonded to him in human form while transformed into his Hyper Zoanoid body to become a "Guyver Zoanoid".
- Immune to Bullets: Pistol and rifle fire bounces off Zoanoid hide, meaning the Guyver, another Zoanoid, or an obscene amount of electricity are the only things that can hurt them.
- Mercy Kill: After ripping out Crane's Control Metal, he begins to agonizingly melt. The damaged Control Metal has some kind of interaction with Sean's, prompting him to vaporize Crane with the Mega Smasher.
- Mythology Gag: Crane's Guyver Zoanoid armor has the same color scheme and spiky motif as Guyver III with Guyver II's damaged control metal.
- Off with His Head!: Sean decapitates one Zoanoid and blows up another one's head with dynamite it caught in its mouth by setting it off with a blast from his forehead laser.
- One-Winged Angel: When the rest of the Zoanoids in his group are killed, Crane resorts to taking the damaged Guyver unit and transforming into the Guyver Zoanoid.
- Pinball Projectile: Sean deflects a bullet shot at him with one palm, then into his other palm to divert it back to the crook who shot at him.
- Rasputinian Death: Volker after a long fight with the Guyver, has his ribs smashed in to the point of vomiting blood, is stabbed multiple times with the elbow swords, has his gut and chest carved into with said swords, arms broken and wrists snapped to the point of rupturing his crushed fingers and joints, gets his eyes blasted out by the head beam, and then finally has his skull caved in to put him down.
- R-Rated Opening: Dark Hero, makes it clear within minutes that it earns its R rating, with some strong language, talk of cocaine smuggling, and two bloody deaths.
- The Remnant: Chronos in this film are largely acting in secret at least publicly, having their LA base destroyed by Sean last movie and being embroiled in a secret conflict with the US government. That said, given they operate in plenty of other cities in secret and Guyot is in charge where Balcus left off.
- Shout-Out: The fight between the Guyver and the sword wielding drug runner resembles a fight in Batman (1989).
- Smuggling with Dolls: The criminals in the beginning. The security guard is unimpressed until it's explained that the cocaine was mixed with the plastic and would be 100% pure once it was melted back down.
- Took a Level in Badass: Between movies Sean's activated his armor's head laser and improved his fighting skills, justified by the Guyver unit compelling him to fight as a vigilante.
- Token Heroic Orc: Dr. Marcus goes against Kronos, despite being a Zoanoid, especially after they kidnap his daughter.
