‘King of the Hill’ Fans Love That Hank Is the Antidote to Toxic Masculinity

Young, fatherless men in search of a male role model would do well to pick Hank Hill over any Manosphere figure — there’s more dignity in diminished gluteal syndrome than there is in skipping leg day.

In the recently released King of the Hill Hulu revival, the show’s writing staff navigated the murky waters of America’s modern culture war with tact and aplomb. Following series star and creator Mike Judge’s political humor golden rule of “Don’t be mean,” the new King of the Hill series satirizes aspects of America’s now decidedly conservative-leaning cultural landscape without opining on national political issues or making anyone feel like a jackass for their beliefs — unless they happen to be a top-heavy masculinity influencer in the throbbing vein of Joe Rogan or Andrew Tate.

The episode “No Hank Left Behind” featured Hank learning about the existence of the right-wing, podcast-powered masculinity industry and subsequently saving Good Hank from its clutches. In the process, Hank taught his now-teenager half-brother — and the entire King of the Hill fandom — what it really means to be a man.

In a recent thread in the King of the Hill subreddit titled, “Thoughts on the Andrew Tate Episode?”, fans celebrated how Hank handled the concerningly popular wave of masculinity grifters who prey on young men’s insecurities in order to make absurd amounts of money and to push a chauvinist worldview onto the next generation. Even those of us who are a too old to fall for Tate’s shtick can find inspiration in Hank’s manhood philosophy of “Grills over Grifts.”

“The ending had me smiling. It was a really good take on the pathetic nature of the Manosphere and the misogyny that comes with it,” the top commenter said of “No Hanks Left Behind” and the true masculinity coach’s speech about respecting, valuing and supporting the women who respect, value and support you back. They added, “Hank is a good man.”

Another user went further, explaining how Hank exposed more than just the in-universe version of Tate for blaming all his problems on his bankrolling mother and women in general. “I follow a lot of politics, and it still feels like hardly anyone grasps what the manosphere actually is,” they began. “Like they think it’s just misogyny, but these types actively believe woman are the reason why they’re losers, not the fact that they are in fact just losers who can’t get woman.” The fan concluded, “I feel like this episode best describes what the manosphere is.”

“This episode is a microcosm of everything great with this revival. Moving forward, not backwards, yet still maintaining its heart,” one Redditor wrote in the thread. “The ending with Hank pissing on Cotton’s parenting was so satisfying.”

One more fan added, “Hank is a man we can all aspire to be.”

King of the Hill fans have long argued that, in the chaos of modern sexual politics, Hank is an exemplar of positive masculinity in a culture that has too many examples of the opposite. While Hank is, in every traditional sense, a red-blooded, football-loving, medium-rare-steak-eating man’s man, Hank is also patient, kind and secure enough in his own sense of self that he’s willing to listen to other people’s points-of-view and let his mind be changed. Hank is honest, he’s hardworking, he respects women and he takes care of his family, all of which he considers to be the universal and core values of manhood.

And, critically, Hank made himself into the ideal man without any positive examples of his own. As “No Hanks Left Behind” reiterated, Cotton Hill was an abusive, angry and misogynistic father, but, when raising Bobby, Hank was able to shape his image of fatherhood around what a man should be, rather than the father he got. Now, as the King of the Hill revival revs into gear, Hank has the opportunity to impart those lessons on a new generation. 

Or, as one King of the Hill fan put it, “Hank is Based and continues to prove he is one of the greatest cartoon Dads.”