Harvey Birdman, Attorney General (2018) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Awakens as 46.5th President without memory

Phil Ken Sebben wakes up to discover he has been elected the 46.5th President of the United States, with no recollection of the election that brought him there. The memory gap drives his early decisions and fuels the sense of confusion that threads through the opening acts. The scenario establishes a satirical, chaotic tone for the presidency from the very start.

Brings Peter Potamus into the cabinet

Sebben makes a startling move by appointing Peter Potamus, a radio host, as Senior Advisor to the President. Potamus immediately asserts influence over White House messaging and policy direction. The act signals a surreal, satirical tone for the administration.

When

Day 1

Where

White House

Hires Harvey Birdman as ghostwriter

Sebben hires Harvey Birdman to be the White House ghostwriter, living in a lakeside off-the-grid cabin. Birdman is more interested in finishing his stand-alone novel, A Matter of Wife and Death, than simply writing for Sebben. The arrangement foreshadows the blurred lines between power, fame, and storytelling.

Where

Lakeside cabin

Reveals how Sebben became billionaire and funded his firm

The backstory reveals that Sebben earned his fortune from best-selling action thrillers, which also financed his law firm. This origin explains the scale of his influence and the resources at his disposal. The reveal sets up the tie between his fiction empire and political clout.

Narrowly escapes assassination; launches nuclear missile

An assassination attempt on Sebben triggers a dramatic response as he primes and launches a nuclear missile toward Washington, D.C. The only way to stop it is impeachment and a new president issuing the order to cancel. The moment highlights the film's satire of power, paranoia, and brinkmanship.

When

Immediate

Where

White House

Birdman sworn as Attorney Corporal; Birdgirl becomes Attorney General

Birdman is sworn in as 'Attorney Corporal' and Birdgirl is named Attorney General as part of a chaotic power-play. Sebben, Potamus, and Myron Reducto scheme around an Inaugurpeachment party, while Birdgirl relies on a digital assistant for legal decisions. The scene dramatizes a government run by titles, gimmicks, and questionable technology.

Where

White House

Icelandic coup and Mentok's mind-control retreat

In Potamus' office, he reveals that Icelandic forces have overthrown the government. Mentok the Mind-Taker runs a mind-control retreat in Iceland and claims to have steered Americans and Canadians to vote for Sebben. Birdman lies in a coma while Mentok stores his thriller brain as a library drive, a detail that blurs fiction with espionage.

Where

Iceland

Birdman, Birdgirl recruit Birdboy and infiltrate Sebben & Sebben

Birdman and Birdgirl recruit Birdboy (Peanut) and infiltrate the Sebben & Sebben office, which has been turned into a WeWork space. They recover the signed document that would enable impeachment and stage a press conference as White House Press Secretary. Potamus crashes the scene and admits he orchestrated the plot for merch profits.

Where

Sebben & Sebben office (WeWork)

Black Vulcan revealed as previous president; missile plan unfolds

It is revealed that Black Vulcan was the 46th president, and Sebben’s election is declared illegal. His efforts to stop the missile fail, with the line 'this isn’t how the Constitution works' underscoring the constitutional chaos. The power struggle intensifies as new players move into the narrative.

Where

White House

Confrontation with X the Exterminator on his island

Birdman, Birdgirl, and Black Vulcan travel to X the Exterminator’s island, where Exterminator is hired to create modified Minuteman IIIs for domestic use by white supremacists. One missile is fired to intercept the main threat but instead hits branded delivery rockets from Amazon Prime, Blue Origin, and Alibaba. The scheme backfires, complicating the military showdown.

Where

X the Exterminator's island

Inaugurpeachment ride over the Lincoln Memorial and monument destruction

Devlin rides across the country on two motorcycles to leap a ramp over the Lincoln Memorial, which has been replaced with Sebben. He crashes into the Samuel Hahnemann Monument, destroying it. Sebben wields a Constitution to threaten imprisonment for monument defacement, escalating the spectacle of the impeachment campaign.

Where

Lincoln Memorial / Washington, D.C.

Missile stops, Black Vulcan is sworn in, impeachment continues

Black Vulcan is sworn in as president by Bear, and the missile stops mid-air above the White House. The imminent disaster is averted, but the impeachment arc continues to loom over Sebben’s illegitimate presidency. The film leaves the resolution open and hints at metafictional conclusions.

Where

White House

Closing twist: events may be fictional

The closing scene hints that the entire sequence never happened and was the plot of Birdman’s upcoming book. Characters reflect on the nature of reality and fiction, underscoring a meta-commentary about storytelling. The film ends by blurring the line between narrative and life.