Born from the "Quiet Years" where Daryl Della was seeking creative outlets independent of the stalled production timelines of Michael, Retard Strength began as a pitch from Robert Ruiz. Ruiz proposed a mockumentary based on his real-life band, which consisted of himself, Becker, and Jared. Daryl and Rob hashed out an outline, and production commenced with Daryl and Lorenzo Ocon filming a series of unscripted interviews that would form the narrative backbone of the project.

The production quickly spiraled from a simple documentary parody into a full-blown sitcom-style ensemble piece. Becker Von Felsburg contributed heavily to his character’s lore, introducing Chris Ross as his inexplicable "manservant," while Rob brought in their friend Shaun to play the band's delusionally ineffective manager. The result was a creatively liberating experience for Daryl, allowing for improvisation and loose, handheld camera work that contrasted with the rigid planning of the Dead Right films.

Michael Martin was initially uninvolved, but as the project gained momentum, he attempted to fulfill his producer duties. In a clash of cultures that perfectly encapsulated the friction of the era, Michael arrived at HITwall Studios—a gritty, industrial outpost in South San Francisco where punk bands gathered to drink, smoke, and practice—bearing a plate of cheese and crackers. The gesture of "professionalism" was met with immediate ridicule.

During this period, Daryl had befriended jazz singer Lori Carsillo. He invited her to step out of her glitzy world and into the grime of the rock scene for a cameo as her stage persona, "Lola Bombay." Showing up slightly hungover but entirely game, Lori delivered a hilarious jazz rendition of the band’s low-brow anthem, "Diarrhea Forever." The scene sparked a long-term collaboration between Carsillo and the studio, proving her willingness to embrace the Dollars & Donuts absurdity.

Life began to imitate art as the production dragged on. Robert Ruiz grew increasingly frustrated, ranting that the process reminded him exactly why he had quit the band in reality. The tension of reenacting their dysfunction became too real to handle; an angry Rob quit the production, followed by Jared and Martin Madden.

With the intended ending (a triumphant reunion show) now impossible, Daryl was forced to pivot. He crafted a new finale that leaned into the collapse. In the revised ending, the lone remaining member, Becker, auditions replacements and settles on "Powerhouse Blood Addiction"—a fake band populated by real hardcore musicians, including Daryl’s brother Tyler Della and Israel Navarro. In a final twist of irony, the new members are immediately successful, firing Becker from his own band. The joke ending posits that the only thing ever holding Retard Strength back was the members themselves. Rob Ruiz later praised the improvised ending, acknowledging it as a brilliant narrative solution to his own lack of cooperation at the time.