Super Friends
Encyclopedia
Super Friends is an American
animated television series
about a team of superhero
es, which ran from 1973 to 1986 on ABC
as part of its Saturday morning cartoon
lineup. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera
and was based on the Justice League of America
(JLA) and associated comic book
characters published by DC Comics
, with the remake of Super Friends: The Motion Picture, written, produced and directed by M. Night Shyamalan
, in 2016.
The name of the program (and the JLA members featured with the Super Friends) have been variously represented (as Super Friends and Challenge of the Super Friends, for example) at different points in its broadcast history. There were a total of 109 episodes and two backdoor-pilot episodes of The New Scooby-Doo Movies
, with Batman and Robin appearing in "The Dynamic Scooby Doo Affair" and "The Caped Crusader Caper."
super-villains. They focused on the far-fetched schemes of mad scientists and aliens, who were revealed as well-intentioned but pursuing their goals through unlawful or disreputable means. Typically, at the end all that is needed is a peaceful and reasonable discussion to convince the antagonists to adopt more reasonable methods.
The All-New Super Friends Hour departed somewhat from the previous series' formula by featuring villains using more-violent methods to further their goals; they could not be reasoned with, requiring the heroes to use force to stop them. Beginning with Challenge of the Super Friends, several of the heroes' arch-villains from the comic books (such as Lex Luthor
and The Riddler
) began to feature prominently in comic-style stories. Throughout the series, plots often wrapped themselves up neatly in the final minutes of an episode in typical deus ex machina
fashion.
acquired rights to the DC Comics characters and adapted the Justice League of America
comic book for television
it made several changes in the transition, including the change of name to Super Friends. Nevertheless, team members sometimes referred to themselves as the Justice League on the show. The violence common in superhero
comics
was toned down for a younger audience and to adhere to broadcast standards governing violence in 1970s children’s television
.
Like most Hanna-Barbera shows, the rights to the Super Friends franchise are owned by DC's parent company (Warner Bros.
); as a result, the series has been under Warner Bros. control. Thus, Cartoon Network
was not able to air the series until after the merger of Time Warner
and Turner Broadcasting System
was completed.
, Batman
and Robin
, Wonder Woman
, and Aquaman
. Superman, Batman and Robin and Aquaman had each previously appeared in their own animated series produced by Filmation
, and voice talent from these prior programs was brought in to work on the new show. Shortly before the Super Friends series was developed Superman and Wonder Woman also guest-starred in two episodes of The Brady Kids
, while Batman and Robin appeared in two episodes of The New Scooby-Doo Movies
.
In addition to the superheroes a trio of sidekicks was introduced, each of whom were new characters not drawn from the comic books: Wendy and Marvin (voiced by Sherri Alberoni
and Frank Welker
) and Wonder Dog
(also voiced by Frank Welker
), none of whom had any special abilities (save the dog's unexplained ability to reason and "talk"). Inspired by the Scooby-Doo
gang, the trio—or at least its human members—were depicted as detectives and/or superheroes-in-training.
Each episode began with the heroes responding to an emergency detected by the massive TroubAlert computer in the Hall of Justice
, which served as the headquarters of the team. Colonel Wilcox, a U.S. Army
official, was a recurring character who would act as a government liaison with the Super Friends during emergencies.
Conflicts were usually resolved with the antagonists persuaded to adapt more reasonable methods to achieve their aims (with the assistance of the heroes). Natural disasters triggered by human (or alien) activity were often shown, and environmental themes featured strongly in the program. Three other DC Comics superheroes were featured as guest stars during this season: the Flash, Plastic Man
, and Green Arrow
.
This first run of Super Friends, consisting of 16 one-hour episodes which were rerun several times, concluded on August 24, 1974. At this point, the series was cancelled. However, interest in superheroes among ABC's prime-time viewers (with the success of The Six Million Dollar Man
and the live-action Wonder Woman
series) caused the network to revive Super Friends. The original 16 episodes of the series were rebroadcast as a mid-season replacement, running from February 7, 1976 to September 3, 1977. These episodes were edited into half-hour versions. At the same time DC Comics published a Super Friends comic, which used Wendy and Marvin from issue #1 (Nov 1976) to #6 (Aug. 1977). In the meantime, Hanna-Barbera began production on a revamped version of the show.
. The third segment was considered the "primary" adventure of the week, featuring the entire Super Friends roster (including the Wonder Twins) in a longer adventure. The fourth and final segment featured a story with one of the primary lineup and a "special guest star". This segment typically featured a problem that was solved using the guest star's unique abilities.
Between segments there were short spots with members of the Super Friends giving basic safety lessons, providing first-aid advice, demonstrating magic tricks, creating crafts, and presenting a two-part riddle featuring the week's primary plot line. This was the first season to feature two villains appearing in the comic books, Black Manta
and Gentleman Ghost
. Black Manta's costume was not black, and he was only referred to as "Manta"; both he and Gentleman Ghost only appeared in one episode this season.
.
), as a contrast to the Super Friends’ gleaming Hall of Justice.
Additional heroes who had previously appeared as guest stars were added to the roster as well, to make a total of 11. These included the Flash
(Barry Allen), Green Lantern
(Hal Jordan
) and Thanagarian
lawman Hawkman
(Katar Hol) from DC Comics and three Hanna-Barbera creations: Black Vulcan
, Apache Chief
, and Samurai
. Despite the Riddler showing a set of playing cards with (from left to right) Gleek, Zan, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Batman, and Superman he then burns to ashes in his introduction in "Wanted: The Super Friends", the Wonder Twins and Gleek did not appear in Challenge. Enthusiasts have expressed the view that the storylines for the Challenge episodes were the Super Friends era's best portrayal of the DC heroes.
On October 31, 1979, Hanna-Barbera ran a two-hour live-action special entitled Legends of the Superheroes
. This was loosely based on the Super Friends and included several other DC characters who replaced Samurai, Black Vulcan, and Apache Chief: Black Canary
, the E-2 Huntress
Helena Wayne (a new DC character, gathering her own following in All-Star and Adventure Comics JSA runs as a JSA member), and Shazam! (Captain Marvel, who had previously had his own live action series through Filmation studios). A second special aired the following month for Thanksgiving entitled Legends of the Superheroes: The Roast. This featured the late Ed McMahon
as emcee of the roast, along the lines of The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast
specials. Due to Warner Bros.'s contracts on Wonder Woman (already being used in her own live action series) and Superman (in his own live-action movies at the time), they were unable to be featured on the specials.
This would prove to be one of the longer-lived incarnations of the series (three years).
); these were picked up by stations across the United States and typically broadcast on weekday afternoons. Not wishing to compete with the syndication programming, ABC dropped the series from the 1983–1984 Saturday morning television line-up. For the second time, Super Friends was cancelled.
However, during this time Hanna-Barbera continued to produce new episodes with the Super Friends. In total, 24 "lost episodes" were animated (but not aired) in the United States that season; the series appeared in Australia. Three of these episodes were aired when Super Friends returned to Saturday-morning ABC television the following year. The remainder aired on the USA network in 1995, as part of the Superman/Batman Adventures
show.
and his henchmen from Apokolips. This season and the next featured the "Super Powers" tagline, which was part of a marketing tie-in with a toy line of the same name
produced by Kenner
.
and Firestorm. Once again headquartered at the Hall of Justice in Metropolis
, the heroes battled such familiar foes as Lex Luthor
, Brainiac
, the Scarecrow
and recurring villain Darkseid
. It also contained the only appearances by The Joker
, The Penguin
, the Royal Flush Gang
and Felix Faust
.
The tone of the Galactic Guardians series was more serious than Super Friends had been. Additionally, the Galactic Guardians featured the first televised depiction of Batman's origin in the episode "The Fear". The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians lasted one season before being canceled. The final new episode aired was "The Death of Superman" on November 6, 1985. This third cancellation would be the final one, and Galactic Guardians marked the end of Hanna-Barbera's 13-year run of the series on September 30, 1986. In syndication, this series is listed under the Super Friends name.
Additional Justice League members included:
DC Comics characters who were not Justice League members in comics (at the time), only on the series:
Justice League members created for the series:
One-shot Justice League appearances were made by:
The teen sidekicks and their pets:
In the Super Friends comic and merchandising related to the series:
Doctor Natas—a one-time member briefly mentioned in "Superfriends, Rest in Peace" is the inventor of the Noxium crystal, which had the power to kill any Super Friend. He never actually appeared onscreen, not even in a flashback or a photograph. (Natas is Satan spelled backwards.)
Villains appearing not adapted from the comic books:
In the animated series Justice League Unlimited
, Gorilla Grodd reforms his Secret Society
this time an even larger group of villains. While not called "The Legion of Doom", their headquarters
is a craft similar to the Hall of Doom, located in a swamp.
during the early hour-long episodes. Bill Woodson
took over with the revival of the series in 1977. His signature line was "Later, at the Hall of Justice...". Wendy, Marvin, and Wonder Dog were inspired by the Scooby-Doo
gang. The voices of Marvin and Wonder Dog were performed by Frank Welker
, who also did the voice of Fred on the Scooby-Doo series (and Scooby himself in later incarnations). Adam West
provided the voice of Batman in Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show
and The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians
. Casey Kasem
provided the voice of Robin (and many others in the show).
listed Super Friends as the 50th best animated television series.
: The First Season (DC Comics Classic Collection) (Release date July 6, 2004)
This two-disc set contains all 16 episodes from the season.
Episodes (in air & production order):
Super Friends, Volume Two (DC Comics Classic Collection) (Release date May 24, 2005):
Disc 1:
Disc 2:
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show (The Complete Series) (DC Comics Classic Collection) (Release date August 7, 2007):
Challenge of the Super Friends: Attack of the Legion of Doom (Release date June 1, 2004):
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians (DC Comics Classic Collection) (Release date October 23, 2007):
Challenge of the Super Friends: United They Stand (Release date June 1, 2004):
The All-New Super Friends Hour: Season One, Vol. 1 (Release date January 8, 2008):
Included on this set are the following episodes:
The All-New Super Friends Hour: Season One, Vol. 2 (Release date January 27, 2009):
Included on this set are the following episodes:
Super Friends: The Lost Episodes (Release date August 11, 2009):
Included on this set are the following episodes:
Superfriends: The First Season (1973-74):
Two volumes (circa 2010), released on DVD by Warner Video (each volume containing 8 of the 16 episodes originally shown)
episode "The Super Friends Meet Frankenstein." Dr. Frankenstein's sidekick; Gorg, (who was obviously inspired by Igor
) appears in both episodes, with the same voice actor and a similar character design.
.
(airing on NBC
) were so popular at the time, this show was never picked up by the network. The show would have featured Wonder Girl
as the leader, along with Cyborg
, Kid Flash
, Changeling
, Raven
and Starfire
. Although the show failed to get picked up, a television commercial with a substance abuse
theme did feature the Titans, as they would have appeared in the animated series, along with a new superhero named "The Protector" who would have been the replacement character for Robin. A Teen Titans animated TV program was eventually produced
, adding Robin and removing Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, and The Protector.
of Super Friends, a new series created by Ruby-Spears Productions that featured a solo Superman aired on CBS
. In the episode called "Superman and Wonder Woman vs. The Sorceress of Time," Wonder Woman guest stars, and B.J. Ward reprises her role as Wonder Woman.
developed a toy line named DC Super Friends featuring DC Comics characters as toys for young children. A comic book series and direct-to-video original animation called The Joker's Playhouse (2010) was developed to tie-in. The video features the World's Greatest Super Friends theme, allusions to the Legion of Doom, and the Super Friends and their Hall of Justice.
published a comic book
version of the Super Friends in the 1970s and early 1980s. The Super Friends comic was written to a higher standard than the television show, and Zan and Jayna were given back stories and secret identities as a pair of blond-haired high school kids; they were more competent heroes than their cartoon counterparts.
While the cartoons were not canonical
with DC Comics, writer E. Nelson Bridwell
made the comic book accord with the canon via footnote
s. An example of trying to fit Super Friends into the DC Universe:
However, the argument for the comic being canonical with Earth-One continuity included the fact that certain elements of the series impacted other books in the DC line (such as TNT's appearance in Kandor in an issue of Superman Family
that references events exclusively from Super Friends, Sinestro's lack of a power ring in an issue of The Brave and The Bold
after the ring was destroyed in a Super Friends issue, and Superman already being familiar with Dr. Mist and the international heroes in DC Comics Presents
after meeting them in Super Friends).
In 2008, DC began publishing a new Super Friends comic book starring Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash and Green Lantern (John Stewart
). Aimed at children, with an art style reminiscent to that of Marvel's Super Hero Squad and replacing Justice League Adventures (the tie-in to Justice League Unlimited
), the series took a light-hearted tone.
Collected Editions
offshoot, Extreme Justice
.
was a comic series that followed the adventures of a group composed of the latest teen superheroes of the late 1990s and early 2000s, including Robin
, Superboy
, Impulse
and Wonder Girl
. Towards the end of the run, Young Justice was involved in a mission which required them to invade an island whose population was made up of super-villains. In order to conduct a successful attack, the core team assembled all the then-known teen heroes (including the Wonder Twins
). As in Extreme Justice, neither spoke English and both seemed to enjoy eating CDs. Unlike their cartoon counterparts, the Wonder Twins were rude and sarcastic.
, Formerly Known as the Justice League and I Can’t Believe It’s Not the Justice League! (although these series were more direct take-offs on the 1980s Blue Beetle
/Booster Gold
-era Justice League
). In these miniseries the group is known as the "Super Buddies", and consists of a team of ex-Justice League
members. A television advertisement for the team shows them posing in the postures of the original Super Friends title card. Writer Keith Giffen
stated that his original proposal was titled 1-800-SUPERFRIENDS.
at age 16), and are employed at Titans Tower
as maintenance crew and mechanical troubleshooters. They were responsible for restoring Titans member Cyborg
to full functionality after he sustained damage to his artificial body parts during the events of the Infinite Crisis
mini-series. Wonder Dog was also introduced into the series, although (unlike the cartoon) he was not a lovable sidekick but a murderous, shape-shifting demon dog who was sent to Titans Tower to kill the team. Wonder Dog killed Marvin and attacked Wendy, leaving her crippled from the waist down. Wendy is a supporting character in the Batgirl series, where she receives help accepting her disabilities from former Batgirl Barbara Gordon
.
crossover the Justice League Watchtower
was destroyed by Superboy-Prime
, leaving the JLA without a base of operations. To that end, the team established the Hall of Justice in Washington, D.C. to act as an embassy for the team and an emergency base of operations if needed. In the continuity of the comics, the Hall was designed by Green Lantern and Wonder Woman. In Justice League of America #46 (2010) Samurai
made his first appearance in the DC Universe
, where he was shown as one of the heroes driven temporarily insane by Alan Scott
.
magazine parodied the Super Friends; the JLA was sent through a dimensional rift and met some of the Super Friends. After Martian Manhunter
used his Martian vision to melt the villain and his machine (much to Green Lantern’s dismay: "You have to trick him into leaving, or shutting off his machine, NOT direct physical violence!"), the Super Friends decided to send the Justice Leaguers back to their own dimension. As a jest, the magazine also ran an April Fool's promotion for a Wonder Twins special by painter Alex Ross
. The book, entitled Wonder Twins: Form of Water, was to be one of Alex Ross' oversized books chronicling the Justice League. The plot would see Zan and Jayna using their powers to help the Earth's famine- and drought-stricken nations after their monkey, Gleek, contracted super-rabies from severe dehydration.
is a reported fan of the show and has worked it into his various projects. In Kingdom Come
the United Nations
building resembles the Hall of Justice
, while the Gulag
resembles the Hall of Doom. Marvin can also be spotted in a brief cameo in that book. Justice is a 12-issue miniseries, in which a new-and-improved Legion of Doom
clashes with the JLA.
produced three bumpers lampooning the Super Friends:
Adult Swim
has also produced bumpers parodying the Super Friends. The first was a clip from the episode "The Time Trap", with bleeping
edited in to give the appearance of profanity. They produced similar clips using other Hanna-Barbera
cartoons. In another bumper, they lampooned the manner in which the Super Friends described every action before completing it (e.g., "I need to reach my utility belt so that I may free myself!") In this commercial, the heroes went to a movie and struggled to find money for popcorn
.
, complete with the group's trademark skull-shaped lair from Super Friends. Additionally, the Justice League's Metro Tower headquarters in Metropolis strongly resembled the Hall of Justice.
The Ultimen, loosely based on characters created for the Super Friends, were briefly allies and later antagonists to the JLU. The Ultimen consisted of Long Shadow
, Juice
, Wind Dragon
, Downpour and Shifter
. The group appeared in the episode "Ultimatum", where it is revealed that they are clones created by Project Cadmus
.
featured a modified version of the JLA Watchtower which closely resembled the Hall of Justice.
episode "Sidekicks Assemble!", with a pastiche of the music played when the Hall appeared in Super Friends.
episode "Idol", with Zan played by David Gallagher
and Jayna played by Allison Scagliotti. Gleek did not appear physically, but a cartoonish image of him was shown on each of the twins' cellphones.
as the Justice League's decoy base of operations. Additionally, Wendy and Marvin appear as classmates of Conner Kent
and Megan Morse
. The members of the Injustice League
operate out of a base resembling the Legion's Hall of Doom.
with a dream sequence where the "Super Pals" made fun of Eric's
Superman because Donna's
Wonder Woman had given him a ring as a gift. "I got it at the mall!" she exclaims. The episode featured Eric Forman as Superman, Donna as Wonder Woman, Kelso as Batman, Fez as Aquaman and Hyde and Jackie as the Wonder Twins. Red was also featured as their nemesis "Dr. Bald", wearing Lex Luthor's green-and-purple costume.
episode "Power Pals", Timmy wished for better super-friends. As a result, he got a team of superheroes—the Power Pals—as "friends." The four characters parodied famous characters including Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and Aquaman, and came with their own narrator. Aspects of Super Friends were parodied such as randomly pressing beeping buttons (that flash in an equally random pattern) on any computer module, invisible vehicles (somehow the Power Pals could see a dent in the invisible rocket and could be seen from the outside, since only the rocket is invisible), the perceived uselessness of Aquaman parody Wet Willy’s ability to talk to fish and powerlessness outside of water and near-instantaneous travel to distant galaxies.
s on MTV
's The State
, there was a brief scene with members of the State dressed as Super Friends. The Flash ran in, informing them of an impending disaster. Superman then began assigning serious tasks to all of the members, finishing by saying "and Aquaman... go talk to some fish". The Super Friends then began laughing hysterically, while a visibly-embarrassed Aquaman just stood there.
episode "Super Best Friends
" was a spoof of the series, depicting religious figures as a team of superheroes. The only member of the "Super Best Friends" who was not a religious figure is "Seaman", a spoof of Aquaman whose power was to talk to fish.
In "200
" the parody was revisited. The opening sequence for the Super Best Friends took its cues from the Super Friends cartoon; each of the religious figures (except for Muhammad
, who was portrayed as a censor bar walking down a street) and Seaman's introductions resembled the Super Friends opening: Jesus
was Superman, Buddha
was Wonder Woman, Krishna
was Batman and Seaman was Aquaman
. Joseph Smith
and Lao Tzu acted as Wendy and Marvin White.
In "201
", Tom Cruise's house was described as the Legion of Doom headquarters (initially it is described as "The Legion of Doom Headquarters [awkward pause] which is Tom Cruise's house").
The episode "Krazy Kripples
" featured a Legion of Doom with Christopher Reeve
as the leader. The episode "Spookyfish
" featured a Super Friends-style scene transition, with images of Barbra Streisand
's head superimposed over the trademark lens-flares.
episode "A Hero Sits Next Door
", there was a cutaway joke involving Peter
playing a game of strip poker with Wonder Woman. Super Friends-style scene transitions appear twice in the episode.
In "Fast Times at Buddy Cianci Jr. High", Peter flashed back to the time he was a Wonder Twin, taking the form of Jayna's tampon.
In "Perfect Castaway", when Lois told Peter how well the family had been doing ever since she married Brian she mentioned that Meg went on a date with the Super Friends' announcer
. Then a scene shows Meg and the announcer in a car on a hill where the announcer says, "Meanwhile, underneath Meg Griffin's bra...".
In "No Meals on Wheels
", Peter made a reference to the Mexican Super Friends; a non sequitur showed Mexican versions of superheroes, including "Mexican Superman" and "Mexican Batman".
In "It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One", when Lois
ran for mayor she attempted to gain the "stupid vote" by claiming Adolf Hitler
was working with the Legion of Doom to plot the assassination of Jesus
. Shortly after this, the Legion of Doom's base rose from the lake and Lex Luthor asked the other Legion members how she knew their plans. Solomon Grundy admitted he "kinda dropped the ball on that one".
The opening of "Family Goy
" parodied the opening sequence of Super Friends with Peter as Superman, Brian and Stewie as Batman and Robin respectively, Lois as Wonder Woman, Chris as Aquaman and Meg as....Meg.
In Something, Something, Something Dark Side, shortly after Chris/Luke and Cleveland/R2-D2 landed on Dagobah, the Legion of Doom fortress rose from the swamp with the same narration and music. Chris/Luke yelled, "Not now!" and the fortress quickly sank.
episode "MC Pee Pants" used animation backgrounds taken from the Challenge of the Super Friends episode "Monolith of Evil" for the location of Hell. It was reused in MC Pee Pants' other appearances ("Super Sirloin", "The Last One", "Little Brittle").
was called Justice Friends. The title was derived from the Justice League and Super Friends, and the series made references to the superficial plot lines of the Super Friends shows. However, the characters were parodies of Marvel Comics
' Avengers
team (the Marvel equivalent of the Justice League/Super Friends).
, Nicole Richie
, Lindsay Lohan
, and the Olsen Twins in the roles of tasteless superheroes, was created in 2006 by Heavy.com
. Both the setting and some of the girls’ superpowers were plays on elements from Super Friends.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
animated television series
Cartoon series
A cartoon series is a set of regularly presented animated television programs with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same characters and a basic theme...
about a team of superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
es, which ran from 1973 to 1986 on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
as part of its Saturday morning cartoon
Saturday morning cartoon
A Saturday morning cartoon is the colloquial term for the animated television programming that has typically been scheduled on Saturday mornings on the major American television networks from the 1960s to the present; the genre's peak in popularity mostly ended in the 1990s while the popularity of...
lineup. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
and was based on the Justice League of America
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
(JLA) and associated comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
characters published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, with the remake of Super Friends: The Motion Picture, written, produced and directed by M. Night Shyamalan
M. Night Shyamalan
Manoj Nelliyattu Shyamalan,known professionally as M. Night Shyamalan, is an Indian-born American screenwriter, film director, and producer known for making movies with contemporary supernatural plots that climax with a twist ending. He is also known for filming his movies in and around...
, in 2016.
The name of the program (and the JLA members featured with the Super Friends) have been variously represented (as Super Friends and Challenge of the Super Friends, for example) at different points in its broadcast history. There were a total of 109 episodes and two backdoor-pilot episodes of The New Scooby-Doo Movies
The New Scooby-Doo Movies
The New Scooby-Doo Movies is the second incarnation of the Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!. It premiered on September 9, 1972 and ran for two seasons on CBS as the only hour-long Scooby-Doo series...
, with Batman and Robin appearing in "The Dynamic Scooby Doo Affair" and "The Caped Crusader Caper."
Series titles
Over the years, the show existed under several titles:- Super FriendsSuper Friends (1973 TV series)Super Friends is a 1973 animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera and National Periodical Publications. It is based on the Justice League comic books, and is the first incarnation of the Super Friends series to the remake of Super Friends: The Motion Picture, written, produced and directed by M...
(1973–1974) - The All-New Super Friends HourThe All-New Super Friends HourThe All-New Super Friends Hour is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from September 10, 1977, to September 2, 1978, on ABC...
(1977–1978) - Challenge of the Super FriendsChallenge of the Super FriendsChallenge of the Super Friends is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from September 9, 1978, to December 23, 1978, on ABC. The complete series was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for Warner Bros. Television and is based on the Justice League and...
(1978–1979) - The World’s Greatest Super FriendsThe World's Greatest Super FriendsThe World's Greatest Super Friends is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from September 22, 1979 to September 27, 1980 on ABC...
(1979–1980) - Super Friends (1980–1983)
- Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers ShowSuper Friends: The Legendary Super Powers ShowSuper Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 1984 to 1985 on ABC...
(1984–1985) - The Super Powers Team: Galactic GuardiansThe Super Powers Team: Galactic GuardiansThe Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 1985 to 1986. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and is based on the Justice League and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics.-Summary:In the fall of 1985,...
(1985–1986)
Writing
Plot lines for the first incarnation of the Super Friends did not involve any of the familiar DC ComicsDC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
super-villains. They focused on the far-fetched schemes of mad scientists and aliens, who were revealed as well-intentioned but pursuing their goals through unlawful or disreputable means. Typically, at the end all that is needed is a peaceful and reasonable discussion to convince the antagonists to adopt more reasonable methods.
The All-New Super Friends Hour departed somewhat from the previous series' formula by featuring villains using more-violent methods to further their goals; they could not be reasoned with, requiring the heroes to use force to stop them. Beginning with Challenge of the Super Friends, several of the heroes' arch-villains from the comic books (such as Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
and The Riddler
Riddler
The Riddler is a fictional character, a comic book character and supervillain published by DC Comics, and an enemy of Batman. Created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #140 ....
) began to feature prominently in comic-style stories. Throughout the series, plots often wrapped themselves up neatly in the final minutes of an episode in typical deus ex machina
Deus ex machina
A deus ex machina is a plot device whereby a seemingly inextricable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object.-Linguistic considerations:...
fashion.
Production history
When animation company Hanna-BarberaHanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
acquired rights to the DC Comics characters and adapted the Justice League of America
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
comic book for television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
it made several changes in the transition, including the change of name to Super Friends. Nevertheless, team members sometimes referred to themselves as the Justice League on the show. The violence common in superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
comics
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
was toned down for a younger audience and to adhere to broadcast standards governing violence in 1970s children’s television
Saturday morning cartoon
A Saturday morning cartoon is the colloquial term for the animated television programming that has typically been scheduled on Saturday mornings on the major American television networks from the 1960s to the present; the genre's peak in popularity mostly ended in the 1990s while the popularity of...
.
Like most Hanna-Barbera shows, the rights to the Super Friends franchise are owned by DC's parent company (Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
); as a result, the series has been under Warner Bros. control. Thus, Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
was not able to air the series until after the merger of Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
and Turner Broadcasting System
Turner Broadcasting System
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. is the Time Warner subsidiary managing the collection of cable networks and properties started and acquired by Robert Edward "Ted" Turner starting in the mid-1970s. The company has its headquarters in the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. TBS, Inc...
was completed.
1973–1974 series
Super Friends first aired on ABC on September 8, 1973, featuring well-known DC characters SupermanSuperman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
and Robin
Robin (comics)
Robin is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero Batman...
, Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
, and Aquaman
Aquaman
Aquaman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in More Fun Comics #73 . Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles, Aquaman later starred in several volumes of a solo title...
. Superman, Batman and Robin and Aquaman had each previously appeared in their own animated series produced by Filmation
Filmation
Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live action programming for television during the latter half of the 20th century. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1963...
, and voice talent from these prior programs was brought in to work on the new show. Shortly before the Super Friends series was developed Superman and Wonder Woman also guest-starred in two episodes of The Brady Kids
The Brady Kids
The Brady Kids was an animated television series, produced by Filmation in association with Paramount Television and seen on ABC from 1972 to 1974...
, while Batman and Robin appeared in two episodes of The New Scooby-Doo Movies
The New Scooby-Doo Movies
The New Scooby-Doo Movies is the second incarnation of the Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!. It premiered on September 9, 1972 and ran for two seasons on CBS as the only hour-long Scooby-Doo series...
.
In addition to the superheroes a trio of sidekicks was introduced, each of whom were new characters not drawn from the comic books: Wendy and Marvin (voiced by Sherri Alberoni
Sherry Alberoni
Sherry Alberoni is an American actress and voice artist. Alberoni got her start as a Mouseketeer on the weekday ABC television program The Mickey Mouse Club. As an adult, she became a voice artist for Hanna-Barbera Productions...
and Frank Welker
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...
) and Wonder Dog
Wonder Dog (Super Friends)
Wonder Dog is a fictional canine superhero from the original Super Friends television series. The character appeared in both the animated series, as well as the comic book of the same name, but wasn't incorporated into the DC Universe until 2008....
(also voiced by Frank Welker
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...
), none of whom had any special abilities (save the dog's unexplained ability to reason and "talk"). Inspired by the Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo is an American media franchise based around several animated television series and related works produced from 1969 to the present day. The original series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, was created for Hanna-Barbera Productions by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears in 1969...
gang, the trio—or at least its human members—were depicted as detectives and/or superheroes-in-training.
Each episode began with the heroes responding to an emergency detected by the massive TroubAlert computer in the Hall of Justice
Hall of Justice (comics)
The Hall of Justice is the fictional headquarters of the Super Friends, in the eponymous animated series. It has subsequently been incorporated into the DC Comics main shared universe, the DC Universe as the new headquarters of the Justice League....
, which served as the headquarters of the team. Colonel Wilcox, a U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
official, was a recurring character who would act as a government liaison with the Super Friends during emergencies.
Conflicts were usually resolved with the antagonists persuaded to adapt more reasonable methods to achieve their aims (with the assistance of the heroes). Natural disasters triggered by human (or alien) activity were often shown, and environmental themes featured strongly in the program. Three other DC Comics superheroes were featured as guest stars during this season: the Flash, Plastic Man
Plastic Man
Plastic Man is a fictional comic-book superhero originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by writer-artist Jack Cole, he first appeared in Police Comics #1 ....
, and Green Arrow
Green Arrow
Green Arrow is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, he first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in November 1941. His secret identity is Oliver Queen, billionaire and former mayor of fictional Star City...
.
This first run of Super Friends, consisting of 16 one-hour episodes which were rerun several times, concluded on August 24, 1974. At this point, the series was cancelled. However, interest in superheroes among ABC's prime-time viewers (with the success of The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man is an American television series about a former astronaut with bionic implants working for the OSI...
and the live-action Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman (TV series)
Wonder Woman is an American television series based on the DC Comics comic book superhero of the same name. Starring Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and Lyle Waggoner as Steve Trevor, the show originally aired from 1975 to 1979....
series) caused the network to revive Super Friends. The original 16 episodes of the series were rebroadcast as a mid-season replacement, running from February 7, 1976 to September 3, 1977. These episodes were edited into half-hour versions. At the same time DC Comics published a Super Friends comic, which used Wendy and Marvin from issue #1 (Nov 1976) to #6 (Aug. 1977). In the meantime, Hanna-Barbera began production on a revamped version of the show.
1977–1978 season: The All-New Super Friends Hour
The All-New Super Friends Hour featured four animated shorts per program, following a basic format each week. The first segment of every show featured two of the heroes (for the purposes of the team-ups in the first and fourth segments, Batman and Robin were considered "one hero") teaming up in a separate mini-story. The second segment featured a story with the Wonder TwinsWonder Twins
The Wonder Twins, Zan and Jayna, are fictional extraterrestrial comic book superheroes published by DC Comics. Their first comic book appearance was in Super Friends #7 , by E. Nelson Bridwell and Ramona Fradon...
. The third segment was considered the "primary" adventure of the week, featuring the entire Super Friends roster (including the Wonder Twins) in a longer adventure. The fourth and final segment featured a story with one of the primary lineup and a "special guest star". This segment typically featured a problem that was solved using the guest star's unique abilities.
Between segments there were short spots with members of the Super Friends giving basic safety lessons, providing first-aid advice, demonstrating magic tricks, creating crafts, and presenting a two-part riddle featuring the week's primary plot line. This was the first season to feature two villains appearing in the comic books, Black Manta
Black Manta
Black Manta is a supervillain appearing in DC Comics, primarily as the archenemy of Aquaman. The character debuted in Aquaman #35 .-Fictional character biography:...
and Gentleman Ghost
Gentleman Ghost
Gentleman Ghost is a fictional character, a supervillain published by DC Comics publications. He first appeared in Flash Comics #88 , and was created by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert.-Fictional character biography:...
. Black Manta's costume was not black, and he was only referred to as "Manta"; both he and Gentleman Ghost only appeared in one episode this season.
1978–1979 season: All-New Super Friends/Challenge of the Super Friends
The next season of Super Friends featured two programs in an extended format. There was now a half-hour segment following the format of the previous season and a second half-hour segment, entitled Challenge of the Super FriendsChallenge of the Super Friends
Challenge of the Super Friends is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from September 9, 1978, to December 23, 1978, on ABC. The complete series was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for Warner Bros. Television and is based on the Justice League and...
.
First segment: All-New Super Friends episodes
The first half-hour of the program featured the established group of heroes: Superman, Batman and Robin, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, the Wonder Twins and Gleek. These 16 half-hour segments are seldom seen in syndication.Second segment: Challenge of the Super Friends
The next segment of the show introduced the Legion of Doom, a team of 13 recurring foes who are the Super Friends’ worst enemies. They used a swamp-based mechanical flying headquarters, the Hall of Doom (resembling the helmet of Darth VaderDarth Vader
Darth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....
), as a contrast to the Super Friends’ gleaming Hall of Justice.
Additional heroes who had previously appeared as guest stars were added to the roster as well, to make a total of 11. These included the Flash
Flash (comics)
The Flash is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 ....
(Barry Allen), Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
(Hal Jordan
Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan is a DC Comics superhero known as Green Lantern, the first human shown to join the Green Lantern Corps and a founding member of the Justice League of America. Jordan is the second DC Comics character to adopt the Green Lantern moniker...
) and Thanagarian
Thanagar
Thanagar is a fictional planet in the . Thanagar is the original home of the humanoid Thanagarian race, noted for the discovery of gravity-defying Nth metal...
lawman Hawkman
Hawkman
Hawkman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in Flash Comics #1, published by All-American Publications in 1940....
(Katar Hol) from DC Comics and three Hanna-Barbera creations: Black Vulcan
Black Vulcan
Black Vulcan is a fictional African American superhero on the animated series Super Friends created by Hanna-Barbera. He was voiced by Buster Jones.-Fictional character biography:...
, Apache Chief
Apache Chief
Apache Chief is a fictional Native American superhero from the various Super Friends cartoons created by Hanna-Barbera. He was one of the new heroes added to increase the number of non-white characters in the Super Friends ranks...
, and Samurai
Samurai (Super Friends)
Samurai is a fictional superhero in the Super Friends cartoons created by Hanna-Barbera. His real name is Toshio Eto, and he is of Japanese descent. He was one of the later additions to the team along with other ethnically diverse heroes in an effort for the show to promote cultural diversity. His...
. Despite the Riddler showing a set of playing cards with (from left to right) Gleek, Zan, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Batman, and Superman he then burns to ashes in his introduction in "Wanted: The Super Friends", the Wonder Twins and Gleek did not appear in Challenge. Enthusiasts have expressed the view that the storylines for the Challenge episodes were the Super Friends era's best portrayal of the DC heroes.
On October 31, 1979, Hanna-Barbera ran a two-hour live-action special entitled Legends of the Superheroes
Legends of the Superheroes
Legends of the Superheroes is an umbrella title for two one-hour and live-action Hanna–Barbera TV specials based on the Super Friends cartoon show that aired on NBC in January 1979...
. This was loosely based on the Super Friends and included several other DC characters who replaced Samurai, Black Vulcan, and Apache Chief: Black Canary
Black Canary
Black Canary is the name of two fictional characters, DC Comics superheroines created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Carmine Infantino. The first Black Canary debuted appeared in Flash Comics #86 . The first Black Canary was the alter-ego of Dinah Drake, who took part in Golden Age adventures...
, the E-2 Huntress
Huntress (Helena Wayne)
The Bronze Age Huntress was Helena Wayne, the daughter of the Batman and Catwoman of Earth-Two, an alternate universe established in the early 1960s as the world where the Golden Age stories took place...
Helena Wayne (a new DC character, gathering her own following in All-Star and Adventure Comics JSA runs as a JSA member), and Shazam! (Captain Marvel, who had previously had his own live action series through Filmation studios). A second special aired the following month for Thanksgiving entitled Legends of the Superheroes: The Roast. This featured the late Ed McMahon
Ed McMahon
Edward Peter "Ed" McMahon, Jr. was an American comedian, game show host and announcer. He is most famous for his work on television as Johnny Carson's sidekick and announcer on The Tonight Show from 1962 to 1992. He also hosted the original version of the talent show Star Search from 1983 to 1995...
as emcee of the roast, along the lines of The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast is a NBC television special show hosted by entertainer Dean Martin from 1974 to 1984. For a series of 54 specials and shows, Martin would periodically “roast” a celebrity. These roasts were patterned after the roasts held at the New York Friars' Club in New York City...
specials. Due to Warner Bros.'s contracts on Wonder Woman (already being used in her own live action series) and Superman (in his own live-action movies at the time), they were unable to be featured on the specials.
1979–1980 season: The World's Greatest Super Friends
In the fall of 1979, the Super Friends returned to their prior format, bringing back the original set of five DC superheroes and Zan, Jayna and Gleek. Eight one-hour episodes were created for this run, with the majority of the season consisting of repeats of The All-New Super Friends Hour from 1977-78. Renamed The World's Greatest Super Friends, this series began on September 22, 1979 and ran until September 27, 1980.1980–1982 seasons: Super Friends
Renamed Super Friends in 1980, the series changed formats again (abandoning the production of half-hour episodes and producing seven-minute shorts. Each episode of Super Friends would feature a rerun from one of the previous six years and three new shorts. These new adventures featured appearances by the core group of five Super Friends and Zan, Jayna & Gleek. There were also guest appearances from members previously depicted in Challenge of the Super Friends and the Hanna-Barbera-created hero El Dorado, who was added to the show to provide cultural diversity.This would prove to be one of the longer-lived incarnations of the series (three years).
1982–1983 season: The Best of the Super Friends (reruns)
For the 1982–1983 television season ABC ran half-hour reruns of shows from the previous seven seasons, with none of the seven-minute shorts rebroadcast. ABC called the rerun package The Best of the Super Friends.1983–1984 season: Cancellation and the "lost episodes"
Hanna-Barbera and Warner Bros. had created a syndication package of the earlier Super Friends series (co-distributed by LBS CommunicationsLexington Broadcast Services Company
Lexington Broadcast Services Company was a television production and syndication company founded in 1976 by advertising pioneer Henry Siegel...
); these were picked up by stations across the United States and typically broadcast on weekday afternoons. Not wishing to compete with the syndication programming, ABC dropped the series from the 1983–1984 Saturday morning television line-up. For the second time, Super Friends was cancelled.
However, during this time Hanna-Barbera continued to produce new episodes with the Super Friends. In total, 24 "lost episodes" were animated (but not aired) in the United States that season; the series appeared in Australia. Three of these episodes were aired when Super Friends returned to Saturday-morning ABC television the following year. The remainder aired on the USA network in 1995, as part of the Superman/Batman Adventures
The Superman/Batman Adventures
The Superman/Batman Adventures was a television series that aired on USA Network in 1995. It was later aired on Cartoon Network and Boomerang. The series featured edited episodes of various seasons of the Super Friends, as well The New Adventures of Superman, The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure,...
show.
1984–1985 season: Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show
Super Friends returned to ABC Saturday, September 8, 1984 with a new 30-minute program typically featuring two 11-minute stories per episode. This incarnation featured Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, the Wonder Twins and Gleek, this time teamed up with Firestorm (Ronald Raymond). In addition to this core group, episodes during this season also featured cameos by old (and new) Super Friends. The series ended August 31, 1985 and featured comic-book villains such as Brainiac, Lex Luthor, Mirror Master, Mr. Mxyzptlk, DarkseidDarkseid
Darkseid is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 and was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby....
and his henchmen from Apokolips. This season and the next featured the "Super Powers" tagline, which was part of a marketing tie-in with a toy line of the same name
Super Powers Collection
The Super Powers Collection was a line of action figures based on DC Comics superheroes and supervillains that was created by Kenner Products in the 1980s.-History of the Line:...
produced by Kenner
Kenner
Kenner Products was a toy company founded in 1947 by three brothers, Albert, Phillip, and Joseph L. Steiner, in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, and was named after the street where the original corporate offices were located, which is just north of Cincinnati's Union Terminal.Kenner introduced its...
.
1985–1986 season: The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians
In fall 1985 the next version of Hanna-Barbera's depiction of the DC Comics heroes began, although it no longer carried the Super Friends name. This series returned to a conventional lineup for the team, with a focus on teen members CyborgCyborg (comics)
Cyborg is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, and first appears in a special insert in DC Comics Presents #26...
and Firestorm. Once again headquartered at the Hall of Justice in Metropolis
Metropolis (comics)
Metropolis is a fictional city that appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and is the home of Superman. Metropolis first appeared by name in Action Comics #16 ....
, the heroes battled such familiar foes as Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
, Brainiac
Brainiac (comics)
Brainiac is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Action Comics #242 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
, the Scarecrow
Scarecrow (comics)
The Scarecrow is a fictional character, a supervillain, that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in World's Finest Comics #3 and was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane...
and recurring villain Darkseid
Darkseid
Darkseid is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 and was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby....
. It also contained the only appearances by The Joker
Joker (comics)
The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
, The Penguin
Penguin (comics)
Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot III is a DC Comics supervillain and one of Batman's oldest, most persistent enemies. The Penguin was introduced by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, making his debut in Detective Comics #58 .The Penguin is a short, rotund man known for his love of birds and his...
, the Royal Flush Gang
Royal Flush Gang
The Royal Flush Gang or RFG are fictional characters in DC Comics. They first appeared in Justice League of America #43 in March 1966 under the leadership of Professor Amos Fortune.-History:...
and Felix Faust
Felix Faust
Felix Faust is a fictional character and supervillain who appears in stories published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in 1962 as an adversary of the Justice League of America...
.
The tone of the Galactic Guardians series was more serious than Super Friends had been. Additionally, the Galactic Guardians featured the first televised depiction of Batman's origin in the episode "The Fear". The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians lasted one season before being canceled. The final new episode aired was "The Death of Superman" on November 6, 1985. This third cancellation would be the final one, and Galactic Guardians marked the end of Hanna-Barbera's 13-year run of the series on September 30, 1986. In syndication, this series is listed under the Super Friends name.
The Justice League of America
The core group of five heroes made up the "Super Friends":
|
Additional Justice League members included:
- The Atom (1977, 1980–1983)
- FirestormFirestorm (comics)Firestorm is the name of several comic book superheroes published by DC Comics. Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein, the first Firestorm, debuted in Firestorm, the Nuclear Man #1 , and was created by Gerry Conway and Al Milgrom. Martin Stein, by himself as Firestorm, debuted in Firestorm the Nuclear...
(1984–1985) - The Flash (1973 and 1978–1985)
- Green LanternHal JordanHarold "Hal" Jordan is a DC Comics superhero known as Green Lantern, the first human shown to join the Green Lantern Corps and a founding member of the Justice League of America. Jordan is the second DC Comics character to adopt the Green Lantern moniker...
(1977–1985) - Hawkgirl (1977, 1980 and 1983)
- Hawkman (1977–1978 and 1980–1985)
DC Comics characters who were not Justice League members in comics (at the time), only on the series:
- CyborgCyborg (comics)Cyborg is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, and first appears in a special insert in DC Comics Presents #26...
(1985) - Rima the Jungle GirlRimaRima, also known as Rima the Jungle Girl, is the fictional heroine of W. H. Hudson's 1904 novel Green Mansions: A Romance of the Tropical Forest. In 1974, she was adapted into a comic book character and featured in the short-lived monthly series Rima the Jungle Girl, published by DC Comics...
(1977 and 1980)
Justice League members created for the series:
- Apache ChiefApache ChiefApache Chief is a fictional Native American superhero from the various Super Friends cartoons created by Hanna-Barbera. He was one of the new heroes added to increase the number of non-white characters in the Super Friends ranks...
(1977–1978 and 1980–1984) - Black VulcanBlack VulcanBlack Vulcan is a fictional African American superhero on the animated series Super Friends created by Hanna-Barbera. He was voiced by Buster Jones.-Fictional character biography:...
(1977–1978 and 1980–1984) - El Dorado (1982–1985)
- SamuraiSamurai (Super Friends)Samurai is a fictional superhero in the Super Friends cartoons created by Hanna-Barbera. His real name is Toshio Eto, and he is of Japanese descent. He was one of the later additions to the team along with other ethnically diverse heroes in an effort for the show to promote cultural diversity. His...
(1977–1978 and 1980–1985)
One-shot Justice League appearances were made by:
- Abin SurAbin SurAbin Sur is a fictional character and a superhero from the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Showcase #22 : "SOS Green Lantern". He was a member of the Green Lantern Corps and is best known as the predecessor of Green Lantern Hal Jordan, whom Abin Sur's power ring chose as his replacement...
(1978) - Green ArrowGreen ArrowGreen Arrow is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, he first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in November 1941. His secret identity is Oliver Queen, billionaire and former mayor of fictional Star City...
(1973–1974) - Plastic ManPlastic ManPlastic Man is a fictional comic-book superhero originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by writer-artist Jack Cole, he first appeared in Police Comics #1 ....
(1973–1974) - SuperboySuperboy (Kal-El)The original Superboy is a fictional superhero who appears in DC Comics. The name of Superman as a boy, Superboy has adventures that occur in the relative past to those of Superman and take place predominantly in his hometown of Smallville...
(1978, 1983)
The teen sidekicks and their pets:
- Super Friends characters:
- GleekGleek (Super Friends)Gleek is a fictional character appearing in the animated series Super Friends and its related spinoffs. He debuted in The All New Superfriends Hour, which first aired September 10, 1977. Gleek's vocalizations were provided by Michael Bell....
(1977–1984) - Wonder DogWonder Dog (Super Friends)Wonder Dog is a fictional canine superhero from the original Super Friends television series. The character appeared in both the animated series, as well as the comic book of the same name, but wasn't incorporated into the DC Universe until 2008....
(1973–1975)
- Gleek
- Wendy and Marvin:
- Wendy Harris (1973–1975)
- Marvin White (1973–1975)
- Wonder Twins:
- JaynaWonder TwinsThe Wonder Twins, Zan and Jayna, are fictional extraterrestrial comic book superheroes published by DC Comics. Their first comic book appearance was in Super Friends #7 , by E. Nelson Bridwell and Ramona Fradon...
(1977–1984) - ZanWonder TwinsThe Wonder Twins, Zan and Jayna, are fictional extraterrestrial comic book superheroes published by DC Comics. Their first comic book appearance was in Super Friends #7 , by E. Nelson Bridwell and Ramona Fradon...
(1977–1984)
- Jayna
In the Super Friends comic and merchandising related to the series:
- BatgirlBarbara GordonBarbara Gordon is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics and in related media, created by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino...
- Black CanaryBlack CanaryBlack Canary is the name of two fictional characters, DC Comics superheroines created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Carmine Infantino. The first Black Canary debuted appeared in Flash Comics #86 . The first Black Canary was the alter-ego of Dinah Drake, who took part in Golden Age adventures...
- Black OrchidBlack OrchidBlack Orchid is the name of three fictional superheroines published by DC Comics. The original version of the character first appeared in Adventure Comics #428 .-Susan Linden-Thorne:...
- Elongated ManElongated ManThe Elongated Man is a fictional comic book superhero in the DC universe. He is a reserve member of the Justice League. His first appearance was in The Flash vol. 1, #112...
- Green FuryFire (comics)Fire is a fictional character, a comic book superhero from the DC Comics universe. A version of her first appeared in Super Friends #25, , and was created by E. Nelson Bridwell and Ramona Fradon...
- Golden PharaohGolden PharaohGolden Pharaoh is a fictional character, a DC Comics superhero created exclusively for the Kenner Super Powers Collection line of action figures. His only comic book appearance is in the third Super Powers series ....
- HuntressHuntress (comics)The Huntress is a name used by several characters in DC Comics.The Golden Age Huntress is a supervillainess, while the Bronze Age and Modern Age Huntresses are superheroines....
- Captain MarvelCaptain Marvel (DC Comics)Captain Marvel is a fictional comic book superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Created in 1939 by artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker, the character first appeared in Whiz Comics #2...
- Mary MarvelMary MarvelMary Marvel is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine, originally published by Fawcett Comics and now owned by DC Comics. Created by Otto Binder and Marc Swayze, she first appeared in Captain Marvel Adventures #18 in...
- Red TornadoRed TornadoRed Tornado is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Justice League of America #64 , and was created by Gardner Fox and Dick Dillin.-Publication history:...
- SupergirlSupergirl (Kara Zor-El)Kara Zor-El is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics and related media, created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino. As Supergirl, Kara Zor-El serves as the biological cousin and female counterpart to DC Comic's iconic superhero Superman, created...
Legion of Doom
Thirteen villains composed the Legion of Doom during the Challenge of the Super Friends season. They were:
|
Solomon Grundy (comics) Solomon Grundy is a fictional character, a zombie supervillain in the DC Comics Universe. Named after the 19th century children's nursery rhyme, Grundy was introduced as an enemy of the Golden Age Green Lantern , but has since become a prominent enemy for a number of superheroes, such as Batman and... Lex Luthor Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and... Riddler The Riddler is a fictional character, a comic book character and supervillain published by DC Comics, and an enemy of Batman. Created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #140 .... Scarecrow (comics) The Scarecrow is a fictional character, a supervillain, that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in World's Finest Comics #3 and was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane... Sinestro Thaal Sinestro is a fictional character, an alien supervillain in the DC Comics Universe. Created by John Broome and Gil Kane, Sinestro is the former mentor of Hal Jordan and the arch-nemesis of the entire Green Lantern Corps. Sinestro first appears in Green Lantern #7 . In 2009, Sinestro was... Toyman The Toyman is the name of three comic book supervillains and one adolescent superhero in the DC Comics universe. They mostly appear in Superman stories. The first Toyman appeared in Action Comics #64 . His real name is Winslow Schott.The Toyman uses toy-based or toy-themed devices and gimmicks in... |
Other DC Comics villains
Villains appearing independently from the Legion of Doom:
|
Felix Faust Felix Faust is a fictional character and supervillain who appears in stories published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in 1962 as an adversary of the Justice League of America... Gentleman Ghost Gentleman Ghost is a fictional character, a supervillain published by DC Comics publications. He first appeared in Flash Comics #88 , and was created by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert.-Fictional character biography:... Joker (comics) The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin... Mirror Master Mirror Master is a fictional character and a supervillain in the DC Universe. He is a recurring foe of the Flash with considerable technical expertise and skills involving the use of mirrors. Four individuals have donned the guise of Mirror Master... Mister Mxyzptlk Mr. Mxyzptlk , sometimes called Mxy, is a fictional impish supervillain who appears in DC Comics' Superman comic books.He was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and first appeared in Superman #30 . He is usually presented as a trickster, in the classical mythological sense, in that he enjoys... Penguin (comics) Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot III is a DC Comics supervillain and one of Batman's oldest, most persistent enemies. The Penguin was introduced by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, making his debut in Detective Comics #58 .The Penguin is a short, rotund man known for his love of birds and his... Royal Flush Gang The Royal Flush Gang or RFG are fictional characters in DC Comics. They first appeared in Justice League of America #43 in March 1966 under the leadership of Professor Amos Fortune.-History:... Shark (comics) Shark is the name of three fictional characters in DC Comics publications.-Shark :The first Shark is a non-superpowered commando. Along with his other companions named Sardine and Whale, he is part of the World War II-era fighting unit called the Frogmen. His sole appearance is in Showcase #3... |
Villains appearing not adapted from the comic books:
- Darkon
- The Dollmaker
- DraculaCount DraculaCount Dracula is a fictional character, the titular antagonist of Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula and archetypal vampire. Some aspects of his character have been inspired by the 15th century Romanian general and Wallachian Prince Vlad III the Impaler...
- Dr. Gulliver
- Orville Gump
- Medula and her Mind Maidens
- Nartan
- The Phantom ZonePhantom ZoneThe Phantom Zone is a fictional prison dimension featured in the Superman comic books and related media published by DC Comics. It first appeared in Adventure Comics #283 , and was created by Robert Bernstein and George Papp...
Villains (Hul, Logar, Rom-Lok) - The Power Pirate
- The Robber Baron and Sleeves
- Rock and Roll Space Bandits
- Rokan
- Vampirus
- Yuna the Terrible
- Zycree
In the animated series Justice League Unlimited
Justice League Unlimited
Justice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the...
, Gorilla Grodd reforms his Secret Society
Secret Society of Super Villains
The Secret Society of Super Villains is a group of comic book supervillains that exist in the DC Universe...
this time an even larger group of villains. While not called "The Legion of Doom", their headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
is a craft similar to the Hall of Doom, located in a swamp.
Other DC Comic characters
These are other characters that appeared on the series:- Global GuardiansGlobal GuardiansThe Global Guardians is a team of fictional DC Comics superheroes whose members hail from countries around the world. The concept originated in the Super Friends Saturday morning cartoon, in which several heroes were added to the Justice League to give it more ethnic diversity.-History:The...
: Doctor Mist, Icemaiden, Little Mermaid, Seraph, Tasmanian Devil - Commissioner James GordonJames Gordon (comics)James Worthington Gordon, Sr. is a fictional character, an ally of Batman that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane...
- Hippolyta
- Lois LaneLois LaneLois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
- Jimmy OlsenJimmy OlsenJimmy Olsen is a fictional character who appears mainly in DC Comics’ Superman stories. Olsen is a young photojournalist working for the Daily Planet. He is close friends with Lois Lane, Clark Kent/Superman and Perry White...
- Alfred PennyworthAlfred PennyworthAlfred Pennyworth is a fictional character that appears throughout the DC Comics franchise. The character first appears in Batman #16 , and was created by writer Bob Kane and artist Jerry Robinson. Alfred serves as Batman’s tireless butler, assistant, confidant, and surrogate father figure...
- SolovarSolovarSolovar is a fictional character, a sentient gorilla in the . The character is the progressive leader of a race of gorillas that first appeared as supporting characters of the Flash.-Character history:...
(ruler of Gorilla CityGorilla CityGorilla City is a fictional city in the DC Comics Universe. The city, hidden in the jungles of Africa, is home to a race of super-intelligent gorillas, that gained their powers from a meteorite. The supervillain Gorilla Grodd is also from the city. Gorilla City first appears in The Flash vol...
) - Steve TrevorSteve TrevorSteve Trevor is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics, as the primary love interest of Wonder Woman. He first appeared in All Star Comics #8 .-Golden Age:...
Notable voice actors
The voice of the Narrator was provided by actor Ted KnightTed Knight
Ted Knight was an American actor best known for playing the comedic role of Ted Baxter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Henry Rush on Too Close for Comfort, and Judge Elihu Smails in Caddyshack.- Early years :...
during the early hour-long episodes. Bill Woodson
Bill Woodson
William "Bill" T. Woodson is a retired American voice artist. He has a small onscreen appearance in the 1950s sci-fi film "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms" as a newscaster. He can be heard in the opening narrative of the 1970s television series The Odd Couple, explaining how it is that Felix and...
took over with the revival of the series in 1977. His signature line was "Later, at the Hall of Justice...". Wendy, Marvin, and Wonder Dog were inspired by the Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo is an American media franchise based around several animated television series and related works produced from 1969 to the present day. The original series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, was created for Hanna-Barbera Productions by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears in 1969...
gang. The voices of Marvin and Wonder Dog were performed by Frank Welker
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...
, who also did the voice of Fred on the Scooby-Doo series (and Scooby himself in later incarnations). Adam West
Adam West
William West Anderson , better known by the stage name Adam West, is an American actor best known for his lead role in the Batman TV series and the film of the same name...
provided the voice of Batman in Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 1984 to 1985 on ABC...
and The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 1985 to 1986. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and is based on the Justice League and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics.-Summary:In the fall of 1985,...
. Casey Kasem
Casey Kasem
Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem is an American radio personality and voice actor who is best known for being the host of the nationally syndicated Top 40 countdown show American Top 40, and for voicing Shaggy in the popular Saturday morning cartoon franchise Scooby-Doo.Kasem, along with Don Bustany and...
provided the voice of Robin (and many others in the show).
Reception
In January 2009, IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
listed Super Friends as the 50th best animated television series.
Region 1 DVD releases
Challenge of the Super Friends- Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
- Language: English, Spanish
- Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
- Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only)
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 2
- Rating: Not Rated
- Studio: Warner Home Video
- Run time: 347 minutes
This two-disc set contains all 16 episodes from the season.
Episodes (in air & production order):
- 01. 09-Sep-1978 Wanted: The Super Friends
- 02. 16-Sep-1978 Invasion of The Fearians
- 03. 23-Sep-1978 The World's Deadliest Game
- 04. 30-Sep-1978 The Time Trap
- 05. 07-Oct-1978 Trial of the Super Friends
- 06. 14-Oct-1978 Monolith of Evil
- 07. 21-Oct-1978 The Giants of Doom
- 08. 28-Oct-1978 Secret Origins of the Super Friends
- 09. 04-Nov-1978 Revenge on Gorilla City
- 10. 11-Nov-1978 Swamp of the Living Dead
- 11. 18-Nov-1978 Conquerors of the Future
- 12. 25-Nov-1978 The Final Challenge
- 13. 02-Dec-1978 Fairy Tale of Doom
- 14. 09-Dec-1978 Doomsday
- 15. 16-Dec-1978 Super Friends, Rest in Peace
- 16. 23-Dec-1978 History of Doom
Super Friends, Volume Two (DC Comics Classic Collection) (Release date May 24, 2005):
- Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
- Language: English
- Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
- Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only)
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 2
- Rating: Not Rated
- Run time: 365 minutes
Disc 1:
- 1: Rokan: Enemy from Space
- 2: The Demons of Exxor
- 3. Battle at the Earth's Core
- 4: Sinbad and the Space Pirates
- 5: The Pied Piper from Space
- 6: Attack of the Vampire
- 7: The Beasts are Coming
- 8: Terror from the Phantom Zone
- Bonus: The Ballad of Zan and Jayna
Disc 2:
- 9: The Anti-Matter Monster
- 10: World Beneath the Ice
- 11: Invasion of the Brain Creatures
- 12: The Incredible Space Circus
- 13: Batman: Dead or Alive
- 14: Battle of the Gods
- 15: Journey Through Inner Space
- 16: The Rise and Fall of the Super Friends
- Bonus: Pajama-Rama Super Friends Retrospective
Super Friends
- Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
- Language: English
- Subtitles: English
- Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only)
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 2
- Rating: Not Rated
- Studio: Warner Home Video
- Run time: 179 minutes
- The Bride of Darkseid (Part 1)
- The Bride of Darkseid (Part 2)
- The Wrath of Brainiac
- Reflections in Crime
- No Honor Among Super Thieves
- Mr. Mxyzptlk and the Magic Lamp
- Case of the Shrinking Super Friends
- The Mask of Mystery
- Darkseid's Golden Trap (Part 1)
- Darkseid's Golden Trap (Part 2)
- Island of the Dinosoids
- Uncle Mxyzptlk (Super Brat)
- The Case of the Dreadful Dolls
- The Royal Ruse
- The Village of Lost Souls
- The Curator
Challenge of the Super Friends
- Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
- Language: English, Spanish
- Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Finland,
- Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.)
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Rating: Not Rated
- Studio: Warner Home Video
- Run time: 109 minutes
The Super Powers Team
- Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
- Language: English
- Subtitles: English
- Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.)
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 2
- Rating: Not Rated
- Studio: Hanna-Barbera Studios
- Run time: 170 minutes
- The Seeds of Doom
- Ghost ship
- The Bizarro Super Powers Team
- Darkseid Deception
- The Fear
- The Wild Cards
- Brainchild
- Escape From Space City
- The Death of Superman
Challenge of the Super Friends
- Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
- Language: English
- Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
- Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only)
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Rating: Not Rated
- Studio: Warner Home Video
- Run time: 88 minutes
The All-New Super Friends Hour
- Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
- Language: English
- Subtitles: English, French
- Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.)
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 2
- Rating: Not Rated
- Studio: Turner Home Ent
- Run time: 323 minutes
Included on this set are the following episodes:
- Brain Machine/ Joyride/ Invasion of the Earthors/ The Whirlpool
- Invasion of the Hydronoids/ Hitchhike/ City in a Bottle/ Space Emergency
- The Marsh Monster/ Runaways/ Will the World Collide?/ Time Rescue
- Doctor Fright/ Drag Race/ Day of the Planet Creatures/ Fire
- The Monster of Dr. Droid/ Vandals/ Superfriends Vs Superfriends/ Energy Mass
- The Secret Four/ Tiger on the Loose/ The Mysterious Time Creatures/ The Antidote
- The Enforcer/ Shark/ Planet of the Neanderthals/ Flood of Diamonds
The All-New Super Friends Hour
- Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
- Language: English
- Subtitles: English, French
- Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.)
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 2
- Rating: Not Rated
- Studio: Turner Home Ent
- Run time: 366 minutes
Included on this set are the following episodes:
- The Invisible Menace/ Initiation/ Coming of the Arthropods/ River of Doom
- Attack of the Giant Squid/ Game of Chicken/ The Water Beast/ Volcano
- The Collector/ Handicap/ The Mind Maidens/ Alaska Peril
- The Fifty Foot Woman/ Cheating/ Exploration Earth/ Attack of the Killer Bees
- Forbidden Power/ Pressure Point/ The Lion Men/ The Day of the Rats
- The Man Beasts of Xra/ Prejudice/ The Tiny World of Terror/ Tibetan Raiders
- Frozen Peril/ Dangerous Prank/ The Mummy of Nazca/ Cable Car Rescue
- The Protector/ Stowaways/ The Ghost/ Rampage
Super Friends
- Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
- Language: English
- Subtitles: English, French
- Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.)
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 2
- Rating: Not Rated
- Studio: Warner Home Video
- Run time: 168 minutes
Included on this set are the following episodes:
- Mxyzptlk's Revenge/ Roller Coaster/ Once Upon a Poltergeist
- Warpland/ Two Gleeks Are Deadlier Than One/ Bulgor the Behemoth
- The Krypton Syndrome/ Invasion of the Space Dolls/ The Terror on the Titanic
- The Revenge of Doom/ A Pint of Life/ The Day of the Dinosaurs
- The Return of the Phantoms/ Bully for You/ Superclones
- The Prisoners of Sleep/ An Unexpected Treasure/ The Malusian Blob
- The Attack of the Cats/ One Small Step for Superman/ The Video Victims
- The Playground of Doom/ The Space Racers/ The Recruiter
Superfriends
Two volumes (circa 2010), released on DVD by Warner Video (each volume containing 8 of the 16 episodes originally shown)
The Plastic Man Comedy Adventure Show
Plastic Man first appeared in the first season of Super Friends, in one episode. Later, Ruby-Spears Productions released a series starring the character in his own solo adventures. The Plastic Man episode "Superstein" is actually directly linked to the World's Greatest Super FriendsThe World's Greatest Super Friends
The World's Greatest Super Friends is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from September 22, 1979 to September 27, 1980 on ABC...
episode "The Super Friends Meet Frankenstein." Dr. Frankenstein's sidekick; Gorg, (who was obviously inspired by Igor
Igor (fictional character)
Igor is the traditional stock character or cliché hunch-backed assistant or butler to many types of villain, such as Count Dracula or a mad scientist, familiar from many horror movies and horror movie parodies, the Frankenstein series and Van Helsing films in particular.-Origins:Dwight Frye's...
) appears in both episodes, with the same voice actor and a similar character design.
Batman
A Batman animated series was also considered in the mid-'80s, presumably with Adam West reprising his role as the voice of Batman. "The Fear" was written as a pilot episode for the series, but it was instead adapted in to an episode of The Super Powers Team: Galactic GuardiansThe Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 1985 to 1986. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and is based on the Justice League and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics.-Summary:In the fall of 1985,...
.
The New Teen Titans
In 1983, a cartoon based upon The New Teen Titans comics began development. It was created as a companion for the Super Friends, to be set in the same continuity. Robin wasn't going to be featured in the cartoon though, at least not as a regular, since in the Super Friends universe, he was a member of the Justice League. Like Super Friends, the show was to be developed by Hanna-Barbera for ABC, but since shows like The SmurfsThe Smurfs (1981 TV series)
The Smurfs is an American animated television series that aired on NBC from September 12, 1981 to August 25, 1990...
(airing on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
) were so popular at the time, this show was never picked up by the network. The show would have featured Wonder Girl
Donna Troy
Donna Troy is a comic book superheroine published by DC Comics. She first appeared in The Brave and the Bold vol. 1 #60 , and was created by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani...
as the leader, along with Cyborg
Cyborg (comics)
Cyborg is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, and first appears in a special insert in DC Comics Presents #26...
, Kid Flash
Wally West
The Flash is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the first Kid Flash and the third Flash....
, Changeling
Beast Boy
Garfield Mark "Gar" Logan, known as Beast Boy or Changeling, is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics...
, Raven
Raven (comics)
Raven is a fictional superheroine who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in a special insert in DC Comics Presents #26 , and was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez...
and Starfire
Starfire (comics)
Starfire is the name of several fictional comic book characters published by DC Comics. The most prominent Starfire is Koriand'r, the fourth character to use that name...
. Although the show failed to get picked up, a television commercial with a substance abuse
Substance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
theme did feature the Titans, as they would have appeared in the animated series, along with a new superhero named "The Protector" who would have been the replacement character for Robin. A Teen Titans animated TV program was eventually produced
Teen Titans (TV series)
Teen Titans is an American animated television series based on the DC Comics characters of the same name. The show was created by Glen Murakami, developed by David Slack, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It premiered on Cartoon Network on July 19, 2003, and the final episode "Things Change"...
, adding Robin and removing Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, and The Protector.
Superman (1988 TV series)
In 1988, just two years after the final seasonThe Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 1985 to 1986. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and is based on the Justice League and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics.-Summary:In the fall of 1985,...
of Super Friends, a new series created by Ruby-Spears Productions that featured a solo Superman aired on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
. In the episode called "Superman and Wonder Woman vs. The Sorceress of Time," Wonder Woman guest stars, and B.J. Ward reprises her role as Wonder Woman.
DC Super Friends
Fisher-PriceFisher-Price
Fisher-Price is a company that produces toys for infants and children, headquartered in East Aurora, New York. Fisher-Price has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel since 1993.-History:...
developed a toy line named DC Super Friends featuring DC Comics characters as toys for young children. A comic book series and direct-to-video original animation called The Joker's Playhouse (2010) was developed to tie-in. The video features the World's Greatest Super Friends theme, allusions to the Legion of Doom, and the Super Friends and their Hall of Justice.
Super Friends
DC ComicsDC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
published a comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
version of the Super Friends in the 1970s and early 1980s. The Super Friends comic was written to a higher standard than the television show, and Zan and Jayna were given back stories and secret identities as a pair of blond-haired high school kids; they were more competent heroes than their cartoon counterparts.
While the cartoons were not canonical
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
with DC Comics, writer E. Nelson Bridwell
E. Nelson Bridwell
Edward Nelson Bridwell was a writer for Mad magazine and various comic books published by DC Comics. One of the writers for the Batman comic strip and Super Friends, he also wrote The Inferior Five, among other comics...
made the comic book accord with the canon via footnote
Footnote
A note is a string of text placed at the bottom of a page in a book or document or at the end of a text. The note can provide an author's comments on the main text or citations of a reference work in support of the text, or both...
s. An example of trying to fit Super Friends into the DC Universe:
- Wendy, Marvin and Wonder Dog were the only ones active at the Hall of Justice, because the Justice League are in the 30th Century with the Justice Society (as shown in Justice League of America #147–148). Robin was busy helping the Titans in Teen Titans #50-52. Bridwell also gave them last names and ties to the other characters' histories; Wendy Harris was the niece of detective Harvey Harris (who helped trained BatmanBatmanBatman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
) and Marvin White was the son of Diana Prince (the woman who helped provide Wonder WomanWonder WomanWonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
with a secret identity upon her arrival in America). While the show never explained the departure of Wendy, Marvin and Wonder Dog, the story was found in Super Friends #6–9.
However, the argument for the comic being canonical with Earth-One continuity included the fact that certain elements of the series impacted other books in the DC line (such as TNT's appearance in Kandor in an issue of Superman Family
Superman Family
Superman Family was a DC Comics comic book series which ran from 1974 to 1982 featuring stories starring supporting characters in the Superman comics...
that references events exclusively from Super Friends, Sinestro's lack of a power ring in an issue of The Brave and The Bold
The Brave and the Bold
The Brave and the Bold is the title shared by many comic book series published by DC Comics. The first of these was published as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983...
after the ring was destroyed in a Super Friends issue, and Superman already being familiar with Dr. Mist and the international heroes in DC Comics Presents
DC Comics Presents
DC Comics Presents was a comic book published by DC Comics from 1978 to 1986 featuring team-ups between Superman and a wide variety of other characters of the DC Universe...
after meeting them in Super Friends).
In 2008, DC began publishing a new Super Friends comic book starring Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash and Green Lantern (John Stewart
John Stewart (comics)
John Stewart is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Green Lantern vol. 2, #87 , and was created by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams.-Publication history:...
). Aimed at children, with an art style reminiscent to that of Marvel's Super Hero Squad and replacing Justice League Adventures (the tie-in to Justice League Unlimited
Justice League Unlimited
Justice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the...
), the series took a light-hearted tone.
Collected Editions
- Super Friends: For Justice! (Collects #1-7)
- Super Friends: Calling All Super Friends (Collects #8-14)
- Super Friends: Head of the Class (Collects #15-21)
- Super Friends: Mystery In Space (Collects #22-28)
Extreme Justice
In the comics, the Wonder Twins were members of the short-lived JLIJustice League International
Justice League International is a DC Comics superhero team written by Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis, with art by Kevin Maguire, created in 1987.-Publication history:...
offshoot, Extreme Justice
Extreme Justice
Extreme Justice was a monthly Justice League spin off title in the DC Comics universe. It replaced the cancelled Justice League International and ran for nineteen issues from 1994 to 1996.-Overview:...
.
Young Justice
Young JusticeYoung Justice
Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes. The team first appeared in Young Justice: The Secret , before graduating to their ongoing monthly series...
was a comic series that followed the adventures of a group composed of the latest teen superheroes of the late 1990s and early 2000s, including Robin
Tim Drake
Timothy "Tim" Drake is a superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics and in related media. The character was created by Marv Wolfman and Pat Broderick. From 1989 to 2009, he was known as Robin in the Batman comics, becoming the third character to take up the identity...
, Superboy
Superboy
Superboy is the name of several fictional characters that have been published by DC Comics, most of them youthful incarnations of Superman. These characters have also been the main characters of four ongoing Superboy comic book series published by DC....
, Impulse
Bart Allen
Bartholomew "Bart" Allen is a superhero in the . Allen first appeared as the superhero Impulse. He would later go on to become the second Kid Flash and the fourth Flash. Allen's first cameo appearance was in The Flash #91, while his first full appearance was in issue #92...
and Wonder Girl
Wonder Girl
Wonder Girl is the name of three fictional characters featured as superheroes in comic books and other media produced by DC Comics. The original was a younger version of Wonder Woman...
. Towards the end of the run, Young Justice was involved in a mission which required them to invade an island whose population was made up of super-villains. In order to conduct a successful attack, the core team assembled all the then-known teen heroes (including the Wonder Twins
Wonder Twins
The Wonder Twins, Zan and Jayna, are fictional extraterrestrial comic book superheroes published by DC Comics. Their first comic book appearance was in Super Friends #7 , by E. Nelson Bridwell and Ramona Fradon...
). As in Extreme Justice, neither spoke English and both seemed to enjoy eating CDs. Unlike their cartoon counterparts, the Wonder Twins were rude and sarcastic.
Super Buddies
The lighthearted nature of the show was spoofed in the 2000s with two DC miniseriesMiniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
, Formerly Known as the Justice League and I Can’t Believe It’s Not the Justice League! (although these series were more direct take-offs on the 1980s Blue Beetle
Blue Beetle
Blue Beetle is the name of three fictional superheroes that appear in American comic books published by a variety of companies since 1939.-Publication history:...
/Booster Gold
Booster Gold
Booster Gold is a fictional DC Comics superhero. Created by Dan Jurgens, he first appeared in Booster Gold #1 and has been a member of the Justice League, DC Comics' all-star team of heroes. The character is initially depicted as a glory-seeking showboat from the future, using knowledge of...
-era Justice League
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
). In these miniseries the group is known as the "Super Buddies", and consists of a team of ex-Justice League
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
members. A television advertisement for the team shows them posing in the postures of the original Super Friends title card. Writer Keith Giffen
Keith Giffen
Keith Ian Giffen is an American comic book illustrator and writer.-Biography:Giffen was born in Queens, New York City....
stated that his original proposal was titled 1-800-SUPERFRIENDS.
Teen Titans
As of issue #34 (2006), Wendy and Marvin were part of the DC continuity. They are now fraternal twins (a nod to their Super Friends successors, the Wonder Twins), engineering geniuses (having graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
at age 16), and are employed at Titans Tower
Titans Tower
Titans Tower is a fictional building in the DC Comics universe. Its various incarnations have been home to the superhero team called the Titans...
as maintenance crew and mechanical troubleshooters. They were responsible for restoring Titans member Cyborg
Cyborg (comics)
Cyborg is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, and first appears in a special insert in DC Comics Presents #26...
to full functionality after he sustained damage to his artificial body parts during the events of the Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
mini-series. Wonder Dog was also introduced into the series, although (unlike the cartoon) he was not a lovable sidekick but a murderous, shape-shifting demon dog who was sent to Titans Tower to kill the team. Wonder Dog killed Marvin and attacked Wendy, leaving her crippled from the waist down. Wendy is a supporting character in the Batgirl series, where she receives help accepting her disabilities from former Batgirl Barbara Gordon
Barbara Gordon
Barbara Gordon is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics and in related media, created by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino...
.
Justice League of America
During the events of the 2005 company-wide Infinite CrisisInfinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
crossover the Justice League Watchtower
Justice League Watchtower
The Watchtower is the name of various bases used by the Justice League of America in DC Comics and various other media. It has been portrayed in DC comics as a building on Earth's moon, and as a space-station in orbit in the Justice League Unlimited cartoon.The Watchtower debuted in JLA #4 during...
was destroyed by Superboy-Prime
Superboy-Prime
Superboy-Prime, also known as Superman-Prime, or simply Prime, is a DC Comics superhero turned supervillain, and one of several alternate Supermen. The character first appeared in DC Comics Presents #87 , and was created by Elliot S...
, leaving the JLA without a base of operations. To that end, the team established the Hall of Justice in Washington, D.C. to act as an embassy for the team and an emergency base of operations if needed. In the continuity of the comics, the Hall was designed by Green Lantern and Wonder Woman. In Justice League of America #46 (2010) Samurai
Samurai (Super Friends)
Samurai is a fictional superhero in the Super Friends cartoons created by Hanna-Barbera. His real name is Toshio Eto, and he is of Japanese descent. He was one of the later additions to the team along with other ethnically diverse heroes in an effort for the show to promote cultural diversity. His...
made his first appearance in the DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
, where he was shown as one of the heroes driven temporarily insane by Alan Scott
Alan Scott
Alan Scott is a fictional character, a superhero in the and the first superhero to bear the name Green Lantern.-Publication history:The original Green Lantern was created by young struggling artist Martin Nodell, who was inspired by the sight of a New York Subway employee waving a red lantern to...
.
Wizard magazine
An issue of WizardWizard (magazine)
Wizard or Wizard: The Magazine of Comics, Entertainment and Pop Culture was a magazine about comic books, published monthly in the United States by Wizard Entertainment from July 1991 to January 2011...
magazine parodied the Super Friends; the JLA was sent through a dimensional rift and met some of the Super Friends. After Martian Manhunter
Martian Manhunter
The Martian Manhunter is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in publications published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #225...
used his Martian vision to melt the villain and his machine (much to Green Lantern’s dismay: "You have to trick him into leaving, or shutting off his machine, NOT direct physical violence!"), the Super Friends decided to send the Justice Leaguers back to their own dimension. As a jest, the magazine also ran an April Fool's promotion for a Wonder Twins special by painter Alex Ross
Alex Ross
Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross is an American comic book painter, illustrator, and plotter. He is praised for his realistic, human depictions of classic comic book characters. Since the 1990s he has done work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an...
. The book, entitled Wonder Twins: Form of Water, was to be one of Alex Ross' oversized books chronicling the Justice League. The plot would see Zan and Jayna using their powers to help the Earth's famine- and drought-stricken nations after their monkey, Gleek, contracted super-rabies from severe dehydration.
Alex Ross
Painter Alex RossAlex Ross
Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross is an American comic book painter, illustrator, and plotter. He is praised for his realistic, human depictions of classic comic book characters. Since the 1990s he has done work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an...
is a reported fan of the show and has worked it into his various projects. In Kingdom Come
Kingdom Come (comic book)
Kingdom Come is a four-issue comic book mini-series published in 1996 by DC Comics. It was written by Alex Ross and Mark Waid and painted in gouache by Ross, who also developed the concept from an original idea...
the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
building resembles the Hall of Justice
Hall of Justice (comics)
The Hall of Justice is the fictional headquarters of the Super Friends, in the eponymous animated series. It has subsequently been incorporated into the DC Comics main shared universe, the DC Universe as the new headquarters of the Justice League....
, while the Gulag
Gulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
resembles the Hall of Doom. Marvin can also be spotted in a brief cameo in that book. Justice is a 12-issue miniseries, in which a new-and-improved Legion of Doom
Legion of Doom (comics)
The Legion of Doom is a group of supervillains led by Lex Luthor that appeared in Challenge of the Super Friends, an ABC animated series that starred superheroes from DC Comics.-History:...
clashes with the JLA.
Bumpers
Cartoon NetworkCartoon Network (United States)
Cartoon Network is an American cable television network owned by Turner Broadcasting which primarily airs animated programming. The channel was launched on October 1, 1992 after Turner purchased the animation studio Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1991...
produced three bumpers lampooning the Super Friends:
- One dealt with the idiosyncratic nature of the Legion of Doom and BrainiacBrainiac (comics)Brainiac is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Action Comics #242 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
’s odd manner of dress (Brainiac: "Look, I just want some pants...a decent pair of pants!" Solomon GrundySolomon Grundy (comics)Solomon Grundy is a fictional character, a zombie supervillain in the DC Comics Universe. Named after the 19th century children's nursery rhyme, Grundy was introduced as an enemy of the Golden Age Green Lantern , but has since become a prominent enemy for a number of superheroes, such as Batman and...
: "Solomon Grundy want pants, too!"). - The second dealt with the Wonder TwinsWonder TwinsThe Wonder Twins, Zan and Jayna, are fictional extraterrestrial comic book superheroes published by DC Comics. Their first comic book appearance was in Super Friends #7 , by E. Nelson Bridwell and Ramona Fradon...
’ uselessness in battle (Zan: "I could get beaten by a sponge! It doesn’t even have to be an evil sponge!") - The third, co-starring The Powerpuff GirlsThe Powerpuff GirlsThe Powerpuff Girls is an American animated television series created by animator Craig McCracken and produced by Hanna-Barbera for Cartoon Network...
, dealt with AquamanAquamanAquaman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in More Fun Comics #73 . Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles, Aquaman later starred in several volumes of a solo title...
’s useless powers (Aquaman: "My ability to talk to fish is of no use to us, Wonder WomanWonder WomanWonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
!") and the level of violence compared with recent cartoons. Wonder Woman and Aquaman look away while the Powerpuff Girls beat up the Legion of Doom, setting the Scarecrow on fire. Notable was Bubbles' double-entendre reply to Wonder Woman's compliment on how they were developing as superheroes: "One day we'll be as developed as you are". Lex Luthor (a villain with a salacious mind) began laughing; his underlings understood the joke and laughed as well. When a piece of the Hall of Doom's ceiling fell on Luthor's head, everyone laughed. When the Powerpuff Girls came crashing in, Luthor mispronounced their collective name as "The Powderpuff Girls", annoying the Powerpuff Girls and causing them to angrily correct him: "It's PowERpuff!" "No D!!"
Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
has also produced bumpers parodying the Super Friends. The first was a clip from the episode "The Time Trap", with bleeping
Bleep censor
A bleep censor is the replacement of profanity or classified information with a beep sound , in television or radio...
edited in to give the appearance of profanity. They produced similar clips using other Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
cartoons. In another bumper, they lampooned the manner in which the Super Friends described every action before completing it (e.g., "I need to reach my utility belt so that I may free myself!") In this commercial, the heroes went to a movie and struggled to find money for popcorn
Popcorn
Popcorn, or popping corn, is corn which expands from the kernel and puffs up when heated. Corn is able to pop because, like sorghum, quinoa and millet, its kernels have a hard moisture-sealed hull and a dense starchy interior. This allows pressure to build inside the kernel until an explosive...
.
Justice League Unlimited
The Legion of Doom appeared as the primary antagonists of the final season of Justice League UnlimitedJustice League Unlimited
Justice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the...
, complete with the group's trademark skull-shaped lair from Super Friends. Additionally, the Justice League's Metro Tower headquarters in Metropolis strongly resembled the Hall of Justice.
The Ultimen, loosely based on characters created for the Super Friends, were briefly allies and later antagonists to the JLU. The Ultimen consisted of Long Shadow
Apache Chief
Apache Chief is a fictional Native American superhero from the various Super Friends cartoons created by Hanna-Barbera. He was one of the new heroes added to increase the number of non-white characters in the Super Friends ranks...
, Juice
Black Vulcan
Black Vulcan is a fictional African American superhero on the animated series Super Friends created by Hanna-Barbera. He was voiced by Buster Jones.-Fictional character biography:...
, Wind Dragon
Samurai (Super Friends)
Samurai is a fictional superhero in the Super Friends cartoons created by Hanna-Barbera. His real name is Toshio Eto, and he is of Japanese descent. He was one of the later additions to the team along with other ethnically diverse heroes in an effort for the show to promote cultural diversity. His...
, Downpour and Shifter
Wonder Twins
The Wonder Twins, Zan and Jayna, are fictional extraterrestrial comic book superheroes published by DC Comics. Their first comic book appearance was in Super Friends #7 , by E. Nelson Bridwell and Ramona Fradon...
. The group appeared in the episode "Ultimatum", where it is revealed that they are clones created by Project Cadmus
Project Cadmus
Project Cadmus is a fictional genetic engineering project in the DC Comics Universe. It was created by Jack Kirby as the DNA Project in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 , and was run by the former Newsboy Legion...
.
The Batman
The animated series The BatmanThe Batman (TV series)
The Batman is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation based on the DC Comics superhero Batman. It ran from 2004 to 2008, on the Saturday morning television block Kids' WB...
featured a modified version of the JLA Watchtower which closely resembled the Hall of Justice.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
The Hall of Justice appeared in the Batman: The Brave and the BoldBatman: The Brave and the Bold
Batman: The Brave and the Bold is an American animated television series based in part on the DC Comics series The Brave and the Bold which features two or more super heroes coming together to solve a crime or foil a super villain...
episode "Sidekicks Assemble!", with a pastiche of the music played when the Hall appeared in Super Friends.
Smallville
The Wonder Twins appeared in the SmallvilleSmallville (TV series)
Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on the DC Comics character Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB Television Network , premiering on October...
episode "Idol", with Zan played by David Gallagher
David Gallagher
David Lee Gallagher is an American actor. Beginning a prolific career as a child actor and model at the age of two, Gallagher is a five-time Young Artist Award nominee and Teen Choice Award winner, best known for his role as Simon Camden on the long running television series 7th Heaven, as well as...
and Jayna played by Allison Scagliotti. Gleek did not appear physically, but a cartoonish image of him was shown on each of the twins' cellphones.
Young Justice
The Hall of Justice was featured in Young JusticeYoung Justice (TV series)
Young Justice is an American animated television series created by Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti for Cartoon Network. Despite its title, it is not an adaptation of Todd Dezago and Todd Nauck's Young Justice comic series, but rather an adaptation of the entire DC Universe with a focus on young...
as the Justice League's decoy base of operations. Additionally, Wendy and Marvin appear as classmates of Conner Kent
Superboy (Kon-El)
Superboy is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. A modern update of the original Superboy, who is a younger version of Superman, the character first appeared in Adventures of Superman #500 , and was created by writer Karl Kesel and artist Tom Grummett.Originally...
and Megan Morse
Miss Martian
Miss Martian is a superhero in the . Miss Martian was created by Geoff Johns and Tony Daniel and first appeared in Teen Titans #37 . Miss Martian is named "Megan Morse" after Marvel Comics associate editor Ben Morse's wife, Megan...
. The members of the Injustice League
Injustice League
The Injustice League is the name of two fictional teams of supervillains in the .-Original League :The original Injustice League was the brainchild of the interplanetary conqueror Agamemno. Bored of his dominion, he set out to conquer Earth and their champions, the Justice League...
operate out of a base resembling the Legion's Hall of Doom.
Super Powers Collection
The Super Powers toy line (and associated tie-in merchandise) was based on the final two seasons of Super Friends. Samurai, an original character from the show, and the Hall of Justice were both released. Plans for future waves from Super Powers would have also included El Dorado, Black Vulcan, and the Wonder Twins.Justice League Unlimited
The toy line based on Justice League Unlimited released several figures created for Super Friends, namely Apache Chief, Black Vulcan, and Samurai.DC Super Friends
Fisher-Price began to produce DC Comics characters in a kid-friendly toyline named after the Super Friends.DC Universe Classics
Paying homage to Super Powers, DC Universe Classics produced original Super Friends characters such as Apache Chief, Black Vulcan, El Dorado, Samurai, and the Wonder Twins.That '70s Show
Super Friends was spoofed in an episode of That '70s ShowThat '70s Show
That '70s Show is an American television period sitcom that centers on the lives of a group of teenage friends living in the fictional suburban town of Point Place, Wisconsin, from May 17, 1976, to December 31, 1979...
with a dream sequence where the "Super Pals" made fun of Eric's
Eric Forman
Eric Albert Forman is a fictional character and the male lead on the Fox Network's That '70s Show between seasons one through seven. Portrayed by Topher Grace, Eric is based on the adolescence of show creator Mark Brazill. Most of the show takes place at the Formans' home, particularly in the...
Superman because Donna's
Donna Pinciotti
Donna Marie Pinciotti is a fictional character and one of the two female leads in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show, appearing in all eight seasons...
Wonder Woman had given him a ring as a gift. "I got it at the mall!" she exclaims. The episode featured Eric Forman as Superman, Donna as Wonder Woman, Kelso as Batman, Fez as Aquaman and Hyde and Jackie as the Wonder Twins. Red was also featured as their nemesis "Dr. Bald", wearing Lex Luthor's green-and-purple costume.
The Fairly OddParents
In The Fairly OddParentsThe Fairly OddParents
The Fairly OddParents is an American-Canadian animated television series created by Butch Hartman about the adventures of Timmy Turner, who is granted fairy godparents named Cosmo and Wanda. The series started out as cartoon segments that ran from September 4, 1998 to March 23, 2001 on Oh Yeah!...
episode "Power Pals", Timmy wished for better super-friends. As a result, he got a team of superheroes—the Power Pals—as "friends." The four characters parodied famous characters including Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and Aquaman, and came with their own narrator. Aspects of Super Friends were parodied such as randomly pressing beeping buttons (that flash in an equally random pattern) on any computer module, invisible vehicles (somehow the Power Pals could see a dent in the invisible rocket and could be seen from the outside, since only the rocket is invisible), the perceived uselessness of Aquaman parody Wet Willy’s ability to talk to fish and powerlessness outside of water and near-instantaneous travel to distant galaxies.
MTV's The State
During a transition between two other skitSketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
s on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's The State
The State (TV series)
The State is a half-hour sketch-comedy television show, originally broadcast on MTV between December 17, 1993 and July 1, 1995. The show combined bizarre characters and scenarios to present sketches that won the favor of its target teenaged audience...
, there was a brief scene with members of the State dressed as Super Friends. The Flash ran in, informing them of an impending disaster. Superman then began assigning serious tasks to all of the members, finishing by saying "and Aquaman... go talk to some fish". The Super Friends then began laughing hysterically, while a visibly-embarrassed Aquaman just stood there.
South Park
The South ParkSouth Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
episode "Super Best Friends
Super Best Friends
"Super Best Friends" is the third episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 68th episode of the series overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on July 4, 2001. The episode depicts several religious figures, including Muhammad,...
" was a spoof of the series, depicting religious figures as a team of superheroes. The only member of the "Super Best Friends" who was not a religious figure is "Seaman", a spoof of Aquaman whose power was to talk to fish.
In "200
200 (South Park)
"200" is the fifth episode of the fourteenth season of South Park, and the 200th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 14, 2010...
" the parody was revisited. The opening sequence for the Super Best Friends took its cues from the Super Friends cartoon; each of the religious figures (except for Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
, who was portrayed as a censor bar walking down a street) and Seaman's introductions resembled the Super Friends opening: Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
was Superman, Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
was Wonder Woman, Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
was Batman and Seaman was Aquaman
Aquaman
Aquaman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in More Fun Comics #73 . Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles, Aquaman later starred in several volumes of a solo title...
. Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith was founder of what later became known as the Latter Day Saint movement or Mormons.Joseph Smith may also refer to:-Latter Day Saints:* Joseph Smith, Sr. , father of Joseph Smith...
and Lao Tzu acted as Wendy and Marvin White.
In "201
201 (South Park)
"201" is the sixth episode of the fourteenth season of South Park, and the 201st overall episode of the series. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 21, 2010. The episode continued multiple storylines from the previous episode, "200", in which a group of angry...
", Tom Cruise's house was described as the Legion of Doom headquarters (initially it is described as "The Legion of Doom Headquarters [awkward pause] which is Tom Cruise's house").
The episode "Krazy Kripples
Krazy Kripples
"Krazy Kripples" is the 98th episode of the Comedy Central series South Park. It originally aired on March 26, 2003. This episode focuses on Jimmy and Timmy.-Plot:...
" featured a Legion of Doom with Christopher Reeve
Christopher Reeve
Christopher D'Olier Reeve was an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author and activist...
as the leader. The episode "Spookyfish
Spookyfish
"Spookyfish" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the animated television series South Park, and the 28th episode of the series overall. "Spookyfish" originally aired in the United States on October 28, 1998 on Comedy Central...
" featured a Super Friends-style scene transition, with images of Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
's head superimposed over the trademark lens-flares.
Family Guy
In the Family GuyFamily Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
episode "A Hero Sits Next Door
A Hero Sits Next Door
"A Hero Sits Next Door" is the fifth episode of season one of Family Guy, originally aired on Fox on May 2, 1999. The episode features the introduction of Joe Swanson, who would become a recurring character in the series. Peter Griffin must find a replacement player for an upcoming softball game...
", there was a cutaway joke involving Peter
Peter Griffin
Peter Griffin is a fictional character and the protagonist of the animated comedy series Family Guy and the patriarch of the Griffin family. He is voiced by cartoonist Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998....
playing a game of strip poker with Wonder Woman. Super Friends-style scene transitions appear twice in the episode.
In "Fast Times at Buddy Cianci Jr. High", Peter flashed back to the time he was a Wonder Twin, taking the form of Jayna's tampon.
In "Perfect Castaway", when Lois told Peter how well the family had been doing ever since she married Brian she mentioned that Meg went on a date with the Super Friends' announcer
Ted Knight
Ted Knight was an American actor best known for playing the comedic role of Ted Baxter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Henry Rush on Too Close for Comfort, and Judge Elihu Smails in Caddyshack.- Early years :...
. Then a scene shows Meg and the announcer in a car on a hill where the announcer says, "Meanwhile, underneath Meg Griffin's bra...".
In "No Meals on Wheels
No Meals on Wheels
"No Meals on Wheels" is the fourteenth episode of the fifth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on March 25, 2007. The episode features the Griffin family opening a restaurant, and eventually become overwhelmed by Joe Swanson and his...
", Peter made a reference to the Mexican Super Friends; a non sequitur showed Mexican versions of superheroes, including "Mexican Superman" and "Mexican Batman".
In "It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One", when Lois
Lois Griffin
Lois Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is voiced by writer Alex Borstein and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Lois was created and designed by series creator Seth MacFarlane...
ran for mayor she attempted to gain the "stupid vote" by claiming Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
was working with the Legion of Doom to plot the assassination of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
. Shortly after this, the Legion of Doom's base rose from the lake and Lex Luthor asked the other Legion members how she knew their plans. Solomon Grundy admitted he "kinda dropped the ball on that one".
The opening of "Family Goy
Family Goy
"Family Goy" is the second episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 4, 2009. The episode features Irish Catholic Peter after his wife, Lois, discovers that her mother is Jewish, and begins her struggle to adapt...
" parodied the opening sequence of Super Friends with Peter as Superman, Brian and Stewie as Batman and Robin respectively, Lois as Wonder Woman, Chris as Aquaman and Meg as....Meg.
In Something, Something, Something Dark Side, shortly after Chris/Luke and Cleveland/R2-D2 landed on Dagobah, the Legion of Doom fortress rose from the swamp with the same narration and music. Chris/Luke yelled, "Not now!" and the fortress quickly sank.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force
The Aqua Teen Hunger ForceAqua Teen Hunger Force
Aqua Teen Hunger Force , retitled Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1 in 2011, is an American animated television series on Cartoon Network late night programing block, Adult Swim, as well as Teletoon's Teletoon at Night block and later G4 Canada's ADd block in Canada...
episode "MC Pee Pants" used animation backgrounds taken from the Challenge of the Super Friends episode "Monolith of Evil" for the location of Hell. It was reused in MC Pee Pants' other appearances ("Super Sirloin", "The Last One", "Little Brittle").
Dexter's Laboratory
One of the backup segments in Dexter's LaboratoryDexter's Laboratory
Dexter's Laboratory is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky and produced by Cartoon Network Studios . The show is about a boy named Dexter who has an enormous secret laboratory filled with an endless collection of his inventions...
was called Justice Friends. The title was derived from the Justice League and Super Friends, and the series made references to the superficial plot lines of the Super Friends shows. However, the characters were parodies of Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
' Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
team (the Marvel equivalent of the Justice League/Super Friends).
Heavy.com
An ongoing animated series, featuring controversial celebrities Paris HiltonParis Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
, Nicole Richie
Nicole Richie
Nicole Camille Richie is an American fashion designer, author, actress, singer and television personality. Her father was Peter Michael Escovedo, a musician who played for a brief time with Lionel Richie, and her mother Karen was the executive assistant for Sheila Escovedo...
, Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...
, and the Olsen Twins in the roles of tasteless superheroes, was created in 2006 by Heavy.com
Heavy.com
Heavy.com is a broadband entertainment website founded in 1999 in New York City. The site was founded by David Carson and Simon Assaad in the wake of the popularity of their first series of video shorts, Behind the Music that Sucks...
. Both the setting and some of the girls’ superpowers were plays on elements from Super Friends.