Wonder Twins
Encyclopedia
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 (October 1977), by E. Nelson Bridwell
and Ramona Fradon
. A modernized version of the twins debuted in Extreme Justice
#9 (October 1995), by Ivan Velez and Al Rio.
and went on to appear in The World's Greatest Super Friends
, Super Friends, and Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show
. Zan (voiced by Michael Bell) and Jayna (voiced by Liberty Williams) are siblings from the planet Exxor (also spelled Exor) who were being informally trained by the superheroes. Unlike their predecessors, Wendy Harris and Marvin White, this pair was able to participate in combat with abilities of their own.
The characters were later introduced in the Super Friends comic.
In the 1990s they were introduced into the main DC Universe
in the series Extreme Justice
. The series rewrote and updated their origin story
.
, they inadvertently attack some civilians and the Justice League. During their fight with the JLA, Zan becomes an ice golem
, a water monster, and a demonic-looking whirlpool
, while Jayna becomes a griffin
, a werewolf
, and a sea serpent. The pair are later emancipated by the Justice League and join Captain Atom
's team in issue #16 (May 1996).
They later help avenge the murder of Empress
's parents, wearing uniforms which resembled t-shirts and jeans. The Wonder Twins apparently enjoy the taste of CDs, as they ate several of Wonder Girl's favorite discs.
The Wonder Twins powers are activated when they touch each other and speak the phrase, "Wonder Twin powers activate!" This phrase is unnecessary and just a habit of theirs. Physical contact, however, is required. If the two are out of reach of each other, they are unable to activate their powers. As they are about to transform, they would each announce their intended form. "Shape of...", "Form of..."
Zan can transform into water at any state (solid, liquid, gas) and add to his mass by incorporating water in his immediate area. In the case of becoming solid ice, he can also become any form he chooses, from a 500 foot humanoid ice giant to a cage for a criminal to complex machinery (such as a rocket engine). He changes into a gelatinous form at one point. On another occasion, he transformed into liquid nitrogen
. In addition, he can transform himself into atmospheric disturbances involving water, such as a blizzard, a monsoon, or a typhoon.
Jayna can transform into any animal, whether real, mythological, indigenous to Earth or to some other planet, like Beast Boy
, so long as she knows the common name. She has been known to take the form of anything from an ant to a whale.
In the Super Friends comic book, their powers were shown to be more extensive. By transforming into an animal of Kryptonian
origin, for instance, Jayna could gain both the creature's natural abilities and the super-powers
that all Kryptonians possess under Earth-like conditions; she was even capable of overpowering Superman
in the form of a Kryptonian animal. Similarly, Zan was able to transform into anything tangentially related to water or ice, including a frost giant.
In addition to their powers of transformation, the two share a telepathic link, enabling one to alert the other over a distance when in dire circumstances.
The Wonder Twins have a pet Space Monkey called Gleek
who had a useful prehensile tail and who could act as a conduit for the twins to activate their powers should they be out of reach. Gleek also served as a courier when the twins needed to travel: Jayna would typically transform into a large eagle
, and Zan would transform into water
, "jumping" into a bucket which Gleek would be holding while riding atop Jayna in her eagle form. (This led to the joke by some fans that Gleek's superpower was to make a bucket appear and disappear at will. See hammerspace.)
According to the Super Friends comic book, Zan and Jayna are Exorian metas, genetic throwbacks to an ancient race of Exorian shapeshifters. Their parents died when they were still babies during a plague, and, because of their origin, no Exorians want to adopt them. They are adopted by the owner of a Space Circus
who only wanted to use them as sideshow
freaks. Fortunately, the circus's clown (or "laugh-maker") was a kind man and raised them. He also gives them Gleek as a pet. Eventually, as teens, the pair escape the circus and hide on a planet where a space villain called Grax (an enemy of Superman
) had established his headquarters. Spying on him, they learn that Grax was planning to destroy the Earth using hidden superbombs. The twins decide to travel to Earth and warn the Justice League
, which how they come to replace Wendy and Marvin (who were planning on retiring as heroes anyway) as their sidekicks. The heroes arrange for the kids to live with an old scientist named Professor Carter Nichols
and they even take secret identities as John and Joanna Fleming. "Johan" and "Johanna" were supposedly transfer students from Esko, Sweden
, disguised with blonde hair (Zan wore a wig, while Jayna uses her powers to transform into a human to change her hair color and ear shape), to allow them to attend Gotham City
High School.
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...
superheroes 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...
. Their first comic book appearance was in Super Friends
Super Friends
Super Friends is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes, which ran from 1973 to 1986 on ABC as part of its Saturday morning cartoon lineup...
#7 (October 1977), by 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...
and Ramona Fradon
Ramona Fradon
Ramona Fradon is an American comic book and comic strip artist, known for her work illustrating Aquaman and Brenda Starr, and co-creating the superhero Metamorpho. Her career began in 1950, when it was even more unusual for women to illustrate superhero comics.-Career:Fradon entered cartooning...
. A modernized version of the twins debuted in 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:...
#9 (October 1995), by Ivan Velez and Al Rio.
Publication history
The duo made their debut in The All-New Super Friends HourThe All-New Super Friends Hour
The 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...
and went on to appear in The World's Greatest Super Friends
The 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...
, Super Friends, and 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...
. Zan (voiced by Michael Bell) and Jayna (voiced by Liberty Williams) are siblings from the planet Exxor (also spelled Exor) who were being informally trained by the superheroes. Unlike their predecessors, Wendy Harris and Marvin White, this pair was able to participate in combat with abilities of their own.
The characters were later introduced in the Super Friends comic.
In the 1990s they were introduced into the main 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...
in the series 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:...
. The series rewrote and updated their origin story
Origin story
In comic book terminology, an origin story is an account or back-story revealing how a character or team gained their superpowers and/or the circumstances under which they became superheroes or supervillains....
.
Extreme Justice
The twins are introduced as escaped slaves of an alien overlord. Unable to speak EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, they inadvertently attack some civilians and the Justice League. During their fight with the JLA, Zan becomes an ice golem
Golem
In Jewish folklore, a golem is an animated anthropomorphic being, created entirely from inanimate matter. The word was used to mean an amorphous, unformed material in Psalms and medieval writing....
, a water monster, and a demonic-looking whirlpool
Whirlpool
A whirlpool is a swirling body of water usually produced by ocean tides. The vast majority of whirlpools are not very powerful. More powerful ones are more properly termed maelstroms. Vortex is the proper term for any whirlpool that has a downdraft...
, while Jayna becomes a griffin
Griffin
The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle...
, a werewolf
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
, and a sea serpent. The pair are later emancipated by the Justice League and join Captain Atom
Captain Atom
Captain Atom is a fictional comic book superhero that has existed in three basic incarnations. Created by writer Joe Gill and artist/co-writer Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Space Adventures #33 . Captain Atom was created for Charlton Comics but was later acquired by DC Comics and revised for...
's team in issue #16 (May 1996).
Ten Elements of the Universe
Zan and Jayna are revealed to be two of the ten hereditary protectors of Exor. The "Ten Elements of the Universe" is the name given to a group of five pairs of royal twins on Exor, each pair possesses elemental powers including fire, love, vapors, plants, sound, metal, and shadows.They later help avenge the murder of Empress
Empress (comics)
Empress is a fictional character, a superheroine in the DC Comics universe. She first appeared in Young Justice #16 .-Fictional character biography:...
's parents, wearing uniforms which resembled t-shirts and jeans. The Wonder Twins apparently enjoy the taste of CDs, as they ate several of Wonder Girl's favorite discs.
Powers and abilities
Zan can transform into water at any state (solid, liquid, gas) and add to his mass by incorporating water in his immediate area. In the case of becoming solid ice, he can also become any form he chooses, from a 500 foot humanoid ice giant to a cage for a criminal to complex machinery (such as a rocket engine). He changes into a gelatinous form at one point. On another occasion, he transformed into liquid nitrogen
Liquid nitrogen
Liquid nitrogen is nitrogen in a liquid state at a very low temperature. It is produced industrially by fractional distillation of liquid air. Liquid nitrogen is a colourless clear liquid with density of 0.807 g/mL at its boiling point and a dielectric constant of 1.4...
. In addition, he can transform himself into atmospheric disturbances involving water, such as a blizzard, a monsoon, or a typhoon.
Jayna can transform into any animal, whether real, mythological, indigenous to Earth or to some other planet, like Beast Boy
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...
, so long as she knows the common name. She has been known to take the form of anything from an ant to a whale.
In the Super Friends comic book, their powers were shown to be more extensive. By transforming into an animal of Kryptonian
Krypton (comics)
Krypton is a fictional planet in the DC Comics universe, and the native world of the super-heroes Superman and, in some tellings, Supergirl and Krypto the Superdog. Krypton has been portrayed consistently as having been destroyed just after Superman's flight from the planet, with exact details of...
origin, for instance, Jayna could gain both the creature's natural abilities and the super-powers
Powers and abilities of Superman
The powers of DC Comics character Superman have changed a great deal since his introduction in the 1930s. The extent of his powers peaked during the 1970s and 1980s to the point where various writers found it difficult to create suitable challenges for the character...
that all Kryptonians possess under Earth-like conditions; she was even capable of overpowering Superman
Superman
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...
in the form of a Kryptonian animal. Similarly, Zan was able to transform into anything tangentially related to water or ice, including a frost giant.
In addition to their powers of transformation, the two share a telepathic link, enabling one to alert the other over a distance when in dire circumstances.
The Wonder Twins have a pet Space Monkey called Gleek
Gleek (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....
who had a useful prehensile tail and who could act as a conduit for the twins to activate their powers should they be out of reach. Gleek also served as a courier when the twins needed to travel: Jayna would typically transform into a large eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
, and Zan would transform into water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
, "jumping" into a bucket which Gleek would be holding while riding atop Jayna in her eagle form. (This led to the joke by some fans that Gleek's superpower was to make a bucket appear and disappear at will. See hammerspace.)
Super Friends
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
who only wanted to use them as sideshow
Sideshow
In America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival, fair or other such attraction.- Types of attractions :There are four main types of classic sideshow attractions:...
freaks. Fortunately, the circus's clown (or "laugh-maker") was a kind man and raised them. He also gives them Gleek as a pet. Eventually, as teens, the pair escape the circus and hide on a planet where a space villain called Grax (an enemy of Superman
Superman
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...
) had established his headquarters. Spying on him, they learn that Grax was planning to destroy the Earth using hidden superbombs. The twins decide to travel to Earth and warn the 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....
, which how they come to replace Wendy and Marvin (who were planning on retiring as heroes anyway) as their sidekicks. The heroes arrange for the kids to live with an old scientist named Professor Carter Nichols
Professor Carter Nichols
Professor Carter Nichols is a fictional character, a comic book scientist published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Batman #24 , and was created by Joe Samachson and Dick Sprang.-Fictional character biography:...
and they even take secret identities as John and Joanna Fleming. "Johan" and "Johanna" were supposedly transfer students from Esko, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, disguised with blonde hair (Zan wore a wig, while Jayna uses her powers to transform into a human to change her hair color and ear shape), to allow them to attend Gotham City
Gotham City
Gotham City is a fictional U.S. city appearing in DC Comics, best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 . Gotham City is strongly inspired by Trenton, Ontario's history, location, atmosphere, and various architectural styles...
High School.
Justice League Unlimited
- In the Justice League Unlimited episode "Injustice For All", statues of the Twins are briefly seen in a museum devoted to super-powered heroes. Later in the same scene, the two statues are destroyed during the battle between the heroes and villains.
- Two characters called Downpour and Shifter appear in the episode "Ultimatum". They are members of the Ultimen, a group of superheroes created by the government. The group is a pastichePasticheA pastiche is a literary or other artistic genre or technique that is a "hodge-podge" or imitation. The word is also a linguistic term used to describe an early stage in the development of a pidgin language.-Hodge-podge:...
of the heroes that were created for Super Friends, with Downpour and Shifter specifically a pastiche of the Wonder Twins. Downpour and his twin sister, Shifter, voiced by Grey DeLisleGrey DeLisleGrey DeLisle is an American voice actress, singer-songwriter, and comedienne. To date, she has released four solo albums and has featured on the tribute album Anchored in Love: A Tribute to June Carter Cash and film soundtrack of Loggerheads...
, have albino white skin, pink eyes and pointy ears. Clones of the characters later appear in the episode Panic in the Sky.
Smallville
- Zan and Jayna appeared in the Smallville season nine episode, Idol, which aired on November 13, 2009. Zan was played by David GallagherDavid GallagherDavid 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 by Allison Scagliotti. They both carry cell phones that have an image of Gleek on the back and that make the sound of Gleek laughing as a ringtone. Though not explicitly labeled as aliens, the two are implied to be from another world and claim to be of Swedish descent in order to explain their odd sounding names. The Twins are portrayed as being obsessed with "The Blur" (the name given to Clark Kent before he officially adopts the SupermanSupermanSuperman 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...
identity), and attempt to impersonate him in order to build up his positive reputation. They send a crate to young reporter 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 ....
containing several bound and gagged drug dealers who turn out to be undercover cops that Zan and Jayna abducted by mistake, thus ruining a calculated police drug sting. When an attempt at stopping a robbery accidentally causes a citywide blackout in MetropolisMetropolis (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 Twins are ambushed and abducted by Clark and his partner Chloe SullivanChloe SullivanChloe Sullivan is a fictional character from the television series Smallville. Series regular Allison Mack has portrayed the character since the pilot episode; two other actresses performed the role of Chloe Sullivan as a child. The character was created exclusively for Smallville, by series...
. After being threatened into giving up their vigilante activities, Zan and Jayna prove their worth when Lois is thrown from the rooftop of the Daily PlanetDaily PlanetThe Daily Planet is a fictional broadsheet newspaper in the , appearing mostly in the stories of Superman. The building's original features were based upon the AT&T Huron Road Building in Cleveland, Ohio...
building by a crooked politician who wants to expose "The Blur's" true identity. Jayna transforms into an attack dog and captures the politician as he attempts to flee the scene, while Zan transforms his body into a massive cloud of mist, providing the cover Clark needs to lower her safely to the ground unobserved. After this, the Twins are encouraged by Clark to continue their super heroics outside of Metropolis, albeit on their own reputations rather than attempting to emulate him.
In popular culture
- In a cutaway gag in an episode of Family GuyFamily GuyFamily 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...
, Peter shows himself as Zan and transforms into Jayna's tampon, going into her purse and saying that it was time for the waiting game. - In a segment of Robot ChickenRobot ChickenRobot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
the roles of Zan and Jayna were taken by the Olsen Twins. The two young women had to defeat a monstrous dragon creature. Gleek was killed in the process by a banana peel that the monster slipped on. - In Season Three, episode 13 of ScrubsScrubs (TV series)Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
titled "My Porcelain God", JD has a daydream about his and Turk's "best moment", which was when JD found a double prize in his cereal. The prizes were two decoder rings, which he and Turk used to pretend be the Wonder Twins. After they both show the rings and say "activate" while touching the rings together, JD announces that he is going to take the form of an ice menorah. - In an episode of GirlfriendsGirlfriendsGirlfriends is an American comedy-drama sitcom that premiered on September 11, 2000, on UPN and aired on UPN's successor network, The CW, before being cancelled in 2008...
, Joan and William get excited about planning an event and pretend to do the Wonder Twins transformation sequence complete with calling their forms. - In the 6/12/2002 strip of the popular web comic, Penny ArcadePenny ArcadePenny Arcade may refer to:* Penny arcade, a venue for coin-operated devices* Penny Arcade ** Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, a series of video games based on the webcomic...
, Gabe and Tycho discuss whether Wonder Twins was about incest. - In the first episode of Season 8 of NCIS, Tony DiNozzo described the Wonder Twins as TV superheroes when they touch their rings, they activate “form of a waterfall, shape of a dinosaur! That kind of thing".