The following is an overview of the
members of the
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
superhero team known as the
Super Friends (Super Powers Team in the
final season), an
adaptation
In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...
of the
Justice League of America
The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...
.
Core Super Friends members
This is the list of Super Friends members that were on the show since its premiere in 1973.
Aquaman
Aquaman was a major character in the original season of the animated television series ''Super Friends'' (1973). ''
Super Friends'' is often credited with having exposed Aquaman to a much wider audience outside of the comic book community. In this series, Aquaman was shown to display superstrength—hefting a bulldozer blade over his head, for example, and using it to help stop a tidal wave. He also had encyclopedic knowledge of oceanography and oceanology, in addition to his more familiar water-breathing power and aquatic telepathy.
However, the various successor series (''
Challenge of the Super Friends'', ''
The World's Greatest Super Friends
''The World's Greatest SuperFriends'' is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from September 22, 1979, to September 27, 1980, on ABC. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and is based on the Justice ...
'', ''
Super Friends'', ''
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians'') have been blamed for making Aquaman unpopular and even laughable by toning down his role and often incorrectly using him alongside other heroes. They are accused of having portrayed him in an unflattering light, as they focused almost exclusively on his water-breathing and telepathic powers, thus reinforcing a weak image of the character.
During his ''Super Friends'' tenure, he was often paired with
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
, leading some fans to speculate on a possible romance between the Atlantean King and the Amazon Princess. When
Grant Morrison took the ''
JLA JLA may refer to:
* '' JLA'', a comic book series 1997–2006
* The Justice League of America, a fictional DC Comics superhero team
* JLA (company), a laundry equipment provider
* Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army (abbreviat ...
'' title, it was specified that both characters share a special friendship bond.
In the first two seasons of ''Super Friends'', he was voiced by
Norman Alden, and for the rest of the series he was voiced by
Bill Callaway.
Batman
Olan Soule serves as the voice of
Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
in all but the last two ''Super Friends'' series, where he is replaced by
Adam West (who had portrayed the character in the famous
1960s live-action series):
*1973 - 1974: ''
Super Friends''
*1977 - 1978: ''
The 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. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and is based on the Justice Leag ...
''
*1978 - 1979: ''
Challenge of the Super Friends''
*1979 - 1980: ''
The World's Greatest Super Friends
''The World's Greatest SuperFriends'' is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from September 22, 1979, to September 27, 1980, on ABC. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and is based on the Justice ...
''
*1980 - 1983: ''
Super Friends''
*1984 - 1985: ''
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show''
*1985 - 1986: ''
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians''
In the ''
Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians'' episode "The Fear," a flashback depicts
Thomas
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the Ap ...
and
Martha Wayne being mugged by someone who might be
Joe Chill. This flashback is induced by The
Scarecrow
A scarecrow is a decoy or mannequin, often in the shape of a human. Humanoid scarecrows are usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.Lesley B ...
. When his father tries to fight him, a young Bruce says "No Dad, he's got a..." and
lightning
Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electric charge, electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the land, ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous ...
is shown in the sky as his parents are shot. This episode represents the first time that Batman's origin is portrayed on television.
Batmobile
The
Batmobile as seen in the early episodes of ''
Super Friends'' was based on the Lincoln Futura design as seen on the live-action TV series starring Adam West. The main difference with the ''Super Friends'' version was that the lines of the car were modified substantially for use in animation. The most obvious change was to the nose of the car, where the hood received a "V" depression that echoed the lower fascia. This was also the first Batmobile (of any medium) to feature yellow bat emblems on the doors. This particular feature would be quickly adapted by the comics.
Beginning with the ''
Challenge of the Super Friends'' in
1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
, the Batmobile got revamped. This new version was developed to have a more aerodynamic hard-edged style. In addition, this Batmobile was smaller than its predecessor. It contained a sloped nose and flying buttress B-pillars. Features that were carried over from the original ''Super Friends'' Batmobile were the Bat-mask, low horizontal fins, twin bubble windshields, and blue coloring scheme.
In
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
, ''Super Friends'' revamped its format (first as ''
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show'' and then as ''
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians'') to serve as a tie-in to
Kenner's ''
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
In 1984, DC Comics awarded the master toy license of their characters to Kenner ...
''.
Batsuit
In the various superhero animated series produced by
Filmation
Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live-action programming for television from 1963 until 1989. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1962. Filmation's founders and pr ...
and
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...
, including ''
The Batman/Superman Hour'' (1968–1969), ''
Super Friends'' (1973–1986) and ''
The New Adventures of Batman'' (1977), Batman's
costume
Costume is the distinctive style of dress or cosmetic of an individual or group that reflects class, gender, profession, ethnicity, nationality, activity or epoch. In short costume is a cultural visual of the people.
The term also was tradition ...
consistently resembles the blue and gray Batsuit of the Silver Age comics.
=Utility belt
=
In proper practice, the "bat" prefix (as in batmobile or batarang) is rarely used by Batman himself when referring to his equipment, particularly after some portrayals (primarily the 1960s
''Batman'' live-action television show and the ''
Super Friends'' animated series) stretched the practice to
campy
Camp is an aesthetic style and sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its bad taste and ironic value. Camp aesthetics disrupt many of modernism's notions of what art is and what can be classified as high art by inverting aes ...
proportions. The 1960s television series Batman has an arsenal that includes such "bat-" names as the bat-computer, bat-scanner, bat-radar, bat-cuffs, bat-pontoons, bat-drinking water dispenser, bat-camera with polarized bat-filter, bat-
shark repellent bat-spray, and bat-rope. The storyline "A Death in the Family" suggests that given Batman's grim nature, he is unlikely to have adopted the "bat" prefix on his own.
Robin
Robin
Robin may refer to:
Animals
* Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae
* Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including:
**European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'')
**Bush-robin
**Forest rob ...
appeared alongside Batman in various ''
Super Friends'' shows produced by
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...
from 1975 through 1985. These included:
*''
Super Friends''
*''
The 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. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and is based on the Justice Leag ...
''
*''
Challenge of the Super Friends''
*''
The World's Greatest Super Friends
''The World's Greatest SuperFriends'' is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from September 22, 1979, to September 27, 1980, on ABC. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and is based on the Justice ...
''
*''
Super Friends (1980 TV series)
''Super Friends'' is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 1980 to 1983 on ABC. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and is based on the Justice League and associated comic book characters publ ...
''
*''
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show''
*''
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians''
Robin (
Dick Grayson) was voiced by
Casey Kasem. This version wore the standard Robin costume, much like the film serial versions of the 1940s.
Superman
The various ''
Super Friends'' series produced by
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...
featured
Danny Dark as
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
.
*1973: ''
Super Friends''
*1977: ''
The 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. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and is based on the Justice Leag ...
''
*1978: ''
Challenge Of The Super Friends''
*1979: ''
The World's Greatest Super Friends
''The World's Greatest SuperFriends'' is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from September 22, 1979, to September 27, 1980, on ABC. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and is based on the Justice ...
''
*1980 - 1983: ''
Super Friends''
*1984: ''
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show''
*1985: ''
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians''
Kryptonite
The 1970s and 1980s ''
Super Friends'' animated series featured
kryptonite
Kryptonite is a fictional material that appears primarily in Superman stories published by DC Comics. In its best-known form, it is a green, crystalline material originating from Superman's home world of Krypton that emits a unique, poisonous r ...
in various episodes. In the episode "Rest in Peace",
Sinestro
Thaal Sinestro () (or simply Sinestro) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, particularly those featuring Green Lantern. Sinestro is a former Green Lantern Corps member who was dishonorably discharged for abu ...
refers to a form of kryptonite called "Krypton Steel" as "a harmless form of kryptonite that only Superman can penetrate". In another episode, "Darkseid's GoldenTrap", gold kryptonite appears, which is stated to have an effective range of 20 ft (6.1 m). Blue kryptonite also makes an appearance in an episode entitled "Terror From the Phantom Zone"; Superman, aging rapidly from exposure to red kryptonite, acquires a sample of blue kryptonite which had been discovered floating in space. Since blue kryptonite harms Bizarros, Superman reasons that it would help normal Kryptonians, and thus uses it to cure himself. In "Uncle Mxyzptlk", the Wonder Twins find a red, glowing stone and take it to the Hall of Justice. They show it to Superman, who immediately reacts to it. Samurai knocks the red kryptonite to the floor but the effects of the red kryptonite cause Superman to decrease in age, becoming a bratty young child. The rest of the Super Friends refer to the kid as 'Super Brat'. In another episode, red kryptonite is exposed to Superman by Bizarro himself, causing Superman to transform into a gangly, weak klutz. In yet another episode, red kryptonite causes Superman to grow additional arms and legs. Most of the action takes place at the ''
Fortress of Solitude'' where Superman finds some blue kryptonite hidden away to fight off Bizarro. There were also some cases where just about every criminal or alien conveniently had a piece of kryptonite to weaken Superman, aliens who had never heard of Superman or Giant Space Children who had jacks made of kryptonite. In the episode, Rokan: Enemy From Space, Superman was able to feel radiation by a gigantic chunk on the other side of the world.
Superboy
Superboy makes two appearances in the show's run. The first one is when the Hall of Justice computer runs a tape showing Lex Luthor's origin. He was voiced by
Danny Dark. The other is in a short episode where
Phantom Zone
The Phantom Zone is a prison-like parallel dimension appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is mainly associated with stories featuring Superman. It first appeared in '' Adventure Comics'' #283 (April 1961), and was created ...
criminals go back in time to fight Superboy. He is saved by the arrival of Superman and
Green Lantern. He was voiced by
Jerry Dexter.
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
appeared in every incarnation of the ''
Super Friends'' Saturday morning
animated series. She was originally voiced by
Shannon Farnon
Shannon Farnon (born November 28, 1941) is a Canadian actress. She is best known as being the first actress to voice Wonder Woman in a Hanna-Barbera production, having voiced her in ''Super Friends'' from 1973 to 1983.
Early life
Born into a sho ...
and later by Connie Caulfield in ''
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show'', followed by
B.J. Ward in ''
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians''.
Invisible plane
The
Invisible Plane is a regular feature on the ''
Super Friends'' cartoon show; Wonder Woman gives a ride to
Aquaman and the
Wonder Twins on a regular basis. In ''
Challenge of the Super Friends'', the Invisible Plane is shown using golden lasso projectiles. Being that ''Super Friends'' is a staple of nostalgia humor, a frequent joke alludes to the question of how Wonder Woman can locate or operate her plane since it's invisible.
Magic Lasso
In the ''
Super Friends'' animated series, the
magic lasso possessed the ability to follow the telepathic commands of Wonder Woman, physically moving to accomplish tasks. In ''Super Friends'', Wonder Woman constantly used the lasso to accomplish tasks using her strength and speed. In addition, its truth compelling power was used in ''
Super Friends'' episode Power Pirate, but was not required as the alien decided to tell the truth without it. The truth power was used in ''
The World's Greatest Super Friends
''The World's Greatest SuperFriends'' is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from September 22, 1979, to September 27, 1980, on ABC. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and is based on the Justice ...
'' episode "Space Knights of Camelon" and in the ''
Challenge of the Super Friends'' episode "Sinbad and the Space Pirates" where Superman was snared by the lasso, but he managed to tie the mind controlled Wonder Woman with the other end before she could command him to become immobile. In that situation, Superman forces her to confess if he is her enemy or friend and the truth of her friendship with him forced from Wonder Woman broke the pirates' power over her. The magic lasso had the ability to break through mind control situations as seen in ''
Super Friends, The Legendary Super Powers Show''.
"Wonder spin"
The spin was featured infrequently on ''
Super Friends'', whenever
Diana Prince
Diana Prince is a fictional character appearing regularly in stories published by DC Comics, as the secret identity of the Amazonian superhero Wonder Woman, who bought the credentials and identity from a United States Army nurse named Diana Pri ...
needed to leave her civilian job and attend to the various crises which she and JLA teammates faced throughout the show.
In one episode of ''Challenge of the Super Friends'', a reverse of the spin was shown, although ironically not by Diana Prince.
Cheetah, who did not make any appearances in the
live action television series of Wonder Woman, and
Lex Luthor use a time machine to conspire to alter history and prevent the rise of some of the Super Friends. Cheetah travels back to the tournament of the Amazons; the winner of which will become Wonder Woman. She uses a ray to stun Diana, allowing her to win the tournament and have Queen Hippolyta transform her into Wonder Woman, wearing the same style leotard except she had blonde hair instead of Diana's dark hair. When Luthor and the other villains commend Cheetah for the successful
identity theft
Identity theft occurs when someone uses another person's personal identifying information, like their name, identifying number, or credit card number, without their permission, to commit fraud or other crimes. The term ''identity theft'' was co ...
of Wonder Woman, she remarks "There will never be a Wonder Woman", and spins around in a tornado, transforming her outfit once again into her usual Cheetah costume.
Secondary Super Friends members
Eventually, the rest of the show's version of the Justice League became part of the regular cast. ''Two Gleeks are Deadlier Than One'' indicate that the Hall of Justice is the headquarters of the Justice League of America and that its full roster (at least in that episode) includes Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, the Atom, the Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Apache Chief, Samurai, El Dorado and Black Vulcan and apparently doesn't include Super Friends' Wonder Twins.
Cyborg
Cyborg appeared in ''
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians'' (the final incarnation of ''
Super Friends'') from 1985 to 1986. He was voiced by
Ernie Hudson. Cyborg's origin was told via a medical journal read by Dr. Martin Stein saying Cyborg was a promising decathlon athlete until an accident destroyed most of his body and his father replaced part of his body with machine parts. Also, he is not a
Titan
Titan most often refers to:
* Titan (moon), the largest moon of Saturn
* Titans, a race of deities in Greek mythology
Titan or Titans may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Fictional entities
Fictional locations
* Titan in fiction, fictiona ...
. He becomes fast friends with teammate
Firestorm. He is an affiliate of the
Justice League of America
The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...
under
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
. In the introductory episode to Cyborg, "The Seeds of Doom", Cyborg's abilities save Earth from Darkseid's seeds, but as Superman warns, make Darkseid a dangerous enemy to Cyborg, so Cyborg joins the League.
Firestorm
Firestorm appeared in
ABC's ''
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show'' and ''
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians'' (the last two ''Super Friends'' series). Mark L. Taylor provided Ronnie Raymond's voice while
Olan Soule provided Martin Stein's voice. The crew responsible for the first series depicted the flames on Firestorm's head as a static, fire-shaped ornament. The second series' authors made another change, transforming the hair into a waved haircut.
Flash
Flash
Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Fictional aliases
* Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed:
** Flash (Barry Allen)
** Flash (Jay Garrick)
** Wally West, the first Kid ...
(
Barry Allen) appeared off and on in the ''
Super Friends'' series throughout its run from 1973 to 1985. He initially appeared in ''
Super Friends'' to help fellow Justice Leaguer, Superman. JLA members Flash,
Green Lantern, and
Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
eventually joined forces with Superman and the rest of the
Super Friends in ''
Challenge of the Super Friends'', ''
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show'', ''
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians'' he was an important member of the superteam.
In the ''Challenge of the Super Friends'' series which ran from 1978–1979, he appears in every episode and has spoken lines in only twelve out of the sixteen episodes of the series. He also had two arch enemies from the Legion of Doom,
Captain Cold and
Gorilla Grodd
Gorilla Grodd is a supervillain character appearing in American comic books and other media published by DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of The Flash. The character was created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, and first appeared in ''Th ...
. Flash was portrayed by
Jack Angel.
Green Lantern
Hal Jordan's Green Lantern was an occasional supporting character in the various ''
Super Friends'' incarnations: ''
Challenge of the Super Friends'', ''
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show'', and ''
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians''.
Michael Rye
Michael Rye (born John Michael Riorden Billsbury; March 2, 1918 – September 20, 2012) was an American actor. His decades-long career spanned radio, television, animated cartoons and video games. Aside from his voice over work, Rye also acted in ...
provided the voice of the Green Lantern for these appearances.
Green Lantern was initially featured as a 'guest hero' in ''
The 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. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and is based on the Justice Leag ...
''. Unfortunately, his powers were consistently misrepresented, such creating vehicles for transportation with his ring such as a "Lantern Jet," ignoring the fact that the power ring traditionally allows him to simply will himself to fly. Also, whenever Green Lantern would use his ring to create something, such as a life raft or a double-bladed transport helicopter, the final product would often be shown with its appropriate colors, instead of the same green shade as the power beam.
Hal Jordan and his nemesis
Sinestro
Thaal Sinestro () (or simply Sinestro) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, particularly those featuring Green Lantern. Sinestro is a former Green Lantern Corps member who was dishonorably discharged for abu ...
were also regulars in ''
Challenge of the Super Friends'' (as previously mentioned) which aired 1978–1979. One notable episode featured a re-telling of Hal's origin in which the dying
Abin Sur passes on his
ring
Ring may refer to:
* Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry
* To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell
:(hence) to initiate a telephone connection
Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...
.
Hawkgirl
Hawkgirl (
Shayera Hol) appeared in a few episodes of the ''
Super Friends'' paired alongside her husband Hawkman.
Hawkman
Hawkman
Hawkman is the name of several superheroes appearing in American 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 ...
(
Katar Hol
Hawkman (Katar Hol) is a DC Comics superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her po ...
) has appeared as a Super Friend in ''
The 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. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and is based on the Justice Leag ...
'', ''
Challenge of the Super Friends'', ''
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show'', and ''
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians''. His voice was provided by
Jack Angel. Hawkman appears in almost every episode of ''Challenge of the Super Friends'', but has spoken lines in only thirteen out of the sixteen episodes of this series.
International Super Friends members
Apache Chief
Apache Chief
Apache Chief is a Native American superhero from the various Hanna-Barbera ''Super Friends'' cartoons and the DC comic book series of the same name. He was one of the new heroes added (along with Black Vulcan, Rima the Jungle Girl, El Dorado and ...
is a
Native American superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
from the various ''
Super Friends'' cartoons created by
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...
. He was one of the new heroes added (along with
Black Vulcan
Black Vulcan is an African-American superhero on the animated series ''Super Friends'' created by Hanna-Barbera, voiced by Buster Jones.
Fictional character biography
Black Vulcan debuted on the Super Friends show (''The All-New Super Friends Ho ...
,
Rima the Jungle Girl,
El Dorado
El Dorado (, ; Spanish for "the golden"), originally ''El Hombre Dorado'' ("The Golden Man") or ''El Rey Dorado'' ("The Golden King"), was the term used by the Spanish in the 16th century to describe a mythical tribal chief (''zipa'') or king o ...
and
Samurai
were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...
) to increase the number of non-
white
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
characters in the Super Friends ranks. He was voiced by
Michael Rye
Michael Rye (born John Michael Riorden Billsbury; March 2, 1918 – September 20, 2012) was an American actor. His decades-long career spanned radio, television, animated cartoons and video games. Aside from his voice over work, Rye also acted in ...
.
In the ''
Challenge of the Super Friends'' Series, Apache Chief was seen in every episode except one, but had spoken lines in nine out of the sixteen episodes of the series. His arch enemy from the
Legion of Doom was
Giganta
Giganta is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics publications and related media, commonly as a recurring adversary of the superhero Wonder Woman, and an occasional foil of the superhero the Atom. She debuted as a brutish strongwoman in 194 ...
, who also happens to be an original arch enemy of
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
.
By speaking the word "Inyuk-chuk" ("Big Man"), Apache Chief could grow to vast sizes. Allthough it may seem he has limitless height he still has human qualities, but in an episode titled "Colossus", Apache Chief "Inyuk-chuks" himself to cosmic proportions to battle the Colossus, a titanic space creature that plucked Earth from its orbit and placed it in a small (relative to him) glass bottle. He also spoke in
stereotypical
In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example ...
"Native American English" and recited vaguely Native American
philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
.
Black Vulcan
Originally introduced as a way to add a more culturally diverse roster to the team in the ''
All-New Super Friends Hour'' series,
Black Vulcan
Black Vulcan is an African-American superhero on the animated series ''Super Friends'' created by Hanna-Barbera, voiced by Buster Jones.
Fictional character biography
Black Vulcan debuted on the Super Friends show (''The All-New Super Friends Ho ...
(voiced by
Buster Jones) was the Super Friends' resident black superhero, although his character mostly refrains from being seen as a harsh stereotype. As originally depicted, Black Vulcan's costume had the super-hero equivalent of pants, but due to mistakes in coloring and animation, in later episodes his legs are bare.
His powers include the ability to emit electricity from his hands, as well as fly by charging his lower body with energy.
On a few occasions, he exhibited powers he had not had before, such as the ability to assume a form of pure energy and travel at the speed of light (in an attempt to escape a
black hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime where gravitation, gravity is so strong that nothing, including light or other Electromagnetic radiation, electromagnetic waves, has enough energy to escape it. The theory of general relativity predicts t ...
). He was even able to
travel back in time by fluctuating his body's energy in such a way that it opened a rift in space.
El Dorado
El Dorado
El Dorado (, ; Spanish for "the golden"), originally ''El Hombre Dorado'' ("The Golden Man") or ''El Rey Dorado'' ("The Golden King"), was the term used by the Spanish in the 16th century to describe a mythical tribal chief (''zipa'') or king o ...
was created solely for the ''Super Friends'' cartoons to fill the void of an
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
superhero. He has never appeared in a
DC Comic
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their ...
.
He first appeared as minor character in the ''
Super Friends'' animated shorts, which aired in
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
season and later in ''
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show'' as a full-time member. El Dorado from a non specified
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
nation was added as one of several attempts to encourage diversity among the characters. Like other ethnic characters added during this period, he was seen as somewhat
stereotypical
In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example ...
. El Dorado spoke broken
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
with an accent, sporadically substituting common
Spanish words or phrases, such as adding words like "''rapido''" and replacing nearly every instance of "yes" with "''si''".
Because he was created primarily to fill the void of a Latin American character on the show, El Dorado's powers were not well-defined and were highly ambiguous. His most frequently used ability was teleportation, which he accomplished by wrapping his cape over his body and vanishing. Anyone or anything he wrapped his cape around could also be teleported with him, and there appeared to be no limit to the distance he could travel. Another of his frequently used powers was the ability to generate illusions from his eyes. He also exhibited some degree of mental powers, including telepathy and possibly extending beyond. In later incarnations, his powers were more well-defined. He had telepathic powers and the ability to create illusions.
He was voiced by
Fernando Escandon
Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa, the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka. It is equivalent to the Ge ...
.
Rima
Rima the Jungle Girl appeared in three episodes of
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...
's ''
The 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. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and is based on the Justice Leag ...
'' during the 1977-78 season, alongside such mainstays as
Aquaman,
Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
, and
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
.
In her run with the ''Super Friends'' TV series, she is often known for being one of the new 'affirmative action heroes' during that period. Along with characters
Apache Chief
Apache Chief is a Native American superhero from the various Hanna-Barbera ''Super Friends'' cartoons and the DC comic book series of the same name. He was one of the new heroes added (along with Black Vulcan, Rima the Jungle Girl, El Dorado and ...
,
Black Vulcan
Black Vulcan is an African-American superhero on the animated series ''Super Friends'' created by Hanna-Barbera, voiced by Buster Jones.
Fictional character biography
Black Vulcan debuted on the Super Friends show (''The All-New Super Friends Ho ...
,
El Dorado
El Dorado (, ; Spanish for "the golden"), originally ''El Hombre Dorado'' ("The Golden Man") or ''El Rey Dorado'' ("The Golden King"), was the term used by the Spanish in the 16th century to describe a mythical tribal chief (''zipa'') or king o ...
and
Samurai
were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...
, Rima is considered a minority character. Being both female and ethnic, she was added during the 1977 overhaul of the show's all-white, mostly-male cast of heroes.
Samurai
Samurai
were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...
's 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 voice actor is
Jack Angel. In addition to being a prominent figure in several other animated shows, Angel also did the voice for
The Flash
The Flash (or simply Flash) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date ...
and
Hawkman
Hawkman is the name of several superheroes appearing in American 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 ...
.
Samurai appears in ''
The 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. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and is based on the Justice Leag ...
'', ''
Challenge of the Super Friends'', ''
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show'', and ''
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians''. Although not outwardly resembling a traditional
samurai
were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...
, Samurai upholds the code of the
Bushido
is a moral code concerning samurai attitudes, behavior and lifestyle. There are multiple bushido types which evolved significantly through history. Contemporary forms of bushido are still used in the social and economic organization of Japan. ...
, sometimes relating everything he or someone else does to the ancient tradition. Although he displays a number of powers, the one he relies on most often is the ability to manipulate
wind
Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few hou ...
. He can fly by creating a small
tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
around his lower body and can conjure powerful gusts from his hands that can knock back even large objects.
One-shot Super Friends members
The following is an overview of characters who only made one appearance on the series.
Green Arrow
The first
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
appearance of
Green Arrow
Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 in November 1941. His secret identity, real name is Olive ...
was a single guest spot in an episode of the original 1973 incarnation of ''
Super Friends''. He was voiced by
Norman Alden. He was referred to as a "Staunch member of the Justice League of America."
Plastic Man
Plastic Man made his animated debut in a cameo appearance in the ''
Super Friends'' episode "Professor Goodfellow’s G.E.E.C." voiced by
Norman Alden.
Teen sidekicks and their pets
Wendy and Marvin
Wendy Harris and Marvin White are two sidekicks who were created in an era in which many cartoons featured main characters with sidekicks who were supposed to serve two purposes:
comic relief and viewer identification. In the cartoon, the reason for Wendy and Marvin hanging around with the Super Friends was never really explained. In the comics, some additional information was given. Wendy is the niece of Harvey Harris, a detective who once trained
Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
when he was still a teenager. It was postulated in an editorial column that she may have been the
Earth-One version of Wendi Harris Tyler, wife of the first
Hourman. Marvin (who was given the last name of White in the comics) was the son of
Diana Prince
Diana Prince is a fictional character appearing regularly in stories published by DC Comics, as the secret identity of the Amazonian superhero Wonder Woman, who bought the credentials and identity from a United States Army nurse named Diana Pri ...
, the nurse whose name
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
took when she came to Man's World, and her husband Dan White. Thus, Marvin had a sort of familial connection to the Super Friends. The Super Friends were designed to help teach young crimefighters how to be superheroes. While Wendy never wore any special costume, Marvin was always dressed with a green cape and a white shirt with a big green letter "M" in a yellow circle on its chest. Wendy and Marvin would later be revamped and used in the Teen Titans comic book as support characters. Marvin was killed and Wendy (who in this version was revealed to be the daughter of the villain the Calculator) was left with spinal cord injuries, denying her the use of her legs.
Wonder Dog
In the ''Super Friends'' animated series,
Wonder Dog is portrayed as the pet/sidekick of
Wendy and Marvin. He appears in all 16 episodes of the original television series. This version of Wonder Dog also appeared in the first six issues of the ''
Super Friends'' comic book series.
Wonder Twins
The
duo
Duo may refer to:
Places
*Duo, West Virginia, an unincorporated community and coal town in Greenbrier County, West Virginia
*Duo, Tampere, a shopping centre in Hervanta, Tampere, Finland
* DUO, a twin-tower development in Singapore
Arts, enterta ...
made their debut in ''
The 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. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and is based on the Justice Leag ...
'' and went on to appear in ''
Challenge of the Super Friends'', ''
The World's Greatest Super Friends
''The World's Greatest SuperFriends'' is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from September 22, 1979, to September 27, 1980, on ABC. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and is based on the Justice ...
'', ''
Super Friends'', and ''
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show''. Zan (voiced by
Michael Bell) and Jayna (voiced by
Liberty Williams
The following is an overview of the members of the DC Comics superhero team known as the Super Friends (Super Powers Team in the final season), an adaptation of the Justice League of America.
Core Super Friends members
This is the list of Super ...
) 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
Marvin L. White (born December 5, 1983 in Port Barre, Louisiana) is a former American football safety. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Kilgore College from 2003- ...
, this pair was able to participate in combat with abilities of their own.
The characters were later introduced in the ''Super Friends'' comic, where they were far more competent and heroic.
*Their powers were activated when the twins touched each other and spoke the words, "Wonder Twin powers, activate!" (In the comics, it was revealed that this phrase was unnecessary, just a habit of theirs.) As they were about to transform, they would each announce their intended form. For example, Zan would announce, "Form of a
glacier
A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...
!" Jayna would then announce her intended animal form.
*Zan can transform into water at any state (solid, liquid, gas). In the case of becoming solid ice, he can also become any form he chooses, from a cage for a criminal to complex machinery (such as a rocket engine). He also changed into a gelatinous form at one point. On another occasion, he transformed into
liquid nitrogen
Liquid nitrogen—LN2—is nitrogen in a liquid state at low temperature. Liquid nitrogen has a boiling point of about . It is produced industrially by fractional distillation of liquid air. It is a colorless, low viscosity liquid that is wide ...
. By combining with already-existing water, Zan could also increase his mass or volume in the water form chosen. In addition, he could transform himself into weather patterns 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 name.
*In addition, the two shared a telepathic link, enabling one to alert the other over a distance when in dire circumstances. Their mutual telepathy would also explain how they were able to assume forms that allowed cooperation without any previous discussion of strategy.
Gleek
Gleek is a
blue
Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...
"space
monkey
Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...
" and the pet of Zan and Jayna, the
Wonder Twins. Gleek is often used as
comic relief for the series, as the character often gets into mischief. A joke involving Gleek often ends episodes of the ''Super Friends'' in which he appears. Gleek has a stretchable,
prehensile tail
A prehensile tail is the tail of an animal that has adapted to grasp or hold objects. Fully prehensile tails can be used to hold and manipulate objects, and in particular to aid arboreal creatures in finding and eating food in the trees. If the ta ...
which can be quite useful. Gleek is also highly intelligent, as he clearly understands spoken English. He communicates through the use of sign language, acting out scenes, and chattering in an unintelligible alien tongue. Gleek also helps the characters when they need to travel: Jayna becomes an eagle, Zan becomes water, and Gleek produces a bucket to hold Zan while Jayna carries them both.
He debuted in ''
The 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. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and is based on the Justice Leag ...
'', which first aired September 10, 1977. Gleek's vocalizations were provided by
Michael Bell.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Super Friends Members, List Of
Lists of DC Comics animated television characters
Super Friends characters
Super Friends lists
Lists of characters in American television animation