Panthro is a fictional character of the '' ThunderCats'' franchise. He is the strongest and usually associated with strength of body and will. He wields a set of ''

nunchaku is a traditional Okinawan martial arts weapon consisting of two sticks (traditionally made of wood), connected to each other at their ends by a short metal chain or a rope. It is approximately 30 cm (sticks) and 1 inch (rope). A person wh ...

'' given to him by Jaga before arriving on Earth. The role he plays for the team ranges from warrior to mechanic, and occasionally counsel for the young

Lion-O Lion-O is a fictional superhero and the main protagonist character of the '' ThunderCats'' franchise. Lion-O is the leader and the hereditary "Lord of the ThunderCats." Lion-O is based on the lion and wields the legendary Sword of Omens, which i ...

. Normally exemplified by a cheerful disposition, he is, however, also quick to lose his temper (sometimes even with

Snarf Snarf, SNARF, or their variants may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media *''Snarf'', an underground comic published in the early 1970s by Denis Kitchen * Snarf (''ThunderCats''), one of several characters on the television show ''ThunderCats'' ...

's pranks) and has a paralyzing fear of bats and a dislike of spiders.

1985 series

Panthro is a mechanic and elder of the Thundercats. He was played by

Earle Hyman Earle Hyman (born George Earle Plummer; October 11, 1926 – November 17, 2017) was an American stage, television, and film actor. Hyman is known for his role on '' ThunderCats'' as the voice of Panthro and various other characters. He also ap ...

. Panthro is based on a

panther Panther may refer to: Large cats *Pantherinae, the cat subfamily that contains the genera ''Panthera'' and ''Neofelis'' **''Panthera'', the cat genus that contains tigers, lions, jaguars and leopards. ***Jaguar (''Panthera onca''), found in Sout ...

2011 series

Panthro is a soldier of the Thunderian Army who disappeared. In this version he is larger and more muscular than the supporting cast. He is portrayed by

Kevin Michael Richardson Kevin Michael Richardson (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, he has mostly voiced villainous characters in animation and video games. In film, Richardson voiced Goro in ''Mortal Kombat'' (1995) ...

. Panthro also cannot swim.

''Thundercats Roar''

Panthro appears in the 2020 version of ''ThunderCats''.

In popular culture

Kenan Thompson Kenan Thompson (; born May 10, 1978) is an American actor and comedian. He has been a cast member of the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' since 2003, making him the longest-tenured cast member in the show's history. He was also th ...

appeared dressed as Panthro during

Chadwick Boseman Chadwick Aaron Boseman (; November 29, 1976August 28, 2020) was an American actor. During his two-decade career, Boseman received two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award, ...

's monologue on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

'' in 2019.

Reception

Panthro has received a mixed reception by critics. Some have praised the character for being racially inclusive. Other critics have complained that the character has stereotypical African American traits.

io9 ''io9'' is part of Gizmodo media since 2015, and it began as blog launched in 2008 by Gawker Media. The site initially focused on the subjects of science fiction, fantasy, futurism, science, technology and related areas but over the years has ...

ranked Panthro the 7th best ThunderCats character.

Comic Book Resources ''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion. History Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...

ranked Panthro the 7th worst ThunderCats character.

References

{{ThunderCats Anthropomorphic animal characters Fictional characters who can stretch themselves Fictional characters with superhuman strength Extraterrestrial characters in television Fictional humanoids Fictional mechanics Fictional nunchakuka Fictional panthers Fictional refugees Fictional soldiers Male characters in animated series Martial artist characters in television Television characters introduced in 1985 ThunderCats