Defenders of the Earth facts for kids

Defenders of the Earth is an American animated TV show from 1986. It brings together famous characters from old comic strips by King Features Syndicate. These heroes include Flash Gordon, The Phantom, Mandrake the Magician, and Mandrake's helper, Lothar.

The show is set in the year 2015. The heroes team up to fight against the evil Ming the Merciless. Their children also join the fight. These include Rick Gordon (Flash's son), L.J. (Lothar's son), Kshin (Mandrake's adopted son), and Jedda Walker (the Phantom's daughter).

The series had 65 episodes. There was also a short comic book series by Star Comics, which is part of Marvel Comics. The main theme music was made by Rob Walsh and Tony Pastor, with lyrics by Stan Lee. Later, the show was re-run on the Sci Fi Channel.

Flash Gordon has also appeared in other animated shows. These include The New Adventures of Flash Gordon (1979–82) and Flash Gordon (1996–97).

What is the Show About?

The story begins with Flash Gordon and his son, Rick, escaping from the evil Ming the Merciless. Ming has used up all the natural resources on his home planet, Mongo. Now, he wants to take over Earth.

Ming tries to control Flash's wife, Dale Arden, but she fights back until she dies. Later, her mind is put into the Defenders' supercomputer, Dynac X. To protect Earth from Ming and other dangers, Flash teams up with Mandrake, Lothar, and the Phantom. Together with their children, they form the Defenders of the Earth!

Who are the Main Characters?

The Heroes

The Defenders of the Earth

• Flash Gordon (voiced by Lou Richards) — He is the leader of the Defenders of the Earth. Flash is a brave space pilot and Rick Gordon's father.
• The Phantom (voiced by Peter Mark Richman) — This Phantom is similar to the one from the comics. He can get super strength by saying, "By jungle law, the Ghost Who Walks calls forth the power of ten tigers." His real name is Kit Walker. His horse, Hero, and wolf, Devil, sometimes appear. He is the 27th Phantom in his family line.
• Mandrake the Magician (voiced by Peter Renaday) — Mandrake is a hypnotist and a mystic. He can control what others see and think. He often acts as a second leader for the Defenders and sometimes explains their plans.
• Lothar (voiced by Buster Jones) — Lothar is Mandrake's strong assistant and bodyguard. He is a powerful fighter, a skilled mechanic, and a smart planner. His action figure even called him a "Caribbean ninja."
• Richard "Rick" Gordon (voiced by Loren Lester) — Rick is Flash Gordon's son. He is a very smart computer genius, but he can be a bit impulsive. Rick and the other teenagers on the show go to Central High in Central City.
• L.J. (voiced by Dion Williams) — L.J. stands for 'Lothar Jr.'. He is Lothar's son and Rick's best friend. L.J. is street-smart and an expert in martial arts. In one episode, when the Defenders find a crystal that shows their biggest wishes, L.J.'s wish is to defeat the villain Octon.
• Jedda Walker (voiced by Sarah Partridge) — Jedda is the Phantom's daughter. She has powers like telepathy (reading minds) and limited extrasensory abilities. She often uses these to talk with her black panther, Kisa.
• Kshin (voiced by Adam Carl) — Kshin is an orphan boy adopted by Mandrake. He is learning to be a magician's apprentice. His past is shown in an episode where Mandrake finds him as a young street orphan. Kshin is usually with his alien friend, "Zuffy," who Rick Gordon first found on the planet Mongo.
• Dynac X (voiced by Diane Pershing) — Dynac X is the main computer at the Defenders' Headquarters. It is said that Flash Gordon's wife's mind is part of its system. In the comic book version of the show, Flash's wife is named Dale Arden.

The Villains

• Ming the Merciless (voiced by Ron Feinberg) — Ming is a powerful warlord and supervillain who wants to take over Earth's natural resources. In this show, he looks more monstrous than in the comics to avoid stereotypes.
  • Prince Kro-Tan (voiced by Hal Rayle) — He is Ming the Merciless's son.
  • Princess Castra (voiced by Jennifer Darling) — She is Ming the Merciless's daughter.
  • Octon (voiced by William Callaway) — Octon is an octopus-like artificial intelligence. He is like an "evil" version of Dynac X. Octon helps Ming plan how to conquer Earth or defeat the Defenders.
  • Garax (voiced by William Callaway) — Garax leads Ming's robot soldiers, called the Ice Robots. He is the only one of these robots who appears often and is different from the others.
  • Mongor — This is a giant, snake-like pet that belongs to Ming the Merciless.
• Kurt Walker (voiced by William Callaway) — Also known as "N'Dama the Weather Demon," Kurt is the Phantom's older brother. He was created just for this TV series and has not appeared in other stories.
• The Sky Band — These are space-pirates in the show, based on characters from the Phantom comics.
• Queen Hadea — She rules the underground 'Netherworld'. Hadea wants the Phantom to be her partner. She also shows interest in being a mother figure to Jedda Walker. Her big goal is to get the powerful 'Necklace of Oros'.
• Graviton — Graviton is an alien being who originally owned the Necklace of Oros. He wants to get the Necklace back from Earth and become a dictator.

How Was the Show Made?

Marvel Productions and King Features Syndicate worked together to create Defenders of the Earth. They even brought in a company called Q5 Corporation to help. Q5 had experts in psychology, advertising, and marketing.

The animation for the show was done in other countries. Some of the studios involved were Daewon Media, Sei Young Animation (now part of Dong Woo Animation), and AKOM in South Korea. Toei Animation in Japan also helped with the animation.

Other Appearances

Comics

In 1987, Star Comics (which is Marvel Comics' brand for kids) released a comic book series for Defenders of the Earth. It only had four issues. Stan Lee wrote the first issue, and Michael Higgins wrote the others. The art was by Alex Saviuk.

In 2013, Dynamite Comics published a new series called Kings Watch. This comic brought together the Phantom, Mandrake, Lothar, and Flash Gordon. They faced not only Ming but also other characters from the King Features universe.

Books

There were also books based on Defenders of the Earth. Some titles include The Creation of Monitor, A House Divided, The Sun-Stealers, and Computer Checkmate.

Action Figures

A toy company called Galoob made a line of action figures for the show. These included figures of Flash Gordon, Mandrake, Lothar, the Phantom, Ming, and Garax. More recently, National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA) made new figures of King Features characters that look like the Defenders of the Earth style.

Video Games

A video game based on the show was released in 1990 by Enigma Variations Software. It was available for computers like the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, SAM Coupe, and ZX Spectrum. It was an action game where the heroes Flash Gordon, Lothar, the Phantom, and Mandrake had to rescue their children, who were kidnapped by Ming. Players controlled Flash and could call on the other heroes for help.

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See also

In Spanish: Defensores de la Tierra para niños