Fantastic Four (1994 TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fantastic Four |
|
|---|---|
_title_screen.jpg) |
|
| Genre | Superhero Action Adventure |
| Created by | Stan Lee Jack Kirby |
| Written by | Ron Friedman Glenn Leopold |
| Voices of |
|
| Composer(s) |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
|
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
|
| Distributor | Genesis Entertainment New World Entertainment |
| Release | |
| Original network | Syndication (The Marvel Action Hour/Marvel Action Universe) |
| Original release | September 24, 1994 – February 24, 1996 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | The New Fantastic Four |
| Followed by | Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes |
Fantastic Four, also known as Fantastic Four: The Animated Series, is a cool cartoon show based on Marvel's famous comic book team, the Fantastic Four. It started airing on September 24, 1994, and finished on February 24, 1996. The show had two seasons, with 13 episodes in each season, making a total of 26 episodes.
Contents
About the Show
In the 1990s, a new Fantastic Four cartoon was shown as part of a weekend TV block called Marvel Action Hour. This block also featured an episode of Iron Man. So, you could watch two superhero shows back-to-back!
During the first season, Stan Lee, one of the creators of the Fantastic Four, would appear before each episode. He would talk about the characters and what inspired him to create them. The show also aired on Fox Kids and Disney XD in the United States.
Season One Adventures
Most episodes in the first season told classic Fantastic Four comic book stories from the 1960s. These stories were originally created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. For example, the show accurately told the story of the Silver Surfer and Galactus coming to Earth. It also showed Doctor Doom trying to steal the Silver Surfer's powers.
In one episode called "The Origin of the Fantastic Four", the Puppet Master took control of the Thing. He used the Thing to capture the Invisible Woman. Luckily, Mister Fantastic helped the Thing break free and defeat the Puppet Master.
Another big story was "The Silver Surfer & the Coming of Galactus". In this two-part episode, the Silver Surfer, Firelord, and Terrax fought the Fantastic Four. This happened while Galactus tried to eat Earth! Later, in "Mask of Doom", Doctor Doom captured the Fantastic Four. He forced them to travel back in time to get a special object for him.
Season Two Excitement
For the second season, both the Fantastic Four and Iron Man shows got some updates. They had new opening scenes and better animation. The stories also became a bit more grown-up. The Fantastic Four's home base changed from the Baxter Building to the Four Freedoms Plaza.
In the first episode of season two, "And a Blind Man Shall Lead Them", Doctor Doom attacked the Fantastic Four when they were powerless. Later, in "Nightmare in Green", Doom even directed the Hulk to attack the team!
The Wizard appeared in "And the Wind Cries Medusa". He gathered Medusa, Hydro-Man, and Trapster to form the Frightful Four. This episode also introduced the Inhumans like Crystal, Black Bolt, Gorgon, Karnak, and Lockjaw. Crystal later became the girlfriend of the Human Torch.
The Black Panther showed up in "Prey of the Black Panther". He brought the Fantastic Four to his home, Wakanda, to see if they were strong enough to help him fight Klaw.
In "To Battle the Living Planet", the Fantastic Four asked Galactus for help to fight Ego the Living Planet. Thor also guest-starred in two episodes. He helped the Fantastic Four fight Ego the Living Planet and even Galactus! In "When Calls Galactus", Nova became Galactus's new herald.
The series finale, "Doomsday", showed Doctor Doom getting the amazing Power Cosmic. He tried to go after Galactus again, but he hit a barrier that kept the Silver Surfer from leaving Earth.
Crossovers with Other Heroes
The Fantastic Four cartoon sometimes crossed over with other Marvel shows.
The Incredible Hulk Crossover
Simon Templeman, who voiced Doctor Doom, also played Doom in two episodes of The Incredible Hulk cartoon. In these episodes, Doom took over Washington, D.C., but was defeated by She-Hulk.
In the Hulk episode "Fantastic Fortitude", Beau Weaver (Mister Fantastic) and Chuck McCann (The Thing) returned to voice their characters. This episode showed the Hulk, She-Hulk, and Thing fighting villains.
Spider-Man Crossover
Only Quinton Flynn, who voiced the Human Torch in season two, appeared in the Spider-Man cartoon. The other Fantastic Four members were voiced by different actors in the "Secret Wars" storyline.
Who Voiced the Heroes?
Here are some of the main voice actors who brought the Fantastic Four to life:
Main Voices
- Beau Weaver as Mister Fantastic/Reed Richards
- Lori Alan as Invisible Woman/Susan Storm Richards
- Quinton Flynn as Human Torch/Johnny Storm (season 2)
- Chuck McCann as Thing/Benjamin J. Grimm
- Brian Austin Green as Human Torch/Johnny Storm (season 1)
- Neil Ross as Doctor Doom (season 1)
- Simon Templeman as Doctor Doom (season 2)
- Pauline Arthur Lomas as Alicia Masters
Guest Voices
Many other talented actors voiced guest characters, including:
- Edward Albert as Silver Surfer (season 2)
- Gregg Berger as Mole Man
- Keith David as Black Panther
- Mark Hamill as Maximus the Mad
- Ron Perlman as Bruce Banner/Hulk
- John Rhys-Davies as Thor
- Stan Lee as Himself
Episodes List
The show had two seasons, each with 13 episodes.
Season 1 (1994)
| # | Title | Original Airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Origin of the Fantastic Four, Part One" | September 24, 1994 | |
|
The team's origin story begins.
|
|||
| 2 | "The Origin of the Fantastic Four, Part II" | October 1, 1994 | |
|
The origin story continues.
|
|||
| 3 | "Now Comes the Sub-Mariner" | October 8, 1994 | |
|
The team meets Namor the Sub-Mariner.
|
|||
| 4 | "Incursion of the Skrulls" | October 15, 1994 | |
|
The Fantastic Four face the shape-shifting Skrulls.
|
|||
| 5 | "The Silver Surfer and the Coming of Galactus, Part I" | October 22, 1994 | |
|
The Silver Surfer arrives on Earth.
|
|||
| 6 | "The Silver Surfer and the Coming of Galactus, Part II" | October 29, 1994 | |
|
Galactus threatens Earth.
|
|||
| 7 | "Super Skrull" | November 5, 1994 | |
|
The powerful Super-Skrull attacks.
|
|||
| 8 | "The Mask of Doom, Part I" | November 12, 1994 | |
|
Doctor Doom's plan begins.
|
|||
| 9 | "The Mask of Doom, Part II" | November 19, 1994 | |
|
Doctor Doom's plan continues.
|
|||
| 10 | "The Mask of Doom, Part III" | November 26, 1994 | |
|
The Fantastic Four fight Doctor Doom.
|
|||
| 11 | "Mole Man" | December 3, 1994 | |
|
The team goes underground to face the Mole Man.
|
|||
| 12 | "Behold the Negative Zone" | December 10, 1994 | |
|
The Fantastic Four explore the Negative Zone.
|
|||
| 13 | "The Silver Surfer and the Return of Galactus" | December 17, 1994 | |
|
Galactus returns to Earth.
|
|||
Season 2 (1995–1996)
| # | Title | Original Airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | "And a Blind Man Shall Lead Them" | September 23, 1995 | |
|
Doctor Doom attacks the team.
|
|||
| 15 | "Inhumans Saga, Part 1: And the Wind Cries Medusa" | September 30, 1995 | |
|
The Inhumans are introduced.
|
|||
| 16 | "Inhumans Saga, Part 2: The Inhumans Among Us" | October 7, 1995 | |
|
The Inhumans' story continues.
|
|||
| 17 | "Inhumans Saga, Part 3: Beware the Hidden Land" | October 14, 1995 | |
|
The Fantastic Four learn about the Inhumans' hidden city.
|
|||
| 18 | "Worlds Within Worlds" | October 21, 1995 | |
|
Psycho-Man causes trouble for Susan.
|
|||
| 19 | "To Battle the Living Planet" | November 4, 1995 | |
|
The team fights Ego the Living Planet.
|
|||
| 20 | "Prey of the Black Panther" | November 11, 1995 | |
|
The Fantastic Four visit Wakanda and meet the Black Panther.
|
|||
| 21 | "When Calls Galactus" | November 18, 1995 | |
|
Galactus returns, and Nova becomes his herald.
|
|||
| 22 | "Nightmare in Green" | November 25, 1995 | |
|
Doctor Doom uses the Hulk against the team.
|
|||
| 23 | "Behold, a Distant Star" | February 3, 1996 | |
|
The team faces a powerful alien.
|
|||
| 24 | "Hopelessly Impossible" | February 10, 1996 | |
|
The Impossible Man causes chaos.
|
|||
| 25 | "The Sentry Sinister" | February 17, 1996 | |
|
The team battles a Kree Sentry.
|
|||
| 26 | "Doomsday" | February 24, 1996 | |
|
Doctor Doom gains incredible power.
|
|||
Where to Watch the Show
Even though the show ended in 1996, it became popular again when the live-action Fantastic Four movie came out in 2005. Because of this, the series was shown in reruns on Jetix (a block on Toon Disney).
You can also buy the entire series on digital stores like iTunes Store, Amazon Prime Video, and Google TV. The show is also available on Disney's streaming service, Disney+, since it launched in 2019.
Home Videos and More
The Fantastic Four cartoon episodes were released on VHS tapes when the show was still airing. Later, after the 2005 movie, the series was released on DVD.
The DVD set included new introductions by Stan Lee for all 26 episodes.
Comic Books and Toys
A comic book series based on the show was published by Marvel. It was called Marvel Action Hour: Fantastic Four and had 8 issues.
There was also a line of action figures made by Toy Biz. These toys included the main characters and many guest stars from the show. Some toys even featured characters who never appeared in the cartoon, like Dragon Man and Thanos!
See also
In Spanish: Los 4 Fantásticos (serie animada) para niños
