The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians |
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The title card for The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians series
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| Genre | Adventure Fantasy Science fiction |
| Created by | E. Nelson Bridwell Carmine Infantino Julius Schwartz (consultants) |
| Developed by | Dave Gibbons Gil Kane Alan Moore |
| Written by | Alan Burnett John Loy Antoni Zalewski |
| Directed by | Ray Patterson (Supervising) Oscar Dufau Tony Love Rudy Zamora Bill Hutton |
| Creative director(s) | Iwao Takamoto |
| Voices of | Jack Angel René Auberjonois William Callaway Danny Dark Ernie Hudson Casey Kasem Michael Rye Mark L. Taylor B. J. Ward Frank Welker Adam West |
| Narrated by | Eugene Williams |
| Theme music composer | Hoyt Curtin |
| Composer(s) | Hoyt Curtin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 8 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | William Hanna Joseph Barbera |
| Producer(s) | Larry Latham |
| Editor(s) | Roy Braverman (sound effects editor) Paul Vitello (sound editor) |
| Running time | 30 minutes (including commercials) |
| Production company(s) | Hanna-Barbera Productions DC Comics |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | September 7, 1985 – September 6, 1986 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | SuperFriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show |
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians is an American animated TV show about a group of superheroes. It aired from 1985 to 1986. The show was made by Hanna-Barbera Productions. It is based on the Justice League and other comic book characters from DC Comics.
Contents
What's the Show About?
In 1985, the final version of Hanna-Barbera's Super Friends series began. The heroes, now called the Super Powers Team, worked from the Hall of Justice in Metropolis. This name change helped connect the show to the Super Powers Collection toy line. The team fought famous villains like Darkseid, Lex Luthor, and Scarecrow.
A big change in this series was that most episodes did not have a narrator. In earlier Super Friends shows, a narrator would often explain what was happening. For this series, Adam West, who played Batman in the 1960s live-action show, became the voice of Batman.
Many of the older characters from the Super Friends were not in this show. Instead, new teenage superheroes, Firestorm and Cyborg, joined the team. This was done so that younger viewers could relate more to the characters. The animation also looked much better. Heroes like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman looked more like their comic book versions.
The stories in the 1985 episodes were often more serious than before. Each episode was 30 minutes long. The show only lasted one season on ABC. This marked the end of Hanna-Barbera's 12-year run of the Super Friends series.
Meet the Heroes
The main heroes in the show are known as The Super Powers Team, also called The Justice League.
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Batman's Story
In the episode called "The Fear," we learn about Batman's past for the first time outside of the comic books. A flashback shows young Bruce Wayne with his parents, Thomas and Martha Wayne. They are confronted by a mugger. When Thomas tries to fight, Bruce's parents are shot. This sad event leads Bruce to become Batman.
Cyborg Joins the Team
This series was the first time Cyborg appeared in an animated TV show. His origin story is told through a medical journal. It explains that Cyborg was a great athlete until an accident badly injured him. His father then replaced parts of his body with machine parts. Cyborg quickly becomes friends with Firestorm. He joins the Justice League of America under Superman. In his first episode, "The Seeds of Doom," Cyborg's powers save Earth from Darkseid's dangerous "seeds."
Other Heroes' Appearances
The Flash appeared in only one episode, "The Death of Superman," but he did not use his super speed. El Dorado also made a brief appearance in the same episode. He did not use his powers or speak. In "The Death of Superman," Superman's secret hideout, the Fortress of Solitude, looks like it did in the older comic books. It even has a giant yellow key that Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and Cyborg had to lift together.
Meet the Villains
The Super Powers Team faced many dangerous villains.
Villains from Apokolips
- Darkseid: He was the main villain. Darkseid wanted to conquer Earth and marry Wonder Woman. But the Super Powers Team always managed to stop him. His voice was deep and growling, like other famous cartoon villains.
- Desaad: One of Darkseid's cruel followers.
- Kalibak: Darkseid's powerful son.
- The Parademons: These are Darkseid's flying soldiers. On the show, they were called "para-drones" to avoid the word "demon."
The villains from Apokolips used "Star Gates" to travel, which are like special portals called "Boom tubes" in the comics.
Other Villains
- Lex Luthor: Superman's arch-enemy, he appeared briefly in one episode.
- The Joker: Batman's most famous enemy, he made his only appearance in the entire Super Friends series in the episode "The Wild Cards."
- The Royal Flush Gang: A group of thieves who use playing card themes. They appeared in "The Wild Cards" and were working with the Joker.
- Scarecrow: This villain uses fear to control people. He appeared in "The Fear," where he tried to trick Batman and Commissioner Gordon.
- Brainiac: A super-intelligent robot villain who appeared in the episode "Brain Child."
- Felix Faust: A powerful magician. In "The Case of the Stolen Powers," he tried to steal Superman's powers.
- The Penguin: Another Batman villain, he was Felix Faust's cellmate and briefly gained Superman's powers.
- Mister Mxyzptlk: A mischievous being from another dimension who loves to play tricks on the heroes. His name is pronounced "Miks-ill-plik."
- Bizarro: A strange, imperfect copy of Superman from a world called Bizarro World.
- Mister Kltpzyxm: A Bizarro version of Mister Mxyzptlk.
- Bizarra: The Bizarro version of Wonder Woman.
- Cyzarro: The Bizarro version of Cyborg.
- Firezarro: The Bizarro version of Firestorm.
Episodes
Voice Actors
- Jack Angel – Flash / Barry Allen, Hawkman, Samurai
- Rene Auberjonois – DeSaad
- Joe Baker –Bizarro Supermen (in "The Bizarro Super Powers Team"), Warden Johnson (in "The Bizarro Super Powers Team")
- Steve Bulen – Teenager Bruce Wayne (in "The Fear"), Dr. Moko (in "Escape from Space City")
- William Callaway – Aquaman
- Peter Cullen – Felix Faust (in "The Case of the Stolen Powers")
- Danny Dark – Superman, Bizarro #1 (in "The Bizarro Super Powers Team")
- Robert DoQui – Strawman #3 (in "The Fear"), Robotic Cyborg (in "Brainchild")
- Patti Glick – Reporter (in "The Case of the Stolen Powers")
- Arlene Golonka – Sarah Simms (in "The Seeds of Doom"), Queen (in "The Wild Cards")
- Darryl Hickman – Steve Trevor (in "The Darkseid Deception")
- Jerry Houser – Jack (in "The Wild Cards")
- Ernie Hudson – Cyborg, Bizarro-Cyborg (in "The Bizarro Super Powers Team")
- Stan Jones – Lex Luthor (in "The Seeds of Doom"), Reporter (in "The Death of Superman")
- Casey Kasem – Robin
- Paul Kirby – Thomas Wayne (in "The Fear")
- Lucy Lee – Martha Wayne (in "The Fear")
- Sidney Miller – Commissioner Gordon (in "The Fear"), Strawman #4
- Haunani Minn – Princess Aliana (in "The Ghost Ship"), Kiri Moko (in "Escape from Space City")
- Lynne Moody – Ten (in "The Wild Cards")
- Robert Morse – The Penguin (in "The Case of the Stolen Powers")
- Stanley Ralph Ross – Brainiac (in "Brainchild")
- Michael Rye – Green Lantern, Joe Chill (in "The Fear"), Strawman #1 (in "The Fear")
- Ken Sansom – Professor Martin Stein
- Andre Stojka – Scarecrow (in "The Fear"), Alfred Pennyworth (in "The Fear"), Guard #2 (in "The Fear"), Strawman #2 (in "The Fear")
- Mark L. Taylor – Firestorm, Bizarro-Firestorm (in "The Bizarro Super Powers Team")
- Dick Tufeld – Announcer
- B.J. Ward – Wonder Woman, Bizarro Wonder Woman (in "The Bizarro Super Powers Team"), Young Bruce Wayne (in "The Fear")
- Frank Welker – Darkseid, Kalibak, The Joker/Ace (in "The Wild Cards"), Mister Mxyzptlk (in "The Bizarro Super Powers Team"), Mister Kltpzyxm (in "The Bizarro Super Powers Team"), Parademons
- Adam West – Batman/Bruce Wayne
- Eugene Williams – King (in "The Wild Cards")
- Bill Woodson – Narrator
