Super Friends

Super Friends
1973–1974 season title card
Genre	Superhero
Based on	Justice League byGardner Fox
Voices of	Danny Dark Olan Soule Casey Kasem Shannon Farnon Norman Alden Sherry Alberoni Frank Welker Ted Knight Ted Cassidy
Theme music composer	Hoyt S. Curtin Will Schaefer
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No.of seasons	9
No.of episodes	93 (174 segments)(list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Joseph Barbera William Hanna
Producers	Lewis Marshall Iwao Takamoto
Running time	Full episode: 45 minutes (seasons 1–3) 22 minutes (season 4) 21–23 minutes (season 5) 21 minutes (seasons 6–7) Each segment: 5–22 minutes (season 2) 20 minutes (season 3) 7 minutes (season 5) 11 minutes (seasons 6–7)
Production companies	Hanna-Barbera Productions DC Comics Warner Bros. Television(uncredited)
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	September 8, 1973(1973-09-08)– October 26, 1985(1985-10-26)
Related
The New Scooby-Doo Movies Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law

Super Friendsis an Americananimated television seriesabout a team ofsuperheroeswhich ran from 1973 to 1985onABCas part of itsSaturday-morning cartoonlineup. It was produced byHanna-Barberaand was based on theJustice League of Americaand associatedcomic bookcharacters published byDC Comics.

The name of the program (and the Justice League members featured with the Super Friends) has been variously represented (asSuper FriendsandChallenge of the Superfriends,for example) at different points in its broadcast history. There were a total of93 episodesand twobackdoor-pilotepisodes ofThe New Scooby-Doo Movies,withBatmanandRobinappearing in "The Dynamic Scooby-Doo Affair" and "The Caped Crusader Caper".

Series titles

Main article:Lists of Super Friends episodes

Over the years, the show existed under several titles:

• Super Friends(1973–1974)
• The All-New Super Friends Hour(1977–1978)
• Challenge of the Superfriends(1978–1979)
• The World's Greatest SuperFriends(1979–1980)
• SuperFriends(1980–1983)
• Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show(1984–1985)
• The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians(1985–1986)

Series	Season	Segments	Episodes		Originally aired
					First aired	Last aired
Super Friends(1973)	1	—	16		September 8, 1973(1973-09-08)	December 22, 1973(1973-12-22)
The All-New Super Friends Hour	1	60	15		September 10, 1977(1977-09-10)	December 10, 1977(1977-12-10)
Challenge of the Superfriends	1	32	16		September 9, 1978(1978-09-09)	December 23, 1978(1978-12-23)
The World's Greatest SuperFriends	1	—	8		September 22, 1979(1979-09-22)	November 10, 1979(1979-11-10)
Super Friends(1980)	1	24	8		September 13, 1980(1980-09-13)	November 1, 1980(1980-11-01)
	2	18	6		September 26, 1981(1981-09-26)	October 31, 1981(1981-10-31)
	3	24	8		September 10, 1983(1983-09-10)	October 29, 1983(1983-10-29)
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show	1	12	8		September 8, 1984(1984-09-08)	October 27, 1984(1984-10-27)
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians	1	4	8		September 7, 1985(1985-09-07)	October 26, 1985(1985-10-26)

Writing

Plot lines for the later series involved many of the familiarDC Comicssuper-villains, like the Joker and the Riddler, that the first incarnation of theSuper Friendsdid not. Instead, like the comic books, they focused on the far-fetched schemes of mad scientists and aliens, who were invariably revealed as being well-intentioned, and simply pursuing their goals through unlawful or disreputable means.Typically, at the end of each story, a peaceful and reasonable discussion would be performed by the heroes to convince the antagonists to adopt more reasonable methods.

The All-New Super Friends Hourdeparted somewhat from the previous series' formula by featuring villains using more elaborate methods to further their goals; as a rule they could not be reasoned with, requiring the heroes to use direct force to stop them. Beginning withChallenge of the Superfriends,several of the heroes' arch-villains from the comic books (such asLex LuthorandThe Riddler) began to feature prominently in comic-style stories. Throughout the series, plots often wrapped themselves up neatly in the final minutes of an episode in the fashion of the typical comic books anddeus ex machina.

Production history

In 1973, animation companyHanna-Barberaacquired rights to the DC Comics characters and partnered with theAmerican Broadcasting Company(ABC) to adapt theJustice League of Americacomic book fortelevision.The network made several changes in the transition including the change of name toSuper Friendsto "cut off any accusations of extreme patriotism".Nevertheless, team members sometimes referred to themselves as the Justice League on the show. The violence common insuperherocomicswas toned down for a younger audience and to adhere to broadcast standards governing violence in 1970schildren's television.

As a DC Comics-based show, theSuper Friendsfranchise was owned by DC's parent companyWarner Bros.,who later put the series into syndication.Cartoon Network,which had the rights to air most of the rest of the Hanna-Barbera library from its inception in 1992, was not able to airSuper Friendsuntil after the merger of Warner Bros.' parent company,Time Warnerand Cartoon Network's parent company,Turner Broadcasting Systemwas completed in 1996. This merger also led to Warner Bros. taking control of Hanna-Barbera and all of its other assets as well. The series was owned by Hanna-Barbera Cartoons,DC Comics Entertainment,Warner Bros. Family Entertainment,andWarner Bros. Animation.

1973–1974 series

Main article:Super Friends (1973 TV series)

Super Friendsfirst aired on ABC on September 8, 1973, featuring well-known DC charactersSuperman,BatmanandRobin,Wonder Woman,andAquaman.Superman, Batman and Robin, and Aquaman had each previously appeared in their own animated series produced byFilmation,and voice talent from these prior programs was brought in to work on the new show (with the exception ofMarvin Millerwho was replaced byNorman Aldenas the voice of Aquaman). Shortly before theSuper Friendsseries was developed, Superman and Wonder Woman also guest-starred in two episodes ofThe Brady Kids(voiced by Lennie Weinrib and Jane Webb underFilmation), while Batman and Robin appeared in two episodes ofThe New Scooby-Doo Movies.

In addition to the superheroes, a trio of sidekicks was introduced, each of whom were new characters not drawn from the comic books:Wendy and Marvin(voiced bySherri AlberoniandFrank Welker) andWonder Dog(also voiced byFrank Welker), none of whom had any special abilities (save the dog's unexplained ability to reason and talk). The trio—or at least its human members—were depicted as detectives and/or superheroes-in-training; the "teen detectives and their talking animal"cliché,originally popularized byScooby-Doo,was typical in Hanna-Barbera cartoons of the mid/late 1970s.

Each episode began with the heroes responding to an emergency detected by the massive TroubAlert computer in theHall of Justice,which served as the headquarters of the team. Colonel Wilcox, aU.S. Armyofficial, was a recurring character who would act as a government liaison with the Super Friends during emergencies. Colonel Wilcox was voiced byJohn Stephenson. Conflicts were usually resolved with the antagonists persuaded to adapt more reasonable methods to achieve their aims (with the assistance of the heroes). Natural disasters triggered by human (or alien) activity were often shown, and environmental themes featured strongly in the program. Three other DC Comics superheroes were featured as guest stars during this season:the Flash,Plastic Man,andGreen Arrow;the latter two did not appear in any subsequent episodes of the series.

This first run ofSuper Friends,consisting of 16 one-hour episodes which were rerun several times, concluded on August 24, 1974. At this point, the series was cancelled. However, interest in superheroes among ABC's prime-time viewers (with the success ofThe Six Million Dollar Manand the live-actionWonder Womanseries) caused the network to reviveSuper Friends.The original 16 episodes of the series were rebroadcast as a mid-season replacement, running from February 7, 1976, to September 3, 1977. These episodes were edited into half-hour versions. At the same time, DC Comics published aSuper Friendscomic, which used Wendy and Marvin from issue #1 (November 1976) to #6 (August 1977). In the meantime, Hanna-Barbera began production on a revamped version of the show.

1977–1978 season:The All-New Super Friends Hour

Main article:The All-New Super Friends Hour

The All-New Super Friends Hourfeatured four animated shorts per program. Wendy, Marvin, and Wonder Dog were dropped from this and all future TV iterations ofSuper Friends,and were replaced byWonder TwinsZan and Jayna, and their pet monkey,Gleek.Unlike Wendy and Marvin, Zan and Jayna had super powers. A total of 15 episodes were produced.Darrell McNeilof the Hanna-Barbera animation studios later explained the change in cast:

When the decision was made by ABC to renewSuper Friendsthree years after the first series' 1973 production, ABC and Hanna-Barbera wanted to ramp up (as much as they could) the series' action content. And since we were rampingthatup, that meant making all of our cast a bit more serious, and giving our five leads a bit more backup than three non-powered sidekicks. [New sidekicks] also helped emphasize the 'New' inAll-New Super Friends.[emphasis in original]

The show followed a basic format each week. The first segment of every show featured two of the heroes (for the purposes of the team-ups in the first and fourth segments, Batman and Robin were considered one hero) teaming up in a separate mini-story. The second segment featured a story with the Wonder Twins. The third segment was considered the primary adventure of the week, featuring the entire Super Friends roster (including the Wonder Twins) in a longer adventure. The fourth and final segment featured a story with one of the primary lineup and a "special guest star". This segment typically featured a problem that was solved using the guest star's unique abilities.

Between segments there were short spots with members of the Super Friends giving basic safety lessons, providing first-aid advice, demonstrating magic tricks, creating crafts, and presenting a two-part riddle featuring the week's primary plot line. This was the first season to feature two villains appearing in the comic books,Black MantaandGentleman Ghost.Each appeared in only one episode this season and each was somewhat modified for television. Black Manta's costume was not black and he was only referred to as "Manta". The Gentleman Ghost was referred to as "Gentleman Jim Craddock" which is his human name in the comics.

1978–1979 seasonSuper Friends/Challenge of the Superfriends

Main article:Challenge of the Superfriends

The next season ofSuper Friendsfeatured two segments:

First segment:Super Friendsepisodes

The first segment of the program featured the established group of heroes: Superman, Batman and Robin, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and the Wonder Twins and Gleek. They were rerun with intro from theAll-New Super FriendsHour when in syndication in the early 1980s, but they are seldom seen in syndication since then.

Second segment:Challenge of the Superfriends

The second half-hour of the show introduced theLegion of Doom,a team of 13 recurring foes who are the Super Friends' worst enemies. They used a swamp-based mechanical flying headquarters, the Hall of Doom, as a contrast to the Super Friends' gleaming Hall of Justice. A total of 16 episodes were produced.

Additional heroes who had previously appeared as guest stars were added to the roster as well, to make a total of 11. These includedThe Flash,Green Lantern,andHawkmanfrom DC Comics and three Hanna-Barbera creations to reflect diversity:Black Vulcan,Apache Chief,andSamurai.Despite the Riddler showing a set of playing cards with (from left to right) Gleek, Zan, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Batman, and Superman (which he then burns to ashes in his introduction in "Wanted: The Super Friends" ), the Wonder Twins and Gleek did not appear inChallenge.

TheChallenge of the Superfriendssegment was expanded to 90 minutes mid-season, with reruns of earlier episodes filling out the last half-hour.

1979–1980 season:The World's Greatest SuperFriends

Main article:The World's Greatest SuperFriends

In the fall of 1979, theSuper Friendsreturned to their prior format, bringing back the original set of five DC superheroes and Zan, Jayna, and Gleek. Eight half-hour episodes were created for this run, with the majority of the season consisting of rebroadcasts ofThe All-New Super Friends Hourfrom 1977 to 1978 and The Super Friends segments fromChallenge of the Superfriendsfrom 1978 to 1979. RenamedThe World's Greatest SuperFriends,this series began on September 22, 1979, and ran until September 27, 1980.

1980–1982 seasons:SuperFriends

Main article:Super Friends (1980 TV series)

RenamedSuperFriendsin 1980, the series changed formats again, abandoning the production of half-hour episodes and producing seven-minute shorts. Each episode ofSuperFriendswould feature a rerun from one of the previous six years and three new shorts. These new adventures featured appearances by the core group of five Super Friends and Zan, Jayna, and Gleek. There were also guest appearances from members previously depicted inChallenge of the Superfriendsand the Hanna-Barbera-created heroEl Dorado,who was added to the show in 1981 to provide additional cultural diversity.

This would prove to be one of the longer-lived incarnations of the series (three years). A total of 22 episodes were produced.

1982–1983 season:The Best of the Super Friends(reruns)

For the 1982–1983 television season ABC ran half-hour reruns of shows from the previous seven seasons, with none of the seven-minute shorts rebroadcast. ABC called the rerun packageThe Best of the Super Friends.

1983–1984 season: Cancellation and the "lost episodes"

Hanna-Barbera and Warner Bros. had created asyndicationpackage of the earlierSuper Friendsseries (co-distributed byLBS Communications); these were picked up by stations across the United States and typically broadcast on weekday afternoons. Not wishing to compete with the syndication programming, ABC dropped the series from the 1983–1984 Saturday morning television line-up. For the second time,Super Friendswas cancelled.

However, during this time Hanna-Barbera continued to produce new episodes with the Super Friends, with ABC's approval and funding.In total, 24 "lost episodes" were produced, but not aired in the United States that season; the series appeared in Australia. Three of these episodes were aired whenSuper Friendsreturned to Saturday-morning ABC television the following year. The remainder aired on the USA Network in 1995, as part of theSuperman/Batman Adventuresshow. The 1983 Lost Episodes ofSuper Friendswere released on DVD byWarner Home Entertainment(viaDC Comics Entertainment,Hanna-Barbera Cartoons,andWarner Bros. Family Entertainment) in April 2009.

1984–1985 season:SuperFriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show

Main articles:SuperFriends: The Legendary Super Powers ShowandSuper Powers Collection

Super Friendsreturned to ABC Saturday, September 8, 1984, with a new 30-minute program typically featuring two 11-minute stories per episode. This incarnation featured Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, and the Wonder Twins and Gleek, this time teamed up withFirestorm.In addition to this core group, episodes during this season also featured cameos by old (and new) Super Friends. The series ended August 31, 1985, and featured comic-book villains such asBrainiac,Lex Luthor,Mirror Master,Mr. Mxyzptlk,Darkseid,and his henchmen fromApokolips.This title of this season and the next featured the phrase "Super Powers" to tie in with atoy line of the same nameproduced byKenner.

1985–1986 season:The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians

Main article:The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians

In the fall of 1985, the next version of Hanna-Barbera's depiction of the DC Comics heroes began, although it no longer carried theSuper Friendsname. This series returned to a conventional lineup for the team, with a focus on teen membersCyborgand Firestorm. Once again headquartered at the Hall of Justice inMetropolis,the heroes battled such familiar foes asLex Luthor,Brainiac,theScarecrow,and recurring villainDarkseid.It also contained the only appearances in the series byThe Joker,The Penguin,theRoyal Flush Gang,andFelix Faust.

Notably, it is in this series that Batman's origin is depicted for the first time outside of comics and the first cartoon series. Batman and Robin chase The Scarecrow into Crime Alley, where Thomas and Martha Wayne were murdered, which triggers a fear-induced flashback. Additionally, in the same episode, Professor Jonathan Crane appears as the Scarecrow's secret identity, which was unknown to the authorities, allowing Scarecrow to use it to secretly sabotage the Super Friends' investigations until Batman managed to deduce his identity, leading to his arrest.

The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardianslasted one season before being canceled. The final new episode aired was "Escape From Space City" on October 26, 1985. This third cancellation would be the final one, andGalactic Guardiansmarked the end of Hanna-Barbera's 12-year run ofSuper Friends.

Characters

Main articles:List of Super Friends membersandList of Super Friends villains

The Justice League of America

The core group of five heroes made up the "Super Friends":

Aquaman(1973–1985) Batman(1973–1985) Robin(1973–1985) Superman(1973–1985) Wonder Woman(1973–1985) Firestorm(1984–1985) Cyborg(1985)

Other members and guest stars:

• The Flash(1973; 1977–1985)
• Plastic Man(1973)
• Green Arrow(1973)
• The Atom(1977; 1980–1983)
• Green Lantern(1977–1985)
• Hawkgirl(1977; 1980; 1983)
• Hawkman(1977–1978; 1980–1985)
• Rima the Jungle Girl(1977; 1980)
• Apache Chief(1977–1978; 1980–1984)
• Black Vulcan(1977–1978; 1980–1984)
• Samurai(1977–1978; 1980–1985)
• Abin Sur(1978)
• Superboy(1978; 1983)
• El Dorado(1982–1985)

Junior Super Friends:

• Wendy, Marvin and Wonder Dog(1973–1975)
• Wonder Twins: Zan and JaynaandGleek(1977–1984)

Supporting characters originally from DC comic books:

• Commissioner James Gordon
• Hippolyta
• Lois Lane
• Jimmy Olsen
• Alfred Pennyworth
• Perry White
• Solovar
• Steve Trevor

Legion of Doom

Thirteen villains composed theLegion of Doomduring theChallenge of the Superfriendsseason:

Bizarro Black Manta Brainiac Captain Cold Cheetah Giganta Gorilla Grodd

Solomon Grundy Lex Luthor The Riddler The Scarecrow Sinestro Toyman

Other DC Comics villains

Villains appearing independently from the Legion of Doom:

From Apokolips: Darkseid DeSaad Kalibak The Paradrones Bizarro's Clones: Cyzarro (Cyborg Bizarro) Firezarro (Firestorm Bizarro) Mr. Kltpzyxm (Mr. Mxyzptlk Bizarro) Wondezarro(Wonder Woman Bizarro) Alfred Bizarro (Bizarro of Batman's butler Alfred Pennyworth, appeared briefly inChallenge)

Felix Faust Gentleman Ghost The Joker Mirror Master Mr. Mxyzptlk The Penguin The Royal Flush Gang

Villains not adapted from the comic books

• The Alien Mummy
• The Anti-Matter Monster
• Barko
• Bigfoot creatures
• Blackbeard
• Bulgor the Behemoth
• The Brain Creatures
• The Capricorn Kid
• Captain Shark
• The Collector
• The Incredible Crude Oil Monster
• Darkon
• Dictor and the mysterious Time Creatures
• The Dollmaker
• Dracula
• Dr. Cranium
• Dr. Droid
• Dr. Frankenstein
• Dr. Fright
• Dr. Gulliver
• The Earthors
• The Enforcer
• Giant Snow Creature
• The Highway Angels
• The Hydronoids
• The Ice Demon
• Insecta and the Arthropods
• The Iron Cyclops
• John Palette
• The Junk Creature from the Dump
• Kareem Azaar
• Keelhaul Kelly
• King Arthur
• The Lion Men
• The Make Up Monster
• Mal Havok
• The Man Beasts Of Xra
• The Marsh Monster
• Medula and her Mind Maidens
• Mongor
• The Mummy Of Nazca
• The Mysterious Mutants of the Space Sphere
• Nartan
• Ocina and the Ancient Atlantean Warriors
• Old Man Holmes
• Orville Gump
• The Outlaws of Orion (Pack and Stardust)
• ThePhantom ZoneVillains (Hul, Logar, Rom-Lok)
• The Plant Creatures
• Professor Amy Zhan
• Professor Fearo
• Professor Korloff
• The Power Pirate
• The Robber Baron and Sleeves
• The Rock and Roll Space Bandits
• Rock Batman
• Rokan
• R.O.M.A.C.
• The Secret Four
• Scorpio
• Sculpin
• Sinbad and the Space Pirates
• Solderath and the Lava Men
• The Space Dolls
• The Evil Space Genie
• The Space Racers
• The Star Energy Creature
• The Super Enemies
• The Termites from Venus
• Torhana
• Tyrannic
• Vampiress, the Voodoo Vampire
• Yuna the Terrible
• Zarnum
• Zi-Kree
• The Zoons

DC characters who only appeared inSuper Friendscomics

• Batgirl
• Black Canary
• Black Orchid
• Chronos
• Doctor Mistof theGlobal Guardians
• Elongated Man
• Etrigan the Demon
• Green Fury
• Icemaidenof the Global Guardians
• Hector Hammond
• Huntress
• Jack O'Lanternof the Global Guardians
• The Little Mermaid of the Global Guardians
• Man-Bat
• Red Tornado
• Seraphof the Global Guardians
• Supergirl
• Swamp Thing
• Tasmanian Devilof the Global Guardians

References to the Justice League of America name

Beginning with the originalSuper Friendsseason, the opening narration describes the team's headquarters as "the great hall of the Justice League". The opening credits ofChallenge of the Superfriendsnames the Super Friends as theJustice League of America.In addition to the appearance of a JLA emblem on a communicator and a reference to a mission to repair the Justice League satellite, the Super Friends are often linked with the JLA. The Justice League satellite under repair is clearly the same design as theJustice League Satellitethat appeared in the comics at the time, but was shown to be substantially smaller than its comic book counterpart.

Notable voice actors

The voice of the Narrator was provided by actorTed Knightduring the early hour-long episodes.Bill Woodsontook over with the revival of the series in 1977. His signature line was "Meanwhile, back at the Hall of Justice...". The voices of Marvin and Wonder Dog as well as Mr. Mxyzptlk, Toyman, The Dollmaker, Darkseid, Kalibak, and The Joker were performed byFrank Welker.Adam Westprovided the voice of Batman inSuperFriends: The Legendary Super Powers ShowandThe Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians.Casey Kasemprovided the voice of Robin (and many others in the show).René Auberjonoislends his voice as DeSaad.

Reception

In January 2009,IGNlistedSuper Friendsas the 50th best animated television series.

DVD releases

Season		Episodes	Season premiere	Season finale	DVD title/volume	DVD release date and ASIN
						Region 1	Region 2	ASIN Number
	1	16	September 8, 1973	August 24, 1974	Super Friends - Season 1: Volume 1 Super Friends - Season 1: Volume 2	January 5, 2010 July 20, 2010		B002S3Y1LQ B003F3NE4S
	2	15	September 10, 1977	September 2, 1978	Super Friends - Season 2: The All-New Super Friends Hour, Volume 1 Super Friends - Season 2: The All-New Super Friends Hour, Volume 2	January 8, 2008 January 27, 2009		B000W2C28Y B001HRS8HW
	3	16	September 9, 1978	September 3, 1979	Super Friends - Season 3: Challenge of the Superfriends, The First Season Super Friends - Season 3, Volume 2	July 6, 2004 May 24, 2005		B00023E88U B0007XFZMS
	4	8	September 22, 1979	September 27, 1980	Super Friends - Season 4: The World's Greatest Super Friends, The Complete Series	April 23, 2013		B00CREAO9O
	5	24	September 13, 1980	September 1, 1981	Super Friends - Season 5: A Dangerous Fate, The Complete Series	July 23, 2013		B00CM0DIT6
	6	18	September 26, 1981	October 31, 1982	Super Friends - Season 6: Super Friends! Legacy Of Super Powers, The Complete Season Six (6 on DVD label)	October 8, 2013		B00DVKKWFE
	7	8	September 10, 1983	September 8, 1984	Super Friends - Season 7: Super Friends The Lost Episodes	August 11, 2009		B0027WNRV8
	8	16	September 8, 1984	August 31, 1985	Super Friends - Season 8: The Legendary Super Powers Show, The Complete Series	August 7, 2007		B000PC8AKK
	9	10	September 11, 1985	November 6, 1986	Super Friends - Season 9: The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians, The Complete Series	October 23, 2007		B000TSTEJG

Spin-offs

Legends of the Superheroes

Main article:Legends of the Superheroes

On January 18 and 25, 1979, Hanna-Barbera ran two one-hour live-action specials under the umbrella titleLegends of the Superheroes.The first special, subtitled "The Challenge", was loosely based on the Super Friends and the 1960sBatmanseries (played for laughs, but this time, including a laugh track) and included several other DC characters who replaced Samurai, Black Vulcan, and Apache Chief:Black Canary,the E-2HuntressHelena Wayne (a new DC character, gathering her own following inAll-StarandAdventure ComicsJSA runs as a JSA member), andCaptain Marvel(who had previously had his own live action series through Filmation studios). The second special, entitled "The Roast", featuredEd McMahonas emcee of the roast, along the lines ofThe Dean Martin Celebrity Roastspecials. Due to Warner Bros.' contracts on Wonder Woman (already being used in her own live action series in whichLynda Carterstarred) and Superman (in his own live-action theatrical movie at the time, portrayed byChristopher Reeve), they were unable to be featured on the specials.

The Plastic Man Comedy Adventure Show

Main article:The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show

Plastic Man appeared in the first season ofSuper Friends,in one episode. Later,Ruby-Spears Productionsreleased a series starring the character in his own solo adventures.

Batman

A Batman animated series was also considered in the mid-1980s, presumably withAdam Westreprising his role as the voice of Batman."The Fear" was written as a pilot episode for the series, but was instead adapted in to an episode ofThe Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians.

The New Teen Titans

In 1983, a cartoon based uponThe New Teen Titanscomics began development. It was created as a companion for theSuper Friends,to be set in the same continuity. Robin was not going to be featured in the cartoon though, at least not as a regular, since in theSuper Friendsuniverse, he was a member of the Justice League. LikeSuper Friends,the show was to be developed by Hanna-Barbera for ABC, but since shows likeThe Smurfs(airing onNBC) were so popular at the time, this show was never picked up by the network. The show would have featuredWonder Girlas the leader, along withCyborg,Kid Flash,Changeling,RavenandStarfire.Although the show failed to get picked up, a television commercial with asubstance abusetheme did feature the Titans, as they would have appeared in the animated series, along with a new superhero named "The Protector" who would have been the replacement character for Robin. A Teen Titans animated TV program was eventuallyproduced,adding Robin and removing Wonder Girl, Kid Flash and The Protector.

DC Super Friends

Main article:Imaginext § DC Super Friends

Fisher-Pricedeveloped a toy line named DC Super Friends featuring DC Comics characters as toys for young children. A comic book series and direct-to-video original animation calledThe Joker's Playhouse(2010) was developed to tie-in. The video features the World's Greatest Super Friends theme, allusions to the Legion of Doom, and the Super Friends and their Hall of Justice.

Comic books

Super Friends

The first use of theSuper Friendsname on aDC Comicspublication was inLimited Collectors' Edition#C-41 (December 1975-January 1976) which reprinted stories fromJustice League of America#36 and 61 and featured a new framing sequence by writerE. Nelson Bridwelland artistAlex Toth.DC published acomic bookversion of theSuper Friendsfrom November 1976 to August 1981. The comic book series was launched by E. Nelson Bridwell and artistRic Estrada.Zan and Jayna were given back stories and secret identities as a pair of blond-haired high school kids; they were more competent heroes than their cartoon counterparts.

While the television cartoons were not part of the same fictional universe as the DC comic books, writer E. Nelson Bridwell made the comic book accord with the other DC titles viafootnotes.An example of trying to fitSuper Friendsinto the DC Universe:

• Wendy, Marvin and Wonder Dog were the only ones active at the Hall of Justice, because the Justice League are in the 30th Century with theJustice Society(as shown inJustice League of America#147–148). Robin was busy helping the Titans inTeen Titans#50-52. Bridwell also gave them last names and ties to the other characters' histories; Wendy Harris was the niece of detective Harvey Harris (who helped trainBatman) and Marvin White was the son of Diana Prince (the woman who helped provideWonder Womanwith a secret identity upon her arrival in America). While the show never explained the departure of Wendy, Marvin and Wonder Dog, the story was found inSuper Friends#6–9.

The argument for the comic being part of the Earth-One continuity also included the fact that certain elements of the series impacted other books in the DC line:

1. TNT's appearance in Kandor in an issue ofSuperman Familythat references events exclusively fromSuper Friendsissue #12.

2. Sinestro's lack of a power ring in an issue ofThe Brave and The Boldafter the ring was destroyed inSuper Friendsissue #46.

3. Superman already being familiar with Dr. Mist and the international heroes inDC Comics Presentsafter meeting them inSuper Friendsissues #7–9 and #12–13.

Because the Super Friends stories were referenced in and the events in them remembered by the characters in the core DC superhero titles - for example, inJustice League of America#155 (June 1978 - Red Tornado remembers using his powers to break the time barrier, which he did inSuper Friends#8) - they have to be considered part of the Pre-Crisis Earth 1 ensemble of stories.

In 2008, DC began publishing a newSuper Friendscomic book starring Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash (Wally West) and Green Lantern (John Stewart). Based on the eponymousImaginexttoyline, it is aimed at children (being part of theJohnny DCimprint), with an art style reminiscent to that of Marvel'sSuper Hero Squad.Written by Sholly Fisch with art mainly from Dario Brizuela,Stewart McKennyandJ. Bone(who was cover artist throughout the series), it ran for 29 issues, from May 2008 to September 2010.

Collected Editions

• Super Friends: For Justice!(collects #1-7)
• Super Friends: Calling All Super Friends(collects #8-14)
• Super Friends: Head of the Class(collects #15-21)
• Super Friends: Mystery In Space(collects #22-28)
• DC Goes Ape(576 pages, October 2008,ISBN978-1401219352) collects #30
• DC Through the 80s: The End of Eras(520 pages, December 2020,ISBN978-1779500878) collects #36
• Super Friends: Saturday Morning Comics
  • Volume 1 (520 pages, June 2020,ISBN978-1401295424) collects #1-26,Aquateers Meet the Super Friends,and the Super Friends stories fromLimited Collectors' EditionC-41 and C-46
  • Volume 2 (488 pages, December 2020,ISBN978-1779505927) collects #27-47

Extreme Justice

In the comics, the Wonder Twins were members of the short-livedJLIoffshoot,Extreme Justice.

Young Justice

Young Justicewas a comic series that followed the adventures of a group composed of the latest teen superheroes of the late 1990s and early 2000s, includingRobin,Superboy,ImpulseandWonder Girl.Towards the end of the run, Young Justice was involved in a mission which required them to invade an island whose population was made up of super-villains. To conduct a successful attack, the core team assembled all the then-known teen heroes (including theWonder Twins). As inExtreme Justice,neither spoke English and both seemed to enjoy eating CDs. Unlike their cartoon counterparts, the Wonder Twins were rude and sarcastic.

Super Buddies

Main article:Super Buddies

The lighthearted nature of the show was spoofed in the 2000s with two DCminiseries,Formerly Known as the Justice LeagueandI Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League!(although these series were more direct take-offs on the 1980sBlue Beetle/Booster Gold-eraJustice League). In these miniseries the group is known as the "Super Buddies", and consists of a team of ex-Justice League members. A television advertisement for the team shows them posing in the postures of the originalSuper Friendstitle card.

Teen Titans

As of issue #34 (2006), Wendy and Marvin were part of the DC continuity. They are nowfraternal twins(a nod to theirSuper Friendssuccessors, the Wonder Twins), engineering geniuses (having graduated from theMassachusetts Institute of Technologyat age 16), and are employed atTitans Toweras maintenance crew and mechanical troubleshooters. They were responsible for restoring Titans memberCyborgto full functionality after he sustained damage to his artificial body parts during the events of theInfinite Crisismini-series. Wonder Dog was also introduced into the series, although (unlike the cartoon) he was not a lovable sidekick and pet, but a murderous, shape-shifting demon dog who was sent to Titans Tower to kill the team. Wonder Dog killed Marvin and attacked Wendy, leaving her crippled from the waist down. Wendy is a supporting character in theBatgirlseries, where she receives help accepting her disabilities from former BatgirlBarbara Gordon.

Justice League of America

During the events of the 2005 company-wideInfinite Crisiscrossover theJustice League Watchtowerwas destroyed bySuperboy-Prime,leaving the JLA without a base of operations. To that end, the team established the Hall of Justice in Washington, D.C. to act as an embassy for the team and an emergency base of operations if needed. In the continuity of the comics, the Hall was designed byGreen Lanternand Wonder Woman. InJustice League of America#46 (2010)Samuraimade his first appearance in theDC Universe,where he was shown as one of the heroes driven temporarily insane byAlan Scott.

Wizardmagazine

Issue #77 ofWizardmagazine parodied the Super Friends; the JLA was sent through a dimensional rift and met some of the Super Friends. AfterMartian Manhunterused his Martian vision to melt the villain and his machine (much to Green Lantern's dismay: "You have to trick him into leaving, or shutting off his machine, NOT direct physical violence!" ), the Super Friends decided to send the Justice Leaguers back to their own dimension. As a jest, the magazine also ran anApril Fool'spromotion for a Wonder Twins special by painterAlex Ross.The book, entitledWonder Twins: Form of Water,was to be one of Alex Ross' oversized books chronicling the Justice League. The plot would see Zan and Jayna using their powers to help the Earth's famine- and drought-stricken nations after their monkey, Gleek, contracted super-rabies from severe dehydration.

Superman and Batman: World's Funnest

In theElseworldsone-shotSuperman and Batman: World's Funnest,Bat-Miteand Mr. Mxyzptlk travel to different worlds within the DC Universe. On one of them, they encounter the Super Friends.

The Super Friends in other DC media

Superman: The Animated Series

In theSuperman: The Animated Seriestwo-part episode "Apokolips... Now!", Superman is fighting theParademonsin Metropolis. In the background is a building resembling the Hall of Justice, referred to in dialogue as "Metropolis Plaza". This was likely a reference to Darkseid's forces previously appearing in the final two seasons ofSuper Friends.

Gen¹³

In theGen¹³film, the Super Friends were name dropped byGrungetoward the end of the film. When it was unanimously decided thatCaitlin Fairchild,FreefallandGrungewere going to become asuperhero teamunder the tutelage ofJohn Lynch;Grunge said"We'll be just like...like the Super Friends!"

Justice League

At the end of "Secret Origins", the premiere three-episode arc ofJustice League,Superman proposes the formation of a superhero coalition including himself, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash (Wally West), the Green Lantern (John Stewart), the Martian Manhunter, and Hawkgirl. In a direct reference (and perhaps a criticism of the somewhat silly name), the Flash jokingly asks if such a team would be called "Super Friends". Superman relabels the guild as the "Justice League".

Justice League Unlimited

In the animated seriesJustice League Unlimited,Gorilla Grodd reforms hisSecret Societythis time an even larger group of villains. While not called the Legion of Doom (due to DC executives disallowing the creative team from using the name), theirheadquartersis a craft similar to the Hall of Doom, located in a swamp. Additionally, the Justice League's Metro Tower headquarters in Metropolis strongly resembled the Hall of Justice.

TheUltimen,loosely based on characters created for the Super Friends, appear in the episode "Ultimatum", as allies and later antagonists to the League. The Ultimen consisted ofLong Shadow(based onApache Chiefand voiced byGregg Rainwater),Juice(based onBlack Vulcanand voiced by an uncreditedCCH Pounderin a digitally-altered voice),Wind Dragon(based onSamuraiand voiced byJames Sie), andDownpour and Shifter(based on theWonder Twinsand voiced byGrey DeLisle). They are a group of superheroes created byProject Cadmusto be loyal to the government, withMaxwell Lordas their manager. Additionally, they are genetically unstable and have short lifespans, being continuously cloned and implanted with false memories.

The Batman

The animated seriesThe Batmanfeatured a modified version of theJLA Watchtowerwhich closely resembled the Hall of Justice.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold

The Hall of Justice appeared in theBatman: The Brave and the Boldepisode "Sidekicks Assemble!", with a pastiche of the music played when the Hall appeared inSuper Friends.

Smallville

The Wonder Twins appeared in theSmallvilleepisode "Idol", with Zan played byDavid Gallagherand Jayna played byAllison Scagliotti.Gleek did not appear physically, but a cartoonish image of him was shown on each of the twins' cellphones.

Young Justice

The Hall of Justice was featured inYoung Justiceas the Justice League's decoy base of operations. Additionally, Wendy and Marvin appear as classmates ofConner KentandMegan Morse.The members of theInjustice Leagueoperate out of a base resembling the Legion's Hall of Doom.

In the second season, approximations of the minority members created forSuper Friends(similar to the Ultimen example above) are introduced as teenagers given powers by theReach.The group consists ofTye Longshadow(Apache Chief),Asami "Sam" Koizumi(Samurai) andEduardo "Ed" Dorado Jr.(El Dorado). The exception is Black Vulcan, whose place is taken byMilestone MediaheroStatic(though Black Lightning also appears in the series).

DC Nation Shorts

The title of theSuper Best Friends ForeverDC Nation Shortsis a play on the titleSuper Friends.Additionally, Black Vulcan's costume can be seen in the background of the firstBlack Lightningshort. TheFarm Leaguecarries several homages to the Super Friends including its narrator, characters used and graphics.

Teen Titans Go!

In theTeen Titans Go!Two-Parterepisode, the Titans go to the Hall of Justice to use the pool, as later, they become members of the Justice League to save the Justice League members from Darkseid, this sequence parodies the introduction of the super heroes as in theSuper Friendsseries.

In the episode "You're Fired", Beast Boy is fired from the Teen Titans, and a competition is held to find his replacement. The eventual winners are the Wonder Twins.

Arrowverse

The shows set inThe CW'sArrowversehave featured multiple references to theSuper Friends.

In the pilot episode ofSupergirl,Winn Schottconsiders calling the group ofSupergirl / Kara Zor-Eland her allies (himself,James Olsen,andAlex Danvers) "The Super Friends". In the fourth season episode, "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?",Kara forms a small team of heroes that includes herself,Brainiac 5,The Dreamer,and theMartian Manhunterand directly calls them "The Super Friends". In the fifth-season episode, "Back From the Future - Part One",the S.T.A.R. Labs base is noted to be called the Hall of Justice in the future.

In the "Invasion"cross-over event, acrossSupergirl,The Flash,ArrowandLegends of Tomorrow,the secretS.T.A.R. Labsbase used by the heroes was based on the Hall of Justice. Also later on in that season,Barryand Supergirl sing a duet called "Super Friends" to escape theMusic Meister's musical.

Season 2 ofLegends of Tomorrowfeatures multiple references toSuper Friends,including the villainous group being dubbed the "Legion of Doom" byNate Heywood;in the episode "Doomworld",the new design of S.T.A.R. Labs in the altered timeline resembles the Hall of Doom. In the final scene of"Crisis on Infinite Earths",Barry repurposed the secret S.T.A.R. Labs base previously used in" Invasion! "as the headquarters for Earth-Prime's heroes. In the closing moments of the crossover, the unnamed team is disrupted by the confusing sound of laughter (revealed to be an escaped Gleek, hinting at a possible future inclusion of the character and/or Wonder Twins). Afterwards, the camera pans out to the headquarters as music based on the original series plays in the background.

The Lego Batman Movie

InThe Lego Batman Movie,the cast of theSuper Friendsare seen celebrating an anniversary party in the Fortress of Solitude, which Batman was not invited to, featuring characters like El Dorado, The Wonder Twins, Gleek and Wonder Dog.

Tommorowverse

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths- Part 3

The All-New Super Friends Hour incarnation of the Super Friends made their return in the July 2024 final installment of the Tommorowverse, Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths- Part 3, with the team consisting of Superman, Batman, Dick Grayson/ Robin, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and the Wonder Twins.

It is established that the Super Friends exist on Earth-508. Their appearance is brief, however, as their world is destroyed by an anti-matter wave sent by theAnti-Monitor.

Video games

Injustice: Gods Among Us

The Hall of Justice is a playable stage inInjustice: Gods Among Us.

Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham

InLego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham,the Hall of Justice is one of the game's hubs, while the Hall of Doom and the surrounding swamp environs are explorable areas.

Toys

Super Powers Collection

Main article:Super Powers Collection

The Super Powers toy line (and associated tie-in merchandise) was based on the final two seasons ofSuper Friends.Samurai, an original character from the show, and the Hall of Justice were both released. Plans for future waves from Super Powers would have also included Apache Chief, El Dorado, Black Vulcan and the Wonder Twins.

Justice League Unlimited

Main article:DC Universe: Justice League Unlimited Fan Collection

The toy line based onJustice League Unlimitedreleased a three pack of figures from characters created forSuper Friends,namely Black Vulcan, Apache Chief and Samurai. They were chosen over the Ultimen characters that actually appeared in the JLU animated series: Juice, Long Shadow and Wind Dragon.

DC Super Friends

Fisher-Price began to produce DC Comics characters in a kid-friendly toyline named after theSuper Friends.

DC Universe Classics

Main article:DC Universe Classics

Paying homage to Super Powers, DC Universe Classics produced originalSuper Friendscharacters such as Apache Chief, Black Vulcan, El Dorado, Samurai and the Wonder Twins.

External links

• Super FriendsatIMDb
• Will's UltimateSuper FriendsEpisode Guide!
• Super Friends@ BatmanYTB
• Super Friendsat Pazsaz
• Super Friendsat Legions of Gotham