The Enduring Legacy of the 'Super Friends' Beyond the Original Series

The Big Picture

Super Friends, the beloved cartoon series, debuted in 1973 and went through many iterations, with a total of 9 different series over the years.

The original Super Friends series aimed to educate viewers on environmental issues, steering clear of violence and any affiliations with the military. Noteworthy additions to the series included beloved characters like the Wonder Twins and the Legion of Doom, setting the stage for subsequent incarnations of the Justice League, such as Justice League Unlimited.

For many individuals, Saturday mornings were a time of comfort in their pajamas, indulging in cereal, and being immersed in a captivating lineup of animated shows. Even today, names like The Flintstones or Captain Caveman evoke nostalgic sentiments. Nevertheless, only a few cartoons managed to maintain a constant presence on the airwaves during the era of Saturday morning cartoons. Scooby-Doo, for instance, seemed to have an everlasting presence on television. It all began with the debut of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! in 1969 and continued with A Pup Named Scooby-Doo in 1988, encompassing various iterations in between and beyond (including the infamously disliked introduction of Scrappy-Doo in 1979's Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo). Another enduring cartoon during this period was Super Friends, which brought DC Comics' Justice League of America to life from 1973 to 1986. Like Scooby-Doo, the Super Friends underwent numerous transformations during this time, boasting a total of 9 distinct series, each slightly diverging from the others. And so, without further delay, let us delve into the captivating history of the various incarnations of Super Friends.

Image via ABCDC Super Friends

The DC Comics superheroes join forces to uphold justice and are assisted by a group of young proteges.

Release Date: September 8, 1973

Cast: Casey Kasem, Olan Soule, Frank Welker, Michael Bell

Main Genre: Animation

Seasons: 9

'Super Friends' Debuts in 1973 With One-Time "Junior Super Friends"

Image via ABC

ABC acquired the rights to DC Comics characters in 1973, aiming to adapt the renowned Justice League of America superhero team for television. Collaborating with Hanna-Barbera, they sought to create a non-violent series that would not offend parents or advocacy groups. Hanna-Barbera, wanting to steer clear of any military associations during the Vietnam War era, decided to name the project Super Friends, removing the "of America" to avoid accusations of patriotism.

Their objectives were successfully met through 16 episodes, each featuring a standalone story lasting 45 minutes. The series focused on the team's efforts to educate viewers about environmental issues such as climate change, pollution, drilling, and other societal problems. The main characters included Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Robin, and Aquaman, accompanied by three "Junior Super Friends" named Wendy, Marvin, and Wonder Dog. Although the trio lacked superpowers, Wonder Dog possessed the ability to speak, resembling Scooby-Doo. This team of Junior Super Friends did not appear in any subsequent series. Notably, the 1973 series marked the sole appearance of Plastic Man alongside the Super Friends before he received his own show. Unfortunately, the series was canceled in 1974.

'Super Friends' Introduces the Wonder Twins in 1977 and the Legion of Doom in 1978

Image via ABC

Super Friends was rebroadcasted from 1976 to 1977, but no new content was released until September 1977 when The All-New Super Friends Hour debuted. The original trio of Wendy, Marvin, and Wonder Dog were replaced by alien shape-shifters called the Wonder Twins - Zan and Jayna - along with their space monkey Gleek. The series was divided into four segments. The first segment featured two main heroes teaming up for an adventure. The second segment focused on the Wonder Twins, with stories aimed towards a teenage audience. The third segment included the entire crew of the Super Friends, including the Wonder Twins. The fourth segment consisted of team-ups between one of the primary Super Friends and a guest hero. Notably, this series introduced three ethnically diverse superheroes: Black Vulcan, Samurai, and Apache Chief. Black Vulcan was an African-American with lightning powers, similar to Black Lightning. Samurai was a Japanese hero with the ability to control wind and fire, become invisible, and create illusions. Apache Chief, a Native American, possessed the ability to alter his size, had ESP, understanding of all languages, and possessed exceptional tracking and survival skills. Another Mexican superhero, El Dorado, didn't appear on the show until 1981.

1978 witnessed the arrival of Challenge of the Superfriends, which is arguably the most well-known series among the Super Friends. Each episode consisted of two segments. The first segment featured the standard adventures of the Super Friends, similar to the third segment of The All-New Super Friends Hour. However, the second segment, named Challenge of the Superfriends, marked a significant milestone in the Super Friends series as it introduced the DC super villains from the comics, known as the Legion of Doom. Led by Lex Luthor (Stanley Jones) from their murky swamp headquarters, the Legion of Doom comprised twelve other notorious villains including Riddler (Michael Bell), Brainiac (Ted Cassidy), Giganta (Ruth Forman), and Sinestro (Don Messick). Every week, the Legion of Doom meticulously plotted to conquer the world through elaborate schemes designed to destroy the Justice League (excluding the Wonder Twins and Gleek). Despite their best efforts, the Legion of Doom would consistently fail, only to evade capture and regroup to plan their next diabolical scheme the following Saturday. The World's Greatest Super Friends marked the end of the 1970s Super Friends era, primarily featuring reruns of The All-New Super Friends Hour and Challenge of the Superfriends. Interestingly, the original eight episodes were not entirely original, borrowing elements from classics such as The Wizard of Oz and 1,001 Arabian Nights.

‘Super Friends’ Paved the Way for ‘Justice League Unlimited’

Image via ABC

SuperFriends kicked off the 1980s with a new format. The series was now divided into three seven-minute shorts along with a rerun of a previous season. These new shorts introduced the Super Friends teaming up with the newly introduced character, El Dorado. This was the most intriguing aspect of the latest series. However, unlike the previous seven series, the 1982-1983 installment titled The Best of the Super Friends was merely a compilation of reruns and did not include any of the seven-minute shorts.

The year 1983 proved to be an unusual one for Super Friends as most North American viewers did not have the opportunity to see the 24 "lost episodes." ABC had canceled The Best of the Super Friends, leaving no time slot available. Yet, fans in Australia were fortunate enough to watch three-story episodes that showcased unique team-ups between heroes and a range of villains. As mentioned in the Decider column, one of these episodes even featured a showdown between Gorilla Grodd and Gleek.

The penultimate series of Super Friends, titled SuperFriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show, debuted in 1984. This series was tied to Kenner's Super Powers toy and merchandise line, which was a common practice for cartoons released during the 1980s. Unlike previous series, this one introduced changes, such as replacing the Wonder Twins and Gleek with the teen hero Firestorm (Mark Taylor) and having Adam West voice Batman. The series also featured established super villains from the comics, including Darkseid (Frank Welker) and Mister Mxyzptlk (Welker), alongside Lex Luthor and Brainiac (Stanley Ralph Ross), as part of the Legion of Doom. Each episode consisted of two 11-minute stories, totaling half an hour. The final series of Super Friends, called The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians, was somewhat lackluster with only eight episodes. Six of these episodes were single-story episodes, while the other two had two stories.

Despite its short duration, Galactic Guardians had significant moments. It introduced Cyborg (Ernie Hudson) as a Super Friend, featured the Joker (Frank Welker) in his only appearance in the series, and presented Batman's origin story for the first time on screen, including the iconic scene of his parents being shot in a Gotham alleyway in the episode "The Fear." Although Super Friends came to an end with Galactic Guardians, DC's characters continued to appear in other cartoon series like Justice League Unlimited. ABC and Hanna-Barbera successfully concluded the Super Friends team, something that the Legion of Doom could never accomplish.

Super Friends is available for purchase on Prime Video in the U.S.

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