Defenders of the Earth

Synopsis of Saturday Morning Show

Defenders of the Earth teamed up famous comic strip crimefighters with their descendants in the year 2015 A.D. The heroes were Flash Gordon, outer space adventurer; The Phantom, the mysterious “Ghost Who Walks” from the jungles of Africa; Mandrake the Magician, a hypnotist with supernatural powers; and Lothar, Mandrake’s inhumanly strong assistant. All four had been around since the 1930’s in serialized comic form, as had intergalactic villain Ming the Merciless, a dictator bent on universal domination who carried his grudge into the new millennium.

The second-generation crimefighters had special abilities of their own: Rick Gordon (Flash’s son), was a scientific genius; Jedda (daughter of The Phantom) had telekinetic powers; Kshin (an Asian boy adopted by Mandrake) was a martial arts expert; and Lothar, Jr. (or L.J.) inherited his father’s super strength. Similarly, Ming’s son inherited his father’s mad desire for power.

The four young heroes trained in a holographic chamber reminiscent of the X-Men’s “Danger Room,” where illusionary dangers prepared them to face real ones. When the real dangers came, it was often as not the younger generation who saved the day and the earth, which they managed to do for 65 syndicated episodes.

Release History

1986 - ? syndicated

TV Sub Categories

animated
sci-fi/fantasy
action/adventure

TV Studio

King Features Syndicate/Marvel

Television Cast

Flash Gordon Lou Richards
Rick Gordon Loren Lester
Mandrake the Magician Peter Renaday
Lothar Buster Jones
Jedda Walker Sarah Partridge
Ming the Merciless William Callaway
Prince Crotan Hal Rayle
Voices Adam Carl
Voices Ron Feinberg
Voices Diane Pershing
Voices Peter Mark Richman
Voices Dion Williams

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