The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians

The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes that ran in 1985. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and is based on the Justice League and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics.

Summary

In the Fall of 1985, the final version of Hanna-Barbera's Super Friends premiered. The Justice League of America (now called the Super Powers Team, to tie-in with the Super Powers Collection toyline then being produced by Kenner) were once again headquartered at the Hall of Justice in Metropolis, and battled familiar foes such as Darkseid, Lex Luthor and Scarecrow.

Amidst those changes, another change in the series was the absence of a narrator in every episode. Furthermore, the majority of the original recurring characters of the series were eliminated outside of Samurai and El Dorado, while Firestorm and Cyborg join the team.

The story lines in many of the 1985 episodes were also a bit more dramatic compared to previous installments. The only episodes that featured the old Super Friends style and charm were "The Bizarro Super Powers Team" and "The Case of the Stolen Powers". Except where noted as a short, each episode was 30 minutes long. The show lasted only one season on ABC, marking the end of Hanna-Barbera's 12-year run of the Super Friends.

Characters

The Super Powers Team aka The Justice League

Superman Wonder Woman Batman Robin Cyborg Aquaman

Firestorm Hawkman Green Lantern The Flash Samurai El Dorado

Apokolips villains

• Darkseid – Following on from the previous season, Darkseid still had two goals: conquer Earth, and marry Wonder Woman; despite his power, the Super Powers Team managed to best him time and again. He was voiced by Frank Welker, using the same deep, growling voice he used for Dr. Claw in Inspector Gadget and Soundwave in The Transformers.
• DeSaad
• Kalibak
• Parademons – The Parademons (voiced by Frank Welker) are Darkseid's foot soldiers. They are referred to as Para-Drones for censorship purposes.

Individual villains

• Lex Luthor only appeared briefly at the beginning of "The Seeds of Doom".
• The Joker appears in the episode "The Wild Cards".
• The Royal Flush Gang appears in the episode "The Wild Cards".
• Scarecrow appears in the episode "The Fear".
• Brainiac appears in the episode "Brain Child".
• Felix Faust appears in the episode "The Case of the Stolen Powers".
• The Penguin
• Mister Mxyzptlk – in this series, Mxyzptlk's name is pronounced as Miks-ill-plik (backwards, Kilp-ill-skim) and he takes to tormenting all the members of the team, even when Superman is absent.
• Bizarro
• Mister Kltpzyxm is Mxyzptlk's Bizarro counterpart.
• Bizarra is Wonder Woman's Bizarro counterpart.
• Cyzarro is Cyborg's Bizarro counterpart.
• Firezarro is Firestorm's Bizarro counterpart.

Cast

• Jack Angel – Flash / Barry Allen, Hawkman, Samurai
• René 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")
• Patty 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")
• G. Stanley 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 – 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
• Eugene Williams – King (in "The Wild Cards")
• Bill Woodson – Narrator

Home media

• On October 23, 2007, Warner Home Video (via DC Entertainment, Hanna-Barbera Productions and Warner Bros. Family Entertainment) released the complete series of The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians on DVD, containing all 10 episodes of the ninth and final Super Friends series was intended to be unedited and uncut, and presented in its original broadcast presentation and original airdate order, but one episode "The Bizarro Super Powers Team" is missing its title card on the DVD and "Escape From Star City" was the actual final episode (#8). On the DVD, "The Death of Superman" is mistakenly listed as episode #8 on disc 2, despite listed as episode #7 (the true number) on the DVD packaging. The author of The Ultimate Super Friends guide suggests that this should have been the final episode because it starred all the members of The Super Powers Team, despite broadcast as episode #7. In truth, the final episode "Escape From Star City" has the united team of the core founding members for the first and last time as Aquaman appears in an active role in this episode.

DVD name	Ep No.	Release date
The Complete Series	10	October 23, 2007

In addition, the episodes "The Death of Superman" and "The Seeds of Doom" were included on Warner's 25 Cartoon Collection: DC Comics, released on August 27, 2013. Those episodes were included on disc 2 of Warner's The Best of Superman, released on June 4 the same year.

External links

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