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ThunderCats follows the adventures of the eponymous team of heroes,
cat-like humanoid aliens from the planet of Thundera. The series pilot begins with the dying
Thundera meeting its end, forcing the ThunderCats (a sort of Thunderean
nobility) to flee their homeworld. The fleet is attacked by the Thundereans's
enemies, the Mutants of Plun-Darr,
who destroy all the starships in the "ThunderFleet," but spare the flagship
hoping to capture the legendary Sword of Omens they believe is onboard. The
sword holds the mystical Eye of Thundera, the source of the ThunderCats's power,
embedded in the hilt. Though the Mutants damage the flagship, the power of the
Eye drives them back, and Lion-O's elderly guardian, Jaga, Voluteers to pilot
the ship to the safety of the world of "Third Earth"; however, he dies in the
process, because someone had to fly the ship, and because The journey to Third
Earth takes several decades even with advanced interstellar spacecraft. The
flagship contains the young Lord of the ThunderCats, Lion-O, as well as the
ThunderCats Cheetara, Panthro, Tygra, WilyKit and WilyKat, and Snarf.
When the ThunderCats awake from their suspended animation on Third Earth,
Lion-O discovers that his suspension capsule has failed to inhibit his aging,
and he is now a child in the body of a man. Together, the ThunderCats and the
friendly natives of Third Earth construct the "Cat's Lair," their new home and
headquarters, but before long, the Mutants have tracked them down to Third
Earth. The intrusion of these two alien races upon the world does not go
unnoticed, however - the demonic, mummified sorcerer, Mumm-Ra, recruits the
Mutants to aid him in his campaign to acquire the Eye of Thundera and destroy
the ThunderCats so that his evil might continue to hold sway over Third Earth
Lion-O (character voice provided by Larry Kenney) — The leader, and the hereditary
"Lord of the ThunderCats." Lion-O, based on the lion, wields the legendary Sword of Omens, able to fire
bolts of energy and allow Lion-O to see across great distances with its power of
"Sight Beyond Sight," and the Claw Shield, a gauntlet that launches grappling
lines from its claws. Very handsome, as described by Cheetara. A mere child of
twelve years old at the time of Thundera's destruction, Lion-O aged to adulthood
during the trip to Third Earth when his suspension capsule failed to prevent him
from aging too much, a malfunction that did not occur with WilyKat and WilyKit,
who were around the same age as himself, though as Lion-O recalls in the series'
first episode, his mentor Jaga had mentioned that some aging does take place
while in the Suspension Capsules in which he and the other Thundercats were
placed when their flagship was damaged. Lion-O assumed that this was the reason
for his aging to adulthood, though he did not express any confusion regarding
why WilyKat and wilyKit had not also aged as he had, which seems to indicate
that he simply accepted it as a quirk of the capsules. Although cunning and
skillful, he is truly a child in a man's body, and throughout the series, must
learn what it takes to become a true leader and gain true maturity.
In the latter half of the show's first season, Lion-O has to put all that he
has learned to use in the "Anointment Trials," which consist of contests of
strength, speed, cunning and intelligence (this last is referred to as
"mind-power" in the story arc) against each of the other ThunderCats
(complicating matters for Lion-O is the fact that he is required to be unarmed
for the contests; moreover, the other ThunderCats are not permitted to assist
him. The Mutants attempt—ultimately without success—to take advantage of this
last in an effort to leave the ThunderCats leaderless). Ultimately triumphing
over Mumm-Ra in a final battle ("The Trial Of Evil") in the heart of the
villain's pyramid in which he discovers that Mumm-Ra, like any Egyptian mummy,
is dependent upon his sarcophagus, Lion-O is crowned the true Lord of the
ThunderCats in an august ceremony attended by nearly every inhabitant of Third
Earth. Lion-O also has the ability as Lord of the ThunderCats to command all
cats, as he demonstrated in his battle with the Snowman of Hook Mountain when he
commanded Snowmeow to halt.
Jaga (voice by Earl
Hammond) — Known as “Jaga the Wise,” based on the jaguar, this elder warrior was once regarded as the
greatest of all ThunderCats. An adviser and protector of the Lord’s family, it
was Jaga who gathered the nobles of the ThunderCats to escort Lion-O and the Eye
of Thundera to safety, but in his aged condition, he did not survive the trip to
Third Earth. However, Jaga does reappear on Third Earth as a spirit — seen only
by Lion-O at first, to guide him in his lessons and adventures. At times, he
appears before the other ThunderCats as well, such as when facing down Grune the
Destroyer, and when the ThunderCats need to rescue their fellow Thundereans.
When he was alive, Jaga also wielded the Sword of Omens and was a formidable
fighter in combat.
Tygra (voice by Peter Newman) — A staunch, level-headed
warrior, based on the tiger, Tygra is
known as the ThunderCat architect and scientist. He is the one Lion-O often
turns to as second-in-command and for counsel. He is responsible for the design
of all of the ThunderCat structures on Third Earth — the Cat’s Lair and the
Tower of Omens. He is also gifted with "mind-power" — the ability to create
life-like illusions in other people’s minds; he used this for Lion-O’s
Anointment Trial, but it puts a great strain on him. He uses a whip-like bolas in combat, with which he can render
himself invisible to the naked eye. In the episode "All That Glitters," Lion-O
instructs Tygra, "If I do not return, you will be the new Lord of the
ThunderCats." This verifies that indeed, Tygra is the second-in-command. Where
creators Ted Wolf and Leonard Starr described Panthro's character as
being based on "strength" and Cheetara's character as being based on "speed,"
Tygra's character was described as being based on "integrity."
Panthro (voice by Earle
Hyman) — The next noble and also the second eldest after Jaga (until Lynx-O
is introduced), based on the panther, this warrior is the chief
mechanic/engineer and pilot for the ThunderCats. He is also physically the
strongest and is a cunning warrior in combat, relying as much on martial arts as
on physical strength. With Tygra’s help, he builds all of the vehicles the
ThunderCats use on Third Earth — including the ThunderTank, the Feliner and the
ThunderClaw, ThunderStrike and HoverCat. A jovial soul, he is, however, also
quick to lose his temper and has a paralyzing fear of bats and a dislike of
spiders. In combat, he uses a pair of chained fighting sticks (nunchaku) with open-away cat-paws, which house several
chemical spray-compounds that he can use against foes. The spikes on his chest
bands can be used like projectile weapons or as rappelling lines.
Cheetara (voice by Lynne Lipton) — A female warrior, based on the cheetah, who is the only adult female
ThunderCat (until the later appearance of Pumyra). She is as lovely as she is
brave and caring. Often a voice of reason, she is also the bearer of a budding
"sixth sense," detecting when something is unsafe or if evil is near. This
precognitive sense, which Cheetara regards as a curse for the most part, also
allows her to perceive visions — whether involuntary or by forcing herself — but
can leave her very weak; she may require days to regain her strength. She has
incredible speed, once clocked at 120 m.p.h. on a morning jog. She can maintain
this speed only for brief periods, but with it, she is very fast in combat. Her
weapon of choice is a bo staff that can grow or shrink to variable lengths.
When not in use, it is attached to her left armband. One episode found Cheetara
mentally linked to an alien life form - a ship which had tapped into her 'sixth
sense.' It was hinted that she had, at one point, developed romantic feelings
towards Lion-O; yet the subject never came up after this episode, and the matter
was dropped from the series altogether.
WilyKit and WilyKat (WilyKat's voice by Peter Newman and WilyKit's voice
by Lynne Lipton) — Twin siblings (Kat, the boy, and Kit, the girl) who are the
youngest members of the ThunderCat team, both based on the wildcat; they are technically and jointly referred to
by the others as "ThunderKittens." They are the mischief-makers, and often have
their own lessons to learn alongside Lion-O while they live on Third Earth,
where they frequently use tricks and traps to combat evil. Kit is the more
adventurous, while Kat usually errs on the side of caution. Kit also appears to
be the more agile, and at times, she employs a rolling-attack against the enemy.
Their agility is often displayed when they ride their "space boards" — specially
designed flying devices shaped like Earth surfboards that can carry them over
long distances. Each uses special capsules, balls and other gimmick weapons
carried in pouches and on their belts. They sometimes use slingshots to fire
these at the Mutants or other foes. They also carry trick lariats, with which
they can either tangle and ensnare foes, or use to pull themselves out of
danger. In the first episode, they appeared to be slightly older than Lion-O,
but when they went into suspended animation, they did not age as far in their
suspension capsules as Lion-O did in his. WilyKit is the elder of the twins.
Mumm-Ra (voice by Earl Hammond) - The chief villain and antagonist
against the ThunderCats, the demon-priest Mumm-Ra is the self-proclaimed
"ever-living source of evil" on Third Earth, having powers of sorcery and an
apparently unlimited lifespan. He is, in fact, a bound servant to the Ancient
Spirits of Evil (represented by four anthropomorphic statues, resembling
oversized twisted mockeries of Egyptian canopic jars, within the
burial chamber of his pyramid), who provide him with increased power and virtual
immortality to further his pursuit of spreading their dark influence throughout
Third Earth.
Residing within the Black Pyramid amid the ruins of what appears to be an ancient Egyptian
civilization, Mumm-Ra exists in a decayed, weakened form that must return to a
stone sarcophagus to replenish his energy. When leaving the pyramid, he can
summon the power to transform himself into a more vigorous form: Mumm-Ra, the
Ever-Living by reciting the famous incantation: “Ancient spirits of evil,
transform this decayed form to Mumm-Ra, the Ever-Living!” While in this
form, Mumm-Ra possesses superhuman strength, the ability to fly, as well as
fortification of his mystical might — casting spells, throwing energy bolts,
etc. — to battle his foes. He can also alter his physical form into a variety of
alter-egos to deceive his enemies.
Seemingly invincible in whatever form he chooses, Mumm-Ra appears to have a
singular weakness: seeing his own hideous reflection neutralizes his ability to
remain outside the Black Pyramid and forces him to withdraw there in his
emaciated mummy form. However, as the second season began, the Ancient Spirits
of Evil eventually overcame this shortcoming to make Mumm-Ra even more
formidable. Above all, Mumm-Ra is a master of deception, and will use whatever
means necessary to fight against the forces of good. Mentioned in the second
episode (and other times through out the series), Mumm-Ra is said to pay a price
for leaving the pyramid, but exactly what this price was is never made
clear.
In later episodes, while endowing Mumm-Ra with his powers, the statues of the
Ancient Spirits of Evil come down from their perches, extend their arms over him
as the powers of evil flow into Mumm-Ra.
He also assumes alias forms to deceive the ThunderCats on various occasions.
Among these are: Diamondfly (the episode "Queen of Eight Legs"), Gregory Gregion
(in the episode "All That Glitters"), Silky (in "The Garden of Delights"), The
Netherwitch (in "The Astral Prison"), Pumm-Ra (in the episode "Pumm-Ra"). He
once took the form of King Arthur to acquire the legendary magic sword
Excalibur, using it against the Sword of Omens.
In several episodes, Mumm-Ra has an even more powerful form beyond "Mumm-Ra
the Ever-Living" called "Mumm-Ra the All-Powerful": in this manifestation,
Mumm-Ra absorbs the entire power of the Ancient Spirits of Evil to become
grander in size and strength, and the design pattern on his loin cloth changes,
as does his voice (this form is only presented in the series twice). In another
incarnation, calling himself "Mumm-Ra the Dream Master," he is able to enter
dreams to subliminally influence the ThunderCats in their sleep as a form of
mind control.
Mumm-Ra is regarded as immortal, and when defeated or "killed," he simply
returns to his sarcophagus. Mumm-Ra cannot be truly killed even in cases where
his body is destroyed he will eventually be restored, as he often states:
"Wherever evil exists, Mumm-Ra lives!"
Later, Mumm-Ra is shown to have a blue bulldog companion named Ma-Mutt,
capable of flight and supernatural feats of strength and speed. He is generally
evil, though some episodes depict him as having sympathetic qualities.
An absolute master of both arcane and clerical magic; Mumm-Ra possesses
nearly unlimited knowledge of, and experience with, numerous mystical arts from
all corners of the universe. As such, he can summon their use to assist him in
almost any manner he chooses, most commonly being: flight by self-levitation,
necromancy, alchemy, transmogrification, temporal manipulation, teleportation,
telekinesis, mind-control, astral projection, scrying, energy blasts.
While in the form of Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living, he becomes a conduit for the
Ancient Spirits of Evil; such that he can amplify his aforementioned abilities
to a nearly cosmic scale, gain superhuman strength, as well as retain his
un-dead status despite the passage of time or any injuries sustained. The price
of this power however, is extremely limited stamina: once Mumm-Ra the
Ever-Living has surpassed a given threshold of energy-expenditure, he must
revert back to his mummified form, and enter his sarcophagus to rejuvenate
himself. It should also be noted that Mumm-Ra's power in his Ever-Living form is
directly linked to the condition of both his sarcophagus and the Ancient
Spirits' four statues within his pyramid; should any of them be harmed or
destroyed, his power weakens immediately and considerably. |
 Copyright(C) 2007
- 2020. All rights reserved.
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SEASON
I
1. Exodus
2. The Unholy Alliance
3. Berbils
4. The
Slaves of Castle Plun-darr
5. Trouble With Time
6.
Pumm-Ra
7. The Terror of Hammerhand
8. The Tower of
Traps
9. The Garden of Delights
10. Mandora: Evil
Chaser
11. The Ghost Warrior
12. The Doom-Gaze
13. Lord of
the Snows
14. The Spaceship Beneath the Sands
15. The Time
Capsule
16. The Fireballs of Castle Plun-Darr
17. All that
Glitters
18. Spitting Image
19-23. Lion-O's Annointment (5 part
series)
24. Mongor
25. Return to Thundera
26. Snarf Takes
up the Challenge
27. Mandora and the Pirates
28. The Crystal
Queen
29. Safari Joe
30. Return of the Driller
31. Turmagar
the Tuska
32. Sixth Sense
33. Dr. Dometone
34. The Astral
Prison
35. Queen of 8 Legs
36. Dimension Doom
37. The Rock
Giant
38. The Thunder-Cutter
39. Mechanical Plague
40. The
Demolisher
41-42. Feliner (2 parts)
43. Excalibur
44. The
Secret of the Ice King
45. Sword in the Hole
46. The
Wolfrat
47. Good and Ugly
48. Divide and Conquer
49.
Micrits
50. The Super-Power Potion
51. The Evil Harp of
Char-Nin
52. Tight Squeeze
53. Monkian's Bargain
54. Out of
Sight
55. Jackalman's Rebellion
56. The Mountain
57. Eye of
the Beholder
58. The Mumm-ra Berbil
59. Trouble With
Thunderkittens
60. Mumm-Rana
61. Trapped
62. The
Transfer
63. The Shifter
64. Dream Master
65. Fond Memories |
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SEASON
II
66-70. Thundercats HO! The Movie (5 part series) (1986)
71-75.
Mumm-Ra Lives! (5 part series)
76. Catfight
77. Psych
Out
78. The Mask of the Gorgon
79. The Mad Bubbler
80.
Together We Stand
81. Ravage Island
82. Time Switch
83.
Sound Stones
84. Day of the Eclipse
85. Side Swipe
86.
Mumm-Rana's Belt
87. Hachiman's Honor
88. Runaways
89. Hair
of the Dog
90. Vultureman's Revenge |
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SEASON
III
91-95. Thundercubs! (5 part series)
96. The Totem of Dera
97. The
Chain of Loyalty
98. Crystal Canyon
99. Telepathy
Beam
100. Exile Isle
101. Key of Thundera
102. Return of
the Thundercubs
103. The Formula
104. Locket of Lies
105.
Bracelet of Power
106. The Wild Workout
107. The
Thunderscope
108. The Jade Dragon
109. The Circus
Train
110. The Last Day |
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SEASON
IV
111-115. Return to Thundera (5 part series)
116. Leah
117.
Frogman
118. The Heritage
119. Screw Loose
120.
Malcar
121. Helpless Laughter
122. Cracker's Revenge
123.
The Mossland Monster
124. Mu-Mutt's Confusion
125. The
Shadowmaster
126. Swan Song
127. The Touch of Amorus
128.
The Zazz Factor
129. Well of Doubt
130. Book of Omens |
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