The Super Hero Squad Show

The Super Hero Squad Show is an American cartoon series by Marvel Animation. It is based on the Marvel Super Hero Squad action figure line from Hasbro, which portray the Avengers, the X-Men, and various other characters of the Marvel Universe in a cartoonish super-deformed-style. It is also a self-aware parody of the Marvel characters, with influences taken from on the comedic Mini Marvels series of parody comic books, in that the heroes tend to find themselves in comedic situations, and have cartoonish bents in comparison to their usually serious personalities (such as The Incredible Hulk being jovial and good-natured but with "major anger issues"), and is an overall comedic take on the Avengers. The series' animation was produced by Film Roman and Marvel Animation.

Plot

Season 1

Prior to the beginning of the series, the villainous Doctor Doom, in pursuit of universal domination, attempts to acquire the limitless reality-bending power of the "Infinity Sword." He is stopped by Iron Man, but as a consequence of their battle, the sword is shattered into numerous "fractals" that rain down on Super Hero City.

Doctor Doom has forged alliances with just about every super-villain forming the Lethal Legion in order to hunt down the scattered fractals, each of which possess dangerous and different powers of their own. Doom's forces, including his two primary henchmen MODOK (whose appearance seems to have been altered from the original version) and the Abomination, dwell in Villainville, which is separated from Super Hero City by a giant wall that is directly seen at the start of the series premiere. Once again opposing Doom's plan is Iron Man, now leading the elite team known as the Super Hero Squad, consisting of himself, the Falcon, the Hulk, the Silver Surfer, Thor, and Wolverine. Their signature battle cry is, "All right, Squaddies, time to hero up!" Marvel initially intended to put Spider-Man in at least one episode of the show, but Sony Pictures Entertainment (then-owners of Spider-Man's television rights) appears to have chosen not to allow it. However, Spider-Man appeared in Marvel Super Hero Squad's video games and other tie-ins.

The Super Hero Squad is headquartered in the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, and are frequently aided in their defense of Super Hero City by their boss Captain America, S.H.I.E.L.D. leader Ms. Marvel, rookie "Squaddie" and Wolverine's apprentice Reptil, and many more of their superhero friends.

By the end of the first season, the Infinity Sword is reforged when Galactus arrives to devour the Earth. It is later revealed that the Infinity Sword can be wielded only by someone who wields The Infinity Gauntlet. The Silver Surfer rejoins Galactus as his Herald and leaves the team with the Infinity Sword in his possession. As of the aftermath of the battle, Villainville is destroyed, and his henchmen are arrested, except for Doom, who flees.

Season 2

A second season focuses on traveling to different parts of the Marvel Universe, the galaxy, different dimensions, and through time. Thanos becomes the main antagonist for the first half of the season, as he will seek the six Infinity Stones in order to prove his superiority to Nebula and gain supremacy over the universe. He does eventually gain all six Infinity Stones.

The squad's roster was changed in the season, due to Silver Surfer leaving the cast to once again become a herald of Galactus. Scarlet Witch^[1] replaces Surfer, with original squad members Iron Man, Hulk, Falcon, Wolverine and Thor returning. Thor receives his "chain armor" as a gift from his father Odin in the episode "Support your Local Sky-Father".

In the second half of Season Two, the Silver Surfer (who was corrupted by the Infinity Sword) steals the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos, takes over the universe, and transforms into the Dark Surfer. The Dark Surfer replaces Thanos as the main antagonist of the season. In the series finale, the Dark Surfer is defeated, the Infinity Stones are destroyed, the Infinity Sword is destroyed again (for good), and everything goes back to normal (although Silver Surfer has to pay his debt for what he did as Dark Surfer).

The second season premiered in the United States on October 23, 2010, on Cartoon Network^[2] to coincide with the release of its video game follow-up, Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet.

Marvel character parodies

Comedy is the driving factor of The Super Hero Squad Show, and the members of the squad have a comedic bend that parodies their usually serious personalities and their powers:

• Iron Man is obsessed with high-tech solutions for even the most mundane of tasks, and his newest gadgets tend to either go untested or blow up in his face.
• The Hulk is childlike, good-natured, and even jovial, but is prone to "major anger issues" that lead to unintended mishaps. He owns a massive collection of comic books, and tends to get into juvenile arguments with The Thing from the Fantastic Four over which one of them is stronger. He also has a strong aversion to water, due to his heavy weight, which causes him to sink like a rock.
• Thor is overly enthusiastic about everything, and the other members of the Super Hero Squad sometimes cannot understand his archaic English.
• Wolverine resents being a mentor to Reptil, choosing to go it alone, yet concedes they make a great duo. He also hates being nicknamed "Wolvie". Whenever he is badly injured, he always refers to his adamantium skeleton (curiously, his healing factor is not mentioned).
• The Silver Surfer talks in a stereotypical surf culture accent, uses typical slang associated with surf culture, and likes to engage in philosophical discussions.
• The Falcon is often paired with the Hulk, who calls him "Bird", and is like a big brother or mentor to him in that he either keeps the Hulk from losing his temper or frequently reminds him of the task at hand.
• Captain America frequently uses phrases or thinks things that imply he believes he still is in the 1940s (for instance, mentioning Franklin D. Roosevelt when referring to the President, or shocked when he sees karaoke, as that was invented by the Japanese, and the other characters explain to him that they made up a while ago). This is a reference to his classic origin: getting frozen in ice during World War II, and then getting unfrozen during modern times. In addition, he has been present at various events in American history (though how he witnessed these events is unclear and not explained), and will tell the others about it in full detail unless they keep moving.
• Scarlet Witch is a former villain and stowed away on the Helicarrier thanks to Falcon before being accepted as a member of the team.

Episodes

During the first season in the opening sequence of the show, there is a running sight gag similar to The Simpsons and Fairly Odd Parents where the Hulk picks up an Infinity Fractal and is transformed by its power into something different every episode, such as the classic grey-colored Hulk, a toddler Hulk, a disco Hulk parodying John Travolta, a Hulked-out Wolverine, Bruce Banner, and a Hulk similar to Homer Simpson. This feature was removed in the second season. Additionally, each episode's title card is a homage to a classic comic book cover as are some of the episode titles.

Production

The show's executive producers include Alan Fine, Simon Philips, and Eric Rollman, with Joe Quesada and Stan Lee as co-executive producers. Cort Lane is supervising producer. Mitch Schauer, creator of the Nickelodeon series The Angry Beavers, is the show's supervising director and character designer. Matt Wayne is the show's story-editor and head writer.^[3] Other writers include Michael Ryan, Nicole Dubuc, Atul N. Rao, Eugene Son, James Krieg, and Mark Hoffmeier. Novelty songwriter, Parry Gripp composed the theme song.

Head of Marvel Television and comic book writer Jeph Loeb explained the series as something everyone will like, stating "Marvel Super Heroes have always entertained fans of all ages in our comics, and we're proud to offer an animated series that families can enjoy together. With the most exciting super-powered adventures, The Hub can now offer the greatest fun of all—experiencing Marvel for the very first time. So whether you want to fly with Thor, suit up with Iron Man or smash with Hulk, this series has everything your family wants to see from our heroes."^[4]

Cast

Main cast

• Charlie Adler – Captain Britain, Doctor Doom, Melter, Plantman, Sabretooth, Wrecker, Super-Skrull (season 1), Doombots, Cynthia "Coco" Von Doom, Phil Sheldon from Marvels, Hotel Employee Doombots
• Alimi Ballard – Falcon, Thunderball, Miles Morales / Spider-Man (1st time), Power Man
• Steven Blum – Wolverine, Heimdall (season 1), Zabu, Abomination, Fin Fang Foom, Pyro, Thanos (season 1), Redwing, Dro'ge
• Dave Boat – Thor, Thing, Uatu the Watcher, Trapster, Baron Mordo, Galactus' Mom, Captain Liechtenstein, John Porter of Damage Control, Adam Warlock, Dracula, Doc Samson, Man-Thing
• Jim Cummings – Thanos (season 2), Super-Skrull (season 2), Human Torch
• Grey DeLisle – Ms. Marvel, Enchantress, Volcana, Frigga
• Mikey Kelley – Silver Surfer/Dark Surfer, Iron Fist
• Tom Kenny – Iron Man, Captain America, Colossus, Juggernaut, MODOK, Fandral, Sentinels, Space Phantoms
• Stan Lee – Mayor of Superhero City
• Tara Strong – Invisible Woman, H.E.R.B.I.E., Scarlet Witch, Brynnie Bratton, Princess Anelle, Toro, Alicia Masters, Holoball, Baby Iron Man
• Travis Willingham – Hulk, Human Torch, Skurge, Piledriver, Hyperion, Zeus, Balder, Hans

Additional voices

• Carlos Alazraqui – Cyclops, Ringmaster, Captain Australia, Adult Reptil
• Shawn Ashmore – Iceman
• Laura Bailey – Firestar
• Dee Bradley Baker – Annihilus, Devil Dinosaur
• John Barrowman – Stranger
• Ted Biaselli – Helicarrier, Loki, Mole Man, Tricephalous, Terrax, Volstagg
• A. J. Buckley – Batroc the Leaper, Klaw, Toad
• S. Scott Bullock – Red King
• Ty Burrell – Captain Marvel
• LeVar Burton – War Machine
• Taye Diggs – Black Panther
• Michael Dorn – Ronan the Accuser
• Susan Eisenberg – Power Princess
• Carl Lumbly - Action Packy, Miles Morales (2nd time)
• Robert Englund – Dormammu
• Jonathan Frakes – High Evolutionary
• Pat Fraley – Beta Ray Bill
• Nika Futterman – Captain Brazil
• Greg Grunberg – Ant-Man
• Mark Hamill – Red Skull, Chthon
• Jess Harnell – Odin, Crimson Dynamo, Hercules, Heimdall (Season 2), Impossible Man
• Lena Headey – Black Widow, Mystique
• Tricia Helfer – Sif
• Cheryl Hines – Stardust
• Lil' JJ – Luke Cage
• Josh Keaton – Moon-Boy
• Rod Keller – Bucky
• Wayne Knight – Egghead
• Maurice LaMarche – Magneto
• Phil LaMarr - Captain Jamaica
• Jane Lynch – Nebula
• Jonathan Mankuta – Flatman, Zzzax
• Jason Marsden – Nova
• James Marsters – Mister Fantastic
• Scott Menville – Quicksilver
• Jennifer Morrison – Wasp
• Julie Morrison – Screaming Mimi/Songbird
• Tamera Mowry – Misty Knight
• John O'Hurley – Grandmaster
• Jim Parsons – Nightmare
• Adrian Pasdar – Hawkeye
• Rob Paulsen – Werewolf by Night
• Kevin Michael Richardson – Nick Fury
• Antony Del Rio – Reptil
• Jim Parsons - Nightmare
• Roger Rose – Doctor Strange, Bulldozer
• Katee Sackhoff – She-Hulk
• Kevin Sorbo – Ka-Zar
• Ray Stevenson – Punisher
• Fred Stoller – Molecule Man
• Cree Summer – Storm, She-Hulk
• George Takei – Galactus
• Michelle Trachtenberg – Valkyrie
• Hynden Walch - Jean Grey
• Jim Ward – Professor X
• Adam West – Nighthawk
• Dave Wittenberg – Miek, Korg

Crew

• Guy Michelmore – Music composer
• Jamie Simone – Casting and voice director, sound supervisor

Broadcast history

The show's first season was to debut on Cartoon Network in the United States on September 19, 2009,^[5] but aired five days earlier on September 14, 2009. The second season of the series, based on The Infinity Gauntlet, premiered on October 23, 2010 at 6:30am (ET) and stopped being shown on Cartoon Network on February 19, 2011, with episode 40 ("Fate of Destiny!"). Afterward, new episodes aired only on Teletoon and were available to purchase on iTunes. On July 23, 2011 the series returned on Cartoon Network, at a new timeslot of 12:00pm (ET).^[6] Although the next following weeks no new episodes aired. In September 2011, Cartoon Network announced that The Super Hero Squad Show will be airing new episodes on weekday mornings at 7:00am (ET) starting Monday, October 3, 2011.^[7] The series ended on October 14, 2011. A total of 52 episodes were produced for the show. On January 30, 2012, The Hub began airing the series as part of their daily Monday through Friday line-up.^[4][8] As a result of Cartoon Network losing the rights to the show, all Super Hero Squad content has been removed from the network's website except for video clips on YouTube.^[9]

The series first premiered on Teletoon in Canada on Sunday, September 13, 2009 at 8:30am (ET) as part of the network's Action Force block. The show returned on Teletoon on Sunday, February 6, 2011 at 7:00am (ET) for the debut of the second season. All 52 episodes aired in Canada, ending on July 10, 2011.

The series premiered on December 4, 2009 in Australia, on ABC3, in October 2009.^[10]

A massively multiplayer online game, entitled Marvel Super Hero Squad Online was released to the public in April 2011. The game is heavily based on the Super Hero Squad franchise, with The Super Hero Squad Show's character designs returning.^[11]

International release

Country / Region	Channel	Original premiere
United States	Cartoon Network Discovery Family	September 14, 2009 January 30, 2012[8]
Canada	Teletoon Disney XD[12]	September 13, 2009 December 7, 2015
United Kingdom	Nicktoons	October 16, 2009
Australia	ABC3	December 4, 2009
Taiwan	Cartoon Network	April 5, 2010
Italy	Nickelodeon	April 26, 2010
Finland	Disney XD	June 7, 2010
Poland	Disney XD	August 7, 2010
Netherlands	Disney XD	August 22, 2010
Pakistan	Cartoon Network	July 12, 2010
South Africa	Disney XD	May, 2011
Singapore	Okto	July, 2011
Japan	Cartoon Network	TBA
India	Cartoon Network Disney XD	- August 18, 2014

Other media

Comic books

A four-part comic book series based on the show called Marvel Super Hero Squad was released in the fall of 2009. The series was a success and Marvel renewed the series in January 2010 as an ongoing series, now entitled: Super Hero Squad. The comic does not feature only characters from the show, but also characters outside the show. As of December 8, 2010, Super Hero Squad had a total of 12 issues released. No new issues have been released since, seemingly indicating that the comic book franchise has been canceled. Trying to bring back the franchise, Marvel released a Super Hero Squad Spectacular where the Beyonder sends them to another planet with their Lethal Legion foes.

Home media

United States

Most of the episodes have been released on DVD across several volumes by Shout! Factory and Walt Disney Home Entertainment.

• The Super Hero Squad Show: Quest For The Infinity Sword, Volume 1, released July 13, 2010, includes episodes 1–7 from Season 1, as well as never-before-seen bonus features.^[13]
• The Super Hero Squad Show: Quest For The Infinity Sword, Volume 2, released November 9, 2010, includes episodes 8–13 from Season 1 as well as more bonus features.^[14][15]
• The Super Hero Squad Show: Quest For The Infinity Sword, Volume 3, released February 8, 2011, includes episodes 14–19 from Season 1.^[16][17]
• The Super Hero Squad Show: Quest For The Infinity Sword, Volume 4, released May 3, 2011, includes episodes 20–26 from Season 1.^[18][19]
• The Super Hero Squad Show: The Infinity Gauntlet, Vol. 1, released August 2, 2011, includes the first six episodes from Season 2 (episodes 27–32 overall).^[20]
• The Super Hero Squad Show: The Infinity Gauntlet, Vol. 2, released November 22, 2011, includes the next seven episodes from Season 2 (episodes 33–39 overall).^[21]
• The Super Hero Squad Show: The Infinity Gauntlet, Vol. 3, released April 17, 2012, includes an additional seven episodes from Season 2 (episode 40–46 overall) and a special promotional code for players to unlock "special powers" on the MMO based on the series and the toy line, Marvel Super Hero Squad Online.^[22]
• The Super Hero Squad Show: The Infinity Gauntlet, Vol. 4, released on August 21, 2012, includes the final episodes of season 2 (episode 47–52 overall).^[23]

United Kingdom

Five volumes have been released on DVD so far. Hero Up contains episodes 1–6, Hulk Smash contains episodes 7–11, Don't Call Me Wolvie contains episodes 12–16, Tales of Evil contains episodes 17–21, and Mother of Doom contains episodes 22–26. Home video releases of Season 2 have yet to be announced.

Australia

Magna Home Entertainment released The Super Hero Squad Show: The Infinity Fractal War (Vol 1) and Titanic Team-Ups (Vol 2) on June 2, 2010 and The Lethal Legion Strikes (Vol 3) on September 8, 2010. Each DVD includes 6–7 episodes of the show, as well as character profiles. (Australian Release). The final volume of Season 1, entitled Quest for the Infinity Sword (Vol 4) was released on November 3, 2010, containing the final six episodes of Season 1. Season 2 The Infinity Gauntlet (Vol 1) is currently available. Infinite Thanos (Vol 2) was also released on November 2, 2011.

Canada

Vivendi Entertainment under the named Vivendi Entertainment Canada released two volumes under the names of The Super Hero Squad: Hero Up, Squaddies (Vol 1) and The Super Hero Show: Titantic Team Ups (Vol 2), both released on May 4, 2010.^[24] A Vol 3 was announced to release on June 29, 2010.^[24] But to a conclusion the Vol 3 DVD never hit markets. Since this happened, Vivendi didn't release a Vol 4 DVD either. On September 28, 2010^[25] Vivendi released a The Super Hero Squad Show: The Complete Season 1 DVD set containing an unnamed Vol 3 and Vol 4. It is unknown if there will be any Season 2 DVD releases.

In other media

Video game

Marvel Super Hero Squad was released on October 20, 2009. Its sequel Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet was released on November 16, 2010.

Miscellaneous

In episode five of Ultimate Spider-Man, "Flight of the Iron Spider", Living Laser is transported into the Super Hero Squad Show universe and is trounced by Thor.^[26]

References

External links

• The Super Hero Squad Episodes Guide on TV.com
• The Super Hero Squad Show on Animated Superheroes
• The Super Hero Squad Show at the Internet Movie Database
• The Super Hero Squad Show at the Big Cartoon DataBase

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