Super Friends (1973 TV series)


 * This article is about the first Super Friends series. For other uses, see Super Friends (disambiguation).

Super Friends is an American animated superhero television series produced by Hanna-Barbera and DC Comics — then known as National Periodical Publications — for ABC's Saturday morning line-up. It ran in 1973, airing 16 hour-long episodes that spanned one season.

The series is based on the Justice League of America comic books, although the cartoon had been retooled into a kid-friendly version, due to parent organizations. The cartoon focuses on the adventures of the eponymous team, where Superman, Batman, his sidekick, Robin, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman deal with many threats on an educational level. The Super Friends never used their powers to cause physical harm, and the series was almost entirely uninterested in the mythology of the comics it was based on. Additionally, a moral lesson is given after the situation in question is solved.

The series was also called Super Friends since Justice League of America would be deemed culturally offensive to foreign countries. For some reason, it couldn't be called Justice League, perhaps because that would also be seen as too much of a loaded title. Despite this, the team is still called the Justice League and JLA within the series. Go figure.

Another appeal to the kid audience was a junior team, which consisted of Wendy, his partner Marvin, and their pet Wonder Dog. Besides being the ones who solve mysteries on a smaller scale, no in-universe explanation was given for their existence other than the real-world decision stated above. Although the companion comic years later, did resolve this.

Although this incarnation was short-lived, the series was given a second chance by 1977 with The All-New Super Friends Hour, when the mainstream public was more in favor of superheroes due to the ever-increasing high-budgeted live-action adaptations, such as the weekly TV series Wonder Woman and The Incredible Hulk, and the pièce de ré·sis·tance Superman: The Movie. This was followed by almost yearly retools (much like comics in real life), that lasted until 1985. Over time, the humor was gradually reduced, and the drama, the physical altercations (to an extent), and the comics mythology grew into something more comparable, with writers who understood the source material. As a result, it lead to much more faithful adaptations in the 1990s, with Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series, which in turn led to a faithful Justice League series in 2001.

Music
The music was composed by Hoyt Curtin.

Cast

 * Olan Soule as Batman
 * Casey Kasem as Robin
 * Shannon Farnon as Wonder Woman
 * Danny Dark as Superman
 * Norman Alden as Aquaman
 * Franklin Welker as Marvin White and Wonder Dog
 * Sherry Alberoni as Wendy Harris
 * Ted Knight as the Narrator

Legacy
The series was homaged in Genndy Tartakovsky's The Justice Friends, a back-up segment in Dexter's Laboratory.

In popular culture

 * In the film The Incredibles 2, Evelyn mentions the "superhero friends" about not being there to save her parents, who her father preferred over calling the law.
 * In the film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Justice calls Jay "old friend," as she's lost romantic interest in him, but Jay who hasn't, says he's a "super friend who wants to get back inside the Hall of Justice, yeah."

Arrowverse

 * The Hall of Justice has appeared several times in series set in what has been coined the Arrowverse, which air on The CW. It was introduced as an abandoned S.T.A.R. Labs facility in The Flash episode "Invasion!" It was referred to as the Hall of Justice in the script for the Legends of Tomorrow episode "Invasion!"
 * In the Legends of Tomorrow episode "Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Five," the Flash has a table made for a small group of the superheroes he was aided by during the Crisis. When they were chatting, they heard monkey noises, which were from the escaped Gleek (who was introduced in The All-New Super Friends Hour), who's escaped his cage. This was followed by the Super Friends theme song.
 * In the Supergirl episode "Back from the Future - Part One," Winn referred to it on-screen as the Hall of Justice for the first time.
 * While not having an official name, the superheroes have both referred to each other and been referred to as the Super Friends.
 * In the Supergirl episode "In Plain Sight," Supergirl told Lena she had become an official Super Friend.
 * In the Batwoman episode "Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Two," Lex Luthor refers to the superheroes as "Super Friends."
 * In the Supergirl episode "Back from the Future - Part One," both the Martian Manhunter and Winn referred to their group as "Super Friends."
 * In the Supergirl episode "It's a Super Life," Mr. Mxyzptlk referred to Alex and J'onn as Kara's "Super Friends."
 * In the Supergirl episode "Alex in Wonderland," while Alex pretends to be Supergirl, a billboard says that Supergirl is the "#1 Super Friend," and Bonnie calls Supergirl/Alex's friends the "Super Friends."
 * In the Supergirl episode "Welcome Back, Kara!," when William talks about Supergirl and her friends, Andreas gets the idea of calling them "Super Friends."
 * In the Supergirl episode "Dream Weaver," "Super Friends" has apparently become official as Andrea refers to them and even writes on a whiteboard "Superfriends."
 * In the Supergirl episode "Still I Rise," it continues to be used in an apparent official capacity by Supergirl in a vegetable PSA with Brainiac 5.

Smallville

 * "Prey:" John Jones (Martian Manhunter) refers to the superheroes led by Green Arrow as the "Super Friends."
 * "Absolute Power (Part 1):" Oliver refers to his group as the super friends, while Chloe says they need some standardized trouble alert.
 * "Warrior:" Zatanna told Clark "us Super Friends have to watch out for each other."

Teen Titans Go!

 * The Hall of Justice has appeared several times.
 * "Two Parter: Part 1:" There's transition music before the Teen Titans enter the building.
 * "Two Parter: Part 2:" Cyborg gives a Narrator-style intro when the team dresses up in the Justice League's clothes. There is also a "shooting stars" scene transition.
 * "TV Knight 5:" Batman and James Gordon watch the Teen Titans as Super Friends-like characters fight Richard Nixon who ends up being Fidel Castro in disguise, turning it into an episode of Scooby-Doo.

The Venture Bros.

 * "Handsome Random:" Dr. Monarch allows Captain Sunshine to have his powers at night with artificial sun rays, explained by a Super Friends-style narrator.
 * "Rapacity in Blue:" The Monarch and Henchman 21 get a Super Friends-style intro when they dress up as the Blue Morpho and Kano.

Reading material
In 1975, DC Comics published a Super Friends wraparound story in Limited Collectors' Edition #41, which confusingly set the universe within the separate Earth-One, which has since been designated as an Earth-Thirty-Two.

In 1976, DC Comics published an ongoing series under the title of The Super Friends, which lasted until 1981, totaling 47 issues.