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Defenders of the Earth
Original Run	September 8, 1986 to May 1, 1987
No. of Episodes	62
Genre(s)	Superhero Animation
Creator(s)
Exec. Producer(s)
Starring	Loren Lester Buster Jones William Callaway Peter Renaday Peter Mark Richman Lou Richards Sarah Richards Hal Rayle
Country of Origin	United States
Original Channel	Syndicated

Defenders of the Earth was a syndicated cartoon series produced by King Features during the 1980s. It was set in the year 2015 and used Flash Gordon, The Phantom, and Mandrake The Magician in a sci-fi setting as allies against Ming The Merciless.

All three main characters were featured in comic strips produced by King Features, so putting them into an animated series seemed like a good idea.

Contents 1 Background 2 Characters 3 Episodes 4 External Links

Background

Set in the year 2015, we find Flash, The Phantom and Mandrake unlikely allies along with Lothar, Flash's son Rick, the Phantom's daughter Jedda, along with Kshin, Mandrake's adopted son, and LJ, son of Lothar.

Ming has finally exhausted all the natural resources of Mongo, and has decided to take on Earth once and for all. In the first episode it establishes Ming's evilness when he kidnapped Dale and tried to brainwash her, she resists and dies, her essence transferred into a crystal that then becomes the heart of a vast computer system called Dynak X - which runs the Defender's base.

Characters

• Flash Gordon - Legendary Space Hero and leader of the Defenders. Flash is most effected by the loss of Dale and is determined to stop Ming at all costs.

• The Phantom - The Ghost Who Walks - The Phantom is a jungle-dwelling character from a very long-running King Features comic who was ported into the Defender's timeline. This incarnation is the 27th Phantom. The mantle being handed from father to son down through the centuries. His real name is Kit Walker.

• Mandrake The Magician - A Mystic trained in both Oriental and Occiental mystical and magical arts. Mandrake is the world's most powerful mage and uses his abilities to help Flash and the others defeat Ming's plans.

• Lothar - Mandrake's assistant, Lothar is billed as the world's strongest man, with vastly superhuman strength and a cunning intellect he more than holds his own against Ming's henchmen.

Episodes

Defenders' ran for 62 episodes, these are listed in production order, not necessarily the airing order:

1. "Escape from Mongo"
2. "The Creation of Monitor"
3. "A Demon in His Pocket"
4. "A House Divided"
5. "Bits and Chips"
6. "The Root of Evil"
7. "Cold War"
8. "The Sleeper Awakens"
9. "The Revenge of Astra"
10. "The Hall of Wisdom"
11. "The Mind Warriors, Part I"
12. "The Mind Warriors, Part II"
13. "The Lost Jewels of Tibet"
14. "The Evil of Doctor Dark"
15. "Diamonds are Ming's Best Friends"
16. "The Men of Frost"
17. "Battleground"
18. "The Panther Peril"
19. "Fury of the Deep"
20. "Family Reunion"
21. "The Defense Never Rests"
22. "Doorways into Darkness"
23. "Deal with the Devil"
24. "Terror in Time"
25. "Ming's Household Help"
26. "The Starboy"
27. "The Gods Awake"
28. "The Ghost Walks Again"
29. "The Book of Mysteries"
30. "The Future Comes But Once"
31. "Kshin And# "The Ghost Ship"
32. "The Carnival of Dr. Kalihari"
33. "The Mystery of the Book"
34. "Flash Times Four"
35. "The Frozen Heart"
36. "Rick Gordon, One Man Army"
37. "The Rites of Zesnan"
38. "Audie the Tweak"
39. "Return of the Skyband"
40. "Dracula's Potion"
41. "One of the Guys"
42. "100 Proof Highway"
43. "The Time Freezer"
44. "The Prince Makes His Move# "(1)"
45. "Prince Triumphant# "(2)"
46. "The Prince Weds# "(3)"
47. "The Prince's Royal Hunt# "(4)"
48. "The Prince is Dethroned# "(5)"
49. "Lothar's Homecoming"
50. "Suspended Sabotage"
51. "The Call of the Eternals"
52. "The Return of Doctor Dark"
53. "The Deadliest Battle"
54. "The Necklace of Oros"
55. "Ming Winter"
56. "The Golden Queen, Part 1"
57. "The Golden Queen, Part 2"
58. "Flesh and Blood"
59. "Drowning World"
60. "The Adoption of Kshin"
61. "Street Smarts"
62. "Ming's Thunder Lizards"

External Links

• Defenders of the Earth at TV.com