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1966, syndicated
Grantray-Lawrence, Paramount,
ARP, Krantz Films, Marvel |
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Thor
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Unknown |
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In 1966, at the
beginning of Marvel Comics' decades long domination of the
super-hero genre, several popular characters made their first
appearance in an animated format as part of the syndicated,
The Marvel Superheroes. The show consisted of five different
segments, each starring a different superhero: The
Sub-Mariner, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man,
and The Mighty Thor.
While walking among mortals, the Norse god Thor masqueraded
as scrawny human Dr. Donald Blake, but when the doctor tapped
his walking stick, it became the mighty hammer Mjolnir, and
Blake himself became the legendary God of Thunder. The
powerful being spent most of his time defending the earth, but
he would often return to his Asgardian home to converse with
his father, the all-powerful Odin, or to foil the plots of his
brother Loki, God of Mischief.
In order to meet the demands of presenting so many
characters each week, the stories were told in a cliffhanger
format, requiring fewer scripts. Individual segments for the
show were six-minutes in length, three of which combined to
make a complete story arc/show. In the end, thirteen complete
shows (39 segments) were produced for each series. The
creators also saved time through the use of Xerography, a
process developed for Disney's 101 Dalmatians that allowed
animators to copy pencil sketches directly onto animation
cels, thereby saving them from having to redraw any scenes.
While this technique resulted in a severe stiffness of the
characters and almost no movement, it allowed the animators to
churn out regular battles between our heroes and their
super-powered nemeses.
Despite the limited animation, Marvel Superheroes won
its share of loyal fans. Namor, Captain America and Thor
made appearances in later Marvel cartoons, and The
Incredible Hulk and Iron Man eventually got shows of their own.
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Story 1
Trapped By
Loki
Vengeance
Of Loki
Defeat Of
Loki
Story 2
Chained
Evil
Sandu
Master Of The Supernatural
Enchanted
Hammer
Story 3
Enchantress
And Executioner
Giants Walk
The Earth
Battle Of
the Gods
Story 4
At the
Mercy of Loki
Trail Of
the Gods
Return To
Earth
Story 5
The
Absorbing Man
In My
Hands, This Hammer
Vengeance
Of The Thunder God
Story 6
To Kill A
Thunder God
The Day Of
The Destroyer
Terror Of
The Tomb
Story 7
The Grey
Gargoyle
The Wrath
Of Odin
Triumph In
Stone
Story 8
Mysterious
Mister Hyde
Revenge Of
Mr. Hyde
Thor's
Showdown With Mr. Hyde
Story 9
Every Hand
Against Him
The Power
Of The Thunder God
The Power
Of Odin
Story 10
The
Tomorrow Man
Return Of
Zarko
Slave Of
Tomorrow Man
Story 11
Enter
Hercules
When Meet
Immortals
Whom The
Gods Would Destroy
Story 12
Victory Of
Pluto
The Verdict
Of Zeus
Thunder In
The Netherworld
Story 13
Molto The
Lava Man
Invasion Of
The Lava Man
Living Rock
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"Cross the
Rainbow Bridge of Asgard,
Where the
booming heavens roar,
You'll behold
in breathless wonder
The God Of
Thunder, Mighty Thor!" |
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