It is fun and fantastic watching our favourite superheroes put on their capes and save the day, but it is also hilarious when superheroes are parodied. A large number of animated series have had a go at taking the mickey of our favourite characters or superhero clichés. Some base their entire premises around it, or specific characters, or one-off episodes, but all can offer something to laugh about while harmlessly mocking the genre we all love and enjoy. So, here are eight of the best superhero parodies in popular cartoons.
8. Quail Man
I never really thought much of Doug as a cartoon, but it was one of the more popular cartoons of the 1990s. It was a simple show but also a comedy about Doug Funnie and his dog Porkchop as they dealt with common troubles, while taking the time to lampoon such classic storylines like puppy love, bullying, and school rumours. But Doug imagined he was a superhero, namely the alter ego of Quail Man, with Porkchop as his canine sidekick Quail Hound. The series would occasionally have episodes focused on Quail Man. Being a parody of Superman, Doug wore his underwear over his trousers, sported a cape, and a belt around his forehead resembling the head crest of a quail, not to mention operating from the “Thicket of Solitude”. He often spent his days fighting his bullying tormentor Roger Klotz who took on numerous forms including a mad scientist, Godzilla, James Bond villains, etc. Quail Man could fly but also had the Quail Eye, which let him fire energy beams and hypnotise enemies.
7. Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy
SpongeBob SquarePants has a large number of hysterical characters, and among them are retired superheroes Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. Established as famous superheroes in Bikini Bottom and having their own comic and television show, they are old men now and live in a retirement home. Mermaid Man resembles an elderly Aquaman, and is going senile and absent-minded, but still acts like he is a superhero and often declares things to be “EVIL!”. Barnacle Boy is a grouchy and seemingly resentful sidekick who was treated in a juvenile manner as a boy and an old man. The two have an “invisible boat-mobile” and sport numerous aquatic based powers. The two were voiced by the late Ernest Borgnine, and Tim Conway, but their younger selves are voiced by Adam West and Burt Ward of the classic ‘60s Batman show.
6. Power Ponies
Holy new personas ponies! Yeah, yeah, some people may whine and moan, but you can’t deny that My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic is a pretty phenomenal thing, and has become a big part of internet culture. Anyway, one of the fun things about the show is that it often makes pop culture references, and one of their recent episodes involved the main characters being sucked into a comic book and turned into superheroes. Thrown into the world of Maretropolis, the ponies and their dragon sidekick Spike form the Power Ponies have to fight the Joker-esque Maneiac. All of the characters are based on popular superheroes: Twilight Sparkle is Cyclops, Applejack is Wonder Woman, Rarity is Green Lantern, Rainbow Dash is Thor, Pinkie Pie is the Flash (very appropriate), and Fluttershy, who is the quiet timid one, is the Hulk. Spike takes on the role of useless sidekick, mirroring Burt Ward’s Robin, but the episode does take an examination of how “useless” sidekicks can be useful. It’s all in good fun, and seriously, watching the quiet Fluttershy hulk out into a giant monster is hilarious.
5. Radioactive Man
Radioactive Man is a fictional superhero in The Simpsons universe, and a parody of several superheroes combined. His character was caught in a nuclear explosion and thus he became Radioactive Man, with his alter ego being a lazy rich guy named Claude Kane III. The character and his comic series were a focus of an early episode where Bart, Milhouse and Martin buy the rare first issue of Radioactive Man but treat it like it is the holy grail and become increasingly paranoid about who owns it, to the point they start fighting and the comic is destroyed via divine means. Milhouse later gets the role as Radioactive Man’s sidekick Fallout Boy in the film adaptation of the character, with Rainier Wolfcastle as Radioactive Man. Unfortunately, Milhouse gets cold feet and abandons the film during the most expensive scene where a river of acid carries poor Wolfcastle away screaming his best line of the series: “The goggles do nothing!”. Also, the episode had Mickey Rooney in a cameo and revealed Moe was a member of the Little Rascals. The last two points have nothing to do with Radioactive Man, I just felt like mentioning them.
4. Darkwing Duck
“I am the terror that flaps in the night! I am the cloud that rains on your hit parade! I am Darkwing Duck!” – Darkwing Duck was one of Disney’s best cartoons during the 1990s. In what felt like a parody of Batman and The Shadow, Darkwing Duck featured Drake Mallard (a parody of the Shadow’s alter ego Kent Allard) who lives in St. Canard caring for his adoptive daughter Gosalyn. As Darkwing Duck, he flip-flops between being good at his job and hopeless, often making dramatic but effective entrances in a puff of smoke and accompanied by his catchphrase from above. He is joined by his trusty sidekick, pilot Launchpad McQuack, who you likely know from DuckTales. Darkwing can be a good superhero, but his huge ego often clouds his judgement, and the original reason he became a crimefighter was to get into the headlines. His greatest aspect is his courage and sense of justice and he is willing to take on any evildoers. As he says, “Let’s get dangerous!”
3. The Green Loontern
Duck Dodgers was first introduced in the classic Looney Tunes short of the same name, but Daffy Duck’s hilarious alter ego was so popular he got his own TV series. The episode in question is called “The Green Loontern”, an obvious parody of Green Lantern. Due to a mix-up at the dry cleaner’s, Duck Dodgers ends up with Hal Jordan’s costume and his Green Lantern Ring, becomes a Green Lantern, and is dragged into a battle against an army of robots sent by Sinestro. The episode features a lot of cameos from Green Lantern characters, and some performances by legendary voice actors, including Tara Strong, John DiMaggio, John De Lancie, and comic book god Kevin Smith cameoing as Hal Jordan to trade costumes with Dodgers.
2. Hong Kong Phooey
Hong Kong Phooey is a hilarious parody of martial arts films and another classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon. Scatman Crothers voiced the titular protagonist, a hapless janitor who doubled as a crimefighting martial artist superhero. The comedy of the show stems from how rubbish Hong Kong Phooey is as a hero, leaping into a filing cabinet to leap out in a mask and dressing gown, and when he goes to stop the criminals, he has to stop to consult his book of martial arts to perform the right manoeuvre. And while he is doing this, the villain just seems to stop and let him while Phooey’s cat buddy Spot actually beat the badguy, with Phooey just assuming he did it with the karate move he picks. It’s a brilliant comedy routine and makes Hong Kong Phooey quite memorable.
1. The Tick
SPOOOOON! I admit I’ve never watched this show, but come on. There are parodies of superheroes, and then there is The Tick, which is entirely dedicating to pointing a finger at the whole genre and laughing forever. Based on the comics by Ben Edlund (also known for writing many of the greatest episodes of Supernatural), the show is about a strange but justice-obsessed superhero of unknown origins who arrives in The City to fight crime. He is a well-intentioned and friendly guy, but lacks an understanding of just about everything and has a habit of shouting out random catchphrases and funny quips. His sidekick is Arthur, a more conscientious guy who is a former accountant and wears a moth outfit. The Tick possesses great super strength that bring a lot of destructive humour, and something called “drama power” which increases his powers depending on how dramatic a situation is. Other characters include American Maid, who is the most competent of the cast; superhero wuss extraordinaire Die Fledermaus; Sewer Urchin, the Aquaman parody who lives in a luxurious sewer apartment; and supervillains like Chainsaw Vigilante who thinks all heroes are self-interested meddlers, and Chairface Chippendale, who has a chair for a face and wants to be infamous for vandalising things with his face. A very entertaining and funny show, The Tick is the ultimate superhero parody.
Below is the comments section that flaps in the night. It is the place where you can place your dynamic posts! Were these good choices, and what other ones could be added to the list? Sound off below and then randomly shout out “SPOON!”
