# Defenders of the Earth (1986)

> Children of comic strip heroes Flash Gordon, The Phantom and Mandrake band together to defend Earth from Ming the Merciless in the year 2015.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/1692

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 65
- Episode runtime: 21 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, science fiction, action, adventure
- Created by: Lee Falk
- Network: Syndication
- Cast: Lou Richards, Peter Mark Richman, Peter Renaday, Buster Jones, Ron Feinberg, Loren Lester, Sarah Partridge, Dion Williams
- TMDB rating: 6.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0138230/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: mild
- Tone: earnest, campy, adventurous, sincere, breezy

## What critics say

Audiences rate the single season as mixed, with fans valuing its nostalgic comic-strip heroes and action-driven adventure while finding the animation and storytelling dated.

## Synopsis

Defenders of the Earth (1986) is an American syndicated animated series created by Lee Falk and produced by Marvel Productions and King Features Syndicate. Its premise gathers characters from three classic comic strips, Flash Gordon, The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician, and sets them in the year 2015 as a new generation opposing the tyrant Ming the Merciless. Voice actors Lou Richards, Peter Mark Richman and Peter Renaday carry the original heroes, while Loren Lester voices Rick Gordon, Sarah Partridge voices Jedda Walker and Adam Carl voices Kshin, the children who inherit their parents' fight. The engine is straightforward: young heroes must protect Earth from alien occupation, and each episode delivers a self-contained clash of gadgets, vehicles and villains across a single season of sixty-five episodes. The tone is earnest, colorful and campy, a bright slice of pulp serial adventure from the 1980s with a cheerful team spirit at its core. Its futuristic world of ray guns, alien armies and comic book heroics suits viewers who enjoy the era's syndicated cartoons. Fans of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Thundercats and Galaxy Rangers will find resonance in its kid-friendly sci-fi spectacle and ensemble of heroes.

## Shows like Defenders of the Earth

- [Thundarr the Barbarian (1980)](https://ember.film/tv/12865)
- [Super Friends (1973)](https://ember.film/tv/883)
- [The Herculoids (1967)](https://ember.film/tv/3403)
- [The Centurions (1986)](https://ember.film/tv/2517)
- [SilverHawks (1986)](https://ember.film/tv/11662)
- [He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2002)](https://ember.film/tv/2887)
- [WildC.A.T.S: Covert Action Teams (1994)](https://ember.film/tv/9271)
- [Ghostbusters (1986)](https://ember.film/tv/16795)
- [Legion of Super Heroes (2006)](https://ember.film/tv/3830)
- [ThunderCats (1985)](https://ember.film/tv/1880)

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