![]() Suffice to say, the long-running series covered issues no children’s cartoon had dared broach before. Overfishing, species extinction, wildlife poaching, irresponsible waste disposal, and whaling factored into some episodes, while others tackled poverty, unsustainable food production and consumption, land degradation, and rising ocean temperatures. These ominous words paved the way for the next 112 episodes. “They’re going to destroy my planet if they keep going on like this.” “It’s those poor, silly humans again,” Gaia laments. ![]() We see grim images of deforestation, plastic waste, and nuclear runoff, as well as pollution across the land, air, and sea. The following scenes show Gaia reflecting on human activity and unsustainable practices across the preceding 100 years on Earth. Greedly, in other words, represents corporate greed at its worst. During his quest to make millions from the oil industry, he razes a pristine forest and sends animals scampering to safety. In the opening scenes, Greedly bulldozes through a wildlife sanctuary. In many senses, the hero and his Planeteers were not fighting traditional comic-book baddies.Įpisode 1, “A Hero for the Earth,” introduced viewers to Hoggish Greedly, voiced by the late Ed Asner. The show’s premiere made it clear that Captain Planet would tackle complex problems. The entire creation of Captain Planet happened in the span of one hour.” “The first character I came up with was Gaia, and then the Planeteers came flowing out. “Well, I went bonkers and just started talking,” Pyle says. At an executive meeting with the eco-minded media mogul Ted Turner, she was shown cut-outs of a superhero and told his name would be ‘Captain Planet.’ The year was 1989, and Pyle was Corporate Vice President of Environmental Policy at Turner Broadcasting System. We had to make our eco-hero unique.”īarbara Pyle with her creation, Captain Planet, in 2011. “All I can say is thank goodness that I came up with these five Planeteers,” Pyle says. He not only exists but thrives through the combined powers of teenagers who need him. And when earth, fire, wind, water, and heart were combined, Captain Planet appeared to save the world.Ĭaptain Planet co-creator Barbara Pyle tells Inverse that, without the Planeteers, Captain Planet would be indistinguishable from any other superhero. Racially and geographically diverse, the Planeteers were gifted rings by Gaia, the spirit of the Earth. Captain Planet could only appear when summoned by a team of five young heroes, known as Planeteers. “The entire creation of Captain Planet happened in the span of one hour.” He was unlike any other superhero the world had seen. He fought villains with names like Verminous Skumm and Looten Plunder, took on corporate greed, and tackled pollution with the same valor. TBSĬaptain Planet hit the scene with skin as blue as the sky and a green mullet that symbolized nature and forests. ![]() He captures Greedly and Rigger, who are turned over to the authorities.Captain Planet emerged on the scene with skin as blue as the sky and a green mullet that symbolized nature and forests. They do this, and Captain Planet recovers. The Planeteers discover that if they clean Captain Planet of the oil, the sun will return his powers. But then Greedly sprays him with oil, and Planet loses power. He introduces himself to the Planeteers, and explains that he is their powers combined and multiplied, but while he is there, the Planeteers' rings are powerless.Ĭaptain Planet then flies to battle Greedly and Rigger, and he wins. There is a glowing gold "Earth" emblem in the middle of his chest. The Planeteers then take Gaia's advice, and allow their powers to combine.įrom out of the Earth comes Captain Planet, a blue-skinned, green-haired, and brown-eyed super-eco-hero clad in red. However, the kids -now called, "Planeteers"- are stalemated: If they do anything, Greedly will spray the nearby animals with oil. After a quick recap of their powers, she sends them to do battle with Greedly and Rigger. Gaia brings the five kids to her home base of Hope Island, where she tells them of their mission. Linka, from the Soviet Union (later to be referred to as Eastern Europe), with the power of Wind.Īnd Ma-Ti, from South America, with the power of Heart. Wheeler, from North America, with the power of Fire. ![]() Kwame, from Africa, with the power of Earth. Distressed at the destruction going on all over the planet, she calls in five young people from all over the globe, and gives each a powerful ring: This is basically an adaption of the first episode: Hoggish Greedly and Rigger are drilling for oil in a protected area, and their drilling wakes up Gaia, the Spirit of the Earth. Publication date: October 1991 - October 1992 ![]()
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