Across these early years, core heroes like Superman, Batman and Robin, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman were gradually joined by an expanding roster of characters. This included well-known DC figures such as Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Hawkman, the Atom, Green Arrow, Plastic Man, and Rima the Jungle Girl, as well as Hanna-Barbera’s original creations – Black Vulcan, Apache Chief, and Samurai.
Teen sidekicks like Wendy, Marvin, and Wonder Dog, and later the Wonder Twins, Zan and Jayna, with their space-monkey Gleek, also featured prominently.
Despite the deep bench of DC Comics characters, the first 32 hours of programming across these early series contained very little actual comic book content. Most of the stories were generic, non-violent adventures that bore little resemblance to the source material.
That changed in 1978, when Hanna-Barbera revamped the format once again. The new series would feature two distinct half-hour segments in each episode. One continued the style and character lineup of The All-New Super Friends Hour – right down to reusing the same opening credits – while the other introduced something fans had long been waiting for: comic-accurate stories featuring DC heroes and villains.
The first half-hour stuck with the familiar tone, showcasing adventures involving the Wonder Twins’ home planet Exxor, a subterranean world beneath the Earth’s crust, UFO sightings, encounters with Dracula, run-ins with space pirates and circuses, plus visits to Aquaman’s Atlantis and Wonder Woman’s mythological Mount Olympus.
The second half-hour, however, was a major departure. With a new opening sequence and a noticeably more serious tone, this segment aligned much more closely with the DC Comics universe.
The Wonder Twins were removed from the equation, and the heroes were now referred to as the Justice League. New additions like Flash, Green Lantern, and Hawkman joined Black Vulcan, Samurai, and Apache Chief for these storylines.
Their adversaries were a formidable new collective known as the Legion of Doom. Operating from their swamp-based headquarters – the Hall of Doom, which suspiciously resembled Darth Vader’s helmet from the year-old megahit Star Wars – the villainous team featured 13 of DC’s most notorious antagonists: Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Black Manta, Sinestro, Captain Cold, Bizarro, the Riddler, Cheetah, the Scarecrow, Toyman, Giganta, Gorilla Grodd, and Solomon Grundy.
Despite this bold direction, ABC’s Standards & Practices department remained cautious. Concerned about the portrayal of direct conflict between heroes and villains, they mandated that stories avoid excessive violence.
Villains were still allowed to hatch world-conquering or destructive schemes, but they always had to be stopped and punished by the end of the episode.
This new version of the show, titled Challenge of the Superfriends, premiered on 9 September 1978, and was an immediate hit in the ratings.
Due to its popularity, ABC expanded the format to 90 minutes in November 1978 (bumping Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? from its timeslot), filling the extra time with reruns of older episodes.
This expanded format remained on air until September 1979.
Narrator/Perry White
William Woodson Superman/Superboy/Commissioner Gordon
Danny Dark Batman
Olan Soule Robin/Computer
Casey Kasem Aquaman/the Flash/Bizarro
Bill Callaway Wonder Woman/Hippolyta/Lois Lane
Shannon Farnon Jayna
Louise Williams Zan/Gleek/The Riddler
Michael Bell Lex Luthor
Stanley Jones Jor-El
Jonathan Kent The Flash/Samurai/Hawkman
Jack Angel Black Vulcan
Buster Jones Apache Chief/Green Lantern/Solovar
Michael Rye Cheetah
Marlene Aragon Brainiac/Black Manta
Ted Cassidy Giganta
Ruth Forman Scarecrow/Sinestro
Don Messick Sinestro
Vic Perrin Gorilla Grodd
Stanley Ralph Ross Captain Cold/Hall of Doom Computer/Abin Sur
Dick Ryal Solomon Grundy
Jimmy Weldon Toyman/Mister Mxyzptlk
Frank Welker
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The second half-hour, however, was a major departure. With a new opening sequence and a noticeably more serious tone, this segment aligned much more closely with the DC Comics universe.
Villains were still allowed to hatch world-conquering or destructive schemes, but they always had to be stopped and punished by the end of the episode.
