# Kill a Super Friend **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 20, 2015, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kill-a-super-friend/728314 "2015-08-20T02:50:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kill-a-super-friend/728314/1 "2015-08-20T02:50:08Z")
Same ground rules as in the [recent Friends](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=764043) thread: The Legion of Doom, after countless failures and botched schemes to take over the world get a slight taste of revenge by offing one of the denizens of the Hall of Justice. Who gets the axe? (And why?) Just to keep this poll’s list of options a bit more manageable, I’m counting the two sets of teen sidekick characters as ‘one character’ each. (Besides, if you killed just one of the Wonder Twins, the other one would be pretty useless.) ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kill-a-super-friend/728314/2 "2015-08-20T02:54:48Z")
I just hate that monkey sooo damn much. ---
**Author:** ![Reluctant\_A](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@Reluctant\_A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reluctant_A)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kill-a-super-friend/728314/3 "2015-08-20T02:56:21Z")
Gotta go with Superman. He makes most of the rest of the Super Friends pointless, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kill-a-super-friend/728314/4 "2015-08-20T03:00:22Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > I just hate that monkey sooo damn much. Nobody messes with Gleek. I don’t really want anybody to die, per se. I just hate how they shoehorn Aquaman into the plot. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kill-a-super-friend/728314/5 "2015-08-20T03:16:37Z")
The WMD trio, though to be fair I only have vague childhood memories of them. In a larger sense, they were symptomatic of the dumbing-down and wussification of superhero cartoons, reducing them to kindergarden level when they should at least have been aiming for eight year-olds. ---
**Author:** ![bmoak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@bmoak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kill-a-super-friend/728314/6 "2015-08-20T03:22:35Z")
Black Lightning is the DC Comics character. Black VULCAN is the Super-Friend. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kill-a-super-friend/728314/7 "2015-08-20T03:35:33Z")
I hated Gleek so the Wonder Twins are dead by association. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kill-a-super-friend/728314/8 "2015-08-20T06:30:14Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > I hated Gleek so the Wonder Twins are dead by association. Ok if you use Gleek as a club to beat the cast of Friends to death, I’ll help you vote Gleek to death. “FORM OF: AN OFFER HE CAN’T REFUSE!” ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kill-a-super-friend/728314/9 "2015-08-20T07:27:36Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > I hated Gleek so the Wonder Twins are dead by association. Yeah, it all comes down to how much you hate Gleek. Marvin and Wonder Dog were pretty miserable ( we’ll give Wendy a pass ) and the Wonder Twins had their marginal uses. But Gleek…man, Gleek was the worst. He has to go and I’d say that even if he took most of the rest of the JLA down with him as collateral damage and reduced it to just Aquaman and Red Tornado. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kill-a-super-friend/728314/10 "2015-08-20T08:41:11Z")
Anybody who hates blue monkeys got a problem. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kill-a-super-friend/728314/11 "2015-08-20T10:31:07Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > I just hate how they shoehorn Aquaman into the plot. You took the words out of my mouth. I don’t mind seeing him die. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kill-a-super-friend/728314/12 "2015-08-20T10:48:19Z")
Gleek and the Wonder Twins must die. If Wonder Dog is collateral damage, that falls within acceptable parameters. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kill-a-super-friend/728314/13 "2015-08-20T12:45:18Z")
Man, this is hard. Couldn’t stand Gleek, but really, is there a more useless superhero than Aquaman? “Hey, we just spotted Lex Luther in Lincoln, Nebraska. Let’s go get him! Uh… sorry, Aqua… maybe next time he’ll be in Miami Beach or something.” The WT at least are there for us to snort derisively at… still haven’t figured out Aquaman at all. Apache Chief, Super Samurai, and Black Lightning… can’t kill off these towering examples of 70’s tokenism. But the fish guy? Yeah, Aquaman is an easy target. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kill-a-super-friend/728314/14 "2015-08-20T14:14:31Z")
But…Marvin was the son of the real Diana Prince who sold Wonder Woman her identity. And Wendy was the daughter of one of the guys who taught Batman his awesome detective skills. (And Wonder Dog was connected with…someone…Ace the Bat Hound? I dunno). I’m voting for Super Samurai because I don’t even remember him, and I remember Black “We changed his name 'cause we don’t want to give Tony Isabella royalties” Vulcan and Apache Chief. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kill-a-super-friend/728314/15 "2015-08-20T14:25:41Z")
[Apache Chief](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apache_Chief). His power was that he could grow to unlimited size by saying some phrase. The OP forgot to add (if they really count, but they did appear at times and were considered part of the team)… [El Dorado](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Dorado_(Super_Friends)) - he teleported, using his cloak. [Rima the Jungle Girl](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rima). Here’s Rima with [Batman](http://www.cannibalisticnerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Super-Friends-Rima.jpg) Both ED and Rima (as well as Apache and Black Vulcan) were part of a group of minority Superfriends who made their debut in 1977 and later. Some only lasted for 3 episodes (Rima), while others lasted for the entire season. ---
**Author:** ![Reluctant\_A](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@Reluctant\_A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reluctant_A)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kill-a-super-friend/728314/16 "2015-08-20T14:26:22Z")
I’m pretty sure that he was just called “Samurai,” and he was my favorite Super Friend of all time. Kaze no Yō ni Hayaku! Also, where’s the love for El Dorado? ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kill-a-super-friend/728314/17 "2015-08-20T16:56:25Z")
Well, if it’s the Legion of Doom, they’d obviously pick Superman, but as he’s one of my favorites, I wouldn’t vote for that. In the past, I always thought Aquaman and the Wonder Twins were useless, but Aquaman is having a renaissance between his New 52 incarnation and a good run in JLU. The Wonder Twins, less so, but they were well done in JLU too, the fact that they were Gleek-less was a big plus. You have the Affirmative Action heroes in Apache Chief et al, and while they’re kind of lame, at least they’re not just straight up useless. So that just leaves Wendy, Marvin, and Wonder Dog. They’re not only the most useless, but the most annoying as well. They were put in to help appeal to kids, but even as a kid watching it, they were annoying. After all, the show itself was cartoony enough that it was already appealing to kids. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kill-a-super-friend/728314/18 "2015-08-20T17:07:45Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > The OP forgot to add (if they really count, but they did appear at times and were considered part of the team)… > > [El Dorado](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Dorado_(Super_Friends)) - he teleported, using his cloak. > > [Rima the Jungle Girl](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rima). Here’s Rima with [Batman](http://www.cannibalisticnerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Super-Friends-Rima.jpg) > > Both ED and Rima (as well as Apache and Black Vulcan) were part of a group of minority Superfriends who made their debut in 1977 and later. Some only lasted for 3 episodes (Rima), while others lasted for the entire season. I remember Rima when you brought her up , but I don’t remember El Dorado at all. I should have stated that I opted not to include the one-off guest stars (Rima I think counts there) like Plastic Man or Atom, who only made brief appearances but weren’t mainstay Super Friends. FTR, I tried to fix the poll to change “Black Lightning” to “Black Vulcan”, and “Super Samurai” to “Samurai” (my recollection of 40 year old cartoons is spotty), but I couldn’t figure it out. But you guys know who I mean of course. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kill-a-super-friend/728314/19 "2015-08-20T17:47:37Z")
> [@Don\_Draper](#): > > I remember Rima One of John Van Druten’s lesser-known plays. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kill-a-super-friend/728314/20 "2015-08-20T18:04:08Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Man, this is hard. Couldn’t stand Gleek, but really, is there a more useless superhero than Aquaman? > > “Hey, we just spotted Lex Luther in Lincoln, Nebraska. Let’s go get him! Uh… sorry, Aqua… maybe next time he’ll be in Miami Beach or something.” But at least Aquaman contributes something different if the problem _is_ on the 70% of the globe that’s underwater; Hawkman – is Green Lantern minus the rest of the power ring; he’s Samurai minus invisibility and whirlwinds; and et cetera. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kill-a-super-friend/728314.md?page=2)