We’re only 6 episodes into the Reboot series, so it might be a little soon to do this, but which version of each character do you like more? The old or the new?
My answers:
Lion-O = The 1985 version. We don’t know where the 2011 version is going to end up yet, so it might be too soon to judge. However, in an age where character development was limited due to a self contained episodic approach to the series, Lion-O changed a lot from episode 1 to 130. At the start, he’s a man child: A 12 year old’s mind trapped within the body of a full grown adult, expected to lead his people into a new age following the destruction of their society. Its an awful lot of responsibility and Lion-O has trouble adjusting at first. He makes rash & down right boneheaded decisions, but ultimately grows & matures. By the end of the series, he is the perfect leader & the right choice to lead his people as he rebuilds his lost society, conquers his fears, & earns the trust of all his allies & friends.
The new Lion-O goes through the same things and quite honestly, the two are very similar in a lot of ways. I will say this Lion-O learned compassion much more quickly (its almost like a natural trait to him actually) than the old, whose arrogance got in the way of making better decisions at times. However, the old Lion-O, for all his dependence on the Sword of Omens, the Annointment Trials showed us that it really is Lion-O that makes him who he is and not the Sword. In the 2011, we still don’t know if its Lion-O or the Sword making him look good. Again, a lot of unanswered questions are there, but as it stands for the moment, I am going to pick the 85 version as my favorite. And hey, Will Friedie has been a really good voice, but he’s no Larry Kenney, lol.
Tygra = I am actually going to go ahead and pick the 2011 version. Unlike Lion-O, I feel both versions of Tygra are very different. I feel the new version has a more interesting dramatic element by being Lion-O’s adopted & seemingly superior brother. His relationship with Grune also creates interesting possibilities for the future. Yes, he’s a bit of a jerk, but he’s loyal & trustworthy in spite of whatever problems he has with Lion-O, and I think that will shine throughout the series.
The old version was a bit of a stiff. He was Mr. Rulebook to the point of being a nerd. Its sort of the Leonardo from TMNT dilemma. How can the guy with the coolest weapon be the biggest stick in the mud of the group, lol? One of my favorite unintentionally funny moments from the series was Tygra reacting to Cheetara’s joke about The Mutants not following the rules with the most over the top speech about following the rules that I’ve ever heard (Slaves of Castle Plun-Darr). Its really funny. Now the interesting part of having him be such a square is the fact that his falls from grace are more extreme (Garden of Delights, Crystal Canyon), but I think this Tygra has more potential to be a more well rounded & deep character.
Panthro = This one is actually kind of tough since they are almost the same. Both are the bad ass fighters of the group with immense strength, a wealth of experience, & the technical know how to run things in the science department. One trait that has also stayed the same is that despite a rough exterior, he also has more of a best buddy big brother type of personality. In the old show, I felt that led to him being better friends with Lion-O than say Tygra. It was also nice to see Panthro sort of pal around with the Thunderkittens & Snarf. The new version, even at this early stage, seems to be going in that direction as we saw in the last episode as he hung around with the Kittens & really lightened up towards Lion-O & the others.
I also have to say that Panthro is my favorite Thundercat in both versions, and they both won me over very quickly. With the old version, when I heard him say lines like “If you guys were as mean as you are ugly, then maybe you’d be trouble!” and “I’ll loosen your bones for you!” and throw Mutants around like nobody’s business, I was like “BEST T-CAT! RIGHT THERE!”. And in the new show, I still think Panthro’s intro is the best fan moment they’ve done on the show so far. It was SOOOOOOO awesome.
So really, picking a favorite is really tough, but I am going to lean towards the 1985 version, the main contributing factor being Earle Hyman’s wonderful voice that ranks right up there with Earl Hammond’s Mumm-Ra as my favorite voice in all of Thundercats. A small thing, I know, but both versions of the character are immensely fun and my favorite T-Cat to watch (and yes, Keith Michael Richardson’s voice is good too).
Cheetara = Like Lion-O, this one might be a little tough to judge this soon into the 2011 series, maybe even more so. Cheetara is still a bit of a mystery in the 2011 series. She is dealing with a lot of the same losses & problems that Tygra & Lion-O are enduring, but she isn’t expressing it. Whether or not that is by design I don’t know. All we know is that she is/was one of Jaga’s Clerics and possesses great (possibly still unknown) powers & abilities because of it. She is sort of the emotional rock of the group. While Tygra & Lion-O wear their hearts on their sleeves, Cheetara is there to provide a level head and calm everything down.
However, as it stands now, I actually like the 1985 Cheetara more. She had that strength to her, and it worked in many ways. She was very much a motherly & loving figure at times, and also provided a female perspective on situations, something none of the other adult T-Cats could offer (Excalibur is a great example). Also, she dealt with major problems & personal issues, mostly dealing with how to control her Sixth Sense, which I felt provided some of the best episodes in the original series (Sixth Sense, Telepathy Beam, etc).
The Thunderkittens = This one is an easy choice for me. Right now, I have to go with the 2011 versions. The original Thunderkittens were, well, kind of annoying. They were the dumb kids that caused trouble because they were too dumb to have common sense. They felt more like an excuse to tell stories that were dumbed down for kids (Runaways is the best example) rather than actual characters. They weren’t completely useless or anything, but you can only do so much with the “we’re sick of staying home” or “lets runaway because nobody wants us around” type of stories before it becomes annoying. The one thing I did like was the relationship between them which was a very realistic brother/sister bonding.
The new versions, even with the little we know. grew up in a life of poverty as orphans and had to carve work together to survive. This brings an element of “street smarts” to the Thundercat team, which paid off in the last episode with the Key trap. They are also tainted with an understandable trait of greed, which makes them imperfect, but not in the “oh they’re just kids being kids” kind of way. And I have to say, they have been a nice source of comedy in the new series. In all the rebirths of these characters, I think the Thunderkittens have been the greatest improvement over the new series thus far.
Snarf = This one is actually tougher than it might seem. Why? Well, I ACTUALLY LIKE SNARF!!! A lot of fans thought the old Snarf was annoying, and maybe its true, but being a bit of a nerd with a high pitched voice myself, I always took a liking to Snarf. He didn’t have the physical skills of the T-Cats, but he had all the heart, and wanted to help as much as he could. And he had a role to play. He took care of the Lair, cooked, cleaned, and everything else. He contributed to the team in a positive albeit unglamorous way. That said, there were many problems to Snarf as well, most notably of which is the “Snarfs are immune to EVERYTHING” plot device that they used all throughout Season 2, which got very annoying.
This new Snarf…well, he’s cuter. I’ll say that. The thing looks like a stuffed animal I’d expect to see in my sister’s room. And he doesn’t talk, which makes him less annoying for some, I’m sure. But what is his purpose? What does he add to the team outside of just being a pet that stands there & looks cute? He found the path to the Tower of Omens, sure, but anyone else on the team could have done that, unlike the picked lock that the Kittens got them through. I am going to go ahead & pick the 1985 version of the character as this new one has none of the heart & has contributed very little thus far, but time will tell if that changes.
I’ll post later with the other characters, namely Jaga, Claudis, Mumm-Ra, Grune, & Slithe.