The Superhero Squad Show. HERO UP!

I’ve lately become obsessed with Marvel’s SuperHero Squad Show which debuted in September 2009. At first I thought a TV show based on a toy line was a silly idea, but then I remembered how awesome Jem and the Holograms, Thundercats, GI Joe and a slew of others were, and I felt better.

The Superhero Squad toy line was all about making cute, little figures (like the MiniMates but less Lego) so the result was a cross between DC’s Tiny Titans and Fischer Price’s Little People. Needless to say, it is full of cute.

In the show, the Superhero Squad live in “Superhero City” (Mayor: Stan Lee) and the bad guys live in “Villain Ville.” Before the series began, Doctor Doom and Iron Man fought it out over an object of endless power—the Infinity Sword, but it broke into pieces called “fractals.” (Don’t worry, this is recapped in the theme song, if you’re getting confused.) Each fractal has its own magic juju, which invariably causes hijinks that last just one episode. The Squad was formed to retrieve the fractals before Doom can get them all and reform the Infinity Sword.

Upside: Zany things happen to our heroes, when they come in contact with a fractal. (Like attached image of Iron Man turning into an iron.)

Downside: You will have to pretend you do not know that actual fractals should all look the same as the Infinity Sword did before it broke.

For those wondering, “The Superhero Squad” is pretty much another name for “The Avengers.” Perhaps “Avengers” was too dark for kid TV? Regular members are Iron Man (the leader), Wolverine, Falcon, Thor, Silver Surfer and the Hulk. Young Reptil also shows up in the second episode and becomes a junior member of the squad, presumably because kids need someone young to relate to. I try and ignore him.

Instead I focus on the adorable-ness of the other “Squaddies.” Thor has become a particular favorite of mine, because his unique speech patterns mixed with modern-day jokes never fails to amuse me (“I be rubber and thou art glue, whatever thou sayth doth bounce of me and cling to you!” he tells his brother Loki when they are arguing). And out-of-touch-with-modern-life Captain America reminds me of my grandfather. (They both like to say “HUP HUP HUP!”)

Another high point of the show is the nerd-friendly guest cast that appears. For fans of the Marvel movies, Ray Stevenson and Shawn Ashmore reprise their roles as the Punisher and Iceman. Buffy the Vampire Slayer alums James Marsters (Spike) and Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn) show up as Mister Fantastic and Valkyrie respectively. BSG star Tricia Helfer is Sif; hottie Taye Diggs plays Black Panther; and, my personal favorite, LeVar Burton guests as War Machine (and there is a Reading Rainbow joke!). Lena Headey, aka Sarah Fucking Connor, voices Mystique (pretending to be Black Widow). Heroes actors Adrian Pasdar and Greg Grunberg appear as Hawkeye and Ant-Man. Pasdar’s Hawkeye is so wry and cranky that I’d have let him go with a warning.

My only real gripes with the show is that there is too much potty humor (lots of fart jokes, which I can’t imagine even young kids think are witty) and there is no female member of the Superhero Squad. It’s an all-boys club. Ms. Marvel often shows up as the agent of SHIELD in charge of keeping the boys in line, but she’s reduced to a shrill middle-management stereotype (very concerned with cleanliness) which is a shame because Ms. Marvel is awesome. If only the Wasp (who, despite being small manages to kick all kinds of ass) were a regular member, I’d be totally happy.

No wait, if you could get Gray Hulk to call the Wasp’s costume designs “matronly” in that Michael Kors on Project Runway voice again, then I would be totally happy.

The Superhero Squad Show airs on Cartoon Network at 8:30 am on Saturdays, and then again at 7:30 pm. Check CN’s schedule for additional airings.