''Phantom 2040'' is an

animated series An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have eith ...

that is loosely based on the comic strip superhero ''

The Phantom ''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The char ...

'', created by

Lee Falk Lee Falk (), born Leon Harrison Gross (; April 28, 1911 – March 13, 1999), was an American cartoonist, writer, theater director, and producer, best known as the creator of the comic strips '' Mandrake the Magician'' and ''The Phantom''. At th ...

. The central character of the series is said to be the 24th Phantom. It was aired from September 18, 1994 to March 3, 1996 in

syndication Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...

Story

It is the year 2040, all environmental disasters and the economic Resource Wars from the early 21st century have decimated the fragile

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...

balance of an Earth once teeming with life. Everywhere, the privileged and wealthy continue to thrive in expensive real estate developments that tower above the suffering masses. The victims of Earth's misfortune have been forced to subsist on scavenged refuse from the past on the mangled streets of forlorn city-states. In Metropia (once known as

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

), the largest and most powerful of the

city-states A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...

, the powerful robotics manufacturing corporation Maximum Inc. has slowly shaped a cold, steely urban center, consisting of huge, residential towers intertwined with TubeTrain tunnels. Maximum's robotic "biots" (Biological Optical Transputer System) have replaced enormous amounts of human labour, and the corporation is illegally producing prohibited combat biots to form Maximum's private underground army. Under this guise of efficient progress, Maximum has own plans for the future, all known as the Maximum Era. Through the construction of the fortress of Cyberville, an immense survival shelter where only the wealthiest and most elite humans will retreat, and the take over of Metropia by Maximum's biot armies, their plans all ultimately involve the dark path of decline and extinction as the culminating result of man's prior errors and efforts, once Earth finally succumbs to its slowly deteriorating state. The only hope for the survival of humanity is the Ghost Jungle — thousands of square miles of mutated vegetation that may be the planet's salvation. This secret source of life is submerged beneath Metropia, unseen by most. College student Kit Walker Jr. is chosen by fate to save the world, donning the black mask and purple suit of his people's savior, the 24th Phantom. The role of the Phantom has been passed on from father to son since the 16th century, leading the world to believe that the Phantom is a single immortal individual. Kit, the 24th in the line, is young, unsure, and inexperienced, but he finds within him the courage and might to battle the evil that threatens to destroy the Earth.

Cast and characters

''Phantom 2040s voice cast included Scott Valentine,

Margot Kidder Margaret Ruth Kidder (October 17, 1948 – May 13, 2018), known professionally as Margot Kidder, was a Canadian-American actress whose career spanned five decades. Her accolades include three Canadian Screen Awards and one Daytime Emmy A ...

, Ron Perlman, Leah Remini, J.D. Hall,

Alan Oppenheimer Alan Oppenheimer (born April 23, 1930) is an American actor. He has performed numerous roles on live action television since the 1960s, and he has had an active career doing voice work since the 1970s. Early life Oppenheimer was born in New Yor ...

Richard Lynch Richard Lynch (February 12, 1940 – June 19, 2012) was an American actor best known for portraying villains in films and television. His film credits included ''The Sword and the Sorcerer'', '' Invasion USA'', ''The Seven-Ups'', ''Scarecr ...

and Jeff Bennett - while Mark Hamill, Debbie Harry, Rob Paulsen and Paul Williams had recurring roles. *Kit Walker, Jr. – The 24th Phantom, Kit was not trained for the role like his ancestors were. His father died under mysterious circumstances when he was only a baby, and he grew up not knowing about his heritage. When

Guran Guran is a character from ''The Phantom'' comic strip. Guran is the best friend of the main character, Phantom. Character synopsis According to Lee Falk's novel '' The Story of the Phantom: The Ghost Who Walks'', Guran is ten years older tha ...

tells him about the Phantom on his eighteenth birthday, he is initially disbelieving but takes on the role with increasing conviction. His equipment includes optical camouflage for invisibility, a wristband that contains a powerful computer ("analytical"), and another that contains a smart inductance rope. He has several vehicles, including a nimble airborne Hypercycle, a cloaking multi-passenger cruiser, and an upgraded 1999 Mustang named "Hero", after the 21st Phantom's horse. After defeating Maximum Inc, he looks towards a long vacation, until the day the Phantom is needed again. Voiced by Scott Valentine. *

– Kit's mentor, whose family have been aiding the Phantom for generations. Together with Jack Archer, Guran instructs the Phantom in combat, morality, and life itself, and is frequently seen reciting insightful "old jungle sayings" to Kit and others. After the 23rd Phantom's death, Guran blamed himself, and consumed in his sadness and self-hatred he became the legendary Shadow Panther until he was freed from his mourning forever by Kit Walker Jr. Voiced by J. D. Hall. *Jack Archer – A scientist and professor in biology at Kit's university. After Kit dons the identity of the Phantom, Archer takes only a short time to deduce that they are the same and becomes one of the few who know the Phantom's true identity. Together with Guran, Archer takes on the role of Kit's mentor, particularly in scientific and contemporary parts of his education. Later on, (due to his wishes to work for the greater good like Kit), opens a small Detective agency like his family before him. Voiced by

. * "Sparks" (Daniel Aguilar) – A young, orphaned cyber-surfer who is rescued by Kit after Maximum mistakes Sparks as the Phantom. Sparks is unofficially adopted into the Phantom's lair, and assists in the technological parts of their endeavors. When he was three, his parents, Esteban and María, were kidnapped by Maximum and cruelly used as the mental tissue for the biomechanical "living building" Project Gauntlet, Cyberville's security system. Voiced by

Pamela Adlon Pamela Fionna Adlon (; ; born July 9, 1966) is an American actress. She is known for voicing Bobby Hill in the animated comedy series ''King of the Hill'' (1997–2010), for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award. She also voiced Baloo in '' Jung ...

. * Sagan Cruz – A Metropian policewoman or "Enforcer", who is attracted to Kit but was initially unaware of his dual identity, and was skeptical about the Phantom's motives. She later figures out his secret and eventually becomes Kit's love interest and partner. She has a

genetically engineered Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including t ...

police dog named D.V.L. (a reference to the 21st Phantom's wolf, Devil) and in combat dons a well-armored Enforcer suit. Voiced by Leah Remini. * Heloise Walker – Kit's only living relative, Heloise is the daughter of the 21st Phantom, the sister of the 22nd Phantom, the aunt of the 23rd Phantom, and the great-aunt of Kit Walker, Jr. – The 24th Phantom. She kept the truth from Kit, hoping he could lead a normal life, but accepts Kit's choice to become the 24th Phantom and assists him in his plans to stop Maximum Inc. Voiced by Carrie Snodgress. * Rebecca Madison – The series villain, chairperson of Maximum Inc. and widow of Maxwell Madison Sr., the 23rd Phantom's killer. Rebecca plans to construct Cyberville, a technological and impenetrable fortress where the select wealthy and elite may seek refuge when the Earth begins to deteriorate (something Rebecca's underground biot army will ensure takes place relatively soon), but her plans of domination are frequently being foiled by the Phantom. Despite her evil ways, she does have some redeeming qualities, such as wishing to know that her son is safe before evacuating from an attack, as well as Kit suggesting she is a very lonely woman. Other than Graft and her son, Maxwell Madison Jr., no other humans are employed by Maximum, which has its own biots perform all labor. In the end, with all of her crimes revealed to the world, she is quickly arrested and sent to prison. Voiced by

. * Maxwell Madison Jr. – Rebecca's psychopathic son, whose intelligence is belied by his laziness and outward disinterest in almost everything. When he does have an opinion on something, he presents it as coming from his cat,

Charles Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet who also produced notable work as an essayist and art critic. His poems exhibit mastery in the handling of rhyme and rhythm, contain an exoticism inherited ...

. He is psychologically disturbed with the disorders being rooted in the loss of his father at such an early age. His cat, perhaps the last remaining symbol of his father's love for him, is his only and most trusted friend. In the end, after Rebecca is arrested both he and his cat, are sent to a mental asylum, or as Cruz put it, a "padded prison". Voiced by Jeff Bennett. * Hubert Graft – Rebecca Madison's Chief of Security and main enforcer, a cyborg. He was formerly an environmentalist who turned and fought against Maximum to protect the Amazon rainforest, before losing his whole body below the shoulders in combat. Maximum rebuilt Graft's body using biot parts, giving Rebecca Madison complete control over Graft's life. Graft's biot torso can be disconnected (a painful process) at the hip and integrated into other robotic systems over which Graft has complete control, most commonly the Urban Combat Biot Walker, a ten-foot steel exoskeleton armed with lasers and claws. Despite this, he still has a desire to protect nature and will work with the Phantom if a bigger threat hits it. Several times the Phantom asks if he would want to escape Maximum's clutches, but he always turns this offer down. He also is against harming children, even if that child trespassed and destroyed invaluable company technology. In the end, after Maximum Inc is defeated, he is mentioned to have been sent to a halfway house. Voiced by Ron Perlman in the first season, and

in the second. * Doctor Jak – A cynical sensationalist TV yellow journalist who reports the Phantom's activities with a negative spin. His arrogance and vanity bring him to believe that rather than being merely a reporter of news, he "is the news", and therefore anything he does not see (such as purposely covering his eye when it is revealed the Phantom was being framed) is not the news. In "Matter Over Mind", it is discovered that after Jak's wife perished in the Grand Central Station crash, he attempted an illegal operation to integrate an analytical computer into his mind, but the operation was interrupted and the analytical program thought lost. Dr. Jak was left part-biot, with sensory implants on his head and a multi-purpose eyepiece which he uses to film his news program, The Dr. Jak Show. His character and how he criminalizes the Phantom are comparable to J. Jonah Jameson of '' Spider-Man''. Voiced by Mark Hamill. * Mr. Cairo – A mysterious information broker who only appears in holographic transmissions and who deals with both the Phantom and Maximum Inc. Early on, he discovers the Phantom's true identity but chooses to withhold the information from Rebecca Madison despite the enormous reward being offered. He is later revealed to actually be the sentient analytical program separated from Dr. Jak's consciousness, but he decides not to rejoin Dr. Jak's mind and instead stays on to loyally assist the Phantom, though meets his end when Max Jr. shuts down the power with him still in it, deleting him. Voiced by Paul Williams. * Sean One – The first human born in outer space and founder and leader of the Free Orbital Movement, Sean One seeks independence for his Orbital colonies. An arrogant and abnormally tall man, he resorts to espionage and terrorist attacks to achieve his ends and is unable to walk by himself while in the presence of gravity. He is revered among the Orbitals' inhabitants in an almost god-like way and is extremely apathetic towards whom he calls the "gravity-slaves" of Earth. He is defeated when he publicly announced his plan to rig the votes to make the Orbital Colonies independent, as well as attempting to kill Vaingloria. Voiced by Rob Paulsen. * Gorda – A morbidly obese crime lord and smuggler from Australia who is unable to move by herself and has an army of strong, red-tinted biots under her command. She refers to herself in

virtual camera system In 3D video games, a virtual camera system aims at controlling a camera or a set of cameras to display a view of a 3D virtual world. Camera systems are used in video games where their purpose is to show the action at the best possible angle; m ...

and has a well-armed robotic

kangaroo Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern ...

as her sole companion. In the end, she is arrested and transported back to Australia to await trial. Voiced by

Paddi Edwards Paddi Edwards (December 9, 1931 – October 18, 1999) was a British-American actress. She worked steadily in film and television. Career She found a niche in television movies, and toward the end of her life, doing voice work in projects fo ...

. * Heisenberg – A shape-shifting fractal biot built by Max Madison Jr. using nanites grown in space by Sean One, named by Maxwell after the German physicist

Werner Heisenberg Werner Karl Heisenberg () (5 December 1901 – 1 February 1976) was a German theoretical physicist and one of the main pioneers of the theory of quantum mechanics. He published his work in 1925 in a breakthrough paper. In the subsequent serie ...

. Heisenberg is the first stable fractal biot created by Maximum and is controlled by Maxwell using a separate remote brain which must be carried around in a case. Heisenberg is forced to impersonate the Phantom and succeeds in criminalizing him with the help of Dr. Jak, but after a confrontation with the Phantom, Maxwell loses the remote brain and hence control of Heisenberg. Afterward, the fractal biot gains independence and a form of sentience, dons a wide-brimmed hat and trench coat, and seeks answers for his past, remembering nothing of his creation other than his name. He meets a wise street saxophonist named Betty, and after deciding to take his own path, becomes a "teacher" to biots everywhere, helping them to be free from their human owners and become self-aware. Heisenberg eventually joins the Phantom and becomes a close companion to Pavlova, Dr. Jak's assistant. Voiced by Rob Paulsen. * Pavlova - Dr. Jak's personal biot assistant, distinguishable by red symbols on her face. Pavlova sometimes questions the honesty and morality of Jak's news uploads, but always has her memory wiped by Jak afterward (a task he does somewhat reluctantly). Nicknamed "Pav" by Jak, the reporter treats her as his friend and sometimes even in a joking, romantic way, because Pavlova was named after Jak's late wife. Pavlova also befriends Heisenberg, who takes an interest in her. She ultimately tells Jak "I will program myself from now on", at which later Jak laments, "You just had to be your own person, just like her", referring to Pav's namesake. Voiced by Liz Georges. * Vaingloria – A popular starlet singer trained by Maximum Inc. to brainwash the public. It is known that Rebecca Madison found her as a street urchin and offered her food, shelter, and fame in exchange for her services for Maximum. Rebecca had her fitted with retractable mirrors which can focus light to such a strength that looking at the mirrors can overload the mind's senses, effectively hypnotizing the public into adoring her and on Maximum's orders using them to completely brainwash certain people (it can be assumed that the mirrors are difficult to control with precision, as Vaingloria once accidentally sent a victim into a coma). Vaingloria reluctantly takes part in several of Maximum's plots and becomes particularly close to Graft, who (somewhat) reciprocates. He ultimately hardwires her mirrors she can use them on her own. Voiced by

Deborah Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble; July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1981. Born in ...

. * Betty – A wise street saxophonist who becomes Heisenberg's best friend and companion. She is seen to be aware of everything around her and frequently relating life to the blues. She carries a saxophone that was the property of former U.S. president

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

. Voiced by

Iona Morris Iona Morris is an American actress. She has performed in numerous films and television shows, including extensive voice work in animation. Early life Iona was born in Columbus, Ohio, and is the daughter of late actor Greg Morris (1933–1996) ...

. * Maxwell Madison Sr. – Rebecca's deceased husband, who was killed along with the 23rd Phantom in a toxic train wreck. Rebecca captures his brainwaves and stores them in an enormous computer, and is constantly seeking a stable way to transfer them into a biot or preferably a living body to effectively resurrect Maxwell Madison Sr. He was regarded as a very dangerous and power-hungry man when he was alive and in control of Maximum, Inc, but it is discovered that his plans for the world were very ecologically beneficial and that his ambitious wife Rebecca sabotaged his plans in favor of greedy, selfish world domination. Voiced by Jeff Bennett.

Development

The show was developed for television by executive producer David J. Corbett and executive story editors

Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens are a ''New York Times''-bestselling husband-and-wife writing/producing team. In June, 2013, at the Constellation Awards ceremony in Toronto, the writing couple were honored with the Constellation Award for "Out ...

. In addition to story-editing both seasons, the Reeves-Stevens devised the show's writers' bible, and scripted numerous episodes, including the two-part pilot (''Generation Unto Generation''). Other key writers on the show included

Brynne Chandler Brynne Chandler (born 1958) is a writer and story editor best known for her work on animated television series such as '' Gargoyles, Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Batman: The Animated Series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'', and ''He-Man an ...

and

Michael Reaves James Michael Reaves (born September 14, 1950) is an American writer, known for his contributions as scriptwriter and story editor to a number of 1980s and 1990s animated television series, including '' Disney's Gargoyles'' and '' Batman: The An ...

. The unusual character designs were the distinctive work of

Peter Chung Peter Chung (born April 19, 1961) is a Korean American animator. He is best known for his unique style of animation, as the creator and director of ''Æon Flux'' and '' Reign: The Conqueror (Alexander Senki)''. Early life and career Peter Chung ...

, creator of ''

Æon Flux ''Æon Flux'' is an American avant-garde science fiction adventure animated television series that aired on MTV from November 30, 1991, until October 10, 1995, with film, comic book, and video game adaptations following thereafter. It premiered ...

''. The art director/conceptual designer on the show wa
Thom Schillinger
who created all of the background designs and technical concept designs to complement Peter Chung's distinctively elongated character design.Interview with Thom Schillinger about his Art Director/Conceptual Designer role on Phantom 2040
/ref> The show debuted in

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...

to rave reviews, though it survived only 35 episodes before it was relegated to weekend repeats in 1996. Along with action sequences, stories focused on intelligent plotting and character development, winning the series praise for its subtle teaching of such values as individuality, freedom and the volatility of humanity. Along with Andrea Romano's equally pioneering work on '' Batman: The Animated Series'', Stu Rosen's voice direction on ''Phantom 2040'' had a lasting impact on animated adventure television. Romano and Rosen cast accomplished dramatic actors and introduced a new level of maturity and complexity to their show's vocal performances that set the standard for all TV animation that followed.

Episodes

In other media

Video game

A '' Phantom 2040'' video game was produced for Sega Genesis,

Game Gear The is an 8-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation handheld game console released by Sega on October 6, 1990, in Japan, in April 1991 throughout North America and Europe, and during 1992 in Australia. The Game Gear pri ...

and

Super NES The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in ...

, and like the animated series, it received very positive reviews despite its obscurity. It is possible to play as both the Phantom and, in the Game Gear version, his alter-ego, Kit Walker. The game has over 20 different endings, depending on the choices the player makes while progressing through the story, and revolves around Rebecca Madison's attempts to create a biot army, revive her dead husband and seize control of both Metropia and the world.

Comic books

''Phantom 2040'' was adapted into a comic book series by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

in 1995 (cover dated May–August 1995). Only four issues were published, released as a mini-series. The stories were only loosely based on the TV series, and was notably different in tone from the dark, complex animated show. The comic book was written by Peter Quinones, pencilled by '' Spider-Man'' co-creator

Steve Ditko Stephen John Ditko Page contains two reproductions from school yearbooks. A 1943 Garfield Junior High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen Ditko". A 1945 Johnstown High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen J. Ditko" under extracurricular act ...

and inked by Bill Reinhold. Each issue featured a free poster drawn by such artists as John Romita Sr.

Home media and streaming

VHS

Family Home Entertainment VHS Releases 1994/1995 (USA) A straight-to-video compilation titled ''Phantom 2040: The Ghost Who Walks'' was released in the USA on VHS by Family Home Entertainment in 1994 (and re-released on May 21, 1996). It is made up of the first five episodes of season 1 edited into a single movie. Family Home Entertainment subsequently released eight first-season episodes across four commercially available VHS tapes (in the USA) on August 22, 1995: 1) ''Generation Unto Generation Parts 1 and 2'' 2) ''Fire and I.C.E. / The Sum of the Parts'' 3) ''Dark Orbit Parts 1 and 2'' 4) ''The Ghost in the Machine / The Biot in Red''

DVD

Lions Gate DVD Release 2004 (USA) ''Phantom 2040: The Ghost Who Walks'' was re-released on DVD by Lions Gate on September 21, 2004 and remains available for purchase in most counties as a US import. Via Vision Entertainment DVD Release 2013 (Australia) In Australia (where the popularity of

's original ''

Phantom Phantom may refer to: * Spirit (animating force), the vital principle or animating force within all living things ** Ghost, the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear to the living Aircraft * Boeing Phantom Ray, a stealthy un ...

'' comic strip has never waned), Season One was released as a four-disc DVD collection (containing the first twenty episodes of the show) by Via Vision Entertainment on 6 November 2013

YouTube

'
The Complete Phantom 2040 on YouTube
'' All 35 episodes of Phantom 2040 (33 original episodes plus the first and second season "bridging" compilation episodes ''Rite of Passage'' and ''The World is My Jungle'') are officially available for viewing on YouTube via th
Comics Kingdom channel
Comics Kingdom is the official YouTube channel of King Features Syndicate, who hold all rights to The Phantom. The Comics Kingdom channel also features all episodes of the Phantom 2040 production team's later Flash Gordon show and all episodes of Defenders of the Earth (starring Flash Gordon, The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician).

References

External links