Phantom 2040 (TV series)

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Phantom 2040 is an animated science fiction television series loosely based on the comic strip hero The Phantom, created by Lee Falk. The central character of the series is said to be the 24th Phantom. The unusual character designs are the work of Peter Chung, creator of Æon Flux.

The show debuted in 1994 to rave reviews, though it survived only 33 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. It also spawned comic book tie-ins and other merchandise.

Featured voice actors included Scott Valentine, Margot Kidder, Ron Perlman, and Jeff Bennett, while Mark Hamill, Debbie Harry, Rob Paulsen, and Paul Williams had recurring roles.

Contents 1 Story 2 Reaction 3 Characters 4 Episode list 4.1 Season 1 4.2 Season 2 5 Video game 6 Comic books 7 VHS and DVD editions 8 Trivia 9 Recurring cast 10 Show credits 11 External links

Story

In the year 2040, environmental disasters and the economic Resource Wars of the early 21st century have decimated the fragile ecological 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), the largest and most powerful of the city-states, 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 personal underground army. Maximum has plans to construct the fortress of Cyberville, an immense survival shelter where only the wealthiest and most elite humans will retreat once Earth finally succumbs to its slowly deteriorating state and Maximum's biot armies take control of Metropia.

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 where no one is aware of it, but fortunately, 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 1500s, 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.

Reaction

Phantom 2040, unlike the Ghost Who Walks previous animated outing Defenders of the Earth, is well liked by many Phans. Debuting in 1994 the series received rave reviews from critics and audience member alike. It was praised for its intelligent stories and character development, hight quality animation (especially in action scenes) and subtle teaching of such values as individuality, freedom and the volatility of humanity.

The series was something of a large departure from Lee Falk's original comics. As with DotE this was a sci-fi series, not a pure jungle adventure show. However, with the Ghost Jungle an element of the characters jungle origins was kept. The character designs for the series were the work of Peter Chung, creator of the cult hit anime series Æon Flux. While some Phans liked this stylized design others felt that the characters, especially that of the Phantom were "too skinny."

The series, while critically successful only lasted for 33 episodes.

Characters

• 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 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. Voiced by Scott Valentine.
• Guran — 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 one and 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. Voiced by Alan Oppenheimer.
• "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 endeavours. 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.
• Sagan Cruz — A Metropian policewoman or "Enforcer", who is attracted to Kit but is initially unaware of his dual identity, and is 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 police dog named D.V.L. (a reference to the 21st Phantom's wolf, Devil) and in combat dons a well-armoured Enforcer suit. Voiced by Leah Remini.
• Aunt Heloise — Kit's only living relative, Heloise is the daughter of the 21st 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 the 23rd Phantom's killer, Maxwell Madison Sr. 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. Other than Graft and her son, Maxwell Madison Jr., no other humans are employed by Maximum, which has its own biots perform all labour. Voiced by Margot Kidder.
• Maxwell Madison Jr. — Rebecca's sociopathic son, whose intelligence is belied by his laziness and disinterest in almost everything. When he does have an opinion on something, he presents it as coming from his cat, Baudelaire. 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 fathers love for him, is his only and most trusted friend. Voiced by Jeff Bennett.
• Hubert Graft — Rebecca Madison's Chief of Security and main enforcer, a cyborg who blames the Phantom for his condition. He was formerly an environmentalist who fought against Maximum to protect the Amazonian 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 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. Voiced by Ron Perlman in the first season, and Richard Lynch in the second.
• Doctor Jak — A cynical TV journalist who reports the Phantom's activities with a flip spin. His arrogance and vanity bring him to believe that rather than being merely a reporter of news, he "is 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 the way in which he criminalises 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. 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 in order 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. 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 third-person and has a well-armed robotic kangaroo as her sole companion. Voiced by Paddi Edwards.
• 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. 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 criminalising him with the help of Dr. Jak, but after a confrontation with the Phantom, Maxwell loses the remote brain and hence control of Heisenberg. Afterwards, the fractal biot gains independence and a form of sentience, dons a cloak 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 afterwards (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, due to the fact that 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' name sake. 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, tricking the public's minds 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 treats her in a (albeit cold) fatherly way. He ultimately hardwires her mirrors she can use them on her own. Voiced by Deborah Harry.
• 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. Voiced by Iona Morris.
• Maxwell Madison Sr. — Rebecca's deceased husband, who was killed along with the 23rd Phantom in a toxic train wreck. Rebecca captured 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.

Episode list

Season 1

1. Generation Unto Generation (part 1)
2. Generation Unto Generation (part 2)
3. The Sum of the Parts
4. Fire and I.C.E.
5. Reflections of Glory
6. Shadows from the Past
7. The Good Mark
8. Ghost in the Machine
9. Dark Orbit (part 1)
10. Dark Orbit (part 2)
11. The Biot in Red
12. The Gauntlet
13. Three Into One
14. Life Lessons
15. The Magician
16. Swifter, Higher, Faster
17. Lasers in the Jungle
18. Down the Line
19. Control Group
20. A Boy and His Cat

Season 2

1. Rite of Passage
2. Sanctuary
3. The Ties that Bind
4. The Woman in the Moon
5. Matter Over Mind
6. The Sins of the Fathers (part 1)
7. The Sins of the Fathers (part 2)
8. The Sacrifice (part 1)
9. The Sacrifice (part 2)
10. Rogue
11. The Second Time Around
12. The Furies
13. Moments of Truth
14. The Whole Truth

Video game

See Phantom 2040 (video game)

A Phantom 2040 video game was produced for Sega Genesis, Game Gear and Super NES, 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

See Phantom 2040 (comics)

Phantom 2040 was adapted into a comic book series by Marvel Comics in 1995 (cover dated May-Aug. 1995). Only four issues were published, released as a mini-series . The stories were only loosely based on the TV series, and had a different tone than the dark, complicated animated show. The comic book was written by Peter Quinones, pencilled by Steve Ditko, and inked by Bill Reinhold. Each issue featured a free poster drawn by such artists as John Romita Sr.

VHS and DVD editions

Many episodes of the series have been released on VHS and DVD, but a definitive collection is yet to come. A DVD called Phantom 2040: The Ghost Who Walks was released in 2004, and includes the first five episodes of the series edited into a "movie". Many other episodes were released on VHS in the late 1990s:

• Generation Unto Generation (part 1 & 2)
• Fire and I.C.E. / The Sum of the Parts
• Dark Orbit (part 1 & 2)
• The Ghost in the Machine / The Biot in Red

Trivia

• The second episode begins with a 'recorded' voiceover that is preceded by a sound effect originally created by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop for the UK radio series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It is the sound the Guide makes before responding to a question.

• The Phantoms multi-purpose vehicle was named H.E.R.O. after the comic strip Phantoms' horse Hero.

• Sagan Cruz, the 24th Phantom's love interest and future police officer works with a cyborg police dog named D.V.L, a reference to the 21st Phantom's wolf Devil.

• In the Phantom 2040 video game the initials J.P can be found spray painted on the walls of the subway which contains the Ghost Jungle, a reference to the Jungle Patrol from the comic strip.

• For some unknown reason, the Phantom legacy is said to have started in 1566 instead of 1536 as in the comics.

Recurring cast

• The Phantom/ Kit Walker....Scott Valentine
• Rebecca Madison....Margrot Kidder
• Guran....J. D. Hall
• Jack Archer....Alan Oppenheimer
• Sagan Cruz....Leah Remini
• Aunt Heloise.... Carrie Snodgress
• Maxwell Madison Jr....Jeff Bennett
• Graft....Ron Perlman (season one)/ Richard Lynch (rest of series)
• Doctor Jack.... Mark Hamill
• Sean One/ Heisenberg.... Rob Paulsen

Show credits

• Based on the Character Created by Lee Falk
• Developed for Television by David J. Corbett
• Executive Story Editors Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens
• Additional Development by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens
• Supervising Producer Mary Chojnowski Corbett
• Associate Producer Mary Katherine Moore
• Line Producers Gwen Wetzler, Michel Lyman
• Art Director/Conceptual Designer Thom Schillinger
• Original Model Design Peter Chung
• Additional Model Design Paula La Fond, Stephanie Pyren-Fortel, Eric Canete
• Storyboards Romeo Francisco, Aleta Estes, David Williams, Rex Irvine, Vincenzo Tripetti
• Storyboard Cleanup Cesar Magsombol, Art Lee, John Lee, Peter Pace, Vincent Michael Edwards
• Color Key Allyn Conley, Jane Lane
• Color Key Assistant Darcee Frisch Olson
• Computer Graphics Thomas Kim
• Background Layout Jesse Santos, Nick Pugh, Melissa Suber, Vladimir Spasojevic
• Background Color Barbara Schade, Rebecca Jo Morales, Voice Direction, Stu Rosen
• Production Manager Andrew J. Leith
• Production Controllers Loretta Abata Elliot
• Assistant to the Executive Producer Miken Lee Wong
• Educational Consultant John Arnold
• Production Executive Steve Herman
• Production Coordinators Shareena Carlson, Lisa Larrick, Jamie Adner - NYC
• Production Assistants Katharine Nartonis, Courtney Narz, Bryan Thompson, Stefan Marks
• Music Composed & Performed by Gerald O'Brien
• Additional Music by Larry Brown, Steve Sexton
• Songs by David J. Corbett and Gerald O'Brien
• Pre-Edit/Track Reader Laurie Wetzler
• Post Production Audio France: H2 Prod., Montage, Sapa PM
• Dialogue Recording and Editing The L.A. Studios, Inc
• Animation Direction Vincent Bassol, Michel Lyman, Mike Kaweski, Bertrand Tager Kagan
• Production Supervisors France: Scott La Barge, Korea: Mike Kaweski
• Post Production Supervisor/Editor France: Scott La Barge, Los Angeles: D.J. Graham
• French Production Adapter France Helene Joubaud
• Supervising Producer Rene Huchez, Barham Rohani
• Production Manager Caroline Guicheux
• Production Supervisor Jean Marc Desrosiers, Michel Gantier
• Animation Production Sei Young Animation Co., Ltd.
• Executives in Charge Choi An Hee, Cho Jung Jin
• Executive Producers William E. Miller, David Corbett, Jeffrey Schon
• Produced by Hearst Entertainment Inc., Minos S.A., France 3
• Created for Television by Hearst Entertainment, Inc.

External links

• Official Phantom 2040 website of the main writers of the series
• Phantom 2040 - The Ghost Jungle

This article, in the version of October 11, 2007, includes information from Wikipedia: Phantom 2040.