Seasons & episodes
S1 · E42Dracula's Potion 1986-11-04 · 30 min
The Defenders set out for Transylvania to investigate the disappearance of John Harker, a young archeologist doing re-search in the area. Upon arrival, they are invited to the castle of Vlad, a mysterious local who serves them dinner at midnight. When Vlad proposes a toast, everyone joins in, except the Phantom, who doesn't trust the shifty host. The next day all the Defenders, with the exception of the Phantom, turn into animals reflecting their personality characteristics- Vlad had spiked their dinner beverages with a magic potion. Dynak X launches an antidote to our heroes via a guided rocket. Kshin, now enjoying himself as a spider monkey, retrieves the antidote from the garden and, with the Phantom, frees the Defenders/animals from their cages and administers the antidote. Restored, the Defenders turn bright lights on Vlad, trans-forming him into John Harker! The young man had been possessed by the older vampire, Vlad.
S1 · E43One of the Guys 1986-11-05 · 30 min
Rick and L.J. accompany Kshin's class, which includes Marty, a wheelchair-bound boy, on a field trip to the Amazon where they encounter hostile natives. When Kshin and Marty are separated from the group, L.J. and Rick search for them, prompting the teacher to call in the Defenders. Stumbling upon a field of strange flowers cultivated by Ming's minions, Kshin is sprayed by a plant and rendered paralyzed from the waist down. At first he believes the situation hopeless, but Marty points out that they still have their brains. Captured by Ming, Marty uses his remote control device to summon his air-wheelchair and attempts a getaway from Ming. Meanwhile, the Phantom locates Rick and L.J. in the jungle. Ming, furious at being outwitted by two "helpless" boys, stalks Marty and Kshin. Just before he corners them, the Defenders arrive in Terry and foil the Merciless Ming's scheme to take over the world. Kshin's paralysis wears off and Marty is made an honorary Defender.
S1 · E44100 Proof Highway 1986-11-06 · 30 min
At school, Jedda is invited to a party by Eric, who freely admits that, "Everything looks better with a little vodka". At first a bit hesitant, Jedda eventually agrees- she thinks Eric is cute and exciting. Rick and L.J. warn Jedda to steer clear of the trouble-maker, but she reminds them that they are neither her brothers nor her father. At the party that night, Erick is dead drunk, and his best friend Sam spikes Jedda's punch to "loosen her up". Confused and dizzy, Jedda asks Eric for a ride home. On the way he passes out at the wheel, with Jedda barely gaining control in time to avert disaster. Jedda gives a repentant Eric a second chance and attends a drag race with him. Disturbed by the drinking and dangerous driving, she once again demands that Eric, secretly drunk, take her home. This time they crash into a lake where Rick and L.J. must dive in for a risky rescue. The incident finally opens Eric's eyes to his alcoholism and he begins daily counseling, confident that although sobriety is a tough road, it's worth it.
S1 · E45The Time Freezer 1986-11-07 · 30 min
The Defenders attend an inter-galactic science convention in Monaco which coincides with a junior magician's competition that Kshin enters. Mandrake tells the boy the secret to opening locks through telekenetic activity, a trick which he uses to win the competition. When a big, roughhousing alien named Brutan steals a Time Freezer device from Yonda, a soft-spoken scientist at the fair, and uses it to rob the casino and local jewelry stores, Kshin is a suspect in the robberies. Kshin, with Zuffy, set out to clear his name, discovering from Yonda that Brutan plans to rob Fort Knox! They inform the Defenders and our heroes arrive on the scene to discover Brutan in the act. Using another version of his Time Freezer, Yonda captures the thief.
S1 · E46The Prince Makes His Move (1) 1986-11-10 · 30 min
Prince Kro-Tan reduces his father to nothing more than a microbe and seizes control of his empire, determined to conquer earth and destroy the Defenders himself....
S1 · E47The Prince Triumphant (2) 1986-11-11 · 30 min
Pursuing Kro-Tan to a small kingdom in india, Flash and Rick are astonished to find that Kro-Tan is revered as a benevolant and trusting being, deemed worthy of ruling earth
S1 · E48The Prince Weds (3) 1986-11-12 · 30 min
Continuing his power play, Kro-Tan's next step is to secretly attach miniature, mind-controled explosives to the Defenders and take Jedda captive. They arrive in Mongo, where he announces that they'll soon wed.
S1 · E49The Prince's Royal Hunt (4) 1986-11-13 · 30 min
Locked in the prince's palace, Jedda uses her gift to communicate with animals as a means of escape before the wedding. In a subterranean area, Kshin discovers a race of small, peaceful creatures who are known for singing a special tune. The Defenders, via a tip from Jedda, discover the explosive devices and remove them.
S1 · E50The Prince Dethroned (5) 1986-11-14 · 30 min
The witch who's aided Kro-Tan from the start manages to revive the original King of Mongo, and is revealed to be his Queen while having her youth restored. They lock Kro-Tan away and later do the same with the Defenders via a magical transportation. The King then disposes of his Queen. In the cell, Kro-Tan reveals that the King has returned, and the Phantom, after enhancing his strength, frees the Defenders. The showdown with the King is interrupted by the arrival of the creatures Kshin discovered earlier, whose singing brings about his downfall once again. Ming is restored, and angrily takes his son off for punishment.
S1 · E51Lothar's Homecoming 1986-11-17 · 30 min
The Defenders accompany Lothar to his hometown in Jamaica, where the new children?s wing of a hospital will be dedicated in his honor. While there, Dr. Barbeau informs then that a new wonder drug is doing fantastic things for the children, but is difficult to obtain because a mythical sea serpent has been stealing it. A cult, led by Papa Duke, worships the serpent, and L.J.?s new friend, Felice, tells him that her brother has joined. While spying on a ceremony L.J. is captured and Felice escapes, but not before learning that Papa Duke plans to lead the youth of the town on a campaign to seize power from their elders. L.J. is forced to drink the breath of the serpent, which gives him super-human strength and hypnotizes him into following Papa Duke. L.J. kidnaps Kshin for a sacrifice while Rick and Jedds search the water submarine for the monster. The Defenders invade the cult and rally the town citizens to control the kids. L.J. becomes his old self when the drug wears off, Kshin is rescued and Papa Duke turns out to actually be Dr. Barbeau! Barbeau has been operating a mechanical sea serpent and stealing the drug.
S1 · E52Suspended Sabotage 1986-11-18 · 30 min
While Rick and L.J. test out Rick's new invention- a wave interference device that scrambles any signal transmitted through the air- Rick is kidnapped by Ming, who then places an implant on L.J.'s head which will monitor his thought patterns. In exchange for Rick's safety, Ming orders L.J. to sabotage Flash's spaceship the night before our heroes plan to battle Ming's minions. During the fight our heroes are forced to retreat to Monitor. Ming then forces L.J. to divert the Defenders to South America while Ming invades New York City. L.J. recovers Rick's wave-interference device and rescues him. By the time the other heroes discover that L.J. is the saboteur, L.J. is able to explain himself and inform the Defenders of Ming's actual target. They arrive just in time to defeat the Merciless One.
S1 · E53Call of the Eternals 1986-11-19 · 30 min
Ming sends a look-alike Defender ship to provoke the Beacon of the Eternals- a computer operated ship searching for a long lost benevolent society- which thereby releases its three Guardian Robots to retaliate against our heroes. The Guardian Robots are the most powerful form of robot in the known universe. When Flash destroys one of them, its strength transfers to the other two, increasing the danger to both the Defenders and the Earth. With one of the two remaining robots hot on their tail, L.J., Kshin and Zuffy fly to New York to retrieve Mandrake and Lothar, while Flash, Rick and Jedda lock the third robot in a force (stasis) field surrounding Monitor. In New York Mandrake defeats the second robot through a brilliant illusion. However, this was Ming's plan. The final Guardian doubles in size, draining Monitor of its power source and transforming itself into an unbeatable machine. Rick conceives a plan which the Defenders put into action- a homing torpedo is outfitted with a mock signal from the Eternals and launched into a black hole, thereby tricking the Beacon into sending the final robot to investigate the signal. The final robot is destroyed and our heroes and the Earth are safe from Ming's grasp- temporarily.
S1 · E54The Return of Doctor Dark 1986-11-20 · 30 min
Ming sets out to rule the entire universe by stealing the first of the three shards of the Orb of Konos from the Yucatan rain forest. At Monitor, Mandrake picks up telepathic signals from Mara, prompting Rick's journey to the Well of Essence, where he finds her in a cocoon. Dr. Dark locates the second shard with Ming, but in a confrontation between the two the evil ex-shadow lord drains the crystal's power, capturing it in his own body. Flash and Mandrake travel to a frozen planet to recover the third shard, only to discover that Ming has beat them to it. Back at Monitor Mara emerges from her cocoon, now a shadow lord. The Defenders rush to the Amber Keep on Rylos --the only place where the Orb of Konos can be reassembled- to discover that Dr. Dark has double crossed Ming and entered the Shadow Void to become the supreme ruler of the universe. Mara enters Dr. Dark's mind and prevents him from regaining control, thereby allowing the Orb to take back the power he stole from it, and destroying the evil warlock in the process. The Defenders escape the planet and Mara stays to become the new shadow master, ensuring that no one ever again splits the Orb of Konos.
S1 · E55The Deadliest Battle 1986-11-21 · 30 min
Rick feels the pressure that results from his efforts to live up to Flash's reputation, and all aspects of Rick's life are suffering- school, personal and Defender work. A "friend" gives him a vial of drugs which Kshin sees Rick take in an effort to better perform when Ming, supercharged by an electrode machine, invades Monitor. Because Rick forgot to activate the defense system, Flash must lead Ming away from Monitor. Flash, along with the other senior Defenders, is trapped under a subway tunnel which Ming collapses on top of them. Back at Monitor Rick, under the influence of drugs and frustrated at his inability to perform, throws a temper tantrum. Ming again attacks Monitor and injures Kshin, forcing Rick to see the consequences of the drugs he has taken. To vindicate himself, Rick leads Ming through a Defender battle training exercise, driving the evil emperor mad with simulated attacks. As his "supercharging" wears off, Ming hallucinates as Rick, Jedda and L.J. drive him away from Monitor, sending him fleeing back to Ice Station Earth. Kshin calls Rick a hero, but Rick disagrees. Kshin is the hero for saying "NO" to drugs.
S1 · E56The Necklace of Oros 1986-11-24 · 30 min
As part of Jedda's coming of age, the Phantom takes her to the Skull Cave to choose a gift from among the family treasures. She is drawn to the mysterious Necklace of Oros, but an evil interdimensional being named Graviton needs the Necklace for his own purposes and will stop at nothing to get it.
S1 · E57Torn Space 1986-11-25 · 30 min
The fabric of the universe is weak and stretching under the stress of Graviton's bridge, and the evil alien must have the Necklace of Oros if he is to survive. When the reptile/humanoid corners Jedda in Monitor, demanding the powerful necklace, Ming uses the opportunity to invade the Defenders' headquarters. An inter-dimensional rift materializes above Monitor, threatening to destroy the world. Ming stops his attack and makes a temporary peace agreement with the Defenders, so they may join together and defeat Graviton. With Dynak X hooked up to Octon, Rick reverses the polarity of Monitor's energy generator, creating an energy flow which sends Graviton back to his dimension, however he takes Jedda with him!!! Monitor's generator is depleted of its power, leaving our heroes defenseless against Ming --his plan all along! As Flash fights the invading robo-ships in the sky, Rick finally repairs the generator, which powers the defense lasers and defeats the attackers. Jedda is caught between two dimensions and Rick and L.J. work together to reach into the rift and pull her to safety.
S1 · E58Ming Winter 1986-11-26 · 30 min
Flash receives a distress call from Prince Barin, summoning him to Mongo to save the planet from Ming's evil son Kro-Tan. Back at Monitor our heroes uncover Ming's plan- Kro-Tan has turned the population of Mongo into slaves who mine the planet of Oceanite, which is turned into slabs and used by Ming to encircle the Earth, thereby blocking out all sunlight and plunging the planet into endless winter. When L.J.'s foolish heroics against attacking robo-ships backfire, the Defenders (sans Flash) counter-attack Ice Station Earth. As Flash and Barin start a slave uprising on Mongo, L.J. is seriously injured at Ming's headquarters, forcing our heroes to surrender. On Mongo Flash and Barin destroy the transporter-computer, breaking apart the oceanite wall and sending it crashing towards Kro-Tan's home planet, while the other Defenders escape from Ming's dungeon and rush back to Monitor to obtain much-needed medical help for L.J.
S1 · E59The Golden Queen (1) 1986-11-26 · 30 min
As Ming teams up with Queen Hadea of the Netherworld, elsewhere, Jedda suffers injury from an experiment intended to examine the Neckless of Oros. The Phantom takes her to a village to be healed, accompanied by Rick and LJ. With a crew of soldiers, Hadea suddenly holds the village hostage and captures the group of Defenders, seeking the neckless for herself. Meanwhile, Graviton continues to pressure Ming into retrieving the neckless for him. At the Netherworld, the others and a still-unconscious Jedda are brought before Hadea's feet and an offer is made: the Queen will heal Jedda if the Phantom agrees to be the new King, which he apparently does. Hadea keeps the Neckless of Oros and gives Jedda a fake before reviving her. Ming then enters unexpectedly with troops and abruptly seizes all of the Defenders except Phantom, who's been locked in the main chamber.
S1 · E60The Gravity of Ming (2) 1986-11-27 · 30 min
Graviton discovers that the neckless Jedda's wearing is a fake, and Ming vows to punish Hadea. The Phantom escapes from Hadea's palace with the real neckless and heads for Ming's fortress, where he's captured just as the other Defenders show up to witness it. Hadea and her soldiers later arrive and win a brief struggle with Ming's robots, before having a face-to-face showdown with Ming himself. Hadea states she wants her neckless and King back. Graviton then enters and claims he wants the neckless as well. Suddenly, Ming says that they should all reach an accord. As Graviton is given the fake neckless and becomes momentarily distracted when he discovers this again, Ming has his people, via some form of technology, suddenly transport both Graviton and Hadea to a banishment that's soon identified as the Kingdom of ""Oblivion,"" where they are to remain indefinitely. Back at the fortress, Flash makes an air raid and the captured Defenders are able to escape. Later, Jedda privately destroys
S1 · E61Flesh and Blood 1986-12-01 · 30 min
The Defenders must fight a fanatic cult calling themselves the ""Leauge of Flesh and Blood"" who are opposed to the existence of robots, beleivng that they are crippling human independence. Flash develops a romantic bond with the female member of the group, Kala. When a shocking revelation about the League is exposed, Ming the Merciless, hoping to imoprove his army's robotics, takes advantage of the League's shameful secret and strikes a bargain with them, and it involves kidnapping the young Defenders. Can Flash and the Defenders save them?
S1 · E62Drowning World 1986-12-02 · 30 min
Ming constructs a dam near the sea of Japan. This diverts the warm currents of the Japenease oceans towards the antartic, causing the polar Ice caps to melt, which results in major worldwide flooding and certain disaster. The Defenders race to the Artic to prevent the glaicers from further collapsing, when they are attacked by Ming's Ice Robots and Garax. The Defenders do battle with the Ice Robots and are able to fend them off long enough to escape back to the U.S.A, where they discover that Ming's Dam is the source of the worldwide flooding. Lothar suggests they take out the dam with the untested X-26 missile, whilst Ming takes control of an iceberg and sends it hurtling in the direction of New York City...
S1 · E63The Adoption of Kshin 1986-12-03 · 30 min
During the court proceedings of Mandrake's adoption of Kshin, Hai, an old Asian man, enters with proof that he Is the boy's grandfather. Hai's return sparks Kshin's memory- he was three years old and with his parents on the search for the Lost City of Dreams when the Dragon Queen attacked and his parents were killed. Mandrake re-counts his introduction to Kshin in the streets of Singapore, and the discovery of one half of a mysterious map on the boy. Hai pulls out the other half, displaying the full directions to the Lost City of Dreams. Kshin, Hai, Mandrake and Lothar decide to set out on an expedition to locate the city. In Shanghai, the Dragon Queen gets wind of the expedition and follows our group on its quest- through jungles, dangers and traps- into the Lost City. Once inside, the evil Queen captures our group and throws them into a well. They escape and are aided by the rest of the Defenders in defeating the Dragon Queen. However, in the process old Hai is killed. His dying wish is fulfilled when Mandrake completes his adoption of Kshin.
S1 · E64Street Smarts 1986-12-04 · 30 min
In battle simulation with Jedda, L.J. refuses to take part- he thinks it is only "kid stuff". Flash transports Morlag, a lizard-like leader of the rebellion on Mongo to Monitor, where Rick and the Phantom will deliver from Peru the Sun Medallions necessary for his people's fight to continue. Ming attacks the medallion base in Peru, destroying all the precious Firestones which focus their energy, then uses Octon to plant a virus program inside Dynak X so he can invade Monitor and capture Morlag. Meanwhile Flash and Kshin fly to an underwater volcano off the coast of Peru- the only other place to mine Firestones. When Ming attacks Monitor, L.J. thinks it is only another battle simulation, so he doesn't help when Jedda and Morlag are captured and taken away by Ming's forces. When he discovers the truth, L.J. feels horrible- prompting him to invade Ice Station Earth and conduct his own rescue. Flash and Kshin return with the Firestones, and L.J. learns a valuable lesson about adulthood.
S1 · E65Ming's Thunder Lizards 1986-12-05 · 30 min
The Defenders fly to Alaska to inspect a dinosaur alert. While following dinosaur tracks, Rick and L.J. discover that a long-dormant volcano, with an artificial dome placed over it, is mysteriously heating up. The senior Defenders and Jedda spot Ming and Garax, while the Defenders are attacked by two Allosauruses! After a narrow escape in a mountain cave, the group discovers Ming's evil scheme- he's used an earth drill to thaw out tens of thousands of beasts buried in the frozen tundra, and is sending them out to destroy the cities of the Earth! The young Defenders figure out how to work Ming's drill, and use it to blow up the drilling station. The volcano explodes, ripping off the dome, and the arctic climate returns --obliterating the Valley of the Dinosaurs.