Wonder Twins
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See DC Comics * List of DC Comics characters Super Friends
The Wonder Twins are a pair of twins, Zan and Jayna, teenage alien superheroes who were sidekicks to the Super Friends in the Hanna-Barbera animated television series of the same name. In the 1990s, these characters were heavily revamped by DC Comics for modern audiences.
- First comic book appearance" Super Friends #7 (October 1977)
- New Version: Extreme Justice #9 (October 1995)
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Character history
The pair made their debut in The All-New Super Friends Hour. Zan and Jayna are siblings from the planet Exxor (also spelled Exor) who were being informally trained by the superheroes. Unlike their predecessors, Wendy Harris and Marvin White, this pair was able to participate in combat with abilities of their own. Their powers were activated when the twins made physical contact together with the spoken command, "Wonder Twin powers, activate!". (In the comics, it was revealed that this phrase was unnecessary, just a habit of theirs.) They bear a strong resemblance to Donny and Marie Osmond, who had a hit TV show at the time of their first appearances. Their appearance is somewhat reminiscent of Vulcans from Star Trek, with pointed ears and similar haircuts. As they were about to transform, they would each announce their intended form. For example, Zan would announce, "Form of a glacier!"
Their powers were as followed:
- Zan can transform into any form of water, including liquid, mist, steam, or, perhaps most usefully, any kind of functioning ice structure. Also, at one time, he changed into a gelatinous form. By combining with already-existing water, Zan could also increase his mass or volume in the water form chosen. In addition, he could transform himself into weather patterns involving water, such as a blizzard, a monsoon, or a typhoon.
- Jayna can transform into any animal, whether real, mythological, indigenous to Earth or to some other planet, like Beast Boy. She did need to know the name of the animal in order to assume its form, as she would turn into whatever animal she named.
In addition, they had a pet Space Monkey called Gleek who had a useful prehensile tail and whose body could act as a conduit for the twins to activate their powers should they be out of reach. Gleek also served as a courier when the twins needed to travel: Jayna would typically transform into a large eagle, and Zan would transform into (plain) water, "jumping" into a bucket which Gleek conveniently would be holding. (This led to the joke by some fans that Gleek's superpower was to make a bucket appear and disappear at will.
These characters were derided by serious comic book fans as condescending intrusions in the show. Others noted that at least the characters were occasionally an asset to the main characters in combat compared to their predecessors. Regardless, the Wonder Twins were usually liked by the younger viewers, who found the twin characters less intimidating and easier to relate to, as the twins were novices who made mistakes, etc., yet the twins had powers which invited the viewers' imaginations.
The characters were introduced in the Super Friends comic (where they were far more competent, often being the key to solving major situations) and were ignored once the series was cancelled. Jayna's powers in the Super Friends comic book were shown to be more extensive, allowing her to transform into even mythical creatures. Similarly, Zan was able to transform into anything tangentially related to water or ice, including a Frost giant.
Super Friends version
According to the Super Friends comic book, Zan and Jayna are mutants, evolutionary throwbacks to an ancient race of Exxorian shapeshifters. Their parents died when they were still babies (during a plague), and, because of their origin, no Exxorians wanted to adopt them. They ended up adopted by the owner of a Space Circus, who only wanted to use them as sideshow freaks. Fortunately, the circus's clown was a kind man and raised them. He also gave them Gleek as a pet. Eventually, as teens, the pair escaped the circus and hid on a planet where a space villain called Grax (an enemy of Superman) had set his headquarters. Spying on him, they learned that Grax was planning to destroy the Earth using hidden superbombs. The twins decided to travel to Earth and warn the Justice League; that was how they came to replace Wendy and Marvin (who were planning on retiring as heroes anyway) as their sidekicks. The heroes also arranged for the kids to live with an old scientist called Professor Carter Nichols, and they even took secret identities as John and Joanna Fleming. "Johan" and "Johanna" were supposedly transfer students from Esko, Sweden, disguised with blonde hair (Zan wore a wig, while Jayna used her powers to transform into a human to change her hair color and ear shape), to allow them to attend Gotham City High School.
Extreme Justice version
In the 1990s they were introduced into the main DC Universe in the series Extreme Justice. The series retconned their origin so that they are slaves of an alien villain, later rescued by the Justice League. In Extreme Justice #9 (Oct. 1995), unable to speak English, they accidentally attack some civilians and the Justice League. They join Captain Atom's team in issue #16. They had far greater powers than their cartoon counterparts. During their fight with the JLA, Zan became an ice golem, a water monster, and a demonic-looking whirlpool; while Jayna became a griffin, a werewolf, and a sea serpent. Although rarely seen today, this version of the Wonder Twins is still part of the current DC Universe. Later they appeared in Young Justice #49–51, wearing uniforms which resembled t-shirts and jeans, to help avenge the murder of Empress's parents. Apparently, the Wonder Twins enjoy the taste of CDs, as they ate several of Wonder Girl's favorite discs.
Other versions
On the animated TV series Justice League, in episode 9 of season one, "Injustice for all" Part 2, a statue of the Wonder Twins is destroyed during the final battle by Hawkgirl and the Shade.
On the TV series Justice League Unlimited, two characters called Downpour and Shifter have appeared. They are members of the Ultimen, a group of superheroes created by the government. The group is a pastiche of the heroes that were created for Super Friends, with Downpour and Shifter specifically a pastiche of the Wonder Twins.
Downpour
Downpour and his twin sister, Shifter, have albino white skin and pointy ears. He has the ability to turn parts of or his entire body into water, and often uses this power in tandem with his sister. Along with the other Ultimen (except Long Shadow), Downpour is fine with the fact that he is a marketing gimmick, and he and Shifter in particular are reported as being popular in the younger age bracket. Due to his powers, he is teased by his teammates about an alleged bed wetting.
Downpour cares deeply for Shifter and gets angry if she is badly harmed. After discovering their true origins and short life expectancies, the Ultimen would do battle with the Justice League in a desperate plan by Wind Dragon. The twins fought Aquaman together and were eventually defeated, even after Downpour turned into a room full of water. When the King of the Sea knocked out his sister, Downpour attacked him in a rage, but his water powers were all but worthless against a man who was completely adapted to living under water. Like the rest of his teammates, he was taken into Cadmus' custody after the fight to await their eventual death.
An army of (mindless, non personality-imprinted) Ultimen clones were later created by Project Cadmus in an attempt to finish off the Justice League once and for all. They were eventually defeated.
Shifter
Shifter is a former superhero featured in the animated series, Justice League Unlimited. She has the ability to transform into any Earth based animal, even those that are extinct. A similar power is used by Beast Boy of the Teen Titans. She has been a member of the Ultimen.
She and her brother, Downpour, have albino white skin and pointed ears. After discovering their true origins and short life expectancies, Shifter took the news the worst and her attitude drastically changed. The Ultimen would do battle with the Justice League in a desperate plan by Wind Dragon. The twins did battle with Aquaman where, despite Shifter turning into a T-Rex, the hero took advantage of Downpour turning into massive quantities of rushing water. The two were beaten with relative ease. Shifter is now locked up like most of the other Ultimen, with their bodies still deteriorating.
The character is based on Jayna of the Wonder Twins from the Super Friends and is voiced by Grey DeLisle.
