Defenders of the Earth

Who are the voice actors & characters from the Defenders of the Earth?

• Flash Gordon (voiced by Lou Richards)—Leader of the Defenders of the Earth: a space pilot and the father of Rick Gordon. In the Audiobooks he is voiced by Pat Fraley.

• The Phantom (voiced by Peter Mark Richman)—Essentially identical to Lee Falk's character, but differing from the original in that by chanting "By jungle law, the Ghost Who Walks calls forth the power of ten tigers", he momentarily receives superhuman strength. His real name is Kit Walker. His horse Hero and wolf Devil make brief appearances. The end credits describe this Phantom by saying, "This is the 27th Phantom".

• Mandrake the Magician (voiced by Peter Renaday)—A hypnotist and mystic capable of manipulating others' perceptions almost at will. He is often portrayed as a secondary leader of the Defenders and sometimes the narrator of their decisions.

• Lothar (voiced by Buster Jones) — Mandrake's assistant and bodyguard, depicted as a powerful fighter, an able mechanic, and a master tactician. The action figure's packaging describes Lothar as a "Caribbean ninja". In the audiobook, he is voiced by Pat Fraley

• Richard "Rick" Gordon (voiced by Loren Lester) — Richard is an impulsive computer genius and the son of Flash Gordon. Rick, along with many of the other teenagers of the show, attended Central High, located in Central City. Rick Gordon was initially intended to be Kit Walker, the son of the Phantom. In the audiobooks, he is voiced by Cam Clarke.

• L.J. (voiced by Dion Williams) — Short for 'Lothar Jr.', L.J. is the street-wise martial arts expert son of Lothar and Rick's best friend. When in one episode, the Defenders locate a crystal that shows them their greatest desires; L.J.'s is to defeat the antagonist Octon.

• Jedda Walker (voiced by Sarah Partridge)—Jedda is the daughter of the Phantom and displays telepathy and limited extrasensory powers, usually expressed by communication with her black panther, Kisa. There is little-or-no mention of her mother, though in one episode she is the reluctant stepdaughter of Queen Hadea. Some installments imply a relationship with Rick Gordon. Jedda Walker was initially intended to be Jedda Gordon, daughter of Flash Gordon. In one episode, Jedda briefly takes on her father's mantle when he's believed to have been killed, becoming the first and, to date, only known woman to become the Phantom. In most iterations of the Phantom's story, the mantle is passed strictly from father to son, making her unique in the character's lineage.

• Kshin (voiced by Adam Carl) — Kshin is an orphaned boy adopted by Mandrake and trained as his apprentice. His origins are revealed in the late-season episode "The Adoption of Kshin," where it is shown he was a young street orphan found by Mandrake after a gang of boys tried using him as a distraction in a failed pickpocketing attempt. He is usually accompanied by the extraterrestrial "Zuffy", initially found by Rick Gordon on the planet Mongo.

• Dynac X (voiced by Diane Pershing)—Dynac X is the central computer of the Defenders' Headquarters, whose operating system is stated to contain the psyche of Flash Gordon's wife. Though she is never addressed by name in the series, the comic book adaptation of the first two episodes identifies the slain "Mrs. Gordon" as Dale Arden. Diane Pershing is the only performer from the Filmation cartoon who reprised her role.

• Ming the Merciless (voiced by Ron Feinberg)—A warlord or supervillain bent on exploiting Earth's natural resources, based on 'Ice Station Earth.' This version is made more grotesque than his traditional appearance to avoid racial stereotyping; a similar treatment would be used on the Mandarin in the Iron Man animated series and on Dr. No in James Bond Jr. in that all three characters received green skin and pointed ears; this would also be done to Ming and his daughter Aura as shown on the 1996-1997 Flash Gordon TV series.