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Phantom 2040
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.
Which Phantom: Kit Walker Jr. is the 24th Phantom
Location: Metropia (formerly New York City); Ghost Jungle
Seasons: 2
TV show years released: 1994 - 1996
Created by: David J. Corbett
Designed by: Peter Chung
Voice Actors: Included Scott Valentine, Margot Kidder, Ron Perlman, Jeff Bennett, Mark Hamill, Debbie Harry, Rob Paulsen, and Paul Williams
Spin-off products: Marvel produced comic book tie-ins, a 2025-current web comic spin-off, and other merchandise, including toys, a board game, a video game, PVC figurines, cards, pin badges, and more.

What is the story of Phantom 2040?
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.
How is Phantom 2040 connected to the Phantom?
Latest Phantom 2040 news, articles & podcasts
Phantom 2040: A New Shadow Sequel Series
In 2025, Comics Kingdom, part of King Features Syndicate, hired writers Alex Segura and Michael Moreci and the illustrators John Amor and George Kambadais to create a vertical scrolling webcomic based on the original series. The series deals with the same socioeconomic world problems as the original TV series but with a new Phantom.
You can read the series via the Comics Kingdom website here
In a world shattered by climate collapse and corporate greed, ex-soccer star Carlos Osorio must take up the mantle of the Phantom to protect Earth’s last living rainforest—and humanity’s future. Packed with action, intrigue, and legacy, Phantom 2040 reimagines one of comics’ most enduring heroes for a bold new generation.
Phantom 2040: A New Shadow Reviews
Phantom 2040 is popular for its high-quality, mature storytelling, striking cyberpunk visual style designed by Peter Chung, and nuanced environmental themes. It stood out in the 1990s for its serialized narratives, character-driven drama, and complex moral questions about technology and humanity, often exceeding the standards of typical 90s action cartoons.
All these elements that make the show popular are ingrained into the character ethos of what makes the Phantom special.
The main characters of Phantom 2040 & their voice actors
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The Phantom/ Kit Walker (Voiced by Scott Valentine)
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Rebecca Madison (Voiced by Margrot Kidder)
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Guran (Voiced by J. D. Hall)
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Jack Archer (Voiced by Alan Oppenheimer)
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Sagan Cruz (Voiced by Leah Remini)
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Aunt Heloise (Voiced by Carrie Snodgress)
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Maxwell Madison Jr (Voiced by Jeff Bennett)
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Graft (Voiced by Ron Perlman (season one) & Richard Lynch (rest of series))
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Doctor Jack (Voiced by Mark Hamill)
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Sean One/ Heisenberg (Voiced by Rob Paulsen)
Is Phantom 2040 cyberpunk?
Based purely on the definition of cyberpunk, yes, Phantom 2040 is cyberpunk. The definition of cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction set in dystopian, high-tech future societies, often summarized as "high tech, low life". It focuses on the juxtaposition of advanced technology—such as artificial intelligence and cybernetics—with societal collapse, rampant urban decay, and corruption by powerful megacorporations.
With beautiful painted cell backgrounds and edgy animation, the show features classic dystopian tropes, including a world run by menacing corporations (Maximum Inc.), extreme social inequality, advanced biot armies, and ecological collapse. The series centers on a gritty future where a new Phantom battles to save the world.
All latest Phantom news, articles, reviews & podcasts from around the world
Phantom 2040 trivia
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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.
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The Phantom's multi-purpose vehicle was named H.E.R.O. after the comic strip 21st Phantom's horse, Hero.
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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.
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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.
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For some unknown reason, the Phantom legacy is said to have started in 1566 instead of 1536 as in the comics.
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