In 1990, the idea for a hero for the environment sprung from the mind of media mogul Ted Turner, who intended for Captain Planet to be an entertaining venue to inform children and people of all ages about the need to protect our natural resources. On September 10, 1990, Captain Planet debuted with the spirit of the Earth, Gaia, awakening from an eons-long slumber to the harsh reality that humans were destroying Mother Earth! In order to stop the destruction, she created five powerful rings and distributed them to five chosen young people all over the world.

Kwame, a resident of Africa, received the ring possessing the power of Earth. The power of Fire was given to North American teen Wheeler, while Linka in Europe gained Wind power. In Asia, Gi was given the power of Water and finally, Ma-Ti in South America was granted with the power of Heart. The five young people were given the responsibility of defending the Earth against pollution. Whenever they encountered an obstacle they couldn’t handle, the Planeteers, as they were now known, combined their rings and their powers, which summoned Captain Planet.

The sky blue-skinned hero with grass green hair had a number of superpowers, including the ability to fly, to blow hurricane-force winds, incredible strength, telepathy, telekinesis and more. Like Superman’s aversion to Kryptonite, Captain Planet’s powers were weakened by pollution, nuclear radiation, toxic waste, smog, and other things that harm the Earth. In each episode, a character delivered a public service announcement called “Planeteer Alerts,” which told viewers about an issue affecting the health of the environment and how to combat the problem.

The show ran until close to the end of 1992, and was resurrected in a sequel entitled The New Adventures of Captain Planet, which ran from 1993-1996. Marvel produced a line of Captain Planet comics from 1991-1996, and a number of toys were created in the images of the characters on the show. Episodes can still be seen in syndication, with Captain Planet showing how one’s actions affect one’s environment, but also the way that different nations of the world came together to work towards the common goal of saving the planet we all live on. Captain Planet’s message at the end of each episode still applies: “The Power is Yours!”

Captain Planet and the Planeteers are coming back to comics soon, with new stories at Dynamite.