Welcome back to another Tube Toons update here at Rotten Ink, the themed updates where we take a look at the complete run of a classic cartoon series. For this one we are continuing our look at the 1966 Marvel Super-Heroes series and will be looking at the cartoons of Captain America! It’s a shame that today’s youth does not get to experience the joy that was Saturday Morning Cartoons. The morning was filled with so many great cartoons. They would be based on the toys or comics that were on the shelves at your local stores, and the commercials played was for toys, cereals, fast food, video games, candy, junk food and movie releases all things that us kids thought we needed. In modern times kids get their cartoons from stations like Nickelodeon, Disney Channel and Cartoon Network and many watch the streaming services that have cartoon on tap making Saturday Mornings lame on stations like ABC, NBC and FOX. But here at Rotten Ink Saturday Morning Cartoons will live on with these Tube Toon updates, and with that, let’s see what Captain America and his mighty shield has in store for us!
The Marvel Super-Heroes was a cartoon series produced by Grantray-Lawrence Animation that started to air in 1966 and featured such Marvel Comics Superheroes as Iron Man, Thor, Namor, Hulk and Captain American. These cartoons would be 30 minutes long with each hero’s segments being done in 7 minute chapters, and this animation was used around the classic comic book art that they would crudely animate. With Captain America, much of the artwork used was that done by the legend Jack Kirby making the cartoon a much see for fans of The King. The series would run for just one season and would be pretty popular with the kids at the time and would even gain kind of a cult following over the decades for fans of Marvel Comics and classic animated shows. Sandy Becker was the voice actor for Captain America and had lent his voice to such other cartoons as “King Leonardo And His Short Subjects”, “The Beagles” and “Go Go Gophers”. While Paul Kligman would voice Red Skull, Vita Linder would voice both Peggy and Sharon Carter and Gillie Fenwick would voice Baron Zemo with other voice actors like Henry Ramer, Jack Creley, Max Ferguson, John Vernon and Paul Soles lending their voices to characters. In the Boston area actor Arthur Pierce would dress like Captain America and would film live segments to add to the awesomeness of the airing. The cartoon is very iconic and is one you have to track down and see if you are a fan of Cap like I am. Also the theme song for this cartoon is awesome, and if you don’t know it make sure to look it up on YouTube and be ready for it to be stuck in your head all day long!
Growing up I had seen many of the 1966 Captain America cartoons thanks to them being released on VHS, and I can remember being really into them as they featured the classic looking Cap as well as many of his big villains like Red Skull and Baron Zemo. You would also get cameos from many of the other classic superheroes. And to be honest I am very much looking forward to watching these cartoons again for this Tube Toons update as it’s been way too long since I last watched them, and I truly hope they keep their charm like they did for me when I was a youth. I would like to thank an Ebay seller for having this DVD in stock and making this update possible. For these Tube Toons updates I will be telling the plot and then reviewing each episode as well as giving the episodes a star rating of ½ – 4 stars. I will also be showing screen grabs from the episode to help give you a look into these cartoons. So let’s turn on the TV and see what kind of adventures Captain America has in store for us.
Captain America
Year: 1966 Type: Animated Brand: Marvel Episodes: 13
Episode 1: The Origin Of Captain America
World War II is going on, and America is having a draft. The government is working on a secret project that is taking place in a lab basement underneath a storefront. Steve Rogers is a very small man who volunteers for the experiment and drinks a secret formula that turns him into a muscular super soldier, but sadly the doctor who created the formula is killed by a Nazi Spy before Steve could stop him. Steve Rogers becomes the masked superhero Captain America and enters the fight of World War II, and even keeps his identity a secret, as around Camp Lehigh he is Steve Rogers, a clumsy private. As Captain America, he stops and brings down many of the attacks attempted by the enemy, but he makes a slip one night and young Bucky Barns finds out Steve Rogers is Captain America! The two end up becoming Nazi bashing partners as Bucky Barns puts on a mask as well as a costume and becomes hero Bucky. The two even stop a Nazi submarine by beating up its crew and then using explosives to blow it up! Meanwhile back in the states at a theater show, Sando and his freak friend Omar perform a hypnotist act and predict the future and the events happen. This causes Captain America and Bucky to investigate this act and soon Cap finds out that they are frauds! But Sando and Omar have help as they areapart of the Nazi party and have taken Bucky and a female news reporter hostage, who is really Agent 13 (Peggy Carter). While across town a Major in the army is attacked in his study by the sinister Red Skull who uses a gas to wipe the mind of the military man. Meanwhile Captain American, Bucky and Agent 13 end up beating up Sando and his men after Cap and Bucky find out about the attack on the Major. Cap and Bucky start looking for who could be responsible for this attack, and they split up with Bucky finding the hideout of the Red Skull. He is attacked, but Captain America soon finds him and comes to his rescue and starts beating up the baddies as the Red Skull is furious that his men are failing and makes his escape. The next day a new fighter plane is being tested and while in the air its engines blow and it crashes as Steve and Bucky watch on. Later that night as Cap and Bucky, they find that Red Skull and his men were the ones behind the crash, and before they can capture Red Skull, he makes his escape again thanks to his men who open fire on the superheroes. Later back at Camp Lehigh, Bucky and Steve are peeling potatoes and thinking of ways to stop the Red Skull.
Review: This first episode of the 1966 Captain America cartoon is a very cool one as we get a very fast origin story on how Steve Rogers became Captain America and how the government is keeping his identity a secret, all the while he is busting heads and kicking butts. The one downside to the cartoon is that at times you are not sure if it’s taking place in America or overseas as they do a poor job of really explaining that. We also see in this episode that Captain America gets a sidekick in Bucky after the youngster finds out the secret of Steve being the man behind the Cap mask. Captain America in this episode is very proud of America and will do whatever he can to protect it as well as deal out justice to those who mean to do it harm as well as harm the innocent people. Cap leaps into action at the drop of a dime and is such a skilled fighter. He makes short work of many of those who get into his way. Bucky is a great sidekick as he as well loves America and fights hard, but in this episode he does get captured twice by the enemies and has to be saved. Agent 13, who is Peggy Carter, shows up and alsowants to bring down the spies that are infecting the area with their sinister plans. The main villains of this issue are Red Skull, Sando and Omar, who of course are all part of the Nazi party and who have sinister plans for the world as they do what they can to cause fear, panic and destruction for America and it’s allies. Of course Red Skull is the most evil of the baddies, and while he is run off this time, he is not fully stopped. One scene in this cartoon that made me laugh is when Red Skull runs and jumps out of a window. It’s so stiff and weird. This first episode is packed with lots of action as well as some great humor as The Sargent’s dislike for Steve Rogers is slapstick level as at one point the Sargent even trips over a bowl of peeled potatoes that Steve left on steps. A super fun episode and a great kick off to the series as we get an origin story, lots of fights and even showcases Red Skull who is the biggest villain in the history of Captain America.
Grade: ***1/2
Episode 2: The Sentinel And The Spy
The Red Skull is at his hideout and is planning his next attack, to steal the American secret weapon called Project Vanish by using a spy prisoner they have in a camp who gets to go on supplies runs after the the original prisoner is shot and killed trying to escape. While in the army truck the spy prisoner uses a hidden gas grenade to make his escape as Steve Rogers and Bucky Barns go after him. The spy prisoner uses more of the gas to knock out the guards watching over the Project Vanish that is a massive gun that with one shot makes whatever it hits disappear. By the time Steve and Bucky get there it’s too late as the weapon is in the spy’s hands and he is not afraid to use it! As Bucky heads to get help, Steve becomes Captain America and is going to try and stop this madman from getting the gun to Red Skull. Captain America uses his shield and even a shot from a tank does not bring the spy down, but it does end up hurting the leg of Cap. The spy ends up blowing himself up by accident when he turns the Project Vanish gun on full blast and it over loads, but Captain America is hurt and Bucky has to sneak him his army uniform so when he is found it’s Steve Rogers who’s injured. A few days pass and on orders Steve, Bucky and the rest of his platoon are sent on a rest break, and this angers Steve who is being taken away from the war and finding Red Skull…plus he knows that it also removes Cap from the war. While on the ship heading to their rest area, an enemy submarine attacks and sinks it, and while the others get away, Steve and Bucky are hit by the torpedo and are left behind injured, but they were at least able to change to become Captain America and Bucky. The Red Skull sends his men to the ship and after using gas they are able to take Captain America prisoner, and Red Skull tells of how he became the crimson-headed villain that serves on the side of Germany. And then with the help of a mad scientist, the Red Skull is able to brainwash Cap into following his orders! While outside Bucky is lined up with other prisoners to be killed via a firing squad, but Bucky leads the prisoners in a escape. Meanwhile Captain America on the orders of Red Skull is set to kill a top ranking American military leader and before he can carry out the order, his friend Bucky is able to stop him and together they bring down a group of German soldiers.
Review: This second episode once more has Captain America and Bucky clashing with the sinister Red Skull, who this time around is hell bent on stealing a top secret weapon as well as having one of America’s top military men assassinated by a brainwashed Cap! And of course his plans are shut down and he is once more defeated, but again not captured. Captain America in this episode goes through a lot as he is injured in three explosions, is taken captive, is punched, gets brain washed and must fight to save America from the evil doers. The one thing you can say about Cap in this episode is even when he is down, he is not out. Bucky is a hero in this one as he helps not only snap Cap out of his mind control but also saves the lives of prisoners when he leads them in a escape. With the Red Skull once more being the main villain, we are treated to his backstory of why he is who he is, and also we see that even his own side fears him and his crazed madness for power and respect. We also get to see that Red Skull seems to enjoy toying with his enemies as well as he likes to sometimes be short to the point with wanting them dead. Some of the animation in this episode for the Red Skull in his hands and facial expressions make me wonder if some of Ren Hoek’s animation from Ren & Stimpy Show was inspired by it. The action is pretty hard hitting in this episode as Captain America even gets injured, but because he is such an amazing superhero he still is able to shake it off and save the day. A really fun episode, and it’s great to see Cap always shutting down Skull on all his antics.
Grade: ***
Episode 3: Midnight In Greymoor Castle
Steve Rogers and his platoon are called into action, and Bucky Barns is forced to stay back at the camp due to his young age. After most of the soldiers are gone, the camp is attacked, and Bucky must put on his mask and try to stop this attack on his own…he fails and is taken as bait to a castle to lure in Captain America. Inside the castle is Dr. Rollins, a man who has turned on America as he wants fame, money and power and doing science for his own country has left him with a metal hand. While in battle Steve Rogers finds a telegram about Bucky’s capture that is to the Red Skull and it calls for the young hero’s death. Changing into Captain America, he heads to the castle to rescue his friend. While at the castle Dr. Rollins gets word that Cap is on his way and starts using Z-Rays on Bucky as part of an experiment. Captain America hijacks an enemy’s plane and heads for the castle as Dr. Rollins sets a trap for the hero by using an explosive tank hidden on the table they have Bucky chained to, and all the while Dr. Rollins’ own sister tries to talk him out of turning on America to serve Germany. Once Cap gets to the castle and inside, he is warned by the Dr.’s sister that it’s a trap but after beating up some soldiers, he tries to free Bucky. The room fills with gas from the hidden tank, and Captain America is knocked out. When he awakens he finds himself in chains alongside Bucky and the Dr.’s sister. They are then loaded into a rocket to be blown up all the while Dr. Rollins begs for them to not to do this to his sister…they just smack and mock him. Cap is able to wake up before being loaded in and starts fighting back against the Germans, and this gives Bucky time to recover as well and fight off his attackers. During the fight, the sister is shot and as she is dying she is able to tell Cap that his fellow soldiers are being attacked. As she dies, Rollins uses his rocket to attack the Germans that have surrounded Cap’s men and as this happens, the castle catches fire and crumbles with Cap and Bucky being the only ones to escape.
Review: In this episode, Steve Rogers and his fellow rangers are sent on a mission that they complete, but soon he has to turn into Captain America when he finds out that Bucky has been taken prisoner to a castle and is to be killed on the orders of Red Skull. Once inside the castle, our hero of course saves the day and also sadly has to watch as an innocent woman dies and her brother who was a traitor burns to death, but not before he makes things right for America. In this episode, Cap is hard hitting and really wants to bring down the Germans as they have caused harm to so many, and when they once more try and kill his teenage sidekick, he is pushed to fight even harder to save his friends life. Bucky as well in this issue fights hard against his enemies and is very much a help to Cap in several fights. Dr. Rollins is an American who has turned on his country as he feels that they did not respect his work even when it cost him his own hand, and his own sister begs him to not to help the Germans…and this of course costs him his sister who dies, his sanity and well as his respect as the Germans mistreat him worse! And if you think about it, Dr. Rollins would be the main villain of the episode as his castle and his weapons are what come into play to try and take down Captain America and the American Rangers, and after two episodes of Red Skull, it is nice to see that Cap has made other strange baddies who wants to bring him down. This is a fun paced episode that truly feels like the comic from that time coming alive, and much of the action is lots of fun! I should also say that the cartoon does not say that the Germans are Nazis and even Hitler is replaced as the leader by just a generic looking guy, so I give them credit for trying to not show any logos or people that are connected to hate.
Grade: ***
Episode 4: Return Of Captain America
On a submarine Iron Man, Thor, Wasp and Giant Man find the floating body of Captain America and bring him inside, and when the masked hero wakes up he is confused and goes on the attack…but finally calms down and tells his new friends of his last memories before waking up in their sub. His memory was falling from a missile into the water. As it exploded, it killed his sidekick Bucky who was holding onto the missile trying to deactivate it. The group of heroes do not at first believe that he is the real Captain America as he was missing for over 20 years, but after they test his fighting skills they learn that the masked hero is still alive and in great shape as it appears he has not aged a day since his disappearance. The heroes introduce themselves to Cap and tell him that they are known as The Avengers and that they fight for what is right, and they welcome Cap into their ranks. As The Avengers arrive back home in New York, they are meet by the press and among them is a criminal who fires a gun at them and turns Iron Man, Wasp, Thor and Giant Man into stone statues! Captain America was asleep on the sub, and when he wakes up he sees the statues and is confused by why they left him and all the big changes to the city, and heads to a hotel and meets Rick Jones who asks Cap to help him find The Avengers. Cap and Rick do some research and find a clue that shows the man with the gun who turned The Avengers to stone. Cap then follows leads and tracks him down, and after beating up some evil henchmen, he gets the man and forces him to return The Avengers to normal. And while The Avengers go looking for the madman with the gun who’s name is Bull is able to slip away after he turns them back. Captain America is welcomed to stay at The Avengers Mansion. That night Bull and his gang try to attack Cap in the mansion but soon learn they made a big mistake as they are defeated with lighting speed.
Review: This episode is the first one that removes Captain America from World War II and places him in then-modern New York and has him meeting and then joining The Avengers! It’s pretty fun as in the cartoon Cap is not even in a block of ice, and they just find him floating in the ocean where he has been for over 20 years! They also kind of make Cap a sad sack for a bit as he seems to be really depressed by the loss of Bucky and even thinks Rick Jones is him for a very short time. The Avengers are around but are turned to stone pretty early on, and they return in the very end to fully welcome Cap to the team. The main bad guy is Bull, a crime boss who has a gun that turns people to stone, and while he is dangerous, and while the gun is pretty dangerous, he is defeated pretty easily! In fact The Avengers are defeated really easily by Captain America as well when he awakens on their submarine and is confused about where he is. While it is cool to see Captain America in New York and the war being over, it still is a little strange as I feel that we still had lots more adventures during the war that seem unfinished. Plus the episode is humorless as gone are the silly moments between Steve Rogers and the Sargent. And I have to say while I enjoyed this episode, I do feel it is lacking something that made the past few episodes special, and The Avengers really do just seem like a second thought in the episode as they are around and are mostly statues throughout.
Grade: **1/2
Episode 5: Zemo And His Masters Of Evil
Baron Zemo is at his jungle hideout reading a science journal that was brought to him by a pilot who flew in to deliver it as Zemo is looking for a way to get the glue that holds his mask in place off his head. He then tells the story of how it got glued on to the pilot after seeing a picture of Captain America in the journal. You see, Zemo created the glue foam that is unbreakable and it was to be use as a weapon of destruction, but Cap found his hideout and during the fight his head was covered in the glue causing his mask to forever be sealed to his face. Zemo then gives the order to set The Masters Of Evil loose on New York in order to get Captain America to appear so that they can kill him once and for all. First to attack the city is Black Knight who sprays the glue foam all over the streets! Meanwhile Melter is using his powers to melt metal as well as spray the glue foam all over while Radioactive Man as well is spraying the foam with the hopes to draw out Cap. And this plan works as Cap alongside Thor and Iron Man appear and try to stop the super villains. But while Thor and Iron Man are held at bay, Cap finds himself foamed glued to the street! Iron Man is able to cut out some of the concrete around Cap’s feet and lift him away so that they can free him at The Avengers lab. Once in the lab, Iron Man gets the idea that the only person who can free Cap from the foam glue is Paste Pot Pete, who knows all things to do with sticky stuff, and he gives Iron Man a formula that works and now Cap is free again. After tricking Melter, Radioactive Man and The Black Knight into spraying the un-stick formula around the city, our heroes defeat the villains and Zemo escapes…sort of as Thor uses his hammer to create a tornado that carries Zemo and his pilot away after they shoot Cap with the bullet only fazing him.
Review: This is a pretty fun episode as Baron Zemo is in a full rage when he finds out that Captain America is still alive and wants nothing more than to finally kill his arch nemesis! In order to try and get his revenge, he hires the help of super villains Radioactive Man, The Black Knight and Melter who are all armed with guns that fire the foam glue that Zemo created and is what has caused his mask to be stuck to his face forever. A part that made me laugh is how easy Thor and Iron Man give up the fight at the start of the battle, as they just kind of half heartedly try to defeat the baddies, and Iron Man even gives up on trying to save Cap from the glue with Melter only firing one shot at him. But in the end both Iron Man and Thor prove that they are heroes and not only help defeat all the super villains but also save Captain America from being stuck in the foam glue for the rest of his life. Baron Zemo is so overtaken with rage and the want for revenge that he even tries to fist fight with Cap as he wants to end the hero’s life so badly as he truly blames him for his life of torment of wearing the mask that is glued to his face. And because of his rage he fails to see that a way for him to remove his mask is there, but he looks past in in order to try and kill his foe. The episode has lots of action and Captain America is focused on saving New York as well as bring down Baron Zemo, and that is why this is a very cool episode as I also think that it brings back Thor and Iron Man back to being heroes.
Grade: ***
Episode 6: The Revenge Of Captain America
Time has passed, World War II is over and his friend Bucky is long been deceased as Cap has a workout where several pro wrestlers try and attack him. He of course is too much for them and tosses them around. Once home Captain America is lost in his thoughts and depression as he feels he failed Bucky all those decades back, and it is because of him that Bucky passed away at the hands of Baron Zemo! And when Rick Jones makes the mistake of dressing in Bucky’s old uniform, he sets Cap off in a rage who swears that he will bring Zemo to justice and get revenge on him. Meanwhile in the jungles Baron Zemo is in control of a tribe and is using them to harvest gold so that he can hire a team of mercenaries to help him kill his enemy Captain America. The next day one of Zemo’s agents attack Cap and Rick at the park. As they try and kidnap Rick, they open fire of Cap who blocks the many bullets with his shield, and all the while our hero knows that Zemo is the one who set up this attack. Rick Jones is taken to Zemo’s hidden jungle empire as Captain America follows them in order to rescue his friend, and even in the sky Cap in his plane must fight off Zemo’s planes who have orders to try and kill the masked hero. Once Cap beats the plane he then out maneuvers the tanks that are trying to blow him out of the sky. Cap lands to the ground after a scary parachute accident and finds himself trapped in a deadly pit. Zemo goes and gets his men to help finish off the American Hero, but Cap escapes the pit and uses Zemo’s own weapons against him and this causes Zemo’s men to flee leaving their leader screaming with anger. Cap is able to free Rick, and together they defeat the mercenaries and Cap is able to defeat Zemo who is crushed to death under falling rocks.
Review: The sixth episode of the series takes Captain America out of World War II and drops him into the 60’s with a new teenage partner this time it being Rick Jones who you readers will also remember from the Hulk cartoons from 1966. And Captain America is very much filled with rage, anger, sadness and pride throughout this episode as he has been thinking lots about his now gone friend and sidekick Bucky and wants nothing more than to avenge him by taking down the baddie who killed him way back when. Rick Jones is a hip modern teenager who once followed the Hulk around and is now following Captain America around and wanting so badly to be a hero like him. Baron Zemo is a very evil man who treats his own men poorly as he beats them with whips and gives sharp toned orders, he also has lots of gold and will hire blood thirsty mercenaries as well to do his bidding! And because Zemo is crazy and driven by ego, he is responsible for his own death as he fires the shot that brings the rocks down that crush him. While this episode is a fun watch for some reason for me it just lacked something to make it a great episode and it kind of just putted along. I think also the harsh time jump from Cap being in the war to now being in then modern time with zero explanation also was a very odd choice for the cartoon series to do and as well makes the episode a little jarring (well I guess I should blame episode 4 for this time jump). The one cool thing about this episode is that it’s our second appearance of Baron Zemo in the cartoon series and it also looks like it might be his final appearance.
Grade: **1/2
Episode 7: Let The Past Be Gone
Captain America is alone at The Avengers Mansion and looking through a photo album of his past as butler Jarvis brings him a cup of coffee. After drinking it, he checks the mansion and finds an intruder that looks like an enemy he faced in World War II that had been dead for years who quickly disappears, and then he starts hallucinating even more thinking he is kicking German butt with Bucky and even finds his old Sergeant in the Mansion given orders for soldiers to march! Captain America passes out and sees war all around him gunfire, explosions, death and destruction and it’s Jarvis who snaps him out of it, or is it Jarvis? We find out that Super-Adaptoid was posing as the butler, and this imposter had slipped something into the coffee of Cap and has taken the real Jarvis hostage. The Adaptoid then takes the appearance of Captain America, and we learn that this creature is working for A.I.M, a group of rogue scientist and creators who want to destroy Captain America once and for all! But shortly the real Cap wakes up and fights with his Adaptoid Clone knocking him out and keep him captive so that the now returning Avengers can see this odd new villain….and once they see him Giant Man, Wasp and Hawkeye all leave once more and this gives the Super-Adaptoid the chance to clone bits of all the Avengers and he once more makes a play at killing Cap. The two fight on land and in the air with Super-Adaptoid showing just how powerful he is, but Cap finally finds out Super-Adaptoid weakness is water and the two fight near a large body of water and in the end both fall into the water with Captain America surviving the fall and Super-Adaptoid meeting his end.
Review: This episode has Captain America with Jarvis at The Avengers Mansion on watch, and after drinking some coffee he feels odd and starts having visions and flashbacks and we learn that those creeps at A.I.M are to blame as they have created and sent a Super-Adaptoid to attack and clone himself to be Cap and as well learn and steal the powers of the other Avengers in order to stop all our heroes once and for all. And of course Cap is not having it as he goes after this cloning villain with extreme force and even brings him down for the count. Super-Adaptoid is truly a foe that could be a force to be wrecking with, if he did have the weakness of water that is! I like that Super-Adaptoid cloned all the powers and strengths of The Avengers he seen and for some reason decided to turn himself green! And his fight with Cap in the final really does show that he could be a threat, but also it showed his mind was not as sharp nor was he as smart as Captain America. I do like that for some reason Hawkeye has shown up and is in The Avengers and that Thor seems to be lost to the sands of time as they at least mention and show Iron Man’s suit. Also we see that A.I.M has it out for Captain America and that they have the feared Cosmic Cube at their headquarters, and if you readers know, that is a very dangerous item in the Marvel Universe. Over all this is a really fun episode as we get to see Captain America fight and out smart his foe, and we also clearly are taking the series in the direction of A.I.M being his new major foes for a bit, a very entertaining episode.
Grade: ***
Episode 8: Coming Of The Swordsman
The Swordsman has broken into The Avengers mansion and has a quick fight against Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, claiming he wants to join them, but also is fighting them with cheap shots. Finally Scarlet Witch brings him down with her magic, and Captain America shows up after the fight, and once they find out that the Swordsman is a criminal he is able to escape by cutting the power and slipping away in the dark. A few days later Cap decides to become a part time Avenger in order to help fight evil around the world, and this angers his fellow Avengers…but soon Hawkeye finds out that this was an evil plan from Swordsman and rushes to help Cap who has stepped into a trap. In a warehouse Captain America and The Swordsman have a big fight that leaves Cap on the losing end, and when the rest of The Avengers find him the Swordsman has him prisoner and will kill him if they do not name him the new leader of the team. But Cap breaks free and along with his fellow Avengers they fight with Swordsman…while in a castle in China, The Mandarin watches and uses his 10 Rings to bring The Swordsman to him. As Hawkeye and Cap argue and the archer explains he knows the Swordsman and once feared him as he tried to kill him as a youngster. Meanwhile The Mandarin wants The Swordsman to kill Iron Man and bring down The Avengers Mansion, and if he does so, he will make sure he leads the superhero team! The Mandarin upgrades his sword and sends him back to New York with the tools to fight The Avengers only after using a fake Iron Man to planet the seed of the team accepting The Swordsman. But once inside the mansion and a bomb placed, The Swordsman has a change of heart and removes the bomb and comes clean with The Avengers…in the end The Mandarin is mad over this betrayal.
Review: This is a very fun episode as Captain America is pushed to his limit by a foe that is skilled with a sword, but like always, no matter how hard this baddie tried, he is defeated by our hero. But to be fair, The Swordsman does get the upper hand several times and it takes The Avengers to truly stop him, that is until he has his big change of heart and decides to save their lives instead of end them. I also find The Swordsman to be a very strange villain as he does not think he is a baddie even though he acts like a heel and all he really wants to do is join The Avengers and most important to him is lead them. We also get a second villain in this episode as The Mandarin appears and tries to get an ally in his quest to kill Iron Man, but of course his ego is what causes the team up to be short lived and his evil plot to be unfinished. We also get the first cartoon appearances for Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver and we also get Hawkeye and they build up his jealous nature for Captain America. We also see Iron Man, but it is a fake one just merely a hologram. Lots of fun action and drama in this episode and another very entertaining one, also I have to point out throughout this cartoon series there are times that the animation is so bad as they try to add mouths and hands in spots that just look awkward and weird and even laughable at times.
Grade: ***
Episode 9: Bitter Taste Of Defeat
At The Avengers Mansion it seems that tempers are out of control as both Captain America and Hawkeye are always at each others throats while poor Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver have to get in the middle to cool down the situation. We soon find out that The Enchantress along with her muscle bound goon Power Man are who is causing this drama with her powers. She then starts using her magic to create monsters that only they can see, and when doing battle with it they are causing damage and fear in New York as on one is seeing what the heroes are. Power Man even uses his might strength to knock out Quicksilver and leaves him on subway tracks to be run over, but lucky for him, his fellow Avengers show up to save him…but this is all an illusion as well and ends up costing The Avengers lots of money as well as respect…and as a fight breaks out between Cap and Hawkeye they get a letter from the government that says they must disband The Avengers! They all part ways as Captain America tries to keep them together as he has figured out that the stuff they are seeing and the sour mood are the work of The Enchantress. Captain America is mocked by The Enchantress and our hero ends up fighting off her magic and tracking her down but not before she is able to take Hawkeye hostage. But once Cap tricks the villains into telling their crime, he frees Hawkeye and along with Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver bring down the villains and clear their name and become a team again.
Review: This episode features the disbanding and the reunion of The Avengers and also builds up the rivalry between Captain America and Hawkeye on who should be the one leading the team into battles, and of course it is shown that Cap is the better leader and by the end the two become friends. Captain America is the first of the superheroes to figure out that he and his team have been tricked into not only fighting among themselves, but also into seeing things that are causing them to attack delusions in the own minds that is causing destruction and fear around New York as people thing that the heroes have lost their minds and are causing chaos in the streets. But of course all the bad stuff is being done by the very sly and powerful The Enchantress who is teaming with the power house fighter Power Man to try and defeat Captain America and The Avengers for her own amusement. She fails of course and Power Man proves to be no true threat to The Avengers. They also show that Scarlet Witch is the member who tries to keep The Avengers together and from fighting and that she truly does respect Cap. Meanwhile I have to point out that Captain America fakes his own suicide by jumping from a bridge all to get into a disguise and trick Power Man into bragging about the sinister plan they are pulling off on The Avengers. Over all this is a fun above average episode that’s main attraction for me was the heated fights between Cap and Hawkeye as well all want to see Cap book the hot shot archer in his place.
Grade: **1/2
Episode 10: Doorway Of Doom
Captain America is standing watch at The Avengers Mansion and informs Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver that he has been given thought on retiring from the team. They try and talk him out of it as they all then head out for the evening. The Avengers get a call from an Asian country that is calling for help on the words that they are under attack, as in reality this is a trap done by their mountain of muscle General who is stealing money from his own people and wanting to show his power by bringing down the heroes of America. Once in the country The Avengers soon find out that it was a trap to get them there and they start fighting off the Generals men with each hero showing their power and bringing down these criminals. But with the help of a trap door the baddies capture Scarlet Witch and keep her prisoner as the other three Avengers try and save her they are knocked out with gas! When they wake up they find that Scarlet Witch will be killed unless they fight the General one at a time, first up is Cap who he defeats and then Hawkeye is the next to fall…but Quicksilver’s speed tries and also fails. But in the end it’s Scarlet Witch that beats The General who turns out to be a robot! Once back home Captain America decides not to quite and stay on as the leader of The Avengers.
Review: This episode is very weird and clearly is out of order as in this one it says that Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are brand new members of The Avengers when as we have seen they have been around for several episodes now. And Captain America is once more talking about stepping away from The Avengers and it also is kind of the start of the bad blood between he and Hawkeye. The mission they are on pits them against a mountain of a man who has the power of The Hulk, but turns out to be a robot an is destroyed in the end giving all the people it ruled over freedom. And truly the main hero of this episode besides Cap is Scarlet Witch who uses her hex power to save the day several times. While the bad guy in this episode is not an iconic villain he serves his purpose well and is a true challenge for our heroes. And it’s odd to see Captain America in his own cartoon not be the one to save the day and in fact is beat in combat by the robotic General! Not much more to say here besides a fun episode that takes our heroes to Asia.
Grade: ***
Episode 11: The Sleeper Shall Awake
Captain America in Avengers Mansion is telling Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver and Hawkeye old war stories and about his fights with Red Skull. That night Cap has a terrible nightmare about his last battle with Red Skull during World War II and how even an exploding hand grenade did not stop his foe, and he remembers that Red Skull warned him that in 20 Years he would return and that his sleeper agents as well will awaken and cause chaos. The first Sleeper awakens and his a giant robot, and Cap flies to it and tries to slow it down from meeting with the other two. Sleeper 1 is very powerful and all Cap’s attempts fail to slow it down but he has an idea to use missiles against it and races to an old military base just as Sleeper 2 awakens and can fly and is causing lots of damage to the surrounding towns. And Cap is helpless as he watches as Sleeper 2 and Sleeper 1 combine into an even more destruction machine! Captain America is able to get the help of the US Army and they attack the Sleepers with all they got while in another location Sleeper 3 is about to be awakened that is a mechanical head that looks like that of the Re Skull and is a bomb! The now full combined Sleepers head towards the North Pole with the plan to dig into the center of the Earth and explode the bomb that would explode the world! But Cap armed with a blowtorch is able to blow up the bomb in the air stopping the rampage of The Sleeper and saving the world from the Red Skulls final plan.
Review: This was a fun and strange adventure for Cap as he flashes back to his past and his then final battle with Red Skull were the villain on his “death bed” threatened the world with big end of the world destruction but only 20 Years from that day that he was defeated…a very strange plan indeed that involves robots and the Earth’s core and agents that are loyal to Red Skull for two decades after he has “died”. Most of the episode has Captain America following and trying to stop the Sleeper robots from pulling off their plans and only by luck and a blowtorch is Cap able to stop them and save the day. The Sleeper Robots are very cheesy looking and yet so fitting for the 1960’s versions of bots, Cap for the most part is being out muscled by these machines, but thanks to his quick mind and battle strategies they are defeated and brought down. One strange part of this episode is that The Avengers do not join him on this mission and they would have been very helpful in trying to help stop The Sleepers. Over all not much to day about this one besides it entertained me as it is one of the more cheesy episodes in the series and Cap is a hero who uses a blowtorch.
Grade: ***
Episode 12: The Girl From Cap’s Past
Captain America is lost in his thoughts of being a hero out of time, and worse is when he watches a TV Documentary about World War II that shows a picture of him looking shocked, and Cap starts to remember back to the day he lost his true love during one of the final battles of the war as she lost her memory. While in modern times a group of very bad men have lost their powerful weapon Inferno 42 that can burn a city down in seconds to a secret agent of S.H.I.E.L.D and send Batroc The Leaper to get it back. Meanwhile Cap decides to go for a walk and sees a girl that looks like his lost love who does a hand off for a package and is confused by it all as he thinks is it really her and what is in the secret package. Batroc ends up going after the mystery woman and this causes Captain America to fight with him to protect her and the package. As Cap and Batroc fight the woman runs away with the package that is the missing Inferno 42 and later the two fighting masked men must work together to try and get it back as the package has cracked and the weapons awesome power could be released at any moment killing everyone in the city. As Captain America and Batroc give chase the woman who is an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D uses all types of traps to shake them off her trail, as she does not realize her life is in danger…until its to late as she passes out from the leaking Inferno 42 and this causes Batroc to turn on Cap and kick him out of a window to make an escape with the package an deliver it to his shady bosses. But Captain America finds the criminals hideout and fights with Batroc and beats him up but the masked criminal is able to escape, Cap then rushes back to find the woman very sick and being taken away by paramedics and just like that he feels that he lost his lady love once more.
Review: In this episode we learn that Captain America had kind of a girlfriend during World War II and he lost her during a celebration after a hard fought fight when she was injured and her mind goes blank and she wondered off, but in modern New York he sees a woman that looks just like her who is working for S.H.I.E.L.D and once more he fights to save the world…but possibly loses her again when she falls very ill due to the mission she was on that had to do with a very dangerous chemical. While Captain America’s love life is the biggest part of the episode for me it was great to see Batroc The Leaper make his first appearance in this cartoon series as he was one of Cap’s big iconic villains in the early days of the comic series and it was cool to see him and Cap go at it all over a package that holds a world changing weapon…not pressure on Cap at all to get it back safely. It is really weird that they will not say the name of the woman Cap is in love with throughout the whole episode, nor do they say the S.H.I.E.L.D agents name that looks like her. And for those wondering, the original woman was Peggy Carter and the woman in modern times would be her niece Sharon Carter. Over all this is a good action packed episode that has some drama thrown in for good measure.
Grade: ***
Episode 13: The Red Skull Lives
A rocket ship lands in New York and a group of masked men start running wild in the streets, but oddly Captain America is the only one who can see them and chases them off. He then wonders if he is losing his mind and visits a Doctor and while at the visit one of the mask men attack again and like before only Cap sees him and the Doctor thinks the superhero is cracking. We soon learn that Red Skull is still alive and is working with A.I.M, and thanks to a special helmet, he is the one behind these masked men attacks as the helmet blocks everyone else from seeing the attacks! The next goal is to commit a murder and then blame it on Cap, but our hero stops the attempt and is able to knock the helmet off the mask man showing that these creeps are real to the New York crowd. Later Cap even saves the life of an A.I.M worker who warns that Red Skull has the powerful Cosmic Cube in his hands and this could be very dangerous for the whole world! Captain America makes it to the island were Red Skull is and has many obstacles to over come as he becomes temporarily blind due to a gun shot flash and even is knocked out by gas! In the end Red Skull is controlling the powers of the Cosmic Cube and Captain America fights with the madman and is able to knock the Cube into the ocean and Red Skull dives after it but is buried under rocks in the water and is presumed dead. Captain America stands victorious as he as stopped the Red Skull and Cosmic Cube for now!
Review: Captain America in this final episode showcases all his skill and proves why he is one of the world’s best superheroes as he uses his fighting skill and his mind to bring down the Red Skull as well as get rid of the Cosmic Cube for now. The Red Skull who for a brief time is teaming with A.I.M is very sneaky and uses hypno-waves in order to mess with the mind of Cap as he sends masked goons around New York to cause some trouble, but once Cap figures it out and learns of the Red Skull’s return the menace’s time is ticking down. The two bitter enemies have a showdown on a beach, and like always, good brings down evil as Cap is able to trick and defeat the Skull who even haves great cosmic powers on his side. I also like in the episode how A.I.M quickly learns that they made a mistake on trusting Red Skull and tries to stop him and when that fails they alert Captain America to his sinister plan. The final episode has lots of action and fighting, and I feel that it is very fitting that the final baddie he faces is Skull who is his most iconic villain in the comics. And what really makes this a great final episode is that it ends with Captain America looking into the sky while on top of some rocks that are in the ocean. While the animation style and voice acting might not be for everyone I myself really did enjoy this classic Captain America cartoon series and it held up after all these years.
Grade: ***1/2
The Marvel Comics 1966 cartoons are really an acquired taste, and compared to modern cartoons they are very, very primitive, but to me they have lots of charm and hold that classic Marvel feel that I love. And what I really liked about this Captain America series is that it featured all of his top villains that included Red Skull, Baron Zemo and Batroc The Leaper. Plus fans of The Avengers get many guest appearances from Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, Scarlett Witch, Wasp, Giant Man and Quicksilver! And while I myself wish the episodes had way less of The Avengers, it was nice having them around. Captain America has always been one of my all time favorite heroes in comics, and it was great to take some time and watch his first ever cartoon series again as it has been decades since I had seen them last thanks episodes being on old VHS tapes. And with this being the second in my Tube Toons updates, I want to remind you all to please check out my first update that covered the 1966 Incredible Hulk Cartoon here, and if I had to choose which was better between Hulk or Cap I would say slightly over all I enjoyed Hulk more but story wise Cap was better. But as you can see, this Tube Toon update has come to an end, and I really enjoyed this one and I think will continue on with this themed update series, but speaking of updates our next one will keep us in the land of cartoons but will take us far away from superheroes as I will be chatting about Grape Ape! So until next time, read a comic or three, watch a cartoon or two and as always support your local horror host! GRAPE APE, GRAPE APE!
Rotten Ink 