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El Dorado (Superhero)
Encyclopedia
El Dorado is a fictional Hispanic
superhero
featured in various incarnations of the Super Friends
animated series created by Hanna-Barbera
. He was voiced by Fernando Escandon.
. He first appeared as minor character in the Super Friends animated shorts, which aired in 1981
season and later in Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show
as a full-time member. El Dorado, a Latino
, was added as one of several attempts to encourage diversity among the characters. Like other ethnic characters added during this period, he was seen as somewhat stereotypical
. El Dorado spoke English
with an accent, sporadically substituting common Spanish
words or phrases, such as adding words like "rapido" and replacing nearly every instance of "yes" with "si".
In El Dorado's debut episode "Alien Mummy" it is revealed that he is of Mexican descent. The narrator sets the scene by describing the location as 'ancient Aztec ruins in the Mexican wilderness'. One of El Dorado's lines is "these are the mysterious ruins of my people".
He also exhibited some degree of mental powers, including telepathy. During the series' opening theme, he is at one point shown to be hovering, suggesting flight capabilities, and he would sometimes enter from the side of the screen as if he were just landing.
He may have also possessed superhuman strength, as he once competed directly against Kalibak
in physical combat and was also seen on several occasions to lift heavy objects with little effort. Knowledgeable about Pre-Columbian
history (yet vague in his explanations), he assisted the Super Friends whenever they were forced to enter unfamiliar ruins or areas in Latin America
. No official origin was ever given to explain El Dorado's past, nor the method through which he had acquired these powers; however it's speculated that they're mystical in nature and he is empowered by their ancient magic and his people's warrior-spirit, derived from possibly being the descendant of Ancient Aztec Sorcerers.
In later episodes his powers were more well-defined. He had telepathic powers and the ability to create illusions.. Later expanded to Great Strength, Flight, Telepathy, and the ability to make objects appear and disappear.
, Superman hands over El Dorado to the government because of his status of being an illegal alien
.
and the Wonder Twins
) to receive an action figure
after Samurai. However, the Super Powers Collection
line was canceled before the figures could be made.
El Dorado was released in Series 18 of Mattel
's DC Universe Classics
along with several other Super-Friends/Super-Powers themed figures.
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
featured in various incarnations of the Super Friends
Super Friends
Super Friends is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes, which ran from 1973 to 1986 on ABC as part of its Saturday morning cartoon lineup...
animated series created by Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
. He was voiced by Fernando Escandon.
Fictional character biography
El Dorado was created solely for the Super Friends cartoons and has never appeared in a DC ComicDC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
. He first appeared as minor character in the Super Friends animated shorts, which aired in 1981
1981 in television
The year 1981 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1981.For the American TV schedule, see: 1981-82 American network television schedule.- Events :...
season and later in Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 1984 to 1985 on ABC...
as a full-time member. El Dorado, a Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
, was added as one of several attempts to encourage diversity among the characters. Like other ethnic characters added during this period, he was seen as somewhat stereotypical
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
. El Dorado spoke English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
with an accent, sporadically substituting common Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
words or phrases, such as adding words like "rapido" and replacing nearly every instance of "yes" with "si".
In El Dorado's debut episode "Alien Mummy" it is revealed that he is of Mexican descent. The narrator sets the scene by describing the location as 'ancient Aztec ruins in the Mexican wilderness'. One of El Dorado's lines is "these are the mysterious ruins of my people".
Powers and abilities
El Dorado's powers were not well-defined and were highly ambiguous. His most frequently used ability was teleportation, which he accomplished by wrapping his cape over his body and vanishing. Anyone or anything he wrapped his cape around could also be teleported with him, and there appeared to be no limit to the distance he could travel. Another of his frequently used powers was the ability to generate illusions. Defined as "holograms," these illusions were also capable of fooling other senses, as they sometimes generated noise and could be touched; he once created a sea monster which roared loudly, and on another occasion generated a pile of fake dolls a villain was forced to physically dig through.He also exhibited some degree of mental powers, including telepathy. During the series' opening theme, he is at one point shown to be hovering, suggesting flight capabilities, and he would sometimes enter from the side of the screen as if he were just landing.
He may have also possessed superhuman strength, as he once competed directly against Kalibak
Kalibak
Kalibak is a fictional character, a deity and supervillain published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in New Gods #1 .- Fictional character biography :...
in physical combat and was also seen on several occasions to lift heavy objects with little effort. Knowledgeable about Pre-Columbian
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
history (yet vague in his explanations), he assisted the Super Friends whenever they were forced to enter unfamiliar ruins or areas in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. No official origin was ever given to explain El Dorado's past, nor the method through which he had acquired these powers; however it's speculated that they're mystical in nature and he is empowered by their ancient magic and his people's warrior-spirit, derived from possibly being the descendant of Ancient Aztec Sorcerers.
In later episodes his powers were more well-defined. He had telepathic powers and the ability to create illusions.. Later expanded to Great Strength, Flight, Telepathy, and the ability to make objects appear and disappear.
Television
In "Werewolf vs. Unicorn", an episode of Robot ChickenRobot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
, Superman hands over El Dorado to the government because of his status of being an illegal alien
Alien (law)
In law, an alien is a person in a country who is not a citizen of that country.-Categorization:Types of "alien" persons are:*An alien who is legally permitted to remain in a country which is foreign to him or her. On specified terms, this kind of alien may be called a legal alien of that country...
.
Toys
El Dorado was scheduled to be one of the few Hanna-Barbara original heroes (along with Black VulcanBlack Vulcan
Black Vulcan is a fictional African American superhero on the animated series Super Friends created by Hanna-Barbera. He was voiced by Buster Jones.-Fictional character biography:...
and the Wonder Twins
Wonder Twins
The Wonder Twins, Zan and Jayna, are fictional extraterrestrial comic book superheroes published by DC Comics. Their first comic book appearance was in Super Friends #7 , by E. Nelson Bridwell and Ramona Fradon...
) to receive an action figure
Action figure
An action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...
after Samurai. However, the Super Powers Collection
Super Powers Collection
The Super Powers Collection was a line of action figures based on DC Comics superheroes and supervillains that was created by Kenner Products in the 1980s.-History of the Line:...
line was canceled before the figures could be made.
El Dorado was released in Series 18 of Mattel
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
's DC Universe Classics
DC Universe Classics
DC Universe Classics is an action figure toyline, a sub-line of the DC Universe toy brand manufactured by Mattel. These are 6-inch scale figures based on characters owned by DC Comics...
along with several other Super-Friends/Super-Powers themed figures.