Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light

Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light was media franchise consisting of a line of action figures from Hasbro, released in 1987, and its related promotional tie-ins, which included a comic book series published by Star Comics and, the better known of the two, a half-hour animated television series made by Sunbow Productions in the same year.

The toyline was not a big success, which led to both the series and the comic being cancelled after a very short run. The comic lasted only 6 issues, and was cancelled halfway through a four-part storyline. The animated series lasted one season of 13 episodes, and was not picked up for a second, possibly because all Sunbow cartoons came to an end after The Transformers' season 4 three-part, "The Rebirth", and G.I. Joe: The Movie, when Sunbow lost its contract and did not get it renewed.

Visionaries is the only Hasbro property to be produced by Sunbow on their own, without the aid of Marvel Productions. Sunbow also used TMS Entertainment, in Japan for the overseas animation work for this show.

Characters

The story is set on the planet Prysmos, an advanced society where all electronics have failed and the people are forced to rely on the old magics. The Visionaries consist of two groups of knights — the Spectral Knights and the Darkling Lords. Everyone who wishes to gain magic is invited to a competition by the wizard, Merklynn. After surviving traps, dangerous creatures, and each other, survivors on both sides are rewarded. The front plate of their armor is embedded with unique animal totems, which they can turn into. The animals were selected by Merklynn based on their personalities or abilities they exhibited during the competition.

Knights that had staffs were told to dip them into an energy well, enchanting them with various magic; its power activated by the holder reciting a special verse. Any staff-wielding knight can activate any staff, as long as he casts the spell properly. In one episode, Darkstorm made use of Leoric's staff, while in another, Cryotek used three different power staffs; his own, and those of Witterquick and Cindarr. In the comics, the staffs could be used as many times as needed, without any need to recharge them, but in the cartoon, only one use was permitted before they needed to return to Iron Mountain to recharge them - which caused a lot of tension, particularly on the part of Darkstorm.

The knights without, on the other hand, could not use staffs but can infuse vehicles with magical powers, such as the magical dungeon of the Darkling Lords' Dagger Assault. There is no limit on vehicle usage, unlike the power staffs. Also, the spells given for the vehicles on the boxes of the toys were never used in either the comics or the series. In the comics, the female knights had shields which worked the same way as the staffs, but in the TV series they did not, and in "The Power Of The Wise", Virulina was seen piloting the Sky Claw. Galadria was also seen in "Horn Of Unicorn, Claw Of Dragon" doing some repair/maintenance work on the Capture Chariot. Any vehicle-driving knight can drive any vehicle, and both Feryl and Ectar have been seen operating the Dagger Assault.

When the Darkling Lords first discovered the vehicles, Darkstorm wanted the honour of piloting the Sky Claw himself, but it didn't work; he explained "the engine works but the magic avoids me!" Reekon's response was, "it appears that any Visionary can pilot a vehicle, but Mortdredd and I are your only knights who can breathe magic into the metal." In the case of the Dagger Assault, driven by Reekon, things are more confusing, as in some episodes it is not clear who is driving, or, if it is indeed Reekon, where he is driving it from. Normally, he drives it from one of the two frontal compartments, but in "Feryl Steps Out", he is in the Dagger Dart while Darkstorm and Virulina are in the frontal compartments, and stranger still is "The Power Of The Wise" in which Darkstorm and Cravex are in those two sections while it is Lexor in the Dagger Dart.

Spectral Knights

Headed by New Valarak's leader Leoric, the Spectral Knights are magic users who use magic for the purposes of good; they are the protagonists of the series.

Darkling Lords

Headed by Darkstorm, the Darkling Lords use their powers for selfish aims and are the antagonists of the series.

Other characters

Merklynn - The wizard who occupies the shrine at Iron Mountain. Merklynn invites knights from across the land to compete in an obstacled race to his shrine, rewarding those who reach its hall with magical abilities. In exchange for recharging their power staffs at his magical cauldron, Merklynn contracts both the Darkling Lords and Spectral Knights to venture in other quests on his behalf. He sometimes offers magical devices in exchange for their services as well but Merklynn's "gifts" usually prove to be more trouble than they're worth. His name is based on Merlin. (Voiced by Roscoe Lee Browne)

Fletchen - A young woman from a village near New Valarak. In the episode "Lion Hunt", Darkstorm used her superstitious people as unwitting pawns in his plan to trap Leoric in his Lion form. She was the first to discover what had happened to Leoric, but, though she was able to convince his fellow Spectral Knights of the truth, her own people (urged on by Darkstorm) refused to listen and only stopped attacking the Spectral Knights once Leoric was freed from the spell which trapped him. Fletchen only appears twice in the series, but there is strong evidence of a romantic relationship between her and Leoric. (Voiced by Jennifer Darling)

Falkama - One of the wizards who inhabit Prysmos and a member of the same circle of wizardry as Merklynn. The Visionaries encountered him not long after they gained their magical powers; at the time, he was guarding the Dragon's Eye which Merklynn needed to replenish his magic pool. Later in the series, Darkstorm used him in his plot to depose Merklynn, before sending both wizards to the Wizards' Jail. In the wake of that episode, Falkama escaped but was later recaptured by the Spectral Knights. (Voiced by Chris Latta)

Bogavus - An enigmatic wizard. He was among those who escaped the Wizards' Jail, but Merklynn had never known him to commit evil and, when caught by the Spectral Knights, he denied knowing any real magic. Merklynn subjected him to a test which would cause him to be consumed by fire if he was dishonest - when Bogavus appeared to pass, he was allowed to go free. However, the question of whether he was genuinely innocent or had somehow evaded Merklynn's detection was never resolved in series canon, though the episode ended with him giving a sinister smirk to the camera. First mentioned (but not seen) in "Quest For The Dragon's Eye". (Voiced by Jim Cummings)

Wizasquizar - A wizard condemned never to tell the truth. He escaped from the Wizards' Jail at the same time as Falkama and Bogavus, remaining at large until the Spectral Knights captured all three rogue wizards. But, before they could take the wizards to Iron Mountain, the Spectral Knights were ambushed by the Darkling Lords, prompting them to release Wizasqueezar as a diversion. The wizard then joined forces with the Darkling Lords and led them to the Lost Shrine, where he betrayed them. When the Spectral Knights caught up with their enemies, they too came under attack from the Shrine's magical guards, eventually leaving only Leoric to thwart Wizasquizar's plans. First mentioned (but not seen) in "Quest For The Dragon's Eye", with a different pronunciation of his name. The original scripts differ in the spelling of his name. "The Overthrow Of Merklynn" spells his name "Weezasweena", while "The Trail Of Three Wizards" spells it "Weazaskweaza". The section of the original script of "Quest For The Dragon's Eye" that mentions him is missing on the DVD extras, but the only spelling to satisfy both pronunciations of his name is "Wizasquizar". (Voiced by Jonathan Harris)

Gleering - Fletchen's father. Before the events of "Lion Hunt", he and the rest of his people feared all magic and would use lucky charms to ward off evil. Darkstorm exploited this to stir up hatred against the Spectral Knights by convincing them that they were "evil wizards" guarding a magical beast (which was actually Leoric, who spent most of the episode trapped in his Lion form). In the wake of that episode, however, Gleering and his people learned they had nothing to fear from magic, provided it was used for good. (Voiced by Peter Cullen)

Heskedor - An ancient crone living in a cave. Darkstorm, seeking a means to defeat Leoric, sought her aid and she gave him the potion which trapped Leoric in his Lion form. If the spell was not broken by the time all the Three Suns set, Leoric would never be able to revert to human form again, but the Spectral Knights found out what had happened and Witterquick went to confront Heskedor in her cave, forcing her to hand him the antidote. (Voiced by Susan Blu)

Orzan - The ruler of the Lost City of Khemir. Before the Cataclysm, he and his people relied on robots to do all their work and, even after their technology failed, many refused to change their way of life. Orzan's comment that "the only proper activity for a Free Citizen of Khemir is to command - or die in the attempt!" typifies this attitude. But, after being bitten by Cravex's Spider of Fear and having visions of his people's robot slaves turning on him, he realised that he was himself afraid of being enslaved. (Voiced by Peter Cullen)

Belizar - A young Khemirite man. He was the one who alerted the Darkling Lords to his people's plight and played a key role in Darkstorm's conquest of New Valarak. When told that, since he was not a Darkling Lord, he was ineligible to compete for the Spectral Knights' Power Staffs, he vented his frustration on Leoric and Ectar by forcing them to move furniture and repeatedly changing his mind about where he wanted a cabinet placed. Later, however, he and his fellow Khemirite, Mana, helped the Spectral Knights escape and regain their Totems powers. At the end of the episode, Belizar vowed to one day prove worthy of knighthood; in the meantime, he would stay in New Valarak and help the people rebuild. (Voiced by Jim Cummings)

Marna - A Khemirite woman. She suggested that her people should try farming for themselves, only to be vetoed because her ideas went against the Khemirites' culture. She went along with Darkstorm's plan to enslave the Spectral Knights but did not order them about to the extent of her fellow Khemirites; instead, on learning that Galadria was no good at sewing, she apologised, saying she had never had to handle human workers before. Later, when Arzon turned himself in rather than see his friends sent to the Vanadium Mines, she realised that freedom at the expense of others was wrong and freed the Spectral Knights. (Voiced by Jennifer Darling)

Sun Imps

The Sun Imps are six mischievous sprites who feature in the last of the thirteen episodes. Merklynn describes them as "nasty magical creatures who created so much havoc during the First Age of Magic that all of the forces in the old world joined to seal them into a tomb and then buried it". But later earthquakes have left this tomb exposed, prompting Merklynn to send the Visionaries to rebury it. However, Lexor tricks Cindarr into releasing the Imps.

Abraxas - The Wizard Imp. He took control of the Bearer of Knowledge when Arzon tried to consult him and, later, turned up at Iron Mountain. Merklynn tried to stop him with a spell, only to find that he could turn any magic used against him back on the caster. In the end, Merklynn outwitted Abraxas with a "Capture Thyself" spell, which, when reversed, caused the Sun Imp to be captured.

Gorge - The Pig Imp. He has the ability to turn ground to mud (a trick he used on Reekon, Lexor and Feryl) and can also cause pigs to stampede. His biggest weakness is his inability to see food without helping himself to it - the Visionaries later exploited this by tricking him into stuffing himself with cake until he became too fat to stand. Named Glutton in the original script.

Growl - The Cat Imp. He uses sonic waves to cause landslides and break windows. In addition, he can take control of all cats, including human-to-feline shapeshifters like Leoric and (possibly) Witterquick. He dislikes anything resembling a dog and was caught when Leoric lured him towards Cindarr, who used the dog-like Beast of Destruction to catch him. Named Fangar in the original script, and may have gotten the name Growl by accident in the recording.

Knightmare - The Dream Imp. He can send people to sleep by hitting them on the head and can also hypnotise people by waving his axe in front of their eyes. He used the latter power to take control of Mortdredd and make him give the contents of Darkstorm's treasury to the people living nearby. He was caught when Ectar (in his Fox form) made him so dizzy that he knocked himself out.

Mysto - The Fish Imp. He can turn ground to ice and also has the ability to take control of fish. During the episode, he sent the contents of a fishmonger's barrow flying around New Valarak. Later, Galadria and Virulina used their Totem powers to pursue him round a sunken wreck, where they trapped him in a treasure chest. Named Unctuous in the original script.

Shaggy - The Hair Imp. His favourite trick is causing people's hair to grow rapidly and tying them up with it. In addition, he can turn people into living marionettes, a trick he used to humiliate Darkstorm. However, he cannot use his powers if his hair is shaved off and the Visionaries later used this to trap him.

Unreleased characters

A second wave of characters was planned for release in 1988 but both the cartoon and the accompanying toy line were cancelled at the same time all 1980s Sunbow cartoons were cancelled (particularly Transformers after the episode Headmasters: The Rebirth and the G.I. Joe Movie and Sunbow was unable to renew their contract to keep their cartoons running), so these new characters never made it beyond toy industry catalogues and it is not known what role they would have played in the series. Indeed, there is little canon information available for them, apart from their names and alliances.

There were eighteen characters in this unreleased set, eight Spectral Knights and ten Darkling Lords. The members of each faction were:

It is possible Cerator is incorrectly identified as a Darkling Lord. Although he is shown with accessories in the standard Darkling Lord gold, his chest hologram shows the Spectral Knights' faction totem of the unicorn. One of these is likely a mistake, but it is unknown which.

Action figures

In 1987 Hasbro produced a set of figures after the cartoon series ended; the toy line^[1] actually lasted somewhat longer than the cartoon series itself. The figures had hologram stickers on both their chests and staffs, which resulted in their being expensive to produce The toy line only lasted one year, with 12 figures (all the male Spectral Knights and the male Darkling Lords complete with weapons and power staffs) and 4 vehicles produced. Each of the vehicles was packaged with an exclusive figure. A second series of figures, slated to be released in 1988 and discontinued the following year, was never produced. It would have included 18 figures, 6 Sun Imps, 6 vehicles and the Iron Mountain playset. It is unknown the exact reason this series went unreleased, but it is assumed that it was that Hasbro didn't want to continue with the first set after the thirteenth and last episode 'Dawn of the Sun Imps' which brought the cartoon series to an end at the same time the Transformers cartoon came to its demise after Headmasters: The Rebirth and when the G.I. Joe cartoon ceased production after the movie when Sunbow lost its contract to keep its cartoons running. The two female Knights - Galadria (Spectral Knights) and Virulina (Darkling Lords) were never made due to Hasbro feeling dubious at the idea of female figures in a boy's toy line. There was a competing toyline at the same time with a similar gimmick by Tonka called Supernaturals^[2]

TV series

There were only thirteen episodes in the television series, each of which was written by Flint Dille, Buzz Dixon or Douglas Booth.

Episodes

DVD release

In the United Kingdom, the entire 13 episode series was released on DVD in 2004 in Region 2 format by Metrodome Distribution. The only special feature included is a set of PDF files of the complete scripts to each episode. So far, there has not been a Region 1 or Region 4 release.

Adaptations

Comics

There was also a short-lived comic book series, Visionaries, published by Star Comics and eventually Marvel Comics - it lasted only 6 issues, and was cancelled mid-way through a 4-part adventure. The first issue was an adaptation of the first episode, "The Age Of Magic Begins", but the subsequent issues took the storyline in a different direction. There were a few differences in details - whereas in the cartoon, the staff-bearing knights had only one use of their staffs before needing a recharge, in the comics, they could use their staffs as often as they liked. In one issue, Witterquick and Cindarr crossed their staffs to combine their powers, the combination of light speed and destruction creating an earthquake. Another difference concerned the animal totems - the characters worried that they might lose control of their animal forms while in them.^[3]

Film

On December 15, 2015, The Hollywood Reporter has reported that both Hasbro and Paramount are creating a movie universe combining Visionaries with G.I. Joe, Micronauts, M.A.S.K. and Rom together.^[10]

References

External links

• The Visionaries.net
• Visionaries Action Figure Archive
• Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light at the Internet Movie Database