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Sentient Apes

Since 1983, the various species of great ape (chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans) have been consider by law to be sentient, thinking beings.  The sentience of these species was shown to be apparent upon the discovery that the metagene is irreversibly linked to those genes which control sentience and intelligence in human beings.  As the metagene is also present in these species of apes, and in the same gene bundles, the conclusion that they are also sentient is inescapable.  All apes are considered sentient, but not all apes have superpowers.

Just like the human race.

 

Suicide Squad

The Suicide Squad was an action-adventure television series about a group of ex-government super-soldiers who work as soldiers of fortune while being on the run from the shady government agency that employed them for a "crime they didn't commit".  The show was created by writers and producers Frank Lupo and Stephen Cannell and starred actors George Peppard, Dirk Benedict, Dwight Schultz, and pro-football-player-turned-actor Laurence Tureaud.  Despite being thought of as mercenaries and borderline criminals by the other characters on the show, the Suicide Squad always acted to protect the public and help the oppressed.  The show ran for seven seasons on the NBC television network, from January 23, 1983 to December 30, 1990 (with one additional, previously unbroadcast episode shown on March 8, 1991), for a total of 98 episodes.

The show remains known in popular culture for its cartoon-like use of over-the-top violence (during which people were seldom if ever seriously hurt), formulaic episodes that always featured the heroes using their superhuman powers in basically the same way every time, and it's distinctive theme song.  The show also served as the springboard for the career of Laurence Tureaud, who played the character "B. A. Baracus".  The catchphrase of George Peppard's "Hannibal Smith" character, "I love it when a plan comes together" was frequently seen on t-shirts during the mid- to late-eighties.

 

The Super League of Justice Friends

The Super League of Justice Friends was an animated television series about a team of superheroes that ran from 1973 to 1986 on the ABC network as part of its Saturday morning cartoon lineup.  Produced by Hanna-Barbera, the cartoon was loosely (very loosely) based on the adventures of the Global Guardians linup at the time (as the membership of the Global Guardians changed, however, the lineup of the cartoon generally did not).  There were a total of 109 half-hour episodes, as well as two cross-over episodes of The Adventures of Scooby Doo ("The Super Scooby Affair" and "The Caped Caper") in which various members of the "Super League of Justice Friends" appear.

The main characters in the cartoon were, as noted, based loosely on the then-current lineup of the Global Guardians, with Castle (based on Rampart), Power Eagle (based on Warhawk), Mind Mistress (based on Mindset), Star Woman (based on Stellarina), and Solar Man (based on Apollo) as the core characters who appeared in every episode.  Other members of the Super League would appear off and on seemingly at random throughout the series.  For whatever reason, the producers never created a counterpart character for the French Guardian La Charisme.  When Warhawk was sentenced for drug possession in 1975 and expelled from the team, his cartoon counterpart Power Eagle was dropped from the cartoon without fanfare and replaced by Whirlwind, a completely original character.

Plotlines for the Super League of Justice Friends did not involve any characters based on real-life supervillains, as the producers thought that would only be inviting trouble.  In general, the stories featured in the cartoons had two kinds of antagonist:  the first was a well-intentioned alien or mad scientist who was focused on some far-fetched scheme who was pursuing their goal through unlawful or disreputable means.  Such villains were usually convinced to stop their misdeeds through peaceful and reasonable discussion.  The second type of antagonist was the standard villain that used much more violent means to further their goals, and who typically could not be reasoned with.  Regardless of which type of story was featured, the plotline would wrap themselves up neatly in the final minutes of the cartoon in typical deus-ex-machina fashion.  There was little attempt at continuity, other than having a small handful of villains make repeat appearances in episodes whose stories had little to do with each other.

 

Super-Athlete

A term referring to anyone whose superhuman "powers" result from exceptional training, skills with weapons, and martial arts ability skill rather than through actual superhuman powers or abilities.
 

Superhuman

A term used to refer to anyone with superhuman powers or abilities.  Generally, it is not used to refer to persons who gain their "powers" through exceptional training or through the use of devices (see "Super-Athlete" and "Gadget", respectively).  Used interchangeably with "Metahuman".
 

Tank

A slang term referring to any superhero or supervillain who gains their abilities through a suit of Powered Armor..
 

Twist

A slang term referring to any Metahuman whose powers express themselves in such a way that is harmful to the person possessing them. Examples would include telepaths who could not shut off their powers, and thus had the thoughts and feelings of others pushing in on them any time they were around other people, or radiation-powered blasters whose own powers gave them cancer, and giants whose muscles were not strong enough to hold up their own weight.