Thread: Your Favorite Cartoon Sorcerer

We've had lots of discussions about magic systems and fantasy settings that use them. Magic-wielders, good or evil, have always gotten air time, whether it be old radio shows, Disney movies, or 1980s television cartoons. Who is your favorite animated magician and why? How has he or she influenced your role-playing campaigns or characters? Was it the powers or the panache that got your attention? Bonus points if you stat up your favorite in BRP!

Here are a few modest suggestions, although Disney villains could comprise a whole thread of their own:

Ace Cooper (The Magician, 1999)

A stage magician in a retro-futuristic pulp universe, Ace Cooper used sleight of hand and occasional bursts of the real thing to thwart criminals and bad guys of every stripe.

Mandrake the Magician (Defenders of the Earth, 1986)

Mandrake, possibly the first costumed crime-fighter in the comics, was revived and joined with other King Features Syndicate heroes to battle yet another attempt by Ming the Merciless the conquer Earth.

Presto (Dungeons and Dragons, 1983)

His magic hat produced powerful but frequently unexpected effects as young Presto and his friends attempted to escape a fantasy world filled with, well, you know ...

Skeletor (He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, 1983)

Disgruntled heir to the throne of Eternia, Skeletor backed his spells with pulp science fiction gadgetry in his bid to take over. Too bad he was a poor judge of character when choosing assistants.

Mumm-Ra, the Ever-Living (Thundercats, 1985)

One of the few truly scary cartoon villains on TV, the withered Mumm-Ra could become awesomely powerful only for a brief time but insisted he could never die as long as evil persisted in the universe. Used the same employment agency as Skeletor for his agents.

Venger (Dungeons and Dragons, 1983)

The winged Big Bad opposed by the Dungeon Master and his underage heroes. Did not play well with others, no regular henchmen.

Jafar (Disney's Aladdin, 1992)

He was running the kingdom and pocketing the rewards anyway, so why'd this ambitious vizier insist on the Sultan's title (and daughter)?

Gargomel (The Smurfs, 1981)

Rural warlock with a taste for small blue humanoids. Given his success rate, perhaps he should have ordered out.

Others?

I'm not sure he qualifies as a 'sorcerer' but John Constantine, from the Hellblazer comics is a favorite. I like the noir aspects of his character, magic as a two-edged sword that eventually has its way with anyone who uses it... dark and fatalistic.

The fellow in Hanna-Barbera's "Arabian Knights" cartoon who could assume the shape of any animal by shouting "Size ... of __________!" and clapping his hands.

If we were talking comic books, I'd say Doctor Fate, just cuz he looked cool (I recall the Fate stories as generally being inferior to Doctor Strange).

Specules from Korgoth of Barbaria.

I always had a weak spot for Mozenrath (Disney's Aladdin), mostly because of
his flying eel Xerxes ...

The wizard Vector, from Wizards and Warriors: Aperans, the Haven for Wizards and Warriors

The monocle was a stroke of genius!

Avatar, from Bakshi's 1977 Wizards!

Oh, and Mok from Rock and Rule!

SDLeary

Originally Posted by SDLeary

Avatar, from Bakshi's 1977 Wizards!

"...And here's a little trick Mother showed me while you were out, you bastard!" Heh heh brilliant!

I'm going with Princess Ariel from Thundarr The Barbarian. No influence on any gaming campaigns, but she was cute.

Lots of great suggestions, but no write-ups yet? Devil-dogs!

Wizards was a disappointment to me -- disjointed, somewhat offensive; despite good animation, not worthy of the hype. And Bashki actually considered it suitable for children? Grrr!