History YMMV / Superfriends

** It can't be emphasized enough just how bad that first season was in comparison to all that followed, and not just because of Wendy, Marvin, [[GratuitousAnimalSidekick and the inexplicably anthropomorphic Wonder Dog]]. The MoralGaurdians were at their strictest during that year, so every antagonist the Super Friends encountered was either a WellIntentionedExtremist that just needed a gentle talking down to, or a HarmlessVillain so pathetic any one of the five adult Super Friends (yes, even this version's Aquaman) should've been able to make short work of on their own (and yet this would be the only season where every single story was a full-length, hour-long episode!). Starting with the next season, the Super Friends faced villains who 1) were actually evil, and 2) had enough powers and/or weapons to pose a serious threat it would take the entire team to defeat. Even Gleek was a distinct improvement since, being an alien monkey, there was actually a ''reason'' why he was anthropomorphic.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Apache Chief, apparently. When ''JusticeLeagueUnlimited'' and ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' updated the Superfriends' CanonForeigners, his CaptainErsatz characters ("Long Shadow" and "Tye Longshadow," respectively) are front and center

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: No, not for anything in the show. DCComics hired JackKirby to redesign his characters, leading to an unprecedented deal where he finally got royalties for his characters, as well as publishing the last major Kirby comics work in the "Super Powers" comics.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Apache Chief, apparently. When ''JusticeLeagueUnlimited'' and ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' updated the Superfriends original characters, his CaptainErsatz is usually front and center.

* SoBadItsGood

** "The Krypton Syndrome", where Superman painfully realizes that if Krypton's destruction is prevented through time travel, then he [[ItsAWonderfulPlot would never have been sent to Earth, and the Legion of Doom will win]].

* NarmCharm: There's something oddly sweet with in regards to the PSA featuring the Friends. As a kid, you'd feel that they were sorta looking out for you despite not being "real". Also, SomeAnvilsNeededToBeDropped.

* TearJerker: In the "Galactic Guardians" series, there's "The Fear". Holy ''shit'', "The Fear". It's not the first animated rendition of {{Batman}}'s backstory for ''anything''. Specially when we see the flashbacks to pre-teen Bruce crying after his parents are killed [[GoryDiscretionShot off-screen]], and then his first visit to Martha and Thomas's gravez alongside the faihtful Alfred.

* TearJerker: In the "Galactic Guardians" series, there's "The Fear". Holy ''shit'', "The Fear". It's not the first animated rendition of Batman's backstory for ''anything''.

* SeasonalRot: Inverted in that the various incarnations of this series got artistically better with each one. For instance, for all the snickering about the Wonder Twins, at least they could meaningfully contribute to the fights with their superpowers, which is more than Wendy and Marvin could ever manage. Later, the producers gradually began to realize that the original [[DC Comics]] characters were usually better than anything they could create themselves and began to act accordingly such as including Firestorm, Cyborg and JackKirby's NewGods villains.

* SeasonalRot: Inverted in that the various incarnations of this series got artistically better with each one. For instance, for all the snickering about the Wonder Twins, at least they could meaningfully contribute to the fights with their superpowers, which is more than Wendy and Marvin could ever manage.

* SeasonalRot: Inverted in that the various incarnations of this series got artistically better with each one. For instance, for all the snickering about the Wonder Twins, at least they could meaningfully contribute to the fights with their superpowers, which is more than Wendy and Marvin could ever manage while ''Challenge'' established the DC supervillians into the series. The final two seasons marked a considerable improvement themselves with better writing with the inclusion of well developed modern teenage superheroes like Firestorm and Cyborg while adding the {{Darkseid}}and NewGods of Apokolips.

* SeasonalRot: Inverted in that the various incarnations of this series got artistically better with each one. For instance, for all the snickering about the Wonder Twins, at least they could meaningfully contribute to the fights with their superpowers, which is more than Wendy and Marvin could ever manage.

** "The Death of Superman" is a very powerful episode. The fact that Superman died, the characters seriously mourn the loss of their friend, and the entire world dealing with the lack of Superman all happened in a Super Friends episode is still quite the shock to first time watchers.

* FetishFuel: Giganta is quite... popular amongst so called "macrophiliacs."
** Don't forget WonderWoman. When someone makes a "she can tie me up any time" joke, chances are they've only seen her on Superfriends or the old live action TV show. (People who've actually read her comics tend to have more ... elaborate fantasies, and she didn't break out the lasso nearly as often in the newer JusticeLeague animated series).

* FridgeLogic
** In "The Fear", Jonathan Crane--the Scarecrow's true identity--is "helping" Commissioner Gordon and the Super Powers Teams (the episode was part of the ''The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians'' era) capturing his alter ego ala [[SilenceOfTheLambs Hannibal Lecter]] prior to the events of ''Red Dragon''. However, the Scarecrow was also a member of the Legion of Doom during ''Challenge of the Superfriends'' and hence the few times the Legion of Doom stayed captured, the Super Friends and the police should've learned his identity prior to the episode.
*** [[BlatantLies And that was the only logical problem Super Friends ever had]].
** 1973/74 episode "The Androids". Dr. Rebos and his assistant Loco disguised themselves as reporters and their truck as a van for Bow Wow magazine, then drove to the Cape Courageous base. They meet Wonder Dog and take several pictures of him (so they can make an android...er, canoid duplicate of him). They then give him a award for being "Dog of the Year". There's just one problem: the only reason Wonder Dog was outside the base is that he forgot his Top Secret pass and wasn't allowed inside. How exactly did Dr. Rebos know in advance that this would happen and Wonder Dog would be available?

* FridgeLogic: In "The Fear", Jonathan Crane--the Scarecrow's true identity--is "helping" Commissioner Gordon and the Super Powers Teams (the episode was part of the ''The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians'' era) capturing his alter ego ala [[SilenceOfTheLambs Hannibal Lecter]] prior to the events of ''Red Dragon''. However, the Scarecrow was also a member of the Legion of Doom during ''Challenge of the Superfriends'' and hence the few times the Legion of Doom stayed captured, the Super Friends and the police should've learned his identity prior to the episode.
** [[BlatantLies And that was the only logical problem Super Friends ever had]].

* GrowingTheBeard: Started to by replacing Wendy and Marvin with the Wonder Twins and by having more serious stoires. Grew the full beard with ''Challenge of the Superfriends''.

* InkStainAdaptation: Aquaman...poor, poor Aquaman...

* TearJerker: In the "Galactic Guardians" series, there's "The Fear". Holy ''shit'', "The Fear". It's not the first animated rendition of Batman's backstory for ''anything''.

*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCwffUO4C5E this]] remix ramps up the awesomeness even further
* DeconstructionFic: [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4602078/1/Challenge_of_the_Super_Friends_The_End Challenge Of The Super Friends: The End Challenge]]. When the Legion of Doom enters another universe, things have GoneHorriblyWrong, and end up like victims in the Event Horizon and Hellraiser films, while the Superfriends become fascistic and attempt to make their world a utopia in the villains' absence. Along the way, every character is deconstructed before being transformed beyond recognition.