The Amazing Extraordinary Friends is a New Zealand children's program featuring the adventures of a modern day superhero teenage boy and his friends.
Ben Wilson, an 'ordinary' New Zealand teenager, goes on a school trip and finds a mysterious metal insignia. The insignia turns him into Captain Extraordinary (Captain X), a superhero with great powers. But being Captain X brings Ben no end of grief. He is chased by the evil Renfield and his goons. Ben hasn't even mastered flying and suddenly he's expected to save the city from all kinds of villainous plots. But with the help of his family and friends who turn into Captain X's sidekicks, Captain X can save the city.
The Amazing Extraordinary Friends contain examples of:
- Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: In "Attack of the Atomic Bombshell", a nuclear genetic accident results in Dr. Dominique Brioche Hulking Out into the 50-foot tall Atomic Bombshell when she gets angry.
- Badass Normal: Nitelite has no powers and is the 'gadget guy' on the team.
- "Bang!" Flag Gun: The Comedian carries one.
- Big Bad: Renfield
- Captain Superhero: Captain Extraordinary or Captain X for short.
- Card-Carrying Villain: Renfield heads an Evil, Inc. known as NEMESIS.
- Carnival of Killers: In "Quality Time", Renfield hires the 'world's greatest super assassins' (the Invisible Ninja, Captain Tardy, Geyser Girl and the Easter Bunny) to eliminate the Friends.
- Class Trip: The series starts with a class trip during which Ben finds the Captain X insignia.
- Clothes Make the Superman: Captain X gets his powers from the X insignia.
- Color Animal Codename: The Old Superhero Green Termite who acts as a mentor to the new generation of superheroes: whether they want him to or not. Green Termite is not a particularly intimidating name, but he himself admits he was always more of a Sidekick than a superhero.
- Cool Old Guy: The Green Termite is Ben’s grandfather who comes out of retirement to show his grandson the superhero ropes.
- Electric Black Guy: Wired is the New Zealand equivalent: being a Maori with electric powers.
- Embarrassing Cover Up: In "Attack of the Atomic Bombshell", Ben tells his mother that he missed the parent-teacher evening because Roy was suffering from irritable bowel syndrome.
- Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor: The Comedian could be considered a sane version of The Joker. While he is funny some of the time, his favourite jokes always result in people being injured or killed.
- Face–Heel Turn: Ice used to be a fire-based superheroine called Blaze.
- Fartillery: The supervillain Geyser Girl has farts capable of knocking people unconscious.
- Flying Brick: Captain X would be this if he could learn how to fly.
- Gang of Hats: The Gentlemen Callers; a street gang with tailored suits and excessive personal grooming.
- Gas Mask Mooks: Nemesis' stormtroopers wear skull like masks and breathing apparatus.
- The Ghost: Captain Tardy in "Quality Time", who never shows up to join the Carnival of Killers. (The joke being that he is always late.)
- Giant Woman: In "Attack of the Atomic Bombshell", a nuclear genetic accident results in Dr. Dominique Brioche Hulking Out into the 50-foot tall Atomic Bombshell when she gets angry.
- Hair-Raising Hare: The most dangerous of the Carnival of Killers Renfield hired to take out Captain X in "Quality Time" turns out to be the Easter Bunny; a man in a rather sorry-looking rabbit costume.
- The Heartless: In one episode, Applied Phlebotinum splits the heroes into separate beings embodying their good and evil sides (although their 'evil' sides are selfish more than anything else).
- How Do I Shot Web?: Ben has no idea how the Captain X insignia works and spends a lot of time trying to figure out how to control his powers (and occasionally discovering powers he did not know he had).
- Hulking Out: Dr. Dominique Brioche suffers an nuclear genetic accident and transforms into the 50 ft. Atomic Bombshell whenever she gets angry.
- HULK MASH!-Up: Atomic Bombshell is a Gender Flipped Hulk expy combined with Nancy Archer, where a blast of nuclear radiation causes Dr. Dominique Brioche Hulking Out into a Giant Woman whenever she gets angry.
- Human Popsicle: The superheroine Blaze was put 'on ice' for several years. When she was eventually thawed out, she had become the villainous Ice.
- An Ice Person: Ice.
- Insane Admiral: General Quarters in "Attack of the Atomic Bombshell", who sees nothing wrong with planning to nuke City Central to stop the Bombshell. Leads to this exchange:Captain X: You're mad, aren't you?
General Quarters: (gleefully) Completely insane! - Instant Sedation: The Wraith carries knockout capsules that have this effect.
- Invisibility: The Invisible Ninja is part of the Carnival of Killers hired in "Quality Time". He (or she) appears to be permanently invisible, as they never become visible over the course of the episode.
- Killer Rabbit: The most dangerous of the Carnival of Killers Renfield hired to take out Captain X turned out to be the Easter Bunny; a man in a rather sorry-looking rabbit costume.
- Laughably Evil: The Comedian is essentially a sane version of The Joker. Many of his jokes are actually pretty funny. It is a shame that he is also one of the most ruthless villains in the series, and doesn't care who gets hurt in his schemes, so long as the payoff is funny (to him).
- Legacy Character: Ben is the latest in a long line of Captain Xs.
- Literal Split Personality: In one episode, the heroes are split into separate beings embodying their good and evil sides.
- Offhand Backhand: The Wraith does this to Captain X while battling in the cathedral in "Revenge of the Wraith".
- Old Superhero: The Green Termite
- Playing with Fire: Blaze was a superheroine with fire-based powers. However, being turned into a Human Popsicle resulted in a Face–Heel Turn and her becoming An Ice Person called Ice. Flashbacks occasionally show her in action as Blaze.
- Practically Joker: The Comedian: a wise-cracking criminal who uses weapons based on practical jokes, and is completely ruthless (and murderous when he wants to be).
- The Prankster: The Comedian—who is one of the more dangerous villains the heroes face, despite no having any powers—is a sadistic practical joker, among his many other villainous qualities.
- Proj-egg-tile: The supervillain the Easter Bunny uses explosive Easter eggs as his primary weapon, which he either plants or throws at his targets.
- School Newspaper News Hound: Vicki Van Horton is a high school version of Lois Lane, including being obsessed with uncovering Captain X's secret identity.
- Shock and Awe: Wired possesses electrical powers, including the discharge of electricity.
- Super Man Substitute: Played with. Captain X is meant to be this to the Man of Steel, except Ben has a lot of trouble controlling his powers.
- Trash Landing: In "Revenge of The Wraith", the Wraith jumps of the the top of the cathedral carrying Vicki, gliding with his cloak. Ben, who has lost the insignia and does not have his powers, jumps after him and grabs hold. All three of them crash land in a pile of trash bags in the alley.
- Unobtainium: The X insignia is stated to be made of unobtanium.
- Villainous Harlequin: Evil Jester
- Wake Up, Go to School & Save the World: Ben and Roy attempt to balance being trainee superheroes with going to school.
