History Heartwarming / CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers

** During the above, she also puts a hand first on his shoulder, then on his cheek in a motherly way, even though it's the first time they ever meet. Their bond truly is a special one.

** Ma-Ti spends the trip to Skumm's latest operation brooding over how useless he feels. As the rest of the team scrambles out of the Geo-Cruiser, Wheeler notices Ma-Ti still sitting in his chair and urges him to come on, even calling him "[[AffectionateNickname little buddy]]". When Ma-Ti declares that he's a burden and he's not going, Wheeler tries to convince him otherwise, only leaving when [[CheerfulChild Ma-Ti]], [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness uncharacteristically irritated]], snaps at him to leave him alone.

* "[[Recap/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteersS1E26HeatWave Heat Wave]]": Upon returning to Hope Island, the Planeteers find Gaia too sick and weak to stand on her own. The interesting thing is that the one who cradles her caringly as she begs them to stop Dr. Blight is ''not'' either of the {{Nice Guy}}s: Ma-Ti or Kwame, nor either of the girls. It's Wheeler. After the team is forced to scramble to the Crystal Chamber's roof to call Captain Planet, [[LapPillow he uses his leg to cushion her head]], because Gaia is now too sick even to sit up. [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas Even smart-alecky tough guys love their (unofficially adopted) mamas.]]

** In the possible future, we see MAL gaining a MoralityPet in Dr. Blight's daughter Betsi, who is by far sweeter and more heroic than her mother – to the point of actively trying to help the present and future Planeteers stop her mom from becoming president. MAL tries to pull a HeroicSacrifice at one point to save Betsi, and ends up doing a full HeelFaceTurn, even promising Betsi to help her try to reform her mother.

*** Wheeler, right behind Gi, immediately scoops Ma-Ti into his arms and says they need to get to a hospital.

** Two of the proto-Planeteers from Gaia's tale – Niko and Lydia, Wheeler's and Linka's respective counterparts – [[ShipTease seem rather attracted to each other]] from the moment they first meet. When the story is over, Gaia implies Lydia eventually got married. Wheeler, forgetting all his earlier ArbitrarySkepticism, asks enthusiastically if the lucky guy was Niko, clearly thinking of Linka and himself instead.

** Linka spends most of the episode running around by herself. While she's inside a mine, she falls and gets knocked unconscious, and is then saved by a mysterious bundled stranger (not for the first time that day either), who runs away after she comes to. It's later discovered that the mystery man is none other than Wheeler. At the end of the episode, when Linka decides to [[TenMinuteRetirement leave the team]], she finally shares a [[TheBigDamnKiss passionate]] [[FirstKiss kiss]] with Wheeler to both say goodbye, and to thank him for saving her life.

* "You Bet Your Planet": The alien host tries to get the Planeteers and the Eco-Villains to talk about themselves, and when he questions Dr. Blight, the scarred side of her face is revealed. Surprisingly, Dr. Blight recoils from view, and when the host makes a remark about her complexion, Greedly snaps at him and says he can't stand "suck-up game show hosts". While it's unknown if Greedly was coming to Dr. Blight's defense or was just being rude as he generally is, the idea that he was calling the alien out for bringing up Blight's scars when she was shown to be self-conscious about it is weirdly noble of him, considering that the Eco-Villains usually butt heads whenever they're presented together.

** During the first group hug, Wheeler stands a bit aside, as he didn't manage to get close enough in time. Then, on Hope Island, when it seems this will happen again, Gaia simply reaches out and pulls him in. He may be the most unruly, sometimes troublesome and InnocentlyInsensitive of the Planeteers, but he still is one of her unofficially adopted sons, and she loves him dearly.

* "[[Recap/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteersS1E1AHeroForEarth A Hero for Earth]]": As though she knew that [[TheBabyOfTheBunch Ma-Ti]] would suffer from HeroicSelfDeprecation, Gaia makes a special point to tell him that [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower his element is powerful and vital]], in fact, even more so than his teammates' elements.

** Then, as he's climbing said gas chamber's wall and starts doubting himself again, Gaia shows up to give him much-needed comfort and encouragement. She starts the pep talk by saying that she saw he needed help, reinforcing her first-episode promise that although she only turns up in person in extreme emergencies, she will always be watching over her team while they're on a mission.

* "Kwame's Crisis": When Kwame temporarily leaves the Planeteers under the impression that he can't make a difference, a little girl named Katie shows him that not everyone is as apathetic and careless as he thinks, [[RestoredMyFaithInHumanity restoring his faith]] and inspiring him to rescue the others from Sly Sludge.
-->'''Kwame''': You make me ashamed of myself for doubting that there are people who care. I just wish everyone would follow your example.\\

** Marge, the kind homeless woman who previously took Gaia under her wing, is present in the above scene as well, and expresses joy, even if still mixed with some disbelief, that her homelessness will soon be over. And given that the money "donated" by Blight could have been used to renovate and/or expand the shelter, it's highly probable that the idea to build affordable housing came from within the Planet-team, [[KarmicJackpot as a sign of gratitude towards Marge]].

!!General

* Similarly, the relationship between the teenage Planeteers and [[EveryonesBabyBrother Ma-Ti.]] Rather than viewing him as an honorary AnnoyingYoungerSibling, they are ferociously protective of him and enjoy spending time with him while off the clock (especially Gi and Wheeler). Conversely, although Ma-Ti envies his older teammates the greater strength and size that come with their age and dislikes their tendency to baby him at times, he's very fond of all of them and protects them as much as his wits and powers allow him.

** The kids, in turn, fully reciprocate the love she has for them; even the team's resident tough guy Wheeler is openly fond of her. It's then hardly surprising that if an Eco-Villain (mostly Zarm or Dr. Blight) threatens or manages to actually harm her, the Planeteers will do all they can to save her and make the villain pay for it.

* "[[Recap/CaptainPlanetAndThePlanteersS1E3BeastOfTheTemple Beast of the Temple]]": This is a great episode for Linka/Wheeler shippers.

** When Linka catches her foot in a root system and they can't extricate it, she begs Wheeler to run away and save himself. Predictably, he refuses. He attacks the dragon head-on with his Fire Ring, and when that fails, [[DrawAggro draws it after himself]] to give Linka a chance to escape.

** Marge, the kind homeless woman who previously took Gaia under her wing, is present in the above scene as well, and expresses joy, even if still mixed with some disbelief, that her homelessness will soon be over. And given that the money "donated" by Blight could have been used to renovate and/or expand the shelter, it's highly probable that the idea to build affordable housing came from within the Planet-team, [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe as a sign of gratitude towards Marge]].

* "Volcano's Wrath": Watching the Planeteers rush off to their mission prompts Gaia to say, "[[LikeASonToMe Children.]] [[SoProudOfYou They make a mother proud]]".

* "[[Recap/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteersS1E24And25TwoFutures Two Futures, Part 2]]" has [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Wheeler]] showing fondness for Gaia, and the other Planeteers caring about their friend. To be more precise:

* "[[Recap/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteersS3E8OKAtTheGunfightCorral OK at the Gunfight Corral]]":

** While waiting, Ma-Ti worries about the others, and, when he feels their panic as they're trapped in an improvised GasChamber, he makes up his mind he's going, no matter how small and helpless he feels.

*** Shortly after getting through, Gi tells Wheeler that the group missed him.
*** Wheeler is ecstatic to see Ma-Ti back to his young, idealistic self, because the last time he saw him he was a middle-aged beggar with barely any spirit left after a hard life. Ma-Ti, lacking the context to understand Wheeler's exclamation about being afraid Ma-Ti had given up on everything, softly but firmly tells Wheeler that he is his ''amigo''[[note]]"friend" in Spanish[[/note]] and he would never give up on ''him''.

** When the team summons Captain Planet to keep the eco-villains from [[RetGone retgoning]] them, Linka declares that teamwork reunited them, and teamwork will keep them together.

** Despite Wheeler's anger at Boris for drugging Linka, he tells Linka to "do it for Boris" when she's having trouble focusing enough to use her ring. Linka's face [[DeterminedExpression takes on a determined look]], and she succeeds.

** Wheeler loses a sneaker escaping when Plunder's men nearly drop the edge of the dome on him and runs back to the village on one sock foot to check on things. Seeing the missing shoe, Ma-Ti's grandfather offers him a replacement pair, saying that they belonged to a scientist who was similarly a good friend.

* "[[Recap/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteersS2E13TroubleOnTheHalfShell Trouble on the Half-Shell]]", When Skumm grabs Wheeler, threatening him for de-mutating his rats, three of the remaining Planeteers charge him -- Kwame, the group's de facto leader; Linka, [[ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend who's in love with Wheeler]], and Ma-Ti, who acts to help his friend even though his powers are likely to be useless here[[note]]Skumm is a monster, so Ma-Ti's power wouldn't work on him, and the nearest animals are Skumm's rats, who would presumably listen to him rather than Ma-Ti[[/note]].

** The entire sequence contains a string of "Wheeler-as-big-brother" moments:

** Ma-Ti tearfully admits that the day he received his Heart Ring and became a Planeteer was the best day of his life, knowing that he could use his power to help other people and the Earth. His voice audibly wavers when he says this; it's honestly very touching to see how seriously he takes his job despite the MemeticLoser status he has among the fandom. HeartIsAnAwesomePower, indeed.

** When Gaia is getting transformed back to her normal self, Linka is the first to run and cling to her, with Kwame, Gi and Ma-Ti very close behind.

* "[[Recap/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteersS3E10HogTide Hog Tide]]": Two of the proto-Planeteers from Gaia's tale – Niko and Lydia, Wheeler's and Linka's respective counterparts – [[ShipTease seem rather attracted to each other]] from the moment they first meet. When the story is over, Gaia implies Lydia eventually got married. Wheeler, forgetting all his earlier ArbitrarySkepticism, asks enthusiastically if the lucky guy was Niko, clearly thinking of Linka and himself instead.

** Ma-Ti spends the trip to Skumm's latest operation brooding over how useless he thinks he is. As the rest of the team scrambles out of the Geo-Cruiser, Wheeler notices Ma-Ti still sitting in his chair and urges him to come on, even calling him "[[AffectionateNickname little buddy]]". When Ma-Ti declares that he's a burden and he's not going, Wheeler tries to convince him otherwise, only leaving when [[CheerfulChild Ma-Ti]], [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness uncharacteristically irritated]], snaps at him to leave him alone.

** Wheeler takes advantage of being paired with Linka for clue-hunting to flirt with her, and she actually reciprocates. They almost kiss before the dragon shows up and spoils the moment.

* "[[Recap/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteersS1E6TheConqueror The Conqueror]]": Four of the Planeteers are fooled by [[BigBad Zarm]] and unwittingly switch their allegiance to him. [[Tearjerker/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers Tearjerker]] ensues - until Gaia comes to the kids as a mortal and shows them what Zarm is really like. The scene where they apologize definitely makes up for that, though. Especially that part where Gaia hugs Gi and [[PlatonicKissing gives her a little kiss on the forehead]]. [[Awesome/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers And it gets even better when they confront Zarm...]]

* "[[Recap/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteersS2E17And18SummitToSaveEarth Summit to Save Earth, Part 1]]":

* "Summit to Save Earth, Part 2":

** When Ma-Ti collapses to the floor after [[ItMakesSenseInContext being bitten by a mutated rat]], Gi is the first person to reach him. She lifts him into a sitting position, something he is too sick to manage on his own. She also puts a comforting hand on his shoulder as he cries in pain from the rapid-onset illness.

** Wheeler's story turns his moment of awesome chasing off a mugger to heartwarming. It turns out that he was on the receiving end of a similar incident when his alcoholic father drove him away from home...and he likewise chose to come to the rescue of a stranger who needed it once he was old enough.
** Linka tells a story similar to Gi's. As a young kid, she and her grandmother raised canaries which served in the mine as gas-detectors. She didn't find it fair, however, that they were dying in mine-related gas leaks; the sorrow she felt about one of them prompted her to dedicate her life to protecting birds.

* "[[Recap/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteersS4E22TeersInTheHood 'Teers in the Hood]]": Wheeler not only talks Gi out of outright killing the guy who shot her friend, but even hugs her as she is [[CryIntoChest crying into his chest]].

** In the possible future, we see MAL gaining a MoralityPet in Dr. Blight's daughter Betsi, who is by far sweeter and more heroic than her mother to the point that she actively tries to help the present and future Planeteers stop her mom from becoming president. MAL tries to pull a HeroicSacrifice at one point to save Betsi, and ends up doing a full HeelFaceTurn, even promising Betsi to help her try to reform her mother.
** Dr. Blight herself also shows affection for her daughter, at one point even calling her "[her] itsy Betsi".

--->'''Gi''': [[MyGreatesSecondChance I had to abandon one friend. It's not going to happen again.]]

** Wheeler loses a sneaker escaping when Plunder's men nearly drop the edge of the dome on him and runs back to the village on one sock foot to check on things. Seeing the missing shoe, Ma-Ti's grandfather offers him a replacement pair, saying that they belonged to a scientist who was also a good friend.

*** While they're all staring in dismay at the horde of rats Skumm sent to corner them, Wheeler's gaze keeps flickering between the rats and his younger friend. Ma-Ti says faintly that he feels strange. The other team members don't even seem to hear, and they've got a more immediate problem, but Wheeler takes a moment to slip him a smile and some encouraging words.

* "The Night of the Wolf": Ma-Ti develops his first crush on a girl named Laura, who seems to reciprocate. They even hold hands at a few points.

** Gi is helping an injured Wheeler as the group leaves a cave. She reveals that her love for sea creatures (especially dolphins) has been part of her since she was a little girl and tells him of a time she was friends with a dolphin named Tisa, that she was forced to leave behind. A year later, she came back to find Tisa dying due to the ocean being polluted, which devastated her. In present day, she ''vehemently'' states that she made a vow that she'd ''never'' let a friend down like that again.
** Wheeler's story turns his moment of awesome chasing off a mugger to heartwarming. It turns out that he was on the receiving end of a similar incident when his alcoholic father drove him away from home.

* "[[Recap/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteersS1E1AHeroForEarth A Hero for Earth]]": As though she knew that [[TheBabyOfTheBunch Ma-Ti]] would suffer from HeroicSelfDeprecation, Gaia makes a special point to tell him that his element is powerful and vital, in fact, even more so than his teammates' elements.

** Then, as he's climbing said gas chamber's wall and starts doubting himself again, Gaia shows up to give him much-needed comfort and encouragement. She starts the pep talk by saying that she saw he needed help, implying that, while she only turns up in person in extreme emergencies, Gaia is always watching over her team while they're on a mission.

* "[[Recap/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteersS2E3DomesOfDoom Domes of Doom]]": When she, Kwame, and Linka crash through the ceiling of Plunder's facility to rescue the captive Ma-Ti, Gi immediately jumps out of the Geo-Cruiser to hug her younger teammate, followed closely by Linka. Ma-Ti returns the hug and says he knew he could rely on his friends.

** During the first group hug, Wheeler stands a bit aside, as he didn't manage to get close enough in time. Then, on Hope Island, when it seems this will happen again, Gaia simply reaches out and pulls him in.

* "Dirty Politcs": In the possible future, we see MAL gaining a MoralityPet in Dr. Blight's daughter Betsi, who is by far sweeter and more heroic than her mother to the point that she actively tries to help the present and future Planeteers stop her mom from becoming president. MAL tries to pull a HeroicSacrifice at one point to save Betsi, and ends up doing a full HeelFaceTurn, even promising Betsi to help her try to reform her mother.

* "[[Recap/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteersS1E19OzoneHole Ozone Hole]]": As the episode begins, Gi, Kwame and Linka note with dismay that the day will clearly be hot. Cue Wheeler and Ma-Ti, carrying a newly-purchased air-conditioner, which, as Wheeler notes with satisfaction, will cool down one of their huts, implying that he bought it for the team as a whole. All of them are clearly relieved by the break from the heat, and Gi and Ma-Ti even compliment Wheeler for coming up with the idea. Even if it's dinged by the episode focusing on the environmental dangers of air conditioners, it's still a sweet moment while it lasts.

--->'''Wheeler:''' [[ItMakesSenseInContext Gaia, please be ALIVE!]]

** One that takes a bit of thought: given that Wheeler only prevented himself from joining the team rather than wishing himself out of existence à la ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife'', presumably he had a life in the alternate timeline, but he never sees it. It isn't needed for him to decide. Seeing what his absence did to the others is enough to convince him to return things to normal, despite the risk and trouble to himself. In the same style as George Bailey, he's gleeful about being back, even though he's still in the same mess that prompted everything, because it means the world and the people he loves are safe.

*** When they hear about the situation in Washington, Kwame worries that Linka's unusual absence could be because she's hooked on the drug herself. Wheeler dismisses the possibility out of hand, saying that Linka is too smart to do drugs. While he's unfortunately wrong about Linka's situation ([[SlippingAMickey though his reasoning is correct]]), it demonstrates that his feelings for her aren't just physical; he respects her a great deal.

** Despite Wheeler's anger at Boris for drugging Linka, he tells Linka to "do it for Boris" when she's having trouble focusing enough to use her ring. Linka's face takes on a determined look, and she succeeds.

* "[[Recap/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteersS1E19OzoneHole Ozone Hole]]": As the episode begins, Gi, Kwame and Linka note with dismay that the day will clearly be hot. Cue Wheeler and Ma-Ti, carrying a newly-purchased air-conditioner, which Wheeler notes with satisfaction will cool down one of their huts, implying that he bought it for the team as a whole. All of them are clearly relieved by the break from the heat, and Gi and Ma-Ti even compliment Wheeler for coming up with the idea. Even if it's dinged by the episode focusing on the environmental dangers of air conditioners, it's still a sweet moment while it lasts.

** Wheeler ends his trip to [[Tearjerker/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers the dystopian]] [[NightmareFuel/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers future]] by jumping into the Time Pool and yelling about wanting everything back the way it was... then adds this little gem:
--->'''Wheeler:''' [[MakesSenseInContext Gaia, please be ALIVE!]]

** And finally, after Captain Planet changes the villains' time trip's direction, Gaia shows up via hologram to reassure Wheeler that his initial RefusalOfTheCall didn't cause any long-term damage:

* "[[Recap/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteersS1E26HeatWave Heat Wave]]": Upon returning to Hope Island, the Planeteers find Gaia too sick and weak to stand on her own. The interesting thing is that the one who cradles her caringly as she begs them to stop Dr. Blight is ''not'' either of the {{Nice Guy}}s: Ma-Ti or Kwame, nor either of the girls. It's Wheeler. When the team is forced to scramble to the Crystal Chamber's roof to call Captain Planet, [[CrisisCatchAndCarry he carries her]] and [[LapPillow then uses his leg to cushion her head]], because Gaia is now too sick even to sit up. [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas Even smart-alecky tough guys love their (unofficially adopted) mamas.]]

* "OK at the Gunfight Corral":

* "Dirty Politcs": In the possible future, we see MAL gaining a MoralityPet in Dr. Blight's daughter Betsi, who is by far sweeter and more heroic than her mother to the point that she actively tries to help the present and future Planeteers stop her mom from becoming president. MAL tries to pull a HeroicSacrifice at one point to save Betsi and ends up doing a full HeelFaceTurn, even promising Betsi to help her try to reform her mother.

* "101 Mutations" ends on a rather happy note by having Wheeler's cousin Joey able to take in Lady and her puppy as pets and the undercover agent adopting Dr. Blight's mistreated guard dogs Crasher and Lasher. It's also the last episode, so it wraps up the series with a positive feeling.

* "'Teers in the Hood": Wheeler not only talks Gi out of outright killing the guy who shot her friend, but even hugs her as she is [[CryIntoChest crying into his chest]].
* "No Place Like Home": The Planeteers happily swarming over Gaia when they finally find her... and then again, on Hope Island, once they're all safe. The first time they do this, Captain Planet even calls it a "[[FamilyOfChoice family reunion. Sort of]]".

** Then, as he's climbing said gas chamber's wall and starts doubting himself again, Gaia shows up to give him much-needed comfort and encouragement. And she starts the pep talk by saying that she saw he needed help, implying that, while she only turns up in person in extreme emergencies, Gaia is always watching over her team while they're on a mission.

** Wheeler begins the episode frustrated at the difficulty of his position, [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished especially after it gets him into a near-death situation in the arctic]]. However, when he sees the BadFuture that resulted from his absence, he tries to convince the rest of the team to reform the Planeteers, even though the situation is now much harder.

** And finally, after Captain Planet changes the villains' time trip's direction:

*** Wheeler, right behind Gi, immediately scoops him up and says they need to get to a hospital.

*** [[CrisisCatchAndCarry Wheeler spends the escape sequence]] cradling Ma-Ti against his chest as the younger boy moans in pain and ultimately falls unconscious. Later, he hands his [[AffectionateNickname "little buddy"]] over to Kwame... only because he needs to use his ring. Otherwise, he probably would've carried Ma-Ti all the way to the hospital.