Dr. Zygote uses a ray to evolve or devolve animals to master genetic engineering. Including turning Virgil and Max's iguana Thor into dinosaurs.
Tropes:
- Artistic License – Paleontology: Thor is devolved into a dinosaur, even if the modern descendents of dinosaurs are birds, not lizards. Oddly enough, the educational segment at the end of the cartoon gets this right.
- Virgil is devolved into a pterosaur, which is not a dinosaur and therefore not an ancestor of birds.
- Continuity Nod: The tourist couple from "The Year of the Rat" show up and are devolved into apes.
- Devolution Device: Dr. Zygote's signature piece of equipment is a ray that can turn birds and lizards into dinosaurs, humans into apes, but also humans into evolved specimens with really big brains.
- Evilutionary Biologist: Zygote's goal is to transform humans into superior beings... No matter how many of them he needs to turn into mindless monsters in the process.
- Goal-Oriented Evolution: Zygote evolving himself into a big-brained being means that evolution has a predefined direction.
- How Do I Shot Web?: At the climax, Zygote turns himself into a super-evolved being with Psychic Powers, but doesn't have the experience to know how to use them. As Virgil says, "there are no shortcuts".
- Loyal Animal Companion: Thor recognizes Max as his caregiver even after being turned into a huge dinosaur.
- My Brain Is Big: After evolving himself into a futureman, Dr. Zygote has a tiny, undeveloped body and giant braincase.
