Wonder Twins

The Wonder Twins are Zan and Jayna - two teenage alien superheroes as well as supporting characters featured in the Super Friends animated franchise produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions as well as the Super Friends comic book series by DC Comics. The characters were first introduced in "The Brain Machine", which was the first segment from episode 1x01 of The All-New Super Friends Hour in 1977. Zan was voiced by actor Michael Bell while Jayna was voiced by actress Louise Williams.

Overview
The Wonder Twins were two alien siblings from the planet Exxor. Arriving on Earth, they soon endeared themselves to the heroic team, the Super Friends, and acted as the team's official sidekick/mascosts for a brief duration.

Equipment
Jayna and Zan both wore specially designed wrist watches, which contained a Teen Trouble Alert system. Similar to the larger Trouble Alert broadcasting system used at the Hall of Justice, this miniature version alerted the twins to local emergencies affecting the neighborhood teenage population. Jayna also wore a special charm bracelet. Her teen predecessor in the Super Friends, Wendy Harris owned a bracelet with charms designated for each member of the Super Friends. By pressing a hidden stud on any one of the charms, a signal was sent to a communicator device that corresponded to the Super Friend in question. When Wendy decided to retire as a teen adventurer, she gave her charm bracelet to Jayna.

Notes & Trivia

 * Originally, the Wonder Twins were exclusive to the continuity of the Super Friends animated series and the Super Friends comic book book adaptation, but they were later re-imagined for the modern Post-Crisis environment and introduced in the pages of Extreme Justice.


 * In general, comic readers and fans of the old Super Friends cartoon look upon the Wonder Twins in a largely unfavorable light. They are often viewed as a failed attempt at comic relief, and have become the subject of ridicule and numerous lampoons on television programs and web sites. The Internet personality known as Seanbaby hosts a Super Friends fan site which provides a humorous, if albeit mean-spirited, analysis of the Super Friends characters.


 * The Marvel Comics counterpart to the Wonder Twins are the mutant heroes Aurora and Northstar. Like the Wonder Twins, both mutants are identical twin siblings with pointed ears and black hair. Their powers intensify whenever they make physical contact with one another.


 * In 2002 Warner Bros. and Gaylord Films optioned the rights to film a feature length live-action Wonder Twins movie, but the project never progressed beyond the proposal stage.


 * Statues of the Wonder Twins were briefly featured in the fourth episode of the Justice League animated television series entitled "Injustice for All". However, they were soon smashed to pieces by members of Lex Luthor's Injustice Society.


 * The concept of the Wonder Twins was revived again for the Justice League sequel series, Justice League Unlimited. In the first season episode "Ultimatum" a group of super-clones known as the Ultimen are introduced as the antagonists to the Justice League. The Ultimen are a tongue-in-cheek pastiche of the original Super Friends, with modernized incarnations of various members including the Wonder Twins. Jayna's Ultiman counterpart is a shape-changer named Shifter (not to be confused with Shift of the Outsiders).


 * In the fifth season episode of That 70's Show entitled "Ramble On", Hyde fantasizes about what it would be like to be a super-hero. In his fantasy, he is dressed as Zan with his girlfriend Jackie dressed as Jayna.


 * The Wonder Twins were referenced in season one of the Adult Swim comedy series "Robot Chicken". In an episode entitled Kiddie Pool, teen super-stars Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen activate their Wonder Twin Powers in order to fight a misunderstood red dragon that is seen trouncing New York City.