Mutants (ThunderCats)

The Mutants are a species of part-human, part-animals that are the primary villains in the ThunderCats 1985 TV series, along with Mumm-Ra. They originated from the planet Plun-Darr, and were the chief antagonists and long-time enemies of the ThunderCats from Thundera.

History
Later in the series, it is revealed that events that stemmed from the Mutants' unsuccessful invasion of Thundera ultimately led to the planet's destruction. Not content to see the ThunderCats and other Thunderians lose their homeworld, the Mutants followed the survivors in their fleet of ships and managed to destroy many of the Thunderian ships, seeking to destroy much of the doomed populace. Then they boarded the flagship of the Thunderian fleet, the ship flown by the ThunderCats themselves, and attempted to capture the Eye of Thundera. However, they were successfully repelled and retreated to later relocate the crashed flagship on Third Earth. It was here that Mumm-Ra's power grounded the Mutant mothership, and they were forced to follow his demands when he sank the ship beneath the desert sands. Although they exhibited an extraordinary incompetence in most of their campaigns against the ThunderCats, they did manage to build their own fortress, which they named Castle Plun-Darr after their homeworld, and salvaged equipment from their downed spaceship to build weapons and vehicles to use against ThunderCat technology (the Nosediver, the Skycutters, etc.). There was an inconsistency on how many Mutants were on Third Earth at any one time. Some episodes had a small army of Reptilian Mutants guarding Castle Plun-Darr. But in most episodes, only Slithe, Monkian, Jackalman, and Vultureman, a new addition who showed up shortly after the Mutants salvaged their ship and was not present during the Mutant attack on the ThunderCats' flagship, were seen. They would later be joined on a few occasions by Ratar-O, a general in the Mutant armies who possessed the Rat's Eye daggers, magical weapons of his own, and who was generally more competent than the primary Mutants, although even he was no more successful against the ThunderCats than the other Mutants were.

In the ThunderCats 2011 TV series, the Mutants were referred to as "Animals" which their surviving ancestors brought to Third Earth after aiding Lion-O's ancestor Leo in defeating Mumm-Ra. Four of the races each got a power stone that made them a power themselves, but the other Animals were outmatched by the Cats and pitted against one another until the Lizards sided with Mumm-Ra and salvaged lost technology to ransack and destroy Thundera with the help of Grune. Besides the Lizards, the Jackals, the Monkeys, the Birds (of the Bird Nation and Avista), and the Rats, among the animal types in the reboot are the Dogs, the peaceful Elephants, the Fishmen, aquatic creatures that resemble the TigerSharks, and a character that looks like Mon*Star from SilverHawks.

Slithe
Slithe, or Slythe, (voiced by Bob McFadden in the 1985 series, Dee Bradley Baker in the 2011 series) is the brutal leader of the Reptilians (Lizards in the 2011 series), a race of Lizard Men. Although he has no sophistication, his cunning is considerably strong. Domineering and impatient, Slithe often browbeats the other Mutants into going along with his plans. He usually uses a large axe as his weapon, although he is also known to use warp gas grenades, which release a gas upon explosion that renders its victims unnaturally fearful of him, and pilots the amphibious Nosediver as his vehicle. Unlike Jackalman and Monkian, who look just like the rest of the members of their races, Slithe can be told apart from the other Reptilians by a slightly stockier build and his ears. Slithe served as Ratar-O's cook once, and still retains a discriminating palate.

In the 2011 series, though a descendant of the Lizards that were enslaved by him, Slithe serves Mumm-Ra so his kind can take revenge on the Cats for many years of persecution. The Lizards have been at war with the Cats during their history. After ransacking Thundera, Slithe pursues Lion-O's group while overseeing the search for the Book of Omens and the power stones. When it came time to attack the Elephant village while Mumm-Ra was in the Astral Plane, Slithe and Grune disobey Mumm-Ra's orders and attack the village. In "New Alliances," some of the Lizards working for Slithe have been deserting, making him prosecute any others that may want to leave. Slithe is also instructed by Mumm-Ra to recruit the savage Kaynar and Addicus as Mumm-Ra's new generals.

Jackalman
Jackalman (voiced by Larry Kenney in the 1985 series, Dee Bradley Baker in the 2011 series) is a cautious and distrustful coward who leads the Jackalmen, a race of humanoid jackals. Though he is one to take any advantage presented to him (he once staged a rebellion and recruited his own private army in a failed attempt to defy the Mutants and the ThunderCats), Jackalman often sides with Slithe to keep from being the scapegoat when plans fail. He wields a crude club and pilots a Skycutter.

In the 2011 series, his name is Kaynar. A deranged psychopath with more boldness than his 1985 counterpart, who was about to be placed in solitary confinement within a Dog prison, Kaynar is recruited by Slithe to be one of Mumm-Ra's new generals for the Lizard army, to deal with deserters and to put up a stronger fight against the ThunderCats. Though he preferred his cell, Kaynar accepts Slithe's proposal when he mentions that he can slaughter ThunderCats. Before leaving with Slithe, he is allowed to "say goodbye to some pals," meaning his jailers.

Monkian
Monkian (voiced by Peter Newman in the 1985 series, Robin Atkin Downes in the 2011 series) is a shifty no-good eavesdropper who is the excitable leader of the Simians (referred to as Monkeys in the 2011 series), a race of Ape Men. He often plays the role of scout for the Mutants, spying out the countryside from the trees and occasionally using secret sources to learn valuable information. He is also often the first Mutant to run from danger. Like Jackalman, he usually stayed loyal to Slithe, but even he would sometimes take opportunities to become more powerful than his comrades, including making a bargain with Mumm-Ra on one occasion. Unlike most apes, he has pale skin and white fur, and he wears a helmet with a loose strap and a red loincloth. Monkian typically uses his projectile-firing shield with a monkey face when in combat. He also pilots one of the Skycutters.

In the 2011 series, his name is Addicus. Addicus is a bloodthirsty barbarian who committed crimes against the Bird Nation and was sentenced to a death drop from high up in his captors' domain. However, Addicus is rescued from the fall by Slithe and recruited to be one of Mumm-Ra's new generals to outmuscle the ThunderCats and keep the Lizard soldiers in line. Accepting the proposal, Addicus is allowed to get his revenge on his executioners as Addicus states that they "owed him a meal."

Vultureman
Vultureman (voiced by Earl Hammond in the 1985 series, Michael McKean in the 2011 series) is a crafty, vulture-like opportunist who serves as chief inventor and mechanical know-it-all for the Mutants. His skills with both machines and science have made him indispensable to them, but he is more often than not blamed when his inventions do not live up to Slithe's expectations. (In one episode, Vultureman got so fed up with Slithe's complaining about the quality of his work that he activated a hidden self-destruct mechanism in every machine and vehicle the Mutants used, telling the Mutants, "See how you do without them!") As befits a scientist, Vultureman is inquisitive and open-minded, frequently leaving him odd-man-out among his more barbaric colleagues. Much later, he decides to work for his own gains, and he often strikes solo bargains with Mumm-Ra, or sides with the ThunderCats' other deadly enemies, the Lunataks. He pilots a vulture-shaped Flying Machine, carries a crossbow-shaped weapon, and later commands many other weapon like the Mutank and the Thundrainium Projector. Other inventions of his include the Sound Cannon, the Voice Imitator, a Super Power Potion, and the Rosencrest Medallion. Unlike the other Mutants, Vultureman was not present on the Mutant mothership when it attacked the ThunderCats and landed on Third Earth. He appeared several episodes into the series.

In the 2011 series, he is renamed Vultaire and is a prefect of Avista (a floating futuristic city in the sky). Like the other Birds in this series, Vultaire is shown with wings on his back (where the '80's version didn't have wings). Vultaire's ancestors were entrusted with the Tech Stone by Leo and used it to build Avista and run all its technology, including keeping Avista afloat. Like many of his kind, Vultaire is arrogant and sees himself as above those who live on the land, especially the Cats, whom he considers to be manipulative barbarians. When the ThunderCats arrive on Avista for the Tech Stone, Vultaire makes snide remarks about the Cats' desire and their intentions, but soon accepts Tygra's challenge for the item to obtain the two stones in his group's possession. But upon losing, Vultaire refuses to honor his end of the deal due to his ship being damaged by Tygra's, and places the ThunderCats under house arrest. He was momentarily held hostage by Pumyra in order to gain access to the Tech Stone, and tried to convince her that the Tech Stone kept Avista in the sky and powered all of its technology. However, Vultaire deliberately left the security system active as it knocked out Pumyra while having his Ravenmen guards escort the ThunderCats to be thrown out of Avista with the trash before Mumm-Ra's forces make their move on the city. Though initially aiding the ThunderCats in fighting off Mumm-Ra's army, Vultaire betrays his fellow Avistans and aligns himself with Mumm-Ra upon witnessing his power wiping out the Ravenmen fleet. Vultaire shoots down Tygra and then quotes to Addicus "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Vultaire joins Slithe, Kaynar, and Addicus in fighting the ThunderCats until Cheetara knocks him out before Tygra can get payback for the Bird's treachery. After Mumm-Ra claims the Tech Stone, Vultaire joins his forces in retreating from Avista.

Ratar-O
Ratar-O (voiced by Bob McFadden in the 1985 series, Carlo Rota in the 2011 series) is a rat-like general in the Mutant armies. This portly rodent is considered to be the most cunning and evil of all the Mutants. He comes to Third Earth at the behest of Vultureman to aid them in defeating the ThunderCats. His flagship, the RatStar, is a powerful war machine. Though it crashes, Ratar-O salvages parts of it to make a formidable Mutank to continue the fight. He is strong and wields the Rat's Eye (a pair of kris-style daggers which have two mystical gems embedded in their hilts) that he can use to fire energy blasts, levitate foes, and even fly through the air. Even Mumm-Ra generally considered Ratar-O to be one of the better Mutant warriors. Ratar-O is a descendant of Ratilla the Terrible.

In the 2011 series, Ratar-O is the cruel and malevolent dictator of the Rats, a descendant of Ratilla who found the Sword of Plun-Darr after the Animals ended up on Third Earth. The Rats served as janitors while serving Mumm-Ra, and consequently became scavengers after arriving on Third Earth. The Sword of Plun-Darr's whereabouts are unknown to Mumm-Ra, so Ratar-O buys the Thunderian survivors from the Lizards to use as slaves to mine for the Sword and obtain it for him due to the curse Jaga had placed on it that kills any who try to retrieve it. When the ThunderCats raid Mount Plun-Darr as Tygra and Cheetara pose as slaves to get the sword, Lion-O's group are captured by Mordax and turned over to Ratar-O. But once Cheetara and Tygra find the Sword of Plun-Darr, it caused much of Mount Plun-Darr to collapse with Ratar-O's palace destroyed in the process. Following the castle collapse, Ratar-O battles Lion-O who manages to defeat Ratar-O as he retreats underground. His fate remains unknown. Although coming off as a cultured and aristocratic leader at first, Ratar-O is a very brutal and power-hungry Rat who looks down on all people, even his own. This proved to be his undoing, when Mordax turned against him and gave the Sword of Omens back to Lion-O.

Ratilla
Ratilla the Terrible was an ancient Mutant warlord. Long ago, Ratilla invaded Thundera in an attempt to obtain the treasure of Thundera. He wielded the devastating Sword of Plun-Darr, but was defeated by Jaga wielding the Sword of Omens. His fate after the battle is unknown.

In the 2011 series, Ratilla was a tyrannical ruler of the Rats. During his life, the Rats were treated with disdain and abuse by other Animal races. He happened upon the lost Sword of Plun-Darr and used it to bring glory and power to is people, but he abused it, becoming a warlord. He fought in a battle against a younger Jaga who wielded the Sword of Omens and lost his life because he was no match for the wizard's own magic.