SpongeBob SquarePants features a wide variety of iconic side characters, with these various faces and goofy characters helping to breathe life and soul into the town of Bikini Bottom. It's often an occurrence for the show to have entire episodes dedicated to showing off the stories and misadventures that are caused when SpongeBob interacts with their lives, resulting in a wide variety of shenanigans. One of the most memorable and unique side characters in the entire series are the elderly crime-fighting duo, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy.
Voiced by the late Ernest Borgnine and Tim Conway, these characters act as direct spoofs of the classic 60s and 70s Super Friends era of superhero cartoons, most notably being a comedic portrayal of DC's Aquaman. While SpongeBob is a massive friend of the duo's crimefighting ventures, it has been decades since they were in their prime, and they largely live simple lives as elderly citizens in Bikini Bottom. Even after their absence from the show following the death of the voice actors, the duo are still some of the most iconic members of the show's supporting cast, with a wide variety of iconic episodes to their name.
SpongeBob SquarePants
TV-Y7
Animation
Comedy
Children's/Family
Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
*Availability in US
- Release Date
- July 17, 1999
- Creator
- Stephen Hillenburg
- Cast
- Tom Kenny , Bill fa*gerbakke , Rodger Bumpass , Clancy Brown , Carolyn Lawrence
- Main Genre
- Animation
- Seasons
- 14
10 "Mermaid Man vs. SpongeBob"
Season 5, Episode 14b
One of the few times where SpongeBob ends up facing off against Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy in battle, "Mermaid Man vs. SpongeBob" is one of the most iconic and beloved episodes from one of the darkest eras of the show. The episode sees Plankton planning to use Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy as tools to enact his latest plan to steal the Krabby Patty secret formula, gaining control over the heroes by using mind-control shampoo. With the heroes under his control, he forces them to publicly hate Krabby Patties, getting customers to go to the Chum Bucket instead.
It's rare to see Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy taking a more villainous role in an episode, and even though in the guise of mind control, their usage in the episode leads to a great deal of comedic moments and hilarious miscommunication. The characters also very rarely have run-ins with Plankton, one of the show's premiere villain characters, so seeing them interact in such a comedic and over-the-top way is a sight to behold for fans of the series.
9 "The Bad Guy Club for Villains"
Season 7, Episode 9b
One of the few times in the series where we actually get a look at the classic adventures of the young versions of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, "The Bad Guy Club for Villains" is a comedic love letter to classic superhero stories. The episode sees SpongeBob and Patrick watching a long-lost episode of The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, with the episode following the superhero duo attempting to thwart a secret meeting of all of their dastardly villains.
The episode is filled with an undeniable love towards classic superhero stories, as well as the inherent charm that has made them stand the test of time for so many years. Even outside the episode's love letter approach, there are a lot of callbacks to previous adventures, including seeing younger versions of one-off characters seen in previous episodes. Both cartoonishly satirical villains like the Atomic Flounder and previously mentioned characters who had never been seen before, like superheroes The Elastic Waistband and Miss Appear, all come together to add to the worldbuilding of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy's adventures.
8 "Mermaid Man Begins"
Season 8, Episode 11a
"Mermaid Man Begins" is the long-awaited episode that finally tackled the chaotic origin story of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, showing how the duo got their start as Bikini Bottom's premiere crime-fighting duo. The episode sees SpongeBob and Patrick ready to watch a lost episode that would go into detail of the heroes' origins, yet a windstorm ends up knocking down the power. In their attempts to find a solution, they end up traveling to the Mermalair themselves to hear the story of their origin directly from Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy themselves.
The origins of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy are a topic that has been largely overlooked and considered a mystery for the majority of the series, with this episode fully delivering on the insanity and chaos of a superhero origin. It bounces around from telling a comical, absurdist story that would fall in line with a standard superhero origin before transforming into the most chaotic and over-the-top origin possible. The bickering and arguments between Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy talking about what happened is also a great touch, before the ultimate payoff of seeing their true origins when the power comes back on.
7 "Back to the Past"
Season 7, Episode 9a
Acting as a sister episode to "The Bad Guy Club for Villains", "Back to the Past" is a slightly extended episode that sees SpongeBob and Patrick directly traveling to the past to see the young versions of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy themselves. However, they end up accidentally messing with the flow of time, creating a terrifying alternate future where Man Ray has taken over all of Bikini Bottom, forcing the duo to return and correct their own mistakes.
While other episodes have dabbled in showing off younger versions of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, "Blast to the Past" is easily the best at seeing them in action, even alongside their iconic older counterparts. It helps even more that, compared to other episodes that have younger versions of the characters, the younger Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy are voiced by Adam West and Burt Ward, a direct reference to the classic Batman series. The episode gives the characters a lot of moments to shine, from their interactions between generations to seeing the spiteful versions living in a distraught future.
6 "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy VI: The Motion Picture"
Season 4, Episode 7b
The last of the Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy episodes that would have numerical titles, "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy VI: The Motion Picture" tackles the concept of superhero movie adaptations well before they would dominate the world 3 years later with Iron Man and The Dark Knight. The episode follows SpongeBob, annoyed that the upcoming Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy movie is using actors instead of the real heroes, deciding to create his own movie using the real-life heroes and their friends from Bikini Bottom.
Movie productions are one of the most effective and tried and true concepts for hilarious cartoon shenanigans, with the show going all out in terms of drama, issues, and absurdity that makes the shoot go wrong. Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy themselves add a hilarious angle to the chaos, simply being too old to partake in standard action stunts, leading to a wide variety of issues and solutions to make the film still work. The episode has only grown more hilarious with age, with superhero movies and the drama surrounding them continuing to be a relevant part of the film industry.
5 "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy"
Season 1, Episode 6a
The debut episode of the titular crimefighting duo, "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy", sees SpongeBob reminiscing on his favorite aquatic superheroes, playing games with Patrick where they pretend to be their heroes. Annoyed by their shenanigans, Squidward eventually sends them in the direction of Shady Shoals Rest Home, where the real Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy currently live out their elderly lives. Enamored with excitement, SpongeBob and Patrick go to visit their heroes, no matter how elderly they may be.
"Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy" does a great job of setting up the concept of these characters, establishing the core facets of their identity that would be used in each subsequent appearance. The episode as a whole plays out like a classic Saturday morning cartoon, with Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy getting increasingly annoyed with the antics of SpongeBob and Patrick to the point where they feel the need to come out of retirement to stop them. The episode is also filled with quotable lines and moments that would stick with the characters for their time on the show, such as Mermaid Man yelling "EVIL!" in increasingly absurd ways.
4 "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy IV"
Season 3, Episode 5a
While several of the numerical Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy episodes don't feature the superhero duo as the primary focus, their introduction and wild superhero world always act as a great entryway for hilarious episode premises. This is most notably apparent in 'Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy IV' where SpongeBob's rabid fan obsession forces the duo to escape the Krusty Krab in a hurry, accidentally leaving behind Mermaid Man's utility belt. SpongeBob begins to do all sorts of shenanigans with the belt, although things go wrong when he ends up accidentally shrinking people with no way to unshrink them.
From Patrick talking about Wumbo to SpongeBob's mass shrinking of the entire town of Bikini Bottom, this episode features some of the best comedic highlights of the series, continuously upping the ante to the point of hilarious absurdity. It all comes thanks to the advent and concept of Mermaid Man's belt, clearly acting as a play off of the classic utility belt shenanigans of the classic Batman series. Even in their short moments in the episode, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy make an undeniable impact, bringing the whole episode together and creating an all-time classic.
3 "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy III"
Season 2, Episode 11a
Another numerical episode where Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy take a physical absence, but the tropes and concepts of superhero stories make for hilarious problems for SpongeBob and Patrick to deal with. The episode sees the heroic duo finally deciding to go on vacation, deciding that SpongeBob and Patrick will look over their secret base, the Mermalair, while they are gone. However, SpongeBob and Patrick accidentally set free one of the heroes' greatest adversaries, the villainous Man Ray.
A hero can only truly be as iconic as their villains, with this episode introducing what is easily Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy's best and most hilarious villain, Man Ray, who quickly steals the show with his comically evil nature. Man Ray's attempts to pull a fast one on SpongeBob and Patrick, only to be met with increased annoyance at their mannerisms makes for a great comedic back and forth, easily making the film a comedic powerhouse. The interaction between Man Ray attempting to give Patrick his wallet is still one of the funniest moments in the entire show, and is emblematic of the entire episode's philosophy towards the humor of superhero villains.
2 "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy II"
Season 1, Episode 20b
One of the downsides of an eleven-minute cartoon series is that there simply isn't enough time to tackle all the possibilities and concepts that an episode provides, yet "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy II" manages to do the opposite, packing so much into a single episode while still feeling perfectly paced. The episode sees SpongeBob having won a special conch shell in a contest that, when blown into, will call Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy in the name of justice. SpongeBob quickly abuses his new power, and in a way to make up for having to take the conch away, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy decide to take SpongeBob out on their daily patrol.
What begins as a comical experience of SpongeBob abusing the powers of the conch shell quickly transforms into a great look into the heroic work of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, along with SpongeBob's frequent ways of messing it up. The episode features Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy at some of their comedic heights in the entire series, both with the painful exhaustion of dealing with SpongeBob's shenanigans and their frequent annoyance with his mistakes while on patrol. The episode also acts as the debut for The Dirty Bubble, another iconic comic book-inspired villain that is among the best in the series.
1 "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V"
Season 3, Episode 12b
The superhero team-up is one of the quintessential factors of classic comic-book hero stories, so it was only a matter of time before a Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy episode tackled the concept of a Justice League-esque team. The result is widely considered to be one of the greatest episodes of the entire series, blending top-notch comedy, iconic moments, and a heartfelt message to create a one-of-a-kind episode. The episode sees Barnacle Boy tired of being a sidekick and joining the villainous side, forcing Mermaid Man to enlist the help of SpongeBob and friends to stop the villainous rampage.
There are many reasons as to why "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V" is the quintessential outing of the superhero duo, from the wide variety of fun superpowers that the SpongeBob cast receives to more quotable lines and meme-able moments than one can count. However, what makes this episode such a timeless classic is how it tackles the relationship and friendship between Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, and how, despite their bickering and annoyances with one another, they are still best friends, and have been for decades. This episode never loses its emotion or comedic factor after all these years, easily cementing its status as the best Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy episode.
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