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ThunderCats Roar - Mumm-Ra: The Ever Living (S1E16)

ThunderCats Roar poster

Every time Mumm-Ra gets a hold of a magic artifact to restore his powers, the ThunderCats just smash it and turn him into a dinky skeleton again. Until today that is, because Mumm-Ra just remembered he's got the Ancient Spirits of Evil, and now he can get swole whenever he wants.

Air Date2020-04-11
GenresKids, Animation, Comedy, Action & Adventure
TV RatingTV-Y7-FV
Network(s)Cartoon Network

Storyline

In this episode, Mumm-Ra faces a recurring frustration: every time he acquires a magical artifact to restore his formidable powers, the ThunderCats destroy it and reduce him back to his frail, skeletal form. The pattern has repeated itself so many times that Mumm-Ra seems trapped in a cycle of defeat and humiliation. However, a crucial realization changes everything when Mumm-Ra remembers a resource he has overlooked—the Ancient Spirits of Evil.

With this revelation, Mumm-Ra discovers he no longer needs to rely on external artifacts to transform into his powerful form. By invoking the Ancient Spirits of Evil, he can become mighty whenever he chooses, breaking free from the cycle that has plagued him. This newfound independence poses a significant threat to the ThunderCats, who must now contend with a villain who can access his full strength at will, making their usual strategy of artifact destruction obsolete.

What kids learn

Children watching this episode can learn about the importance of resourcefulness and recognizing the tools already available to them. Mumm-Ra's breakthrough comes not from finding something new, but from remembering what he already possessed. This mirrors situations kids face when they overlook their own strengths or resources while searching for external solutions. The episode demonstrates that sometimes the answer to a problem lies in reassessing what you already have rather than constantly seeking something new.

The episode also explores themes of persistence and adaptation. Mumm-Ra has faced repeated defeats using the same approach, yet he continues trying until he finds a better method. Young viewers can understand that when one strategy consistently fails, it's important to step back and think creatively about alternative approaches. At the same time, from the ThunderCats' perspective, children see that heroes must remain vigilant and adaptable when facing opponents who change their tactics, reinforcing the idea that problem-solving often requires flexibility and quick thinking.

Parents' top 5 questions

QuestionAnswer
Is Mumm-Ra's transformation scary for younger children?ThunderCats Roar uses a comedic, exaggerated animation style that softens potentially frightening elements. Mumm-Ra's transformation from skeleton to muscular form is played more for humor than horror, with cartoonish visuals that emphasize silliness over scares. The show's lighthearted tone and bright color palette help keep the content accessible for the target demographic, though very sensitive younger viewers might still find the skeleton imagery mildly unsettling.
What does this episode teach about problem-solving?The episode demonstrates that effective problem-solving sometimes requires looking inward rather than outward. Mumm-Ra solves his power problem by remembering a resource he already possessed instead of continuing to seek new artifacts. This teaches children to inventory their existing strengths and tools before assuming they need something external. It's a valuable lesson about self-awareness and making the most of what you have available.
Does the episode show the ThunderCats losing?The episode focuses primarily on Mumm-Ra's realization and empowerment rather than showing a complete battle outcome. The narrative emphasizes the shift in power dynamics when Mumm-Ra gains the ability to transform at will, creating a new challenge for the heroes. This setup teaches children that circumstances change and that both heroes and villains must adapt to new situations, though the episode maintains the show's typical balance without dwelling on defeat.
Is there a lot of action and fighting in this episode?ThunderCats Roar maintains an action-comedy balance throughout its episodes, and this installment includes stylized cartoon combat consistent with the series' overall tone. The action is energetic but not graphic, with exaggerated movements and sound effects that emphasize entertainment over realism. The violence is typical Saturday-morning-cartoon fare—characters clash and battle, but the presentation remains firmly in comedic territory without realistic consequences or injury depictions.
What are the Ancient Spirits of Evil that Mumm-Ra uses?In the ThunderCats mythology, the Ancient Spirits of Evil are supernatural entities that grant Mumm-Ra his powers when invoked. In this episode, they serve as the source of his transformation ability, allowing him to become powerful without needing physical artifacts. The show presents them as part of Mumm-Ra's established backstory rather than exploring their nature in detail, keeping the focus on how this realization changes the tactical landscape between villain and heroes.

Writing

Directing

Season
Season #Episode #Episode Name
11
Fleeing the destruction of their home planet Thundera, Lion-O and the ThunderCats land on the world of Third Earth. But their enemies, the Mutants of Plun-Darr have followed them and it turns out Third Earth already has a Mumm-Ra problem.
12
Fleeing the destruction of their home planet Thundera, Lion-O and the ThunderCats land on the mysterious, dangerous, all-around awesome world of Third Earth! But their enemies, the Mutants of Plun-Darr have followed them and it turns out Third Earth already has a Mumm-Ra problem - can Lion-O learn the ropes of being a leader in time?
13
Lion-O has gotten ahold of the last jar of Thundersnaps - the best cookies Thundera had to offer! But a difficult to open cookie jar sends Lion-O and Cheetara chasing down the legend of Boggy Ben.
14
Lion-O wants to prove to the ThunderKittens that he's not just some boring old adult like Tygra, even if it means ignoring his instincts and messing with an obviously evil crystal.
15
Panthro becomes fed up with having to constantly fix things around the Cats' Lair, which proves to be a problem when an unstoppable drilling robot plans an attack.
16
A crying unicorn appears at the Cats' Lair and tells the ThunderCats that all of her unicorn friends have been captured; Tygra thinks he's just the unicorn expert to help the last of the unicorns.
17
Vultureman has got a brand new invention but there's one big problem: he stole the idea from Panthro! Oh, also Vultureman is using his invention to take over Third Earth. So, there are two big problems.
18
Third Earth is being overrun by super tough, super buff Warrior Maidens and it looks like the ThunderCats are next on their hit list! It's gonna be up to the ThunderKittens to save the day even though the kittens are so small and the Warrior Maidens are so big.
19
Barely escaping the sudden destruction of their home world, Thundera, Lion-O and the ThunderCats crash land on the mysterious and exotic planet of Third Earth, home to the evil Mumm-Ra and a bizarre host of other creatures and villains.
110
Barely escaping the sudden destruction of their home world, Thundera, Lion-O and the ThunderCats crash land on the mysterious and exotic planet of Third Earth, home to the evil Mumm-Ra and a bizarre host of other creatures and villains.
111
Feeling underappreciated by the other ThunderCats, Tygra starts hanging out with Mumm-Ra and cleaning his black pyramid. Whaaaat?
112
Cheetara is the fastest living being in the universe, until Monkian beats her in a race! Now Cheetara has to find something else to be the best at, while the rest of the ThunderCats find out how Monkian got so darn fast!
113
Lion-O "accidentally" releases a whole space prison-full of space criminals and winds up on the wrong side of the law. On the right side of the law is Mandora the Evil Chaser, a no nonsense space cop. Lion-O's gonna have to work real hard to prove he's not a criminal, just a little bit of an oaf.
114
Lion-O is tasked with mapping the beaches of Third Earth, which leads to him somehow draining the oceans of all water entirely. Woops. But a mysterious scientist with a robotic frog says they can fix everything by traveling under the earth, which is just the kinda crazy adventure Lion-O is all about.
115
Lion-O never pays attention during Tygra's training sessions so when he's asked to do a pop quiz on "sword magic" he accidentally opens a portal to the Astral Plane and releases the Nether Witch. The Witch imprisons Lion-O and Tygra in her nightmare realm and it's gonna take a lot of studying to figure out a way home. Wonder if the Astral Plane has any great teachers lying around.
116
Every time Mumm-Ra gets a hold of a magic artifact to restore his powers, the ThunderCats just smash it and turn him into a dinky skeleton again. Until today that is, because Mumm-Ra just remembered he's got the Ancient Spirits of Evil, and now he can get swole whenever he wants.
117
The Cats' Lair is attacked by gold-loving robot pirates, the Berserkers. This is a good thing, really, since it means Lion-O and the ThunderKittens can ditch their chores and fight robo-pirates instead. Just don't tell Tygra!!!
118
Freed from the Astral Plane, Jaga, ghost of the ThunderCats mentor, is now free to visit the Cats' Lair. Which means he can finally tell them why Thundera, their home world, exploded. It's story time.
119
While flying with his new invention, Panthro hits it off with a new friend, Barbastella, the Queen of the Bats. Now Panthro needs help getting ready for his big date with her, because it turns out Panthro is terrified of bats. Lion-O and Cheetara are happy to help but, wow, that is a lot to unpack.
120
After a battle with the Mutants, Jackalman gets confused and accidentally returns to the Cats' Lair with the Thundercats, he is the dumbest mutant. Jackalman pretends to be a Thundercat so his enemies won't catch him and the Thundercats pretend to play along because they feel bad for him.
121
The Thundercats are exhausted from fighting bad guys all the time so Lion-O suggests they spend a relaxing summer fun day at the beach, with no fighting. Unfortunately the beach is home to the Crabmen, giant, clawed humanoids that fight anyone who steps on their sand. Looks like summer fun day might involve some fighting.
122
While minding her own business, Cheetara is caught in a trap set by Safari Joe, the famously annoying hunter. After escaping, she rallies the other ThunderCats to help her stop Joe once and for all, by turning the tables and capturing him.
123
The ThunderCats have gotten so good at defeating the Mutants of Plun-Darr that it's basically become routine. That all changes with the arrival of the Mutants' old leader: Ratar-O, wielder of the Sword of Plun-Darr. Uh-oh.
124
Lion-O is happily playing with Snarf in their "Frolicking Field" and doesn't have a care in the world, unfortunately he's accidentally stomping all over the miniature village of the Micrits. The tiny people want to defeat the "giant orange monster" but such a quest would require a brave hero. Luckily, the Micrits have such a hero: Prince Starling. Now, let us the tell you the epic tale of Prince Starling as he journeys to find the fountain of growth and defeat the wicked Lion-O, who has no idea any of this is going on.
125
Lion-O and the other ThunderCats are thrilled to meet a brand new Thunderian: Lion-S. She's cool, good at fighting robots and, most importantly, thinks Lion-O and his Sword of Omens are really neat and interesting. Looks like the ThunderCats have a new best friend. Maybe even, a new ThunderCat?????
126
Hey everyone, it's Snarf's monthly day off. That's right, Snarf leaves the Cats' Lair to get a needed vacation by transforming into a normal cat and hanging out with a nice old lady on a farm. But his relaxing day is threatened when Snarf and the nice old lady cross paths with Mumm-Ra.
127
The Thundercats' worst nightmare comes true when their worst enemies, Mumm-Ra and The Mutants, team up after Mumm-Ra acquires The Sword of Plun-Darr.
128
Chaos reigns over Third Earth now that the Mutants and Mumm-Ra control the Cats' Lair. The Thundercats' only hope is to sneak back in and get a super secret weapon, Panthro has hidden at the heart of the Lair.
129
Tygra creates a bunch of new laws for Third Earth so Mandora can finally arrest the Mutants. Unfortunately, the ThunderCats are really bad at following their own rules and the Mutants are really good at working around them.
130
When a crate containing fifty Swords of Omen lands on Third Earth, the ThunderCats rush out in the ThunderTank to find then. Unfortunately, The Mutants and Mumm-Ra want the swords too so it's going to a race to get to them! A wacky race, you might say. We won't say that, but you might.
131
The Cheetara Corp Employee Retreat gets canceled when Baron Karnon, a mysterious corporate raider, buys them out! Now Cheetara and Jan-Jan must brave the wilds of Third Earth's most dangerous jungles to find the Baron's office and demand a meeting with the man who stole their company!
132
133
134
When the ThunderCats tell the Berbils to stop building things for the Mutants, they build a giant Berbil named Berb-cules, who takes back everything they ever built.
135
136
Barbastella reunites with her ex-girlfriend, the elitist Queen of the Rats. A jealous Panthro installs AI into all the Lair's appliances, to become King of the Machines.
137
When a local sword shop sells an ultra-powerful sword to Ratar-O, Lion-O decides he has to steal it before Ratar-O can come pick it up. Unfortunately, Lion-O is completely against stealing, but luckily, he knows someone who loves to steal... Lion-S!
138
139
140
141
142
The ThunderCats freak out when a spooky ghost dressed like a pharaoh appears in their mirrors! They quickly set about to getting rid of every reflective surface in their lair because that ghost is scary and no one wants to talk to him!
143
144
145
The Thundercats invite a super cool swamp man into the Cat's Lair who is on the run from some scary looking aliens.
146
147
148
149
150
The ThunderCats face the greatest threat of their lives: Grune the Destroyer! He's the ghost of an evil ThunderCat and he wants revenge! HOW ARE THEY GONNA BEAT GRUNE??? You'll have to watch the episode!
151
152

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