He soars through the skies, has super strength, and can stop a speeding bullet. It’s not Superman but the miniature defender of meek: Mighty Mouse. This heroic rodent has had many adventures and faced countless foes. His deeds have earned him a place among other iconic superheroes. He’s, unfortunately, slipped into obscurity as Marvel and DC Comics dominated the scene. But have no fear since Mighty Mouse is making his return thanks to another hero.
The Rise of Mighty Mouse
Mighty Mouse’s story begins in the early 1940s with Isadore Klein and Paul Terry. Klein got the idea of cashing in on the Superman craze that was everywhere. He created the concept of a heroic housefly with superpowers since it seemed funny. Terry had apprehensions about the fly angle and reworked the character into a mouse. Originally going by Super Mouse, the new hero debuted in the short The Mouse of Tomorrow.
The 1942 short feature depicted mice terrorized by the local cats. Every feline would hunt the meek rodents like it’s a sport. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what happens to the caught mice. One mouse manages to escape and scurries into a gigantic supermarket. After using some of the store’s products, the meek vermin transforms into a Super Mouse. He rescues his fellow mice and traps the cats on the moon.
A Mouse Among Heroes
As you can guess, The Mouse of Tomorrow became a massive success. People fell in love with Super Mouse, who continued to star in more shorts. Eventually, the character took the name Mighty Mouse to deviate from Superman. The early Super Mouse cartoons had to be re-dubbed and re-titled when premiering on television. Mighty Mouse also underwent a redesign, giving him a new red and gold outfit. He also received a more traditional heroic physique like the Man of Steel’s.
Unfortunately, Mighty Mouse’s powers also received a bit of a downgrade. Since The Mouse of Tomorrow, he exhibited the stereotypical super strength, flight, and invulnerability. There were even moments where he used telekinesis to move objects and enemies. He stayed strong and could still fly but gained super speed. In exchange, Mighty Mouse became more vulnerable and often got tied up and knocked out. These setbacks didn’t stop him since he always got back up and saved the day.
Mighty Mouse Through the Ages
As he changed, the adventures Mighty Mouse went on transformed with him. His escapades began incorporating opera, thus making him a kind of musical star. Another prominent change came with his cartoons following a traditional plot. Mighty Mouse received a brand-new arch-nemesis named Oil Can Harry, a maniacal genius cat. This villain is a cross between Lex Luthor and the stereotypical black-cloaked fiend. He also had the habit of kidnapping Mighty Mouse’s love interest, Pearl Pureheart.
The heroic rodent would showcase these new ventures in 1955’s Mighty Mouse Playhouse on CBS. This animated series skyrocketed his popularity, turning him into the first-ever Saturday morning cartoon hero. Even after the show ended its 12-year run, the Superman Mouse starred in more programs. The only sad part is neither didn’t last very long, thus indicating his decline. Mighty Mouse did find a new home in comic books but stayed off television. He eventually faded into obscurity, being remembered by only those who knew him.
Return of the Superman Mouse
You can’t keep a good superhero down, and this saying remains true for Mighty Mouse. After so long, the superpowered rodent returns in a brand-new movie. Paramount Animation has taken on this endeavor and has enlisted Maximum Effort Productions to help. Maximum Effort Productions is a production company run by talented Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds. That’s right, MCU’s Deadpool is bringing back the first clean-cut Saturday morning superhero. There are rumors that Reynolds will voice the iconic character in the film.
Of course, Reynolds is not the only one Paramount Animations brought in. The studio hired renowned screenwriter Matt Lieberman to create the Mighty Mouse movie script. Lieberman worked on 2019’s The Addams Family, Scoob! from 2020, and The Christmas Chronicles films. Lieberman also worked on Free Guy, which starred Reynolds in the leading role. It’s reasonably safe to say that Mighty Mouse’s revival is in good hands.
Final Thoughts
It’ll be interesting to see how this Mighty Mouse movie plays out. It could be a lighthearted cartoon musical to reference the source. Of course, there’s always the possibility the film will be a dark and gritty reboot. There’s even the chance this one film could lead into a whole new franchise. The only thing to do now is wait for the studio to send updates. There’s no official release date, though some have speculated it’ll premiere in two years.
