from Jonathan Klotz
| Published
If you ask the average Highlander fan what the worst part of the series is, they will say Highlander II. If that’s the answer, I think they haven’t seen Highlander: The Sourcethe 2007 SyFy made-for-TV original that should have known better. Both films made some disastrous missteps, but between the releases of each came a spin-off that sounds absolutely bonkers on paper: an animated Highlander movie set in the far future post-apocalypse, sans blood, but still featuring implied beheadings.
Highlander: The Animated Series aired for 40 episodes, and despite the insane concept, it was ahead of its time with better characterization than the live-action movies.
Immortals after the Apocalypse
Highlander: The Animated Series follows Quentin McLeod (“Same Clan, Different Harvest”) centuries after a meteor struck Earth and wiped out nearly all life, causing the Immortals to change their mission from fighting for “The Prize” to preserving humanity’s knowledge. Calling themselves the Jettators, they specialized in various aspects of knowledge, from history to nuclear energy, that could be imparted through non-bloody Acceleration without decapitation. One of the Immortals, Cortan, rejected the oath and ruled the wasteland as a tyrant, beheading other Immortals in accordance with the old customs, but he was destined to be defeated by the Highlander.
This wasn’t supposed to work; after all the main tenet of the Highlander Rules is “There can only be one” but Highlander: The Animated Series is based entirely on “What if we work together for the greater good?” It works because even the good guys aren’t perfect, and most of the bad guys either have likable origins or turn out to be morally ambiguous. The cartoon doesn’t shy away from blurring the lines between good and evil.
Shades of gray in an animated series
Malone, Cortan’s feral sidekick, is the one that stayed with me because after watching him be a constant nuisance for several episodes, we finally see his origin and how he’s gone mad. It’s a dark episode and turns one of the most annoying characters and his annoying laugh into a tragic figure. Highlander: The Animated Series never deviates from the tragic backstory, all the way to the Immortal Shepard, with the knowledge of the satellites, choosing a life in exile because he blames himself for the meteor that hit the planet.
Highlander’s Ups and Downs
Highlander: The Animated Series aired concurrently with the acclaimed TV series, starring Adrian Paul as Duncan McLeod in what we can now admit was a golden era for the adventure franchise. after Highlander: Endgame bombed in theaters and The source disowned by everyone involved, the franchise went into hibernation as soon as it aired. while Henry Cavillliving the dream of geeks everywhere, has been attached to the remake for what feels like forever, and we still know next to nothing about it.
Although the franchise has seen better days, Highlander: The Animated Series is available in multiples streaming platforms today, including Peacock, Pipes, Pluto TVand Amazon Freevee. No prior knowledge of the franchise is required to enjoy it, as it throws away all the rules of the original film and action series, making it a great entry point for new fans.
If you’re a disappointed fan of the franchise, it’s also a breath of fresh air, showing how, when done right, the story of Immortals and The Source can be deep (for an after-school cartoon), with plenty of room for great characters, and of course , amazing soundtrack.
