Hero Factory (TV series)
| Hero Factory | |
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| Genre | |
| Written by |
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| Directed by |
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| Voices of |
John Schneider Eric Christian Olsen Henry Winkler Bryton James Jean Louisa Kelly Christopher B. Duncan Stephen Stanton Jason Canning Tom Kenny Jason London Jennifer Coolidge Malcolm McDowell |
| Country of origin |
United States Denmark |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 11 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) |
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| Running time | 23 minutes |
| Distributor |
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| Release | |
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| Original release | September 20, 2010 – January 9, 2014 |
Hero Factory is an American/Danish animated TV series based on the Lego toy series of the same name and produced by Threshold Animation Studios for Nickelodeon. The series revolves around the Hero Factory, a crime-fighting organization that manufacture robotic heroes to take on and apprehend criminals across the galaxy while aiming to protect a similarly-robotic populace. The main characters are a group of heroes that make up Team Alpha 1 - the most praised and successful team at Hero Factory.
The series originally premiered as a four-part mini-series on September 20, 2010 on Nickelodeon, further episodes followed as the theme continued as a toy line up until 2014, when Lego discontinued Hero Factory. Later episodes initially premiered online and made their TV debut at a later date.
Overview
Hero Factory revolves around an organization of the same name that deals with the construction of robotic heroes who are trained and ordered to protect a similarly robotic populace, capture criminal villains and maintain order across their home galaxy. Each Hero is unique, with their own distinct personalities and equipment. Hero Factory's headquarters are based in a towering skyscraper centred in the fictional Makuhero City, located on a terraformed asteroid, and appears to be the tallest and largest building in the metropolis.
The series centres around the missions of Alpha 1; the most praised and experienced team at the Hero Factory. Led by veteran Hero Preston Stormer, the team comprises senior members Dunkan Bulk and Jimi Stringer, original rookies and later fully fledged team-mates William Furno, Mark Surge and Natalie Breez and current rookies Julius Nex, Nathan Evo and Daniel Rocka. All refer to each other by their last name.
From the fifth episode onward, the Heroes were upgraded into new "2.0" forms as part of a new Hero building system introduced to Hero Factory. It became the basis for subsequent upgrades based on Heroes' missions and their acquired environments. In each upgrade process, the Heroes would be provided with new armor, weapons, gadgets, and in some cases, new body builds, in order to deal with the mission at hand.
Broadcast and release
The first four TV episodes aired continuously over four nights in September 2010, they were later released onto DVD as a singular film titled Hero Factory: Rise of the Rookies the following November 16.[1] A fifth episode titled "Ordeal of Fire" debuted in April 2011, followed by two further episodes - the two part story Savage Planet - in September 2011 as a one-hour special. All three were released onto DVD on October 4, 2011 as Hero Factory: Savage Planet, with "Ordeal of Fire" added as a bonus feature. The broadcast format was repeated for the two-part story Breakout in April 2012.
The tenth episode "Brain Attack" premiered on the official Hero Factory website in March 2013, receiving a TV broadcast the following month on Nicktoons.[2] A further episode titled "Invasion from Below" was produced by Lego with design partner Advance and animation company Ghost. Despite being produced by a different studio, the episode shares the same continuity as the rest of the series. The episode premiered as part of the online game of the same name in January 2014, and since Lego's decision to discontinue Hero Factory after 2014, is the last episode of the series.
Characters
Heroes
Stormer - Preston Stormer is the no-nonsense leader of Alpha 1, plagued by his failure in a past mission, and demanding in his expectations of all team members. A skilled Hero, Stormer has experienced hundreds of battles, and is a natural leader. He is very competitive, and specifically targeted the post of Alpha 1 leader because he believed he would excel in it. After the incident with Von Ness, Stormer is determined that no rookie would ever put a mission in jeopardy again and is especially harsh on them as a result; many prior rookies under his command either gave up or were transferred out. The incident also plagued him with feelings of guilt, and he often blames himself for things that go wrong with missions. Stormer is disinterested in popularity and believes that he should not receive praise for simply doing his job.
Furno - William Furno was once a reckless and ambitious rookie Hero assigned to Alpha 1, now a valuable team member. As a rookie, Furno was impatient but passionate, and eager to prove himself, especially to team leader Stormer. He was also very overconfident, and believed he had the skill to succeed at any task. This amount of self-confidence forced him to push his own limits in order to succeed at harder tasks, even during his downtime. Time and missions have tempered his overconfidence, though he is still very eager. His attitude brought him into conflict with the similarly headstrong new rookie on the team Rocka, who was modeled after Furno himself, though Furno grew to accept the rookie. He had also attempted to cultivate leadership qualities, offering his tutelage to rookie Nathan Evo. He was eventually promoted to the rank of commander for Mission: Brain Attack, and put in charge of multiple Hero teams, including Alpha 1. His model, at the time of creation, was the newest and most up-to-date one available. His Hero Core is exceptionally pure, thought to be the purest in existence.
Bulk - Dunkan Bulk is a physically imposing, powerful senior Alpha 1 member, whose impressive strength belies a growing intelligence. Bulk's artificial intelligence is less developed than others, which he sometimes feels self-conscious about, but he makes up for this intelligence deficiency with sheer power. He is able to withstand blows that would destroy armored vehicles. He is reputed to be one of the Hero Factory's strongest active Heroes. Bulk is always ready for a mission, and enjoys fighting for the Hero Factory as much as he enjoys the actual fighting itself. He has been actively working to develop his intelligence, increasing his amount of reading and vocabulary.
Stringer - Jimi Stringer is a philosophical and musically inclined veteran of Alpha 1, who incorporates sound-based functions into his weaponry. Stringer enjoys fighting for the Hero Factory cause, but is very laid-back, and cool under pressure during missions. This attitude occasionally annoys his team mates, but helps him in dealing with the stressful situations they get into. Unlike the other members of the Alpha 1 Team, Stringer likes working with rookie Heroes. Stringer has a passion for music, and applies his casual, philosophical attitude about fighting toward lyric composition as well.
Surge - Mark Surge is one of Team Alpha 1's youngest, a temperamental hot-head working to overcome a secret insecurity. Though he is convinced that something went wrong with his construction, Surge is nonetheless an able, if occasionally clumsy, Hero. Like his fellow rookie teammates, he was built with experimental designs, though Surge resented the constant examination this required. He is known to be defiant and emotional, often attempting to be rational, but is easily set off. He is also very strong, but his inexperience leads to an inability to use it properly all the time. He thoroughly enjoys going on action-oriented missions, rarely content to be involved with community affairs. Surge also struggles with fears that he is secretly evil and will become a villain, like Von Nebula. Although he has dealt with this fear directly over the course of his Hero career, Surge still deals with the insecurity, and often throws himself into action to compensate.
Breez - Natalie Breez is the sole female member of Alpha 1. Brash in her dealings with her team mates, but with a connection to nature. Breez has a talent for remaining cool and collected under pressure. She cares deeply for innocent lives everywhere, but she frequently insists that she has no romantic interest in any of her team mates, and that their job as Heroes is what is most important to her. She is confident in her own ability and refuses to be protected by others. Diplomatic in nature, Breez is a fierce fighter when it comes to defending innocents, and will go out of her way to ensure citizen safety during missions. Breez has the ability to communicate with all known types of animals due to a program in her Hero Core, which also allows her to sense disturbances in nature. She is also skilled in knife and hook throwing, which featured prominently in her 2.0 training.
Evo - Nathan Evo is an introspective rookie Hero working with the team, who emphasizes the use of heavy artillery in missions. Initially calm and quiet, Evo debuted as an expert at weaponry. During his initial missions, he would meditate before a fight to stimulate himself and sharpen his reflexes. As a rookie on the Alpha 1 team, he has faced pressures to live up to team leader Stormer, but with the assistance of his other teammates, he has been overcoming self-doubt and insecurity in order to be a worthwhile ally and Hero. Evo has lately developed an enthusiasm for all types technology, embracing the Battle Machines used in Antropolis City.
Nex - Julius Nex is the socially nuanced and technologically gifted head of Hero Outreach and a rookie on Alpha 1, with a love for gadgetry. Nex is enthusiastic, highly skilled in the nuances of his body, has amazing flexibility, and hypersensitive senses. He is a communication expert, able to interface with nearly any system. For Mission: Savage Planet, he was programmed with instinct algorithms based off that of a saber-toothed tiger.
Rocka - Daniel Rocka is the headstrong new rookie of the team, also a member of the Hero Recon Team, a special covert division of Hero Factory. Rocka's outlook is very much like a younger Furno's; he is extremely self-assured and headstrong, willing to immediately take on a challenge without a thought to his own limitations. This confidence caused him to clash with Furno, but the two eventually settled their differences. His experience in the training sphere has given him a diverse skill-set. As a member of the Recon Team, he is also versed in secrecy and espionage teachings. Rocka specializes in technology, and excels in developing new software applications and devices.
Mission Control staff
Zib - Professor Nathaniel Zib is a Senior Mission Manager at Hero Factory who overlooks all of the Alpha 1 team's ongoing missions. A skilled strategist and problem solver, which are traits necessary for his position as the chief mission manager, Zib holds a no-nonsense attitude while working and will willingly express mission protocols towards Heroes both on mission and in the Control Room.
Quadal - Quadal is Zib's assistant robot who aids him during Team Alpha 1's missions. He runs scans and completes technical work within the Control Room. Unlike most robots, Quadal is able to float and also withholds a set of extensive arms within his body. He does not communicate normally through speech, but via a series of beeping noises that Zib has been seen to understand. Quadal is able to easily make use of technology, and is also talented in the field of numeric sequencing.
Recurring
Mr. Makuro - Akiyama Makuro is the founder and chairman of Hero Factory and Makuro Industries. Makuro is the oldest known robot in the galaxy. Recognizing the growing amount of evil in the universe, he created the Hero Factory; a corporation dedicated to creating Heroes to protect the galaxy. He personally oversees the creation of every Hero. At Stormer's creation, Makuro felt he was going to be a special Hero, and was correct as Stormer became leader of the Alpha 1 team. Seeing Furno's creation, Makuro sensed the same thing. Later, after a lengthy time working on the process, Makuro debuted the Upgrade, a new larger, stronger Hero design that he later rolled out to all Heroes.
Daniella Capricorn - The short tempered on-the-scene news reporter for several Hero Factory news channels including HFX, Hero NewsWire (HNW) and HNN and has reported on many issues concerning the Alpha 1 team's missions and Hero Factory itself with the assistance of her personal camera bot, who has to suffer verbal and sometimes physical abuse from her if she is unhappy with its performance. However, while on camera, she takes on a façade of pleasantness.
Cast
| Character | Stories | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Trials of Furno" | "Core Crisis" | "The Enemy Within" | "Von Nebula" | "Ordeal of Fire" | Savage Planet | Breakout | "Brain Attack" | "Invasion from Below" | |||
| Stormer | John Schneider | Peter Sepenauk | |||||||||
| Furno | Eric Christian Olsen | Josh Keaton | Chad Randau | ||||||||
| Bulk | Christopher B. Duncan | Christopher B. Duncan | Christopher B. Duncan | ||||||||
| Stringer | Stephen Stanton | Stephen Stanton | |||||||||
| Surge | Bryton James | Flashback | Bryton James | Justin Murphy | |||||||
| Breez | Jean Louisa Kelly | Jean Louisa Kelly | Karen Strassman | ||||||||
| Evo | Tom Kenny | Jason London | Justin Murphy | ||||||||
| Nex | Jason Canning | ||||||||||
| Rocka | Tom Kenny | Christopher Smith | |||||||||
| Von Nebula/ Von Ness |
Flashback | Mark Hamill | Silent cameo | ||||||||
| XPlode | Jeff Bennett | Jeff Bennett | |||||||||
| Rotor | Joel Swetow | ||||||||||
| Corroder | Charlie Adler | Charlie Adler | |||||||||
| Meltdown | Joel Swetow | ||||||||||
| Thunder | Fred Tatasciore | ||||||||||
| Fire Lord | Dee Bradley Baker | ||||||||||
| Drilldozer | Fred Tatasciore | ||||||||||
| Jetbug | Tom Kenny | ||||||||||
| Nitroblast | Stephen Stanton | ||||||||||
| Witch Doctor | Fred Tatasciore | ||||||||||
| Raw-Jaw | Jason Canning | ||||||||||
| Waspix | Jean Louisa Kelly | ||||||||||
| Black Phantom | Mark Hamill | ||||||||||
| Voltix | Rick D. Wasserman | ||||||||||
| Speeda Demon | Charlie Adler | ||||||||||
| Jawblade | Steve Wilcox | ||||||||||
| Splitface | Maurice LaMarche | ||||||||||
| Toxic Reapa | Nick Jameson | ||||||||||
| Mysterious Villain | Tom Kenny | ||||||||||
| Zib | Henry Winkler | ||||||||||
| Mr. Makuro | Malcolm McDowell | Malcolm McDowell | Flashback | Malcolm McDowell | |||||||
| Daniella Capricorn | Jennifer Coolidge | Jennifer Coolidge | |||||||||
Episodes
| Episode | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Trials of Furno" | Mark Baldo | Sean Catherine Derek | September 20, 2010 | |
| The Alpha 1 Team is dispatched to guard a shipment of explosives, with fresh rookie Furno observing above from the Hero craft under Team Leader Stormer's orders as part of his mission trial. Criminal XPlode and his maniacal ally, Rotor, attack the shipment. XPlode abandons Rotor when the battle goes in the Heroes' favor. Stormer gives permission to Furno to come down and states that his mission trial is to chain up Rotor. However, due to his inexperience, the criminal manages to escape. The failure of the mission and Stormer's words make Furno train very hard to become a better Hero, to the point of exhaustion. Eventually, XPlode and Rotor strike an explosives plant, and when Stormer is felled, Furno manages to apprehend Rotor. | |||||
| 2 | "Core Crisis" | Mark Baldo | Sean Catherine Derek | September 21, 2010 | |
| Bulk, Stringer and Surge are caught in a fight against the vicious Corroder on a prison planet still under construction. While Corroder traps Bulk under a load of girders meant for Surge, Breez transports the injured construction workers to a medibot station, while Furno and Stormer are waiting for core recharges back at the Hero Factory. Corroder has easily gained the upper hand. The Heroes realize the best idea is to form a Hero Cell to protect themselves using their Hero Cores. The energy of their Hero Cores is near depletion, but they all agree it's a chance worth taking. No sooner does the shield go down due to lack of energy, Furno crashes his Hero Pod into Corroder. However, he takes everyone by surprise when he appears unharmed, stating he used his ejector seat to get out before the ship crashed. Meanwhile, Breez has returned with an empty cargo ship, and Furno uses this to his advantage: he bluffs to Corroder and says that a squad of heroes is contained in Breez's ship. Corroder uses his acid weapons to create a smokescreen and escape the scene, while Bulk gets a full core recharge back at the Hero Factory. | |||||
| 3 | "The Enemy Within" | Mark Baldo | Sean Catherine Derek | September 22, 2010 | |
| A distress call comes in from Mekron City, where Stormer knows the police chief Drax. However, Chief Drax is acting strangely and even threatens Stormer and the rookie Heroes. Criminal Meltdown then smashes through the roof window, spraying Stormer with sludge. He later learns that his body has been corrupted by nanobots from the sludge and, after a fight with Stringer, Bulk and Furno, escapes the Hero Factory. The Heroes then travel to a remote planet to acquire an antidote, while Furno finds Stormer and duels him. Furno makes Stormer realize his actions are wrong by comparing him to a rookie that went rogue, Von Ness, and Stormer shuts down. The Heroes finally cure him, and Stormer deduces that someone is plotting against them. Elsewhere, at the centre of a black hole, Von Ness, now re-born as the villainous Von Nebula, notes that police chief Drax survived his nanobots corruption and announces to himself that Stormer will be crushed by his hand. | |||||
| 4 | "Von Nebula" | Mark Baldo | Sean Catherine Derek | September 23, 2010 | |
| The Alpha 1 Team is sent to investigate a strange happening at New Stellac City, Stormer soon realizes it's a trap when Thunder and Corroder arrive. Stormer appears to be downed, and the rookies are sent to the scene with new tools. As they arrive, so do XPlode and Meltdown. A black hole opens in the sky, and Furno and Stormer jump in to combat the villain they now know to be pulling the strings - the villain Von Nebula, a rogue rookie Hero known formally as Von Ness. Von Nebula goes after Stormer, believing him to be the bigger threat, but Furno destroys the black hole and Von Nebula is sucked into his own Black Hole Orb Staff. Meanwhile, the remaining Heroes take out Von Nebula's thugs. After returning to Makuhero City, the team is cornered by reporter Daniella Capricorn, and the senior Alpha 1 Heroes reveal that Furno, Breez and Surge are now fully fledged Heroes, with Furno as a new Team Leader and referred to by his name by Stormer, something he had previously refused to do. | |||||
| 5 | "Ordeal of Fire" | Howard E. Baker | Jesse Peyronel | April 11, 2011 | |
| When Tanker Station 22 is attacked by the Fire Villains Fire Lord, Drilldozer, Jetbug and Nitroblast, the workers send a emergency call to the Hero Factory. Concurrently, Mr. Makuro presents "The Upgrade" at his annual keynote address with newly built rookie Heroes Nex and Evo - the first to be created with the new Hero building system, but cautions that the new upgrade process is not yet ready to be applied to existing Heroes. Alpha 1 arrive at the station and begin to fight with the attackers. Furno is ordered to go on reconnaissance, and discovers that the villains are drawing power from the fuel. Breez manages to save the workers by transporting them via Drop Ship while Fire Lord is distracted by Stormer and Furno. Discovering that their weapons have little effect on the villains, Stormer orders the team to retreat, but they are blocked off from the Hero Craft by them. Surge breaks away from the others and the villains chase after him, forcing the other Heroes to leave him behind. Back at the Hero Factory, Alpha 1 convince Makuro to upgrade them and after a training exercise, head back to the refueling station. During the fight, Furno requests back-up from Zib, who sends Nex and Evo. Nitroblast and Drilldozer are subdued, but Fire Lord flees to absorb more fuel. As the Heroes close in, a ship ejects Jetbug and knocks Fire Lord away. Stormer apprehends Fire Lord, and Surge jumps out of the ship, telling the others how he took control of it. When they return to Hero Factory, Surge is upgraded and commended for his actions. | |||||
| 6 | "Savage Planet - Part One" | Howard E. Baker | Jesse Peyronel | September 5, 2011 | |
| Rookie Hero Daniel Rocka is sent to find civilian Aldous Witch, who has crash-landed on the planet Quatros. Upon arriving, Rocka can't find Witch, and is soon confronted by a Fangz animal-native, but is incapable of defeating it and is knocked unconscious. When Rocka is reported missing, the Alpha 1 Team is equipped with animal-based equipment and sent to find him. The team discovers that Aldous Witch has turned into the Witch Doctor and has taken Rocka hostage. The Heroes, with the information given by Zib back at Mission Control, conclude that the excessive mining of the Quaza has made the planet unstable, destroying it from its core. They find an ancient transportation unit that could be used to instantly transport them to the central mine that leads to the core of the planet. Nex concludes that it would only be able to transport three Heroes. Stormer, Rocka, and Bulk enter the teleport, but are shrunken in size. Furno, Nex, Stringer go through the jungle but are attacked by Scorpio on the trek. As they are being attacked, Witch watches through his staff and revels in his certain victory. | |||||
| 7 | "Savage Planet - Part Two" | Howard E. Baker | Jesse Peyronel | September 5, 2011 | |
| Rocka's group arrive first at the central mine via the transportation unit, where Witch Doctor had been mining the Quaza. They notice one of the natives, Raw-Jaw, is a slave worker for Witch, collecting the Quaza that is mined. Witch abuses the beast and controls his mind with his Skull Staff and the corrupted Quaza spike implanted onto the Raw-Jaw's back. Witch Doctor finds the Heroes and traps Bulk and Rocka in a box that he used to carry the Quaza stones. They begin by freeing the enslaved Raw-Jaw from Witch Doctor's corrupted Quaza. Rocka, who has since received a modification giving him larger, more resilient armor and a stronger double-claw combo tool, approaches Witch. The two duel with seemingly even power, but Witch Doctor downs Rocka. As Aldous prepares to finish off Rocka, but Stormer intervenes by breaking his staff, rendering his powers useless. Furno and Bulk successfully return the Quaza to the core of the planet, restoring it to its former state. | |||||
| 8 | "Breakout - Part One" | Howard E. Baker | Adam Beechen | April 2, 2012 | |
| An unprecedented jailbreak occurs in the Hero Factory, releasing every known captive villain into the galaxy who begin spreading chaos and destruction everywhere. All Heroes are called to Mission Control and told by Mission Manager Zib that due to the number of villains at large, each Hero will be sent individually to recapture them. For the mission named "Catch 'Em and Cuff 'Em", the Alpha 1 Team are upgraded with new armor and weapons based on the environment of the villains' known locations. It is revealed that the villainous Black Phantom is behind the prison break, and that it was merely a distraction for the Heroes so he can attempt to destroy the Hero Factory's Assembly Tower while they recapture the escapees. As Stormer, Furno, Evo, Surge and Stringer are sent to catch and cuff the villains, Rocka remains at the Hero Factory for "security reasons". However, Black Phantom, who already has the mission managers neutralized, puts up Hero Factory's fail-safe shield, blocking all communications between the building and Heroes on missions and preventing anyone from leaving or entering. | |||||
| 9 | "Breakout - Part Two" | Howard E. Baker | Adam Beechen | April 2, 2012 | |
| The situation worsens in various star systems as the villains get the upper hand over the Heroes. However, they all manage to capture and cuff and the escaped villains. Rocka is told of the situation by Zib before Black Phantom deactivates all the Mission Managers with his mysterious Anti-Quaza. Managing to lower the fail-safe shields Black Phantom put around Hero Factory, Rocka joins the returned Heroes to combat Black Phantom. Catching him in the Assembly Tower, Rocka overloads Black Phantom's systems and finally captures and cuffs him. With order restored in Hero Factory, Zib informs Alpha 1 and Mr. Makuro that Black Phantom sent the building's structural plans to an unknown source. At an unknown location, the anonymous person Black Phantom sent the file to opens it, while laughing hysterically. | |||||
| 10 | "Brain Attack" | Michael D. Black, Jay Oliva | Adam Beechen | March 7, 2013 (online) April 4, 2013 (television) | |
| Brains, launched by an unknown mastermind, are sent to the Makuhero planet, where they infect and possess the numerous native creatures. They band together to form an invading army, and launch an attack on Makuhero City. The Heroes, in the midst of a publicity event celebrating their ongoing accomplishments for Mission: Catch 'Em and Cuff 'Em, are sent to the Factory to receive upgrades to battle the creatures. Furno is made commander for the mission, and directs numerous teams in an attempt to defeat the brains. Rocka takes on an enormous dragon using a jetpack, while Surge gets possessed by a brain and uses the Assembly Tower to create an army of soulless 'blank' Hero drones. Working together, Alpha 1 manage to release all the creatures and Surge from control of the brains, and defeat the drones. In the clean-up of the battle, more brains are discovered to be lurking underneath the Factory in the tunnels created by Dragon Bolt's infiltration. The workers in the tunnels are then attacked by one of the brains. | |||||
| 11 | "Invasion from Below" | Jorgen Klubien | Adam Beechen | January 9, 2014 (online) | |
| In the city of Antropolis, a drill for a new underground Metro Line project reveals strange creatures called Jumpers from within the planet that abduct the crew. Hero Factory send in Evo to investigate, which leads to an attack on the city by giant beasts. The Alpha 1 Team is flown in to stop the monsters by building battle machines to combat the beasts. Breez discovers that the monsters communicate with each other, while Stormer and Furno get abducted by the Jumpers. The remaining Heroes build more battle machines to explore the underground tunnel, while reinforcements from Hero Factory take on the Jumpers in the city above. After much exploration, the team arrive in the hive nest and discover their missing teammates hidden in cocoons in the custody of the Queen Mother of the beasts, who calls for more Jumpers and beasts to fight in her aid. Surrounded, Breez talks to the Queen and convinces her to free the other Heroes and let them all leave. However, the accidental death of one of the monsters causes the Queen to turn on the Heroes, forcing them to attack her. The pillar containing the nest collapses during the fight, crushing the Queen and sending the larvae falling into the lava. The Heroes escape to the surface where the tunnel is resealed, keeping the monsters inside. The Heroes head back to the Hero Factory, unaware of a Jumper cocoon hidden away in the loading deck of the Hero Craft. | |||||
