Biker Mice from Mars is an American animated series created by Rick Ungar. The series premiered in syndication the week of September 19, 1993. It consists of three seasons of 65 episodes, with the final episode airing in syndication the week of February 24, 1996.
The show follows three anthropomorphic mice motorcyclists named Throttle, Modo, and Vinnie who escape a war on their home planet Mars before arriving to rebel on the Earth against the species that destroyed their homeland (the Plutarkians). The mice's signature weapons consist of a cestus and a laser pistol (Throttle), a bionic arm with built-in laser blaster (Modo), and flares (Vinnie). Despite the frequent battles, no blood is shown, and many villains are monsters, aliens, and robots.
Ownership of the initial Biker Mice TV series passed to Disney in 2001 when Disney acquired Fox Kids Worldwide, which also includes Marvel Productions.
Plot On the planet Mars, there existed a race of anthropomorphic mice who enjoyed motorsports and had a very similar culture and society to that of human beings. At some point in time they were all but wiped out by the Plutarkians, alien fish-like humanoids who plunder other planets' natural resources because they have wasted all of their own. Three survivors, Throttle, Modo, and Vinnie, manage to escape on a spaceship, but are shot down by a Plutarkian warship and crash-land on Earth in the city of Chicago. There they meet a charming female mechanic named Charlene "Charley" Davidson and discover that the Plutarkians have come to Earth to steal its natural resources.
The Biker Mice investigate the crumbling ghetto of the windy city and soon discover that Chicago's leading industrialist, Lawrence Limburger, is actually a Plutarkian who disguises himself as a human, plotting to ransack Earth's resources to send to his own dying planet. Limburger enlists two henchmen, mad scientist Dr. Karbunkle and the idiotic Greasepit, to help him steal Earth's natural resources and send them to Plutark with the help of some supervillains that they transport from another location in the galaxy. The Biker Mice become destined to stop Limburger's schemes. The most frequent sign of victory is destroying Limburger's tall tower, forcing him to constantly spend money and time to rebuild it by the next episode.
Characters Protagonists
Throttle (voiced by Rob Paulsen) – The tan-furred leader-figure of the trio who sports a rattail and quiff. Throttle is the most logical and level-headed of the three. Throttle lost his sight in an incident on Mars that also caused the losses of Modo's right arm and the right side of Vinnie's face and was fitted with faulty bionic eyes while in captivity; as a result, he wears green sunglasses with field spec capabilities, and on his right hand he wears a powered glove called Nuke Knucks that was made by Harley. He also carries a holstered laser pistol and sports a leather biker vest, making him the only one of the trio to carry a conventional weapon or wear clothes instead of armor. His right bicep has a tattoo that resembles the series' logo, which also matches his bike, a black chopper. Modo (voiced by Dorian Harewood) – The gray-furred gentle giant of the trio who sports an eye patch and shoulder pads. Modo lost his right arm and left eye in the same incident that burned off the right side of Vinnie's face and caused Throttle to lose his sight. Karbunkle replaced his arm with a robotic replacement that has a built-in laser cannon and great strength, as part of Stilton's thwarted plans to create an army of bionic warriors. Though normally gentle-tempered and empathic, Modo is prone to fits of rage, particularly when he or his companions are referred to as 'rats'; when angry, his right eye flashes red. His bike, a blue cruiser, is the only one with a known name ("Li'l Hoss") and the only one with the most demonstrated AI capability, as he frequently speaks to it, and it is shown to drive itself and respond to his commands more often than the other two. Vinnie (voiced by Ian Ziering) – The white-furred thrill-seeker and self-proclaimed lady-killer among the trio, a classic example of an egomaniac (with an inferiority complex, especially during his early days as a freedom fighter). The right side of his face was burned off in the same incident where Throttle lost his sight and Modo lost his right arm; thus, he wears a flexible faceplate. Vinnie rides a red sport bike in contrast to the others' muscle bikes, and is the most active and skilled of the three, often volunteering for the most dangerous tasks, enjoying the rush and subsequent glory and bragging rights.
Supporting characters Charlene "Charley" Davidson (voiced by Leeza Miller-McGee)—Charley is a human mechanic who owns the Last Chance Garage in Chicago. She is a headstrong woman and is always ready to go into battle, though the Biker Mice try to keep her out of dangerous situations, never because they think she is incapable or weak, but because they could not bear for anything bad to happen to her. Rimfire (voiced by Brian Austin Green) – Modo's nephew who is overprotected by his peers on Mars because of his age, despite the fact that he, too, is clearly capable of what it takes to be a worthy Freedom Fighter. General Carbine (voiced by Leah Remini) – General Carbine is the de facto leader of the Freedom Fighters, a former Army officer who defected during the Plutarkian-Mars war. She and Throttle are lovers, but their relationship suffers complications owing to her position among the Freedom Fighters. Stoker (voiced by Peter Strauss) – The founding father of the Freedom Fighter movement on Mars, and as seen in Once Upon a Time on Mars, revealed that Mars was sold, beginning to have doubts over the fight; eventually he continues fighting as part of the rebellion. He plays a more crucial role in the 2006 revival, where he fights to protect his invention from the invading Catatonian Empire. Harley (voiced by Kath Soucie) – A mechanic/nurse among the Freedom Fighters. She was involved in a love triangle between Vinnie and Stoker until Vinnie's injuries moved her enough to make him the faceplate and cross-belts he wears. Hardly had they come to an understanding, she was abducted by Mace towards the end of the Freedom Fighters' insurrection. She returns as an antagonist in the 2006 series. Four-By (voiced by Michael Dorn) - Another good guy on the block and a friend to the Biker Mice who drives a monster truck. "Asphalt" Jack McCyber (voiced by Jason Priestley) - A computer expert and inventor who is an old friend of Charley. His inventions are always targeted by the Plutarkians.
Antagonists Lawrence Lactavius Limburger (voiced by W. Morgan Sheppard) – The main villain of the series and archenemy of the Biker Mice. Lawrence Limburger is a bloated alien from Plutark and has an odd fascination for Earth's criminal society of the 1930s. He is the head of Limburger Industries, the biggest industrial company in Chicago. Wearing a purple business suit and a rubber mask in order to look human at most times, he attempts to mine it and other parts of Earth for various resources, including random earth, dirt, rock, snow, metal, and oil, which he plans to send back to his own dying planet. He is highly resourceful and cunning, but always fails due to the Biker Mice's interventions. During the War of Liberation on Mars, Limburger was a low-ranked and bullied officer, taunted by both his superior Stilton and Karbunkle. Limburger managed to attain his present rank by using Stilton's absence during the Biker Mice's attack on the Plutarkian base to attain his present rank. Limburger reappears in the 2006 sequel series, initially as a bootlicker for the Pit Boss after the Catatonians came into view in a flashback and later as a co-conspirator alongside the Catatonians. Dr. Benjamin Boris Zachary Karbunkle (voiced by Susan Silo) – A thin, sly mad scientist of an indeterminate humanoid species. Karbunkle used to work for Limburger's superior Dominic T. Stilton until Limburger bribed him to cross over. Karbunkle's main task is to think of machines and robots to either battle the Biker Mice, gather resources from Earth, or look up the villain of the week with his dimensional transporter. During the War of Liberation on Mars, he gave Modo his bionic arm and eye, Stoker his bionic tail, and Throttle his malfunctioning bionic eyes as part of his experiments to create a bionic army after they were captured by Plutarkian forces. He intended to use one of his inventions, the Mind Bender Beam, to brainwash them into being loyal to the Plutarkians; he was only able to brainwash Stoker before the Biker Mice escaped, and Stoker was later freed from Plutarkian control, while the Beam was destroyed. Karbunkle is a sycophant, often seen admiring Limburger and praising him; however, Karbunkle's top priority is Karbunkle. He is often seen torturing Fred the Mutant, cares little about his co-worker Greasepit, and has traded Plutarkian employers many times. Greasepit (voiced by Brad Garrett) bungling sidekick usually in charge of whatever project Lawrence Limburger is running at the time. Greasepit rides a motorized tricycle into battle against the Biker Mice at the head of his goons and wears a pair of gardening trousers like a mechanic's. As his name suggests, Greasepit constantly oozes oil, and he is consistently clumsy, often falling over or dropping critical pieces of Limburger's schemes. Fred the Mutant (voiced by Rob Paulsen) – A masochistic mutant working for Limburger. He thrills at the thought of receiving pain, and that is his one purpose as well, being the subject of many of Karbunkle's testings as well as physical abuse by Limburger. Fred has three eyes, a bushy tail, duck-like feet, and a tentacle in place of a right arm. Napoleon Brie (voiced by Luke Perry) – Limburger's unhinged chief Plutarkian rival from Detroit who is far more successful than Limburger in his efforts. He dominates Detroit. Despite this, Brie's attempts at taking out the Biker Mice turn out just as futile as Limburger's. Brie's efforts are not helped by his undermining Limburger at the same time. Small of stature and the owner of a large variety of facial masks, although he only ever wears the one with a crazy eye and speaks with an accent very similar to Elmer Fudd. Brie reappears in the 2006 series, where he and Limburger had a brief truce with the Catatonians. Number One (voiced by Mark Hamill in the first appearance, Jeff Bennett in later appearances) - A gun for hire with a big red beard and sunglasses who works for Napoleon Brie. Plutarkians – The Plutarkians are fish-like aliens that either plan to obtain Earth's resources or conquer Earth. Each of them is named after a cheese. Besides Limburger and Brie, the Plutarkians consist of: Lord Camembert (voiced by Jeff Bennett) – The Plutarkians' supreme ruler and Limburger's higher-up. In some other cases, he will appear with the entire Plutarkian council with Limburger in a panic over what task is current. He often appears on the vidcom or in person to Limburger and berates him for his failure. Mudfish Murdock (voiced by Jeff Bennett)—A Plutarkian trucker who was hired by Limburger to kill the Biker Mice while he attempted to drain Lake Michigan and deliver it to Plutark. Provolone (voiced by Jeff Bennett)—A Plutarkian lawyer. Dominic T. Stilton (voiced by Malcolm McDowell) - A Plutarkian who was Limburger and Karbunkle's superior on Mars prior to the events of the series. Stilton hates Limburger for his scheming and repeated attempts to usurp him. Unlike other Plutarkians, Stilton is a neat freak who constantly carries around handkerchiefs to wipe dirt and grime off of himself and anything he touches. Gerald Guyere (voiced by Jim Cummings) - A Plutarkian operating in New Orleans.