Big Bad Beetleborgs

Lore & Background

In the fictional town of Charterville, three kids—Andrew 'Drew' McCormick, his sister Jo, and their friend Roland Williams—enter the haunted Hillhurst Mansion after a dare. They free a ghost named Flabber, who grants them one wish: to become their favorite comic book heroes, the Big Bad Beetleborgs. This also brings the Beetleborgs' archenemies, the Magnavores, into the real world. The Magnavores' leader, Vexor, summons monsters from the comics to battle the Beetleborgs. Later, the Magnavores create Shadowborg using a special comic, and he steals the Beetleborgs' powers for several episodes, prompting the creation of the White Blaster Beetleborg and Drew's Mega Blue mode. A new kid, Josh Baldwin, becomes a Beetleborg but loses his powers after Shadowborg is destroyed. In the penultimate episode, the Magnavores bring the villain Nukus to life, who creates Borgslayer; the Beetleborgs destroy Borgslayer, and the Magnavores are swept back into the comics.

Reader's Guide

In Season 2, Nukus wipes out the Beetleborgs' armor and powers. He frees his creator, Les Fortunes, from prison and uses Les' drawings to summon the Crustaceans. Art Fortunes creates new powers and armor, which Flabber brings to life, and the kids rechristen themselves Beetleborgs Metallix. The conflict escalates when the Fortunes brothers dig up a time capsule containing the Lost Comic, featuring the Astral Sword and Roboborg. The Beetleborgs gather the eight Astral Coins, summon Roboborg, and send the Mantrons back to the Lost Comic. The Crustaceans create their own giant robot, Boron, controlled by the Astral Axe. The Beetleborgs receive an upgrade to Mega Spectra forms. The series concludes with the Beetleborgs gaining Boron as an ally, stripping Nukus of his weapon, and Les Fortunes returning to prison, disabling his ability to create monsters. The show is notable for its sitcom tone and its adaptation of Japanese tokusatsu footage, marking a distinct approach within Saban's 1990s superhero lineup.

Did You Know?

• The series adapted combat footage from the Metal Hero series Juukou B-Fighter (Season 1) and B-Fighter Kabuto (Season 2).
• Jo McCormick was portrayed by two actresses: Shannon Chandler (episodes 1–39) and Brittany Konarzewski for the rest of the series, with an in-story explanation involving a spell by Wolfgang.
• The White Blaster Beetleborg, Josh Baldwin, lost his powers permanently after Shadowborg was destroyed, due to a yin-yang link between the two.
• The Beetleborgs' archenemies, the Magnavores, were brought into the real world when the kids wished to become the Beetleborgs.

Production & Format

Big Bad Beetleborgs was an American live-action superhero series produced by Saban Entertainment in partnership with Renaissance-Atlantic Films, Toei Company, and Bugboy Productions. It aired on Fox Kids from September 7, 1996, through March 2, 1998, spanning two seasons, with the second rebranded as Beetleborgs Metallix. A distinctive production choice was the show's reliance on combat footage adapted from two Japanese Metal Hero tokusatsu series: Juukou B-Fighter for the first season and B-Fighter Kabuto for the second. What set Beetleborgs apart from its Fox Kids contemporaries, notably Power Rangers, was its tonal approach. Rather than centering each episode around a rotating villain of the week, the series leaned heavily into sitcom-style humor and character-driven interactions, giving the three young heroes a more lighthearted, ensemble-comedy feel between their battles.

Season 1 Narrative Arc

The first season opens in the fictional town of Charterville, where Drew McCormick, his younger sister Jo, and their best friend Roland Williams accept a dare from two wealthy bullies to explore the haunted Hillhurst Mansion. Inside, they encounter actual monsters and accidentally free a phasm named Flabber from a pipe organ. Grateful, Flabber grants them one wish: to become their favorite comic book heroes. The catch is that this wish also pulls the Beetleborgs' archenemies, the Magnavores, into the real world. Their leader, Vexor, spends the season summoning comic-book monsters to fight the trio. The stakes escalate when Vexor creates Shadowborg, who strips the team of their powers, forcing them to seek help from the comics' creator, Art Fortunes. A new kid, Josh Baldwin, briefly joins as a fourth Beetleborg before losing his powers. The season climaxes with the Magnavores bringing Nukus to life and creating Borgslayer, a hybrid of all their monsters. In a twist, Nukus betrays them, tipping off the bullies with the weakness the Beetleborgs need to destroy Borgslayer, which sends the Magnavores back into the comics.

Season 2 Narrative Arc

Season 2, rebranded as Beetleborgs Metallix, opens with Nukus — the villain the Magnavores had hoped would save them — turning on the Beetleborgs instead. He overwhelms the team in a single encounter, destroying their armor, weapons, and powers. Nukus then uncovers that the comic-book creator Art Fortunes has an incarcerated brother, Les, who created him. He frees Les from prison and uses his drawings to summon an army of villains called the Crustaceans. Art responds by designing new armor, vehicles, and weapons, which Flabber brings to life, and the trio rechristens themselves the Beetleborgs Metallix. The conflict deepens when the Fortunes brothers unearth a time capsule containing the Lost Comic, a childhood story featuring the Astral Sword and eight Astral Coins that can summon the all-mighty Roboborg. Nukus assembles his evil team, the Mantrons, while the Beetleborgs gain the Astral Borgs as allies. After a prolonged struggle, the heroes collect all eight coins and the sword, summoning Roboborg to banish the Mantrons. The Crustaceans build their own giant robot, Boron, and Nukus and Vilor gain Mega forms. Roboborg fuses the Metallix and original powers into the Mega Spectra Beetleborgs. The series ends with Boron becoming an ally and Les choosing to return to Charterville Prison.

The Team & Their Powers

The Beetleborgs are three kids from Charterville, each granted a unique ability by Flabber and armored after a specific beetle species. Drew McCormick, the Blue Stinger Beetleborg, activates telekinesis by nodding his head and pointing at an object; his armor is modeled on a male Japanese rhinoceros beetle. Roland Williams, the Green Hunter Beetleborg, gains super speed triggered by snapping his fingers, and his armor resembles a male stag beetle. Jo McCormick, the Red Striker Beetleborg, channels super strength by cracking her knuckles. Roland's family owns Zoom Comics, the local comic book shop where the trio regularly hangs out. Throughout the series, each hero undergoes multiple upgrades. Drew earns a Mega Blue mode after channeling Shadowborg's energy axis into his armor, and later a Mega Spectra Chromium Gold form. Roland and Jo receive their Titanium Silver and Platinum Purple Metallix upgrades, followed by their own Mega Spectra forms after Nukus and Vilor go Mega. Jo's role was originally played by Shannon Chandler for the first 39 episodes before Brittany Konarzewski took over for the remainder of the run.