Generator Rex
Animated series about a boy who controls nanites to cure mutants.
extracted from the http://web.archive.org/web/20111015155422/http://kidscreen.com/content/pdf/51210.pdf · via Wikipedia: Generator Rex · Fair use
Generator Rex is a Cartoon Network animated superhero show from the United States, created by the group Man of Action. John Fang from Cartoon Network Studios served as the supervising producer. The series draws from the comic *M. Rex*, which Aaron Sowd, Joe Kelly, and Duncan Rouleau created, and which Image Comics published back in 1999. The show first aired on Cartoon Network in the U.S. on April 23, 2010, and its final episode ran on January 3, 2013. In total, 60 episodes were broadcast, with two additional episodes never making it to air. A crossover special that paired the show with *Ben 10: Ultimate Alien*, called *Ben 10/Generator Rex: Heroes United*, aired on November 25, 2011. Another special, *Ben Gen 10*, which was 44 minutes long and split into four parts, aired on April 11, 2021. That special featured younger, alternate versions of the Generator Rex characters set within the Ben 10 universe. The story begins five years after a massive explosion on Earth released microscopic machines called nanites, which infected every living thing on the planet. When these nanites activate, they mutate their host’s biology. These mutated beings are called Exponentially Variegated Organisms, or E.V.O.s. The main character, Rex Salazar, is a fourteen-year-old boy with amnesia. He is a permanent E.V.O., but unlike most others, he has no physical deformities and has lost all memory of his past. He can control his active nanites, which lets him generate various bio-mechanical powers and weapons from his body. He also has a rare ability: he can deactivate the nanites inside other E.V.O.s, curing their mutations and returning them to normal. Rex works for an organization called Providence, alongside Agent Six and White Knight, using his powers to stop and heal rampaging E.V.O.s. His main enemy is Van Kleiss, a British scientist who became an earth-manipulating humanoid E.V.O. He hates Providence and is connected to the original nanite explosion, known as the Nanite Event. Van Kleiss wants to become all-powerful by using other E.V.O.s. He tries to lure Rex to his side by promising to reveal details about Rex’s childhood, using Rex’s growing relationship with Circe, a siren-like human E.V.O., as leverage.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Action-adventure · Science fiction · Comedy drama · Superhero · Post-apocalyptic
- Based On
- M. Rex · Aaron Sowd · Justin Kent · Stephen Murphy · Joe Kelly · Duncan Rouleau
- Creator
- Man of Action
- Developer
- Rob Hoegee
- Director
- Christofer Graham · Rick Morales · Seung-Hyun Oh · Samuel Montes · Kenji Ono · John Fang
- Voices
- Daryl Sabara · Wally Kurth · John DiMaggio · Grey DeLisle · Fred Savage · J. K. Simmons · Troy Baker · Hynden Walch · Tara Sands · Freddy Rodriguez · Jennifer Hale
- Country
- United States
- Num Seasons
- 3
- Num Episodes
- 60 (2 unaired)
- Theme Music Composer
- Kevin Manthei
- Open Theme
- "Revolution" by Orange
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The series is set five years after a global explosion caused microscopic machines called nanites to infect all organic life, creating mutated beings known as Exponentially Variegated Organisms (E.V.O.s). The protagonist, Rex Salazar, is a fourteen-year-old amnesiac who can control his nanites to manifest bio-mechanical abilities and can deactivate nanites in other E.V.O.s, curing them. He works for the organization Providence under Agent Six and White Knight, battling E.V.O.s and his archenemy Van Kleiss, a British scientist who became an earth-manipulating E.V.O. and seeks godlike power.
Over the first two seasons, Rex faces Van Kleiss, who attempts to recruit him by promising knowledge of his past. Rex's long-lost elder brother Dr. Cesar Salazar resurfaces, and a time-travel incident sends Rex six months into the future, where Providence is under the control of a woman called the Black Knight. In the third season, Rex discovers the Meta Nanites containing the God Code, which were programmed by his parents to work only for him. Merging with the God Code, Rex cures all E.V.O.s and is reunited with his friends and girlfriend Circe, while Van Kleiss is trapped in a pocket dimension.
Reader's Guide
Generator Rex is significant as a Cartoon Network superhero series that ran for three seasons from 2010 to 2013, totaling 60 episodes with two unaired. It originated from the 1999 Image Comics title M. Rex and was developed by Man of Action, the same creative group behind Ben 10. The series explored themes of mutation, identity, and redemption through its nanite-based premise. Its legacy includes two crossover specials with the Ben 10 franchise: Ben 10/Generator Rex: Heroes United (2011) and Ben Gen 10 (2021), which featured younger versions of the Generator Rex characters. The show also spawned a video game, Generator Rex: Agent of Providence, released in 2011, and a toy line by Mattel. Despite ending with unresolved plot points, the series maintained a dedicated fanbase and is remembered for its unique take on the superhero genre and its integration with the broader Ben 10 universe.
Did You Know?
- The series is based on the comic M. Rex, created by Aaron Sowd, Joe Kelly and Duncan Rouleau, published by Image Comics in 1999.
- A two-part crossover special with Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, titled Ben 10/Generator Rex: Heroes United, aired on November 25, 2011.
- A second 44-minute four-part crossover special, Ben Gen 10, aired on April 11, 2021, featuring different and younger versions of the Generator Rex characters.
- Episodes 56 through 60 were released on iTunes for purchase before they aired on television.
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