Category:Spin-Offs

THE SPIN-OFFS.

Greg Weisman planned six possible spin-offs for "Gargoyles". Unfortunately, all of them were rejected by Disney (although "Bad Guys" came closest to being made), and it is doubtful that we will ever get to see any of them. Nevertheless, Greg Weisman has revealed enough about his plans for them that an overall description can be made of each one.

TIMEDANCER

This spin-off would have chronicled the adventures of Brooklyn with the Phoenix Gate. According to the concept, the Phoenix Gate was not lost forever when Goliath threw it away at the end of "Future Tense", but reappeared in Castle Wyvern in the present day (apparently not long after the events in "Hunter’s Moon" and "The Journey") in front of Brooklyn. It proceeds to transport Brooklyn to various different points in time, depositing him in one and vanishing only to reappear a while later and whisk him away again; Brooklyn presumably attempts to seize the Gate and use it to return himself home, but never succeeds until the end.

The Phoenix Gate initially transports Brooklyn to Scotland in the year 997, where he meets Mary and Finella, still on the run from Constantine III’s forces, and protects them and the Grimorum Arcanorum until the Gate reappears and transports all three of them, and the Grimorum, to the United States in the late 1970’s. There, the three of them eventually plot the alliance between Xanatos and Demona that led to Castle Wyvern being moved to the top of the Eyrie Building, with some help from Owen/Puck. Afterwards, Brooklyn would have been taken away by the Gate for still further adventures.

Among other things, he would meet the Xanadu clan in China at some unspecified point in time, where he obtains the gargoyle beast Fu-Dog as a companion, visit the Earth in the year 2198 to assist Samson and his followers against the Space-Spawn, and come to feudal Japan where he would have met his mate Katana and fallen in love with her. Katana also accompanies Brooklyn on his travels, and they have two children, named Nashville and Tachi.

Greg has also hinted at the possibilities of Brooklyn landing in the Mesozoic Era to encounter dinosaurs, visiting the court of Caesar Augustus in ancient Rome to witness the original Magus’s casting of the "humility spell", clashing under as yet unknown conditions with the "enhanced Archmage", and meeting Douglas Bader (the historical RAF pilot whom Goliath and Griff had earlier encountered during the Battle of Britain in "M.I.A."). At last, Brooklyn and his family reappear at Castle Wyvern to join the clan once more in the present day - only five minutes after Brooklyn had left. The Phoenix Gate then disappears, to return to the original point in the time-stream where it had first appeared, to begin its time loop all over again.

==GARGOYLES 2198== (This would have originally been called "Future Tense", but Mr. Weisman renamed it both to avoid confusion with the episode of that name and to make it sound more dramatic). This is set in the Gargoyles Universe in the year 2198. Most of the original cast, including Goliath, Elisa, Xanatos, and Brooklyn are long since dead by now. Gargoyles are recovering from their earlier near-extinction state; the United Nations has adopted a "Gargoyle Minority Protection Act" that grants gargoyles "Protected Minority" status, although humans are more inclined to grudgingly tolerate gargoyles than to accept them outright. There are now twelve gargoyle clans formed, with a thirteenth being founded at Queen Florence Island, made up of gargoyle eggs from every clan (for the purpose of making a step forward in uniting the scattered clans).

On March 21, 2198, the eggs at Queen Florence Island hatch, with the gargoyle leaders of all twelve clans and human heads of state all present. However, the Space-Spawn suddenly arrive and abduct all of them, afterwards proceeding to conquer the Earth by stealing the Master Matrix, which powers the entire planet.

Samson, a young gargoyle descended from Broadway and Angela, decides to lead a resistance movement against the Space-Spawn designed to liberate the Earth. He is joined by Delilah (a descendant of the original Delilah who becomes his second), Zafiro (a descendant of the original Zafiro), Nicholas Natsilane Maza (a descendant of the original Natsilane and the Mazas, who was raised by gargoyles and identifies with them), Nokkar (who feels ashamed at having failed to detect the Space-Spawn’s approach in time and wishes to redeem himself), Owen (currently stuck as Owen since Alexander, now Secretary-General of the United Nations, was among the human world leaders abducted), the LXM robots LXM-994 and LXM-1057 (Lexington-shaped robots created by the Lexington-Xanatos Corporation), Demona (who recognizes the Space-Spawn as a larger threat to gargoyles than humanity ever was), and a Timedancing Brooklyn and Fu-Dog. The group eventually splits up, with Nokkar taking some of the rebels (Demona, Zafiro, Nicholas, and LXM-1057) into outer space to battle the Space-Spawn in their own home, while Samson leads the rest on Earth.

The antagonists will include, besides the Space-Spawn, the Quarrymen (still around if somewhat out of favor; they believe the gargoyles to be in league with the Space-Spawn), the Illuminati (who have joined forces with the Space-Spawn out of self-interest), and Coyote-X (the current Coyote robot, who has decided to expand his plans to conquering the entire galaxy rather than just Earth).

DARK AGES

This prequel would have been set at Castle Wyvern, beginning when it was built in 971, upon Kenneth II becoming King of Scotland. It would deal with the beginnings of the alliance between the Wyvern clan (then under Hudson’s leadership) and Prince Malcolm, with Hudson and Prince Malcolm in the lead roles, Goliath, Demona (at that point named "Angel", short for "Angel of the Night"), and the ColdTrio in supporting roles, and the Archmage (who is allied with Iago) as a villain (although presumably one whose true nature has not yet been revealed to the Prince). The trio are only children at this point, and would most likely have had a minor, possibly comic-relief, role.

The series would have, if it had been made and continued long enough, covered the story of the Wyvern clan between the foundation of Castle Wyvern in 971 to its fall in 994, including an account of how Princess Elena and Prince Malcolm died. (Greg Weisman has mentioned having strong ideas for how those events took place, but has not revealed them as yet).

THE NEW OLYMPIANS

This spin-off was originally designed before "Gargoyles" was even made, and when it was called off and "Gargoyles" made instead, Greg worked the "New Olympians" episode into the second season of "Gargoyles" as a back-door pilot for it. (Of course, even then, it was still not made).

In "The New Olympians", a young man named Terry Chung decides, somewhat rashly, to sail around the world on his own, only to be caught in a storm near New Olympus, and rescued by Sphinx, a young female New Olympian. When she brings him to New Olympus, his arrival serves as the catalyst for the New Olympians to at last reveal themselves to the outside world, sending a delegation to the United Nations consisting of Taurus, Talos, and Sphinx. The human world would finally enter into diplomatic relations with New Olympus, Terry’s mother serving as an ambassador to the New Olympians from the United Nations.

Three factions spring up in New Olympian society over what to do about the humans. Some, such as Ekidne and Kiron (not to mention Ekidne’s daughter Medusa, a reluctant member of this party), want nothing to do with them. Others, such as Sphinx, want to make peace with them. A third group, led by Jove and including Helios and a son of Boreas, recall the days when the humans worshipped the New Olympians’ ancestors as gods, and want to bring them back. To make matters more complicated, Terry and Sphinx fall in love in a "Romeo-and-Juliet" style, much to the alarm and disgust of a great many humans and New Olympians alike. Xanatos enters into trade relations with New Olympus (for his own advantage) and Proteus also becomes involved in the events in time, in some unspecified but no doubt appropriately villainous manner.

PENDRAGON

In this spin-off (which "Pendragon" the episode was a back-door pilot to), King Arthur and Sir Griff embark on their quest for Merlin, visiting such places as Tintagel, Stonehenge, and even the South Pole. Along the way, they gain for a companion the Lady Blanchefleur, Sir Percival’s estranged wife. Arthur and his companions would have engaged in a number of clashes with the Illuminati and particularly Duval (no doubt connected to Duval’s true identity as Sir Percival, an erstwhile associate of Arthur’s and knight of the Round Table). They would also have encountered the Stone of Destiny again, in an episode reflecting its real-life return to Scotland in 1996.

Arthur and his companions would eventually have found Merlin in his Crystal Cave, and somehow released him. Afterwards, they would embark upon a fresh quest, for the Holy Grail. At some point, presumably, the issue would have arisen about Arthur’s having been awakened early, well ahead of schedule for "Britain’s greatest hour of need" that was supposed to be the occasion for his return from Avalon, and also the issue of what his ultimate goal in the modern world would have been. (Further evidence now reveals that Arthur will ultimately found his new headquarters in Antarctica, as New Camelot).

BAD GUYS

This one came closest to being made, even reaching a leika reel stage. In it, a mysterious personage known only as the Director recruits a series of "semi-reformed" villains from the original series to run missions for him, choosing these people because, as "bad guys", they are expendable. Robyn Canmore serves as their leader; the other members are Dingo, Matrix, Yama, and Fang. In the course of their "Dirty Dozen"-style adventures, they encounter many familiar figures from "Gargoyles", such as the bank robber/terrorists from "City of Stone Part One" (in the course of which we would learn what their cause was), the Pack, Castaway and the Quarrymen, and even Goliath’s clan. The Director would be using the Redemption Squad in part as a means of battling the Illuminati. Character-based complications along the way would include Dingo and Robyn developing a stormy relationship and Yama and Fang taking a strong dislike to each other.