D.O.P.E. (superhero team)

D.O.P.E. stands for "Defenders of Planet Earth". They are a superhero team. Their adventures are detailed in the "D.O.P.E. Defenders of Planet Earth" comic books - Volume 1 (1992-1995) in the Initial Era and Volume 2 (2011-present) in the Current Era.
==Group Information==
Members: The main four members of D.O.P.E. are The Leper, Flambé, Saliva-Man and Pinhead
Headquarters: Quadropolis
Created: in May 1992 by Michael J. Longo
First Appearance: D.O.P.E. Volume 1, Number 1 (May 1992)
==Initial Era==
thumb|left|D.O.P.E. main fourD.O.P.E. first appeared in the Initial Era in D.O.P.E. Volume 1, Number 1 (May 1992). The four main members in this first run of comic books looked the same, and all were named the same except for Flambé who was called The Flaming Idiot. Their real names were all different as well. In issue #1, the four friends are travelling cross country, and after driving through a nuclear testing area are given superpowers and become a superhero team. Also their van is changed by the nuclear fallout into a armed spacecraft.
The heroes go back to the city, build the D.O.P.E. Building, a skyscraper base, and enlist 99 "heroes", many of questionable abilities and heroism. The team then encounters a few supervillains, like Peanut Butter and Jelly, and Lunatic, and some members beyond the main four see some action.
thumb|D.O.P.E. vanIn a crossover with Sprinkles (in "Sprinkles the Psychotic Moose" Volume 1, Numbers 12-14), the main four members investigate a number of murders in Northwater Woods and battle Sprinkles and Jack. They are brutally defeated by the duo and end up in Quadropolis General Hospital.
Meanwhile a gigantic monster named Sludge terrorizes the city, and the rest of the D.O.P.E. members are left to deal with him. Several go out and try to defeat or even stop or contain Sludge but fail. The main four triumphantly return in time to defeat the huge creature.
thumb|left|D.O.P.E. buildingLater, in Sprinkles the Psychotic Moose Volume 1, Numbers 23-24, several members of D.O.P.E. go looking for Sprinkles in the city. They find him and four of the six member team end up dead - Wick-Man, Gutterball, the Muffler, and Tommy the Tiger. Only Mr. Mako and Numbskull survive the encounter, albeit injured.
At a full D.O.P.E. assembly, the main four get applause until Big Mouth starts heckling them. When Leper shows his cockiness, the group starts booing him. However, faced with a direct challenge from Big Mouth, the main four go out to fight Crudzilla. The monster is only defeated with the help of Turk, so Big Mouth is quick to declare the main four to be unfit as leaders of D.O.P.E. When he is challenged to prove himself, he's quick to confront the next villain who attacks. It turns out to be Explo, and Big Mouth is scared once he realizes Explo is using real dynamite. Leper defeats Explo, and order is restored with the superhero group.
In Short Story #3, the homogenous nature of D.O.P.E. members is made light of, as two non-male members of D.O.P.E. are introduced - Ivan-Ho the Russian Transexual, and Spite, the knife-throwing ninja.
===Members===
right
In the Initial Era, there were 103 members of D.O.P.E. They were each given identification numbers. Many were shown and several were identified in the 15 issue run of the title. Here are the known ones with their official D.O.P.E. member number in parentheses (if known):
* The Leper
* Flaming Idiot
* Saliva-Man
* Pinhead
* Coco (#5)
* Watermelon-Man (#6)
* Cin-a-man (#8)
* Apples (#9)
* Coco-Lad (#10)
* The Muffler (#14)
* Wick-Man (#16)
* Tommy the Tiger (#18)
* Slimy (#22)
* Mr. Mako (#26)
* Numbskull (#27)
* Commercial Guy (#38)
* Potted Plant Man (#45)
* Spite (#49)
* Checkmate (#54)
* The Hedge (#61)
* Plop (#63)
* Fizz (#64)
* Ahh (#65)
* Ivan-Ho (#72)
* M.C. Frog (#77)
* Sea Horse (#78)
* Super Octopus (#80)
* Big Mouth (#85)
* Amazin' Tree (#92)
* Big Weenie (#95)
* a fish (in issue #6)
* Mr. Fern
===Subdivisions===
In issue #6, we learn that D.O.P.E. has subdivisions. There's an Aquatic Corps, led by Sea Horse, and a Cereal Brigade, led by Apples and Cin-a-Man. Essentially any DOPE heroes that fit the category belong to that subdivision. We see Mr. Mako, Super Octopus and a fish in the Aquatic Corps. We see Tommy the Tiger the Cereal Brigade (and Plop, Fizz, and Ahh are obvious members, too).
In issue #12, we learn of two more subdivisions - the Food Group, led by Watermelon-Man and the Plant Squad, led by Amazin' Tree.
At the end of issue #14 there is an incomplete org chart that shows the structure of D.O.P.E. into subdivisions. It shows Mr. Mako and Super Octopus as part of the Aquatic Corps, Plop Fizz and Ahh as members of the Cereal Brigade, Coco, Coco-Lad and Big Weenie as members of the Food Group, and Mr. Fern and the Hedge as part of the Plant Squad. It also throws everyone else (not part of the aforementioned subdivisions) into a bottom group - Everyone Else.
Category:Superhero team
Category:DOPE member