Underdog

Underdog (Shoeshine Boy) is the titular main protagonist of both the classic cartoon show, and its 2007 movie adaption of the same name. Breed was unknown in the cartoon, but he is a beagle in the live action movie.
The premise is that "humble and lovable" Shoeshine Boy, a cartoon dog, is in truth the superhero Underdog. When villains threat, Shoeshine Boy ducks into a telephone booth where he transforms into the caped and costumed hero, destroying the booth in the process when his super powers are activated. In the live action film, he portrays as an actual dog, which appears as a beagle, who becomes Jack Unger's pet.
In the 1964 animated series, he was voiced by the late Wally Cox. In the 2007 live-action film, he was voiced by Jason Lee, who also played Earl Hickey in My Name Is Earl and Dave Seville in the live-action Alvin and the Chipmunks films
==Depictions ==
=== Underdog (1964-1967) ===
Underdog is an anthropomorphic dog who works as a shoeshiner, named Shoeshine Boy. Whenever villains appeared, Shoeshine Boy would run into a telephone booth and transform into the caped superhero Underdog.
===Underdog (2007)===
In the 2007 live-action film, Underdog/Shoeshine is a former bomb-squad canine who is rejected from the other dogs.
He is abducted off the street by Cad, who takes him to Simon Barsinister's lab. Luckily, Shoeshine escapes and is found by Dan Unger after running from Rottweiler Riff Raff and his lackeys. Dan's son, Jack, becomes jealous of Shoeshine's attention. He is left home alone, unaware of his powers, even setting off a very large mess. Jack initially runs away, but after they reach a park, Jack and Shoeshine talk and bond over their respective attraction to Molly and Polly, Jack's friend, and her dog. After the girls leave, Jack and Shoeshine test Shoeshine´s powers. Shoeshine has super speed, strength, hearing, and smell.
When Molly and Polly are mugged, Shoeshine rushes to their aid, discovering he can fly. After discreetly rescuing them, Shoeshine returns home with Jack, making Jack promise to never reveal his powers. Cad shows up at the door with posters of Shoeshine, but Jack fools him into leaving just before Dan comes home to discover the mess. Shoeshine disguises himself and saves the hostages, but Cad escapes. Shoeshine adopts the alias Underdog and becomes the city's resident superhero, donning a red sweater and blue cape as his disguise.
Simon repeatedly fails to recreate his serum and sends Cad to obtain a sample of Underdog's DNA. Shoeshine is rebuffed by Polly but gets a date with her as Underdog. Cad fails to capture Underdog but obtains his collar, which contains Underdog's name and address. Barsinister and Cad kidnap Dan and force him to call Shoeshine for help. Shoeshine and Jack attempt a rescue, but Barsinister uses both Jack and Dan as hostages to convince Shoeshine to give up his DNA. Barsinister synthesizes Underdog's superpowers into pills, injects Shoeshine with an antidote to the serum, and feeds the super pills to three trained German Shepherds. However, after they escape, the trio pursue Barsinister with a hypodermic needle filled with the antidote.
Despite being powerless, Shoeshine smells the bomb and, conquering his self-doubt, enters the building despite having lost his powers. During a scuffle with Barsinister, Shoeshine accidentally rips open Barsinister's pocket and swallows a super pill, restoring his powers. Shoeshine temporarily incapacitates the German Shepherds after he hears Molly and Polly cry for help, but Barsinister eats a pill and distracts Shoeshine by tossing a shield like a Frisbee. When the German Shepherds recover, Shoeshine convinces them to turn on Barsinister, who has not treated them well.
While they restrain Barsinister, Underdog shows up at the bomb location, removes the mind-control serum from the bomb, and the bomb itself, saving Molly and Polly, who take the mind-control serum to the police. Shoeshine, dressed now as Underdog, buries the bomb in a tunnel at the park as it explodes. Underdog tries to escape, but is caught in the explosion, launched into space, and presumed dead, but a mournful crowd is overjoyed when he recovers. Shoeshine returns to protecting Capital City as Underdog.
==Personality==
In the live-action film, Underdog is Heroic, brave, kind, selfless, humorous, adventurous, dependable, and sarcastic. He saves those in need of rescuing from criminals on the street and has fallen in love with Polly Purebred. He cares very much for his family, especially pointing out that he had lost the one thing he cared about: his family rather than his powers.
Shoeshine is also best friends with his owner Jack Unger, who is initially the only one to know of his identity as Underdog.
==Powers and Abilities==
*Superhuman Strength: Underdog has displayed a form of high-level superhuman strength. In the animated series, it is depicted as being nearly limitless. In the live action film, he can stop a speeding car by clamping onto the rear bumper and pulling as hard as possible.  
*Superhuman Durability: Underdog can withstand an incredible amount of punishment. In the live action film, he is durable enough to get hit by a vehicle and remain completely unharmed. In the animated series, this ability is inconsistent.  
*Flight: Underdog can defy gravity and achieve flight. In the live action film, he can travel at the speed of sound. However, in the lyrics of the opening theme to the animated series, he is said to have the speed of lightning.  
*Communication: Underdog has the ability to speak human language. 
*Telepathy: Underdog has the 
ability to read the minds of everybody around him understand what they are saying
*Digging ability
*Superspeed: Underdog has the ability to dash and move faster than any ordinary person or canine
*Power renewal: In order to refresh his powers, Underdog takes an Underdog Super Energy Pill, which he keeps inside a ring.
  
==Trivia==
*As Underdog, Shoeshine often speaks in rhyme.
*The scene where Underdog and Polly have their dinner date with spaghetti and meatballs in the film is a reminiscent of Lady and Tramp's dinner in Lady and the Tramp.
==Gallery==
Shoeshine-Boy.jpg|Underdog's Alter-Ego as Humble and Lovable Shoeshine Boy.
Dfhw2r5-3f7cd244-5ed3-4135-b27a-6947b03ae9ca.png
Underdog.png|Underdog as was shown in the movie.
Shoeshine-underdog-2007-RYMCYM.jpg
Shoeshine-underdog-2007-BPT53Y.jpg
File:Shutterstock 5881622p.jpg
File:Shutterstock 5881622m.jpg
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