The Big Picture

“Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” is hailed as the best adaptation of the tabletop game, with a diverse and entertaining party of characters. The film cleverly pays homage to the original 1980s animated series of “Dungeons & Dragons” by featuring the characters from the show in a climactic sequence. The main party members from the animated series each have distinct roles and unique magical artifacts, adding depth to the story and their abilities.

Editor’s Note: The following article contains spoilers for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among ThievesIt’s practically guaranteed that Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is going to go down in history as the best adaptation of the popular tabletop role-playing game that we’ve gotten yet, but the honor of the earliest adaptation of the board game goes to a little 1980s animated series simply titled, Dungeons & Dragons.

Honor Among Thieves certainly has a party of characters worth boasting about, each of whom fulfills a classic archetype from the game the film is based on. There’s the charismatic bard (Chris Pine), the brutal barbarian (Michelle Rodriguez), the awkward mage (Justice Smith), the stealthy druid (Sophia Lillis), and the noble paladin (Regé-Jean Page). Each party member brings their own skill sets to the table for a massively entertaining and surprisingly funny adventure, all resulting in a brilliant climactic sequence. Before the band of heroes teams up to face the dreaded Red Wizard Sofina, they are trapped in a gladiatorial arena that has a layout that’s remarkably similar to a Dungeons & Dragons game board.

It’s during that clever climactic sequence that we see another nod to Dungeons & Dragons history. As the main characters prepare the fight for their lives in a deadly gauntlet, they’re joined by two other parties. The first group isn’t comprised of anyone particularly special, with all of them effectively used by the film as cannon fodder to display the horrors of what awaits the thieves in Forge’s (Hugh Grant) arena. The second group, however, is much more significant as they’re dressed in simple, borderline neon clothing and certainly stand out among the more serious-looking character. If you were an avid fan of cartoons in the 1980s, it’s possible you recognized this party as the stars of the cult-classic animated Dungeons & Dragons series.

What is the Dungeons & Dragons Animated Series?

As fans of Stranger Things know, Dungeons & Dragons arguably reached the height of its popularity in the 1980s, being a particular favorite of younger players. Perhaps noticing the massive popularity of the RPG, CBS, and Marvel Productions greenlit an animated series from creator Mark Evanier (Garfield and Friends), who put a more modern twist on the classic fantasy franchise.

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As the show’s intro describes, the Dungeons & Dragons animated series centers on a group of six children from the then-modern-day 1980s. They’re living a normal day by spending their time at their local theme park, which just so happens to have opened a new ride based on Dungeons & Dragons. Once the ride gets going, it becomes clear to the group of six that this is no ordinary ride, as they soon enter a portal that sends them to the magical realm of the fantasy franchise. It doesn’t take long for them to see how dangerous this world is, being attacked by a multi-headed dragon and the dark lord Venger (Peter Cullen). Luckily, the group is saved by the wise and kind Dungeon Master (Sidney Miller), who gifts each of the children a magical artifact and various heroic titles.

Thus, a new adventure for these once-normal youths begins as they venture across the Forgotten Realms of Dungeons & Dragons, with their goals now being to stop the dreaded Venger and perhaps even find a way back home. But who are the main party members of the Dungeons & Dragons animated series?

Hank the Ranger

The de facto leader of the party in the Dungeons & Dragons animated series is Hank (Willie Aames), who is given the title of Ranger by the Dungeon Master. Hank is exactly what you would expect from a main protagonist from a 1980s cartoon show. He’s a strong and courageous leader with little-to-no flaws to speak of, completing the ensemble with some glorious flowing blonde hair that looks like it came straight out of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. When naming Hank a ranger, the Dungeon Master also gifts Hank with a magical bow, which has an endless supply of energy arrows that can be used for various situations both within and outside of combat.

Eric the Cavalier

The antithesis to Hank in many ways, where the leader of the party is largely selfless and responsible, Eric (Don Most) is typically a pretentious brat who often looks for himself above anything else. Eric is certainly the one who has the most difficult time living in the world of Dungeons & Dragons, very much wishing he could go back home to his comfortable and privileged lifestyle. Though he’s often the cause of many of the party’s problems, Eric does ultimately have a conscience, and almost always does the right thing for his friends in the end. Eric’s gift is a mighty shield, which is capable of blocking almost any hostile force be it mortal or magical.

Diana the Acrobat

As her title implies, Diana (Tonia Gayle Smith) is the most athletic of the group. She’s also the party’s main source of positivity and inspiration. Being transported to a magical realm where almost everything around you wants to do you harm is hardly easy, yet Diana is always there to offer words of encouragement and bring solutions to the table, so to speak. Her gift is an incredibly durable staff, which makes for easy traversal and formidable combat.

Presto the Magician

Presto (Adam Rich) isn’t just the magical authority for the party outside the Dungeon Master, he’s also the overall brains of the group. Where Diana often provides optimism, Presto is more the source of practicality, always trying to find more realistic solutions to problems despite existing in the least realistic world possible. Presto’s gift from the Dungeon Master is arguably the most powerful of all, being a magical magician’s hat that can conjure virtually anything the group may need when in a bind (although it’s dependent on Presto’s still novice magic skill).

Sheila the Thief

Sometimes stealth is a more productive option than a head-on fight, and that’s where Sheila (Katie Leigh) comes in. Sheila occasionally struggles with her self-confidence, and often is fearful of the many dangers of the realm that she and her friends are trapped in. However, she always comes in to aid her friends whenever she’s able. Predating the Harry Potter franchise by quite a while, Sheila has a cloak of invisibility of her own, which allows her to sneak past threats undetected.

Bobby the Barbarian

Last but not least is Sheila’s little brother, Bobby (Teddy Field III) the Barbarian. Being the baby of the group, Bobby is often lovably naive and even gets more excited than the rest of the team when he finds out he gets to live out the ultimate fantasy story. The world proves to be a bit more unforgiving and dangerous than Bobby expected, but at least he has his trusty pet unicorn, Uni (Frank Welker), to keep him company. Bobby wields a massive wooden club, channeling his inner Bam-Bam to wack all of he and his party’s enemies.

How Does the Party from the Dungeons & Dragons Animated Series Appear in Honor Among Thieves?

If Honor Among Thieves is a canonical sequel to the animated series (which it more than likely isn’t), then this means that the party members of the show never made it back home. That’s because when we see them in the film’s climax, all dressed exactly how they were in the 1980s, but they’re quite a bit older than they were in the show. That goes double for Bobby, who now looks like he may be the oldest of the group despite being the youngest in the series. If you were worried that the group met their end by getting mauled by a Displacer Beast, devoured by a Mimic, or absorbed by a Gelatinous Cube, don’t worry. As we see in the film, the party is able to solve the maze and safely reside in a cage, where hopefully they survived Sofina’s attack and were able to embark on their next adventure.