- Type: TV
- Studio: Century 21 Television Incorporated Television Company
- Publish Date 1967-09-29
- Status: Completed
- Genre: Action Animation Family Sci-Fi Thriller
- Scores: 2.53 by 4,405 reviews
- Duration: 25 min
- Views: 382
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
2068 marks the start of the series. The crew of the Zero-X spacecraft is examining Mars' surface in the first episode after strange radio signals were discovered to be emanating from the planet. After mistaking an innocuous surveillance gadget for a weapon, the astronauts launch a missile attack on the alien metropolis they later learn to be the cause of the problem. The Mysterons, a group of sentient computers who have some degree of power over matter and speak in a deep, echoing voice, live in the city. They declare war on Earth after using their ability to "reverse matter" to rebuild their city and vow vengeance for humanity's unjustified assault. Reversing matter, also known as "retrometabolism," enables the Mysterons to recreate individuals and items as controllable facsimiles. Through the use of this power, the Mysterons are able to wage a "war of nerves" against Earth in which they threaten specific targets, ranging from world leaders and military installations to entire cities and continents, and then demolish and rebuild any tools (whether human beings or physical objects) required to carry out their plans. Twin bands of green light are projected upon images of destruction and reconstruction, indicating the presence of the Mysterons. Although the aliens can affect events on Mars, their reproduced intermediaries typically carry out their acts on Earth.