Last August, Danny Phantom phans were treated to some fresh content when series creator Butch Hartman drew the main trio of Danny, Sam, and Tucker aged up 10 years later. Now Hartman has returned to draw even more characters – with new looks, new tech, and new storylines.
Just like in the first video, Hartman draws a few sketches for each character and then a final colored design. He also tosses ideas around for what he thinks has happened to them in the past 10 years. This time, he draws Danny’s family – Jazz, Jack, and Maddie – along with his arch-enemy, Vlad, and female clone, Dani.
Hartman stresses that the members of Team Phantom have united behind the Phantom logo, hinting that perhaps there’s now a Phantom or Fenton Corporation. There are quite a few exciting directions he imagines for the bunch, some of which toy with the show’s darker side.
Jazz Fenton
Hartman’s new designs of Jazz Fenton, Danny’s older brainy sister, show her as a more “energetic” member of Team Phantom with new ghost-hunting tech. The first design is a rather nice upgraded callback to a weapon she wore in the original series, the Fenton Peeler. In her second sketch, Jazz takes after her mom with a shorter haircut and a jumpsuit bearing the Phantom logo. It’s full of nostalgia and seems like a logical aged-up look for her to take.
Jazz’s final design deviates from what phans might expect, but it’s a cool concept. She’s essentially the “eyes in the sky” and wired into a tech chair back at Fenton Works. While the Jazz of old would have wanted to be directly in on the action, this version shows a more mature mindset in knowing where she’s needed most. And regardless of whether or not this design is used, hopefully, Jazz is still pursuing her love of psychology and uses it to help support the team.
Jack Fenton
Things start getting a little dark when it comes to the updated version of Danny’s father, Jack Fenton. The first version results in a cool new term: “ecto-tronic.” Hartman gives Jack an entirely mechanized form for the right half of his body, which Jack would be OK with but implies that he’s been in a lot of costly battles over the past decade.
The second design is much more subdued but still awesome. Jack gets an upgraded jumpsuit, a beard, and a “biker” ponytail that’s reminiscent of the ponytail of his good ol’ buddy, Vlad.
Jack’s final design capitalizes on the fame Danny Phantom might’ve gotten over the years. Hartman says that Jack would show off and sell more Fenton ecto-weaponry, giving him some new gear in the drawing. But with all that fame and success, there’d be enemies – both humans and ghosts – waiting to strike. Thus, this final design of Jack has a missing eye and leg as scars from battles. It hints at a darker, more angst-filled version of Danny Phantom that phans would love to see.
Maddie Fenton
Hartman draws Danny’s mom, Maddie with a short punk buzz-cut and a huge bazooka emphasizing her love of weapons.
Maddie’s second design builds on the first, but instead of a bazooka, she’s holding two huge ecto-bombs under her arms. (Moral of the story: don’t mess with Maddie Fenton!)
Her final version is certainly surprising, going in a Mad Max meets Walking Dead direction. Hartman has her holding two ghosts on leashes to help sense other ghosts, which is a cool concept, though you’d think she would have a futuristic Fenton gadget for the job. Her outfit is extremely different, with a short-sleeved shirt and an even shorter punk haircut.
Overall, the second sketch seems to be a better, more realistic design for Maddie, particularly in terms of outfits. However, the “ghost bat” in the final version is an awesome upgrade for the beloved Fenton Anti-Creep Stick.
Vlad Plasmius
Out of all the aged-up characters Hartman does, Vlad Plasmius might be the most thought-provoking. His first sketch is a simple, pointed upgrade of his original look.
The second version, Hartman admits, might “freak a few people out,” but it delves into that dark corner of the show again. This one is an upgrade of his human persona, Vlad Masters, complete with pointed hair, a fancy new suit, and a white tiger by his side. But it’s the person to his right that makes things freaky: a successfully cloned Danny Fenton. Vlad tried and failed to make an exact Danny replica in the original series (he made Dani Phantom as a by-product), so seeing this Danny raises plenty of questions about the past 10 years that would be fun to explore.
The third version gives Vlad a medieval, kingly look with armor and a sword, but the final design is where the ideas really start churning. Ten years after the series finale, “Phantom Planet,” in which Vlad is stranded in space, Hartman shares his idea of what happened next. He thinks aliens may have enslaved Vlad and he draws him escaping with a broken chain on his wrist. Vlad has shaved hair and a tattered purple slave uniform, and he really wants to get Danny now. This is one of the most concrete ideas Hartman has shared for a potential revival. Phans should definitely be excited.
Dani Phantom
Finally, Hartman draws Danny’s female clone, Danielle Phantom. Her first two versions toy with possible evil and good personas she might take on when she’s 20. The third version also goes dark, with pointed ears and ghostly hair. Dani’s final design rocks. Her flame-like hair is reminiscent of Dark Danny’s, and her outfit echoes that of Danny’s 10 years older design. Whichever version she ends up with, it’s worth noting that in a different video, Hartman said that had the series continued, the Fenton’s would’ve adopted Dani. So at least we have an idea of what she might’ve been doing this past decade.
What this video boils down to is that all these new designs give more validity to a possible revival. The idea of an alien-enslaved Vlad is Hartman’s first detailed storyline to specifically continue off of “Phantom Planet.” He even says that this is the Vlad “I would probably bring back in Danny Phantom 10 years later.” While nothing is set in stone yet, all these ideas give us a taste of what might (or might not) be in the works.
Check out Butch Hartman drawing the original Danny Phantom trio 10 years later here:
