Get set for Easter with Star Wars (really!) + 18 more sci-fi rabbits
We've already covered sci-fi versions of seasonal candy and colored eggs this Easter season, and now we turn to that other icon of the season: the Easter bunny.
From superheroes to starship pilots to samurai, check out these unforgettable sci-fi rabbits.
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Captain Carrot (Appears In: DC Comics) Captain Carrot is a superbunny from an alternate Earth who fuels his superpowers with "cosmic carrots" (and you thought they just improve your eyesight). He's not all that well-remembered today, but he did manage to snag a 20-issue series of his very own back in the '80s, and DC creators still throw references to the Captain and his Zoo Crew here and there.
Hoppy the Marvel Bunny (appears in: Fawcett Comics/DC Comics) Back in the 1940s, when Captain Marvel was among the most popular superheroes around, the Marvel Family was so large that they even got a rabbit. Hoppy was just a simple bunny who worshipped Captain Marvel when he tried out Marvel's magic word "Shazam!" Surprisingly, it worked, and Hoppy went on to appear in a number of Golden Age comics, even occasionally fighting alongside his hero.
"Frank" (appears in: Donnie Darko) One minute you're a teenage boy minding your own business, and the next a terrifying bunny is staring at you from across a golf course and telling you the world will end. Even if you're not quite sure why "Frank" is there, you have to admit he still haunts your dreams.
Bucky O'Hare (appears in: Bucky O'Hare comics and the Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars animated series) We haven't heard from Captain Bucky O' Hare in quite some time, but he's worth remembering for a number of reasons. For one thing, he was green. For another, he had a cool ship called the Righteous Indignation. And on top of that, he was the only thing that stood between all our favorite cute and cuddly animals and an army of brainwashed evil toads.
The March Hare (appears in: Alice in Wonderland) A rabbit having a cup of tea is adorable. A rabbit that's insane is freaky. An insane rabbit having tea is either freakishly adorable or adorably freaky. You be the judge.
Peppy Hare (appears in: Star Fox) Every intergalactic superstar pilot needs a mentor. For Luke Skywalker it was Obi-Wan Kenobi, and for Fox McCloud it was Peppy Hare and his unceasing, trademark pearl of wisdom: "Do a barrel roll!"
Super Rabbit (appears in: Timely Comics) You might have never heard of Super Rabbit, but he was a popular comedy character in the Golden Age of Comics, and he had the distinct honor of doing battle with a villain called Super Nazi, who just happened to be an evil pig with a Hitler mustache.
The Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog (appears in: Monty Python and the Holy Grail) Run away! Run away! No other adorable white furball has ever evoked such fear in the hearts of brave knights. Approach the dreaded Killer Rabbit only if you're equipped with a working Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch.
Giant Carnivorous Killer Rabbits (appear in: Night of the Lepus) Unless you're a certain Buffy the Vampire Slayer character, you probably don't think of bunnies as inherently creepy things. But don't try telling that to the puny humans who suffered the wrath of the gigantic bunnies that roamed Night of the Lepus.
Roger Rabbit (appears in: Who Framed Roger Rabbit?) Roger wasn't like other cartoon characters. He was always nervous, he liked to have a drink or two, and he bagged a hottie like Jessica Rabbit. Who else wants to go to this guy's Easter party?
Hazel (appears in: Watership Down) Richard Adams' novel Watership Down may be all about rabbits, but it's managed to be crowned a fantasy classic nonetheless, thanks in no small part to Hazel, the intrepid rabbit who dares all to save his people from certain doom.
Peter Cottontail (appears in: Here Comes Peter Cottontail) What's an Easter bunny to do when he oversleeps on the big day? Time travel, of course. Peter Cottontail is that rarest of rabbits, willing to not only go anywhere for Easter joy, but any time.
Moon (appears in: Beast Wars 2) What's better than a rabbit? A robot rabbit, of course. Moon isn't an active participant in the Beast Wars. He just watches, but he does bring a welcome silliness to the series as he observes the robotic battles from afar.
Harvey (appears in: Harvey) OK, so Harvey isn't technically a rabbit. He's a spirit that appears as a rabbit to one lonely but very pleasant man. Still, the whole playful mythological spirit that comes in the form of a bunny thing gives him some serious fantasy cred.
Miyamoto Usagi (appears in: Usagi Yojimbo) Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo is one of the most acclaimed comic books of the last 25 years, filled with drama and epic scope and mythic themes. It also happens to star a bunny who's very, very good with a sword.
Bunnicula (appears in: Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery) Lots of little kids dreaming of finding a rabbit and taking it home, but the kids who found Bunnicula got more than they bargained for. Other bunnies eat carrots, but this fanged little fella sucks them dry.
Bionic Bunny (appears in: Arthur) Just like us, beloved children's character Arthur the Aardvark has a favorite superhero. But while we love Superman, he loves Bionic Bunny, a super-powered rabbit with one crippling but rather odd weakness: salt.
"Hat Trick" Rabbit (appears in: Twilight Zone: The Movie) In the third segment of the Twilight Zone movie, a woman finds herself in the home of a very strange young boy and a family who seems to be at his mercy. When the boy insists that his uncle do a magic trick, things get out of hand when much more than an ordinary rabbit appears. Imagine if this kind of thing happened in malls this time of year.
Jaxxon (appears in: Marvel Comics' Star Wars) Yeah, there's a rabbit running around somewhere in the Star Wars galaxy. Created by Roy Thomas (who also helped bring Captain Carrot to life) Jaxxon is a fast-talking smuggler who teams up with a group called the "Star-Hoppers" and even gets to fight alongside Han Solo once or twice. If George Lucas is in the mood for even more revisions, we might end up seeing a CGI Jaxxon alongside Jar Jar someday.