Life underwater in SpongeBob SquarePants mirrors that of humans on land, and good old SpongeBob even has his favorite superheroes (who, funny enough, are human): Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. The series featured the pair of semi-retired heroes a couple of times, but they were reduced to non-speaking roles a few years back – and here’s why. SpongeBob SquarePants has been around long enough for viewers of all ages to get acquainted with its characters, beyond the ones who form the main cast.
SpongeBob SquarePants was created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg and debuted on Nickelodeon in 1999, becoming the most successful Nicktoon to date. The series follows the adventures of the title character in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom along with those of his friends Patrick Star, Sandy Cheeks, Squidward Tentacles, and Mr. Krabs. SpongeBob SquarePants features mostly sea creatures, but it has also featured characters from the surface (most notably Sandy), including humans.
SpongeBob’s heroes, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, are the only human characters in the series, and the only ones with superpowers (though Mermaid Man’s come from his suit and utility belt), but they are also two of the three characters that have been retired.
SpongeBob SquarePants: What Happened To Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy
Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy made their debut in SpongeBob SquarePants in season 1, where viewers (and Spongebob and Patrick) learned that the pair had been retired for years, and now live in Shady Shoals nursing home, far away from trouble and evil. SpongeBob and Patrick managed to take them out of retirement a few times, and Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy went on to appear in a couple more episodes after that. However, in more recent seasons, they have been reduced to non-speaking roles or simply appear as toys and in pictures.
The team behind SpongeBob SquarePants decided to retire Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy after the death of Ernest Borgnine, Mermaid Man’s voice. Barnacle Boy’s voice actor, Tim Conway, didn’t reprise his role following Borgnine’s death, and passed away in 2019. Borgnine and Conway portrayed the superhero duo in every appearance, except in season 7’s episode “Back to the Past”, where Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy were voiced by Adam West and Burt Ward, respectively, and Tom Kenny voiced young Mermaid Man in their first episode. Along with Grandma SquarePants, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy are the only SpongeBob SquarePants characters that have been retired, and it was all out of respect for their voice actors.