Thundarr the Barbarian is set in a future post-apocalyptic wasteland divided into kingdoms or territories — the majority of which are ruled by wizards. Another notable feature of this future Earth is that the Moon was broken in two pieces. The shattered moon and the ruins of the former human civilization were caused by the passage of a runaway planet between the Earth and the Moon in 1994, which, from scenes shown in the opening sequence, caused radical changes in the Earth's climate and geography. However, by the time period in which the series is set, the Earth and Moon seem to have settled into a new physical balance. Earth is reborn as "New Earth", a world of "savagery, super-science, and sorcery" far more chaotic than "Old Earth". Thundarr, a muscular warrior, whose companions include Princess Ariel, a formidable young sorceress, and Ookla the Mok traveled the world on horseback, battling mostly evil wizards who combine magical spells with reanimating technologies from the pre-catastrophe world. Some of these malevolent wizards enlist the service of certain mutant species in doing their bidding.
