Original Air Date
- Dec. 24, 2025
Part 1 Begins
Super Show ID 1: Superhero Smash (0:10)
- Happy Christmas Eve!
- You’re listening to Superhero Smash on WIUP FM 90.1
- A musical force for good!
- Featuring “The Best in Superhero Music and Comic Book Lore”
- I’m your host, Dr. Gian Pagnucci, a.k.a. The New Professor X
Heroic Audio Episode Theme: Saving Christmas! (1:00)
- This is a special holiday episode
- And I’m bringing you something new
- A holiday adventure!
- There are many stories in which heroes must band together to save Christmas
- So that will be the focus of this Superhero Smash Super Special!
- Join me and the Legion of Superhero Smash fans as we work together to save Christmas
- It’s going to be tons of fun and great music
- To get things started, I’m going to set the stage with this Christmas classic by Bing Crosby
Heroic Opening Song 1 (2:00)
- “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby
Heroic Audio Episode Theme: Saving Christmas! (0:10)
- Oh no! What’s this?
Heroic Sounds (0:01)
- “Spider Sense” Spider-Man Sound Effect
Oh no! What’s this? (0:30)
- That’s right!
- Our spider sense is going crazy!
- Something has gone wrong!
- We thought we were going to get a white Christmas, but instead, all we seem to be getting is rain
- How dreary
- As this next Christmas song bemoans
Heroic Opening Song 2 (3:28)
- “I Believe in Father Christmas” by Emerson, Lake, & Palmer
- Yes, folks, its Christmas time, but we’ve got rain promised instead of snow
- Luckily, it will still feel like Christmas because
Super Show ID 2: Superhero Smash (0:30)
- You’re listening to Superhero Smash on WIUP FM 90.1
- A musical force for good!
- Featuring “The Best Superhero Music and Comic Book Lore” in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the DC Cinematic Universe, and our U-niverse too!
- Check out pagnucci.org and click the big Superhero Smash button
- Or email the New Professor X using the address SuperheroSmash3000@gmail.com
- I love to hear from the Legion of Superhero Smash Fans
- And you can rest assured that no matter how much super cool stuff I talk about on the show, you don’t have to worry because this is a NO SPOILERS show!
- If you are enjoying today’s show, you can catch more Superhero Smash every Wednesday from Noon to 1:00 p.m. during IUP’s Winter Break on WIUP FM 90.1
Curses! There’s evil afoot! (0:30)
- Now every superhero story needs a supervillain, but who could be evil enough to make it rain at Christmas time, when all we wanted was some fluffy white snowflakes
- Could it be the Flash’s arch foe, the Weather Wizard?
- That evil supervillain does know how to control the weather
- Or is it someone even more evil, perhaps with a heart three sizes too small???
Evil Christmas Song (2:56)
- “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” by Thurl Ravenscroft
Green is the color of EVIL! (0:30)
- Ah the Grinch!
- He certainly was evil
- Trying to ruin Christmas for all the Who’s down in Whoville
- How do we know he’s evil?
- Well, he’s green, and green is the color of EVIL!
- Just think, the Joker had green hair
- Poison Ivy had green lips
- The Riddler always wore green
- There are all kinds of evil supervillains who are green
- Including…
Heroic Sounds (0:06)
- “You Wouldn’t Like Me When I’m Angry” Hulk Sound Effect
Curses! There’s evil afoot! (5:00)
- A little nod to Bill Bixby, who played the incredible Hulk in the TV series from the 1970’s
- Superhero Smash Back Issue Bin (Season III): Audio Issue #50: The 2025 Thanksgiving Superhero Smash Super-Sized Special!
- In this action-packed audio episode, Superhero Smash tells listeners all about superheroes and their big appetites for food and fun!
- So, it’s raining at Christmas
- And the Grinch is back to his evil tricks
- It looks like the Legion of Superhero Smash Fans are going to need to try to save Christmas
- We’ll start by playing this next song which is called “Saving Christmas”
- It premiered in the 2024 Christmas film, Red One, in which Santa Claus gets kidnapped and his body guard, played by The Rock, must team up with a notorious thief, played by Chris Evans
- And I should mention that the rumor mill is going wild because Evans is supposed to be returning as Captain America in Avengers: Doomsday which of course will feature another villain who dresses in green, Doctor Doom
- Avengers: Doomsday should be out in 2026
- And as a lead up to the that eagerly awaited movie, Marvel Studios will be re-releasing Avengers: Endgame in theaters in October
- Be sure to get out there to see it, MCU fans
- According to Box Office Mojo’s “Top Lifetime Grosses” list,
- Currently, Avatar ranks as the highest grossing movie of all time at $2.92 billion
- Avengers: Endgame ranks second at $2.79 billion
- Time to regain the number 1 spot, Avengers fans!
- Meantime, if you are missing Chris Evans like I have been since we last saw him in Avengers: Endgame, I recommend checking out Red One during the holidays
- I really enjoyed the film
- And now is a good time to watch it because Santa is missing again!
- The Villains of Christmas Gloom left a card at the North Pole that said, “This year, we’re putting everyone on the naughty list so there will be no Christmas!”
- Santa has disappeared!
- Mrs. Claus is so upset that she’s stopped baking cookies!
- The elves have been calling for help!
- The elves think the only people who can help find Santa are the Legion of Superhero Smash fans!
- We’ve got to act quickly, legionnaires, if we are going to find Santa and save Christmas!
- To get us started, here is…
Heroic Theme Song (3:23)
- “Saving Christmas” by Henry Jackman
Part 1 Ends (@20 minutes)
Part 2 Begins (@20 minutes)
Super Show ID 3: Superhero Smash (0:30)
- Listen to Superhero Smash on WIUP FM 90.1
- A musical force for good!
- Featuring “The Best Superhero Music and Comic Book Lore” in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the DC Cinematic Universe, and our Universe too!
- Check out pagnucci.org and click the big Superhero Smash button
- Or email the New Professor X using the address SuperheroSmash3000@gmail.com
- I love to hear from the Legion of Superhero Smash Fans
- If you are enjoying today’s show, you can catch more Superhero Smash every Wednesday from Noon to 1:00 p.m. during IUP’s Winter Break on WIUP FM 90.1
Time to Get Some Super Help! (3:00)
- So in case you’re just tuning in, let me get you up to speed on our super adventure
- Things are miserable!
- It’s raining instead of snowing!
- The Grinch is causing mischief!
- And Santa is missing in action!
- We need some super help, and we need it fast!
- Sounds like a job for The Flash, doesn’t it?
- The Legion of Superhero Smash fans know I do love to play Flash actor Grant Gustin’s I’m Your “Super Friend” song
- I’m mean, where else can you hear these amazing superhero songs except on WIUP FM 90.1’s Superhero Smash, but since it’s Christmas, let’s go with another hero who’s super fast
Saving Christmas Song 1 (2:54)
- “Run Run Rudolph” by Luke Bryan
Time to Get Some Super Help! (5:00)
- Ok, the Flash and Rudolph have teamed up with us to find Santa
- But it’s still not going to be easy
- While I’m on the subject, I should mention that there are some great Justice League pop figures out there for Christmas, including one of Flash dressed up as Rudolph and dashing along with a bag of toys
- A lot of local comic book shops carry these holiday pop figures, and there are lots of cool ones to choose from
- I like SCG Hobby which has 4 stores in Indiana, Altoona, Latrobe, and North Huntingdon
- Although I still miss Infinity Comics which was run by my old friend Alvin who retired this summer and closed his shop, alas
- I know Alvin is down in Florida, enjoying a warm Christmas with his mother
- But most comic book stores carry these holiday pop figures, and they are sooo cool!
- My personal favorite is Batman dressed up as Scrooge since Batman can be a little grouchy
- I have several of the holiday pop figures, but I just learned while researching for this Superhero Smash adventure episode that Funko has released a whole new batch of cool female holiday superheroes: Supergirl, Batgirl, Harley Quinn, Catwoman, and Poison Ivy, all sporting holiday costumes
- Batgirl is even dusted with snow and they all look fantastic
- Looks like I’ll have to make a dash to a comic book store before they close for Christmas
- Hopefully I can go as fast as Rudolph, who’s a superhero in his own right, as this next song shows
Saving Christmas Song 2 (3:19)
- “Rudolph the Reindeer Superhero” by The New Carpenters and Featuring Sean Brown & Gemma Bulos
Searching for Santa! (2:00)
- Flash has been running all over looking for Santa with no luck
- And Rudolph has been flying around, looking for Santa too
- As Rudolph flies toward New York City, it seems like he might be getting close because suddenly, the Villains of Christmas Gloom seem to be trying to stop him
- Gasp!
- They’ve sent up some planes to attack Rudolph
- We’d better send Rudolph some help!
Saving Christmas Song 3 (3:04)
- “Snoopy’s Christmas” by The Royal Guardsmen
Thank Goodness for Snoopy! (2:00)
- Snoopy got there just in time to help Rudolph
- Thank goodness!
- They made it to New York City
- The Villains of Christmas Gloom have got to have Santa hidden somewhere in the Big Apple
- Unfortunately, Rudolph and Snoopy don’t know the city very well and the elves called the Flash back to the North Pole to help console Mrs. Claus
- Luckily, there is a superhero in New York City who can help in the search for Santa!
- Rudolph tells Spider-Man they are looking for Santa, and Spidey swings into action!
Saving Christmas Song 4 (2:42)
- “Spidey-Bells (A Hero’s Lament)” by Chris Pine
- Chris Pine, who sang that song, was featured as Steve Trevor in Wonder Woman
Part 2 Ends (@44 minutes)
Part 3 Begins (@44 minutes)
Super Show ID 4: Superhero Smash (0:30)
- Listen to Superhero Smash on WIUP FM 90.1
- A musical force for good!
- Featuring “The Best Superhero Music and Comic Book Lore” in the MCU, DCU, and our U-niverse too!
- Check out pagnucci.org and click the big Superhero Smash button
- Or email the New Professor X using the address SuperheroSmash3000@gmail.com
- I love to hear from the Legion of Superhero Smash Fans
- I want to give a Superhero Smash Super Shout-out to all the students in my English 281: Superhero Literature winter course
- Those students are working hard to become a group of New Avengers
- Becoming a superhero is not an easy job, so keep up the hard work everybody!
- If you are enjoying today’s show, you can catch more Superhero Smash every Wednesday from Noon to 1:00 p.m. during IUP’s Winter Break on WIUP FM 90.1
We need some Christmas magic! (2:00)
- Spider-Man has found Santa, but oh no, the supervillains have tied him to the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center
- The Grinch has been joined by the Joker and the Green Goblin who are trying to put an end to Christmas
- And the Weather Wizard is there too. No wonder we haven’t gotten any snow for Christmas yet!
- It looks like the Villains of Christmas Gloom may stop the holiday from coming. Oh no!
- Our only hope is Spider-Man, Rudolph, and Snoopy
- The small team of valiant superheroes are preparing to battle the Villains of Christmas Gloom
- But wait! What’s that red blur appraoch?
- It’s the Flash dashing in at the last minute!
- And he’s carrying another superhero
- The Flash has brought Doctor Strange to the battle!
- As Legionnaires will remember…
- Superhero Smash Back Issue Bin (Season III): Audio Issue #25: Doctor Strange (6/6/24)
- This action packed episode is all about the master of the mystic arts, Doctor Strange
- Doctor Strange is the Sorcerer Supreme
- He quickly calls upon the magic of Christmas and casts a spell
Saving Christmas Song 5 (3:10)
- “Christmas Magic” by Laufey from Red One
Doctor Strange frees Santa! (o:30)
- There is a big battle, but Doctor Strange’s Christmas magic helps save the day
- The superheroes are able to defeat the Villains of Christmas Gloom
- Spidey swings up and frees Santa from where he was tied to the giant Christmas tree
- The superheroes have won!
- Then everyone starts to dance…
Saving Christmas Song 6 (2:03)
- “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee
Saving Christmas Song 7 (3:49)
- “Santa’s Got a Zoot Suit” by Dave Rudolph
Christmas is saved! (0:30)
- Everyone has worked together to save Christmas
- It’s a Christmas miracle!
- New Yorkers from across the city converge on Rockefeller Square to celebrate and spread peace and goodwill to all!
Saving Christmas Song 7 (4:40)
- “A New York Christmas” by Rob Thomas
- The New Professor X’s favorite Christmas song!
Super Show ID 5: Superhero Smash (1:00)
- Listen to Superhero Smash on WIUP FM 90.1
- A musical force for good!
- Featuring “The Best Superhero Music and Comic Book Lore” in the MCU, the DCU, and our U too!
- Check out pagnucci.org and click the big Superhero Smash button
- Or email the New Professor X using the address SuperheroSmash3000@gmail.com
- I love to hear from the Legion of Superhero Smash Fans
- And remember, while Superhero Smash is about the adventures of amazing individuals,
- “You don’t need superpowers to be a hero. The only thing it takes to be a hero is the courage to do what’s right when someone needs your help.”–Gian Pagnucci
We Saved Christmas (1:00)!
- Thanks, Legionnaires. With your help, we managed to rescue Santa and save Christmas
- Great work!
- It’s time to close the book on this Superhero Smash Saving Christmas adventure
- Hope you had as much fun as I did
- And guess what? We saved Christmas just in the nick of time!
- We have time for one more song before we wrap up this musical adventure
- I mentioned that Avengers: Endgame will be back in theaters in Fall 2026
- But while you’re waiting, I found this really cool Christmas version of the Avengers theme song
Heroic End Credits Song 1 (0:36)
- “Christmas With the Joker / Jingle Bells Batman Smells” by Shirley Walker and Featuring Mark Hamill
Oh No! The Joker Got Away (0:30)!
- Wait? What? I wasn’t expecting that song!
- Curses!
- The Joker must have managed to sneak away while all the superheroes were dancing!
- Better tune in to next week to see if we can catch him!
Super Show ID 6: Superhero Smash To Be Continued Next Issue! (0:30)
- Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel: Superhero Smash will be back for another exciting episode next week on Wednesday from noon to 1:oo p.m.
- Happy Holidays, everyone, from the New Professor X!
Heroic End Credits Song 2 (2:42)
- “The Avengers Christmas Medley” by Alala
Part 4 Ends (@62 minutes)
