The 27 minute feature short, The Legend of Taarna, made its debut in the animated cult classic from Ivan Reitman called Heavy Metal. The film, animation shorts from one of the first adult graphic magazines sold nation wide.  Since its beginnings, Heavy Metal, the magazine, has been joined by hundreds of other graphic magazines and story books - they are geared for adults because of their subject matter and explicit imagery.

The Legend of Taarna is the longest segment of Heavy Metal, and in most viewers opinion, it is the best. The evil green sphere (called the Loch-Nar) dominates the films story lines and makes its way to a civilization of peaceful nomads.  It manages to turn these nomads into a race of deadly and hostile warriors.  The immediately begin attacking their settled neighbors, one of which, is owed the protection of the Terakian race, a race of noble warriors long believed extinct.  Taarna hears their cries for help and arrives too late.  She finds the citizens slaughtered needlessly, and is now honor bound to avenge them.

Taarna engages the hostile race and in a heated battled with their leader, kills him.  Taarna also destroys the Loch-Nar and in doing so, makes way for the next Terakian to take her place.