Marvel’s legacy extends way back to 1944 when the firstCaptain Americaadaptation was released, but some of the greatest hits have disappeared without a trace.Today, theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)provides the beating heart of Marvel stories on the big and small screen. But before the MCU kicked off in 2008, there were a wide range of shows depicting Marvel characters down through the decades.
For the most part, Marvel’s biggest properties struggled to get adaptations made for the big screen, which meant that outliers likeHoward the Duckbecame the first official theatrical feature film in 1986, but there were a lot ofMarvel TV shows. And while one of the most popular was the live-actionThe Incredible Hulkseries,most of the best shows from Marvel actually appeared as animated shows,often aimed at younger audiences.
The Avengers: United They Stand
Cast
The Avengers: United They Stand is an animated television series that debuted in 1999, featuring Earth’s mightiest heroes banding together to combat threats too formidable for any individual hero. The team faces various villains, including time-traveling conquerors and alien invaders, to protect the planet from total destruction.
In 1999, Marvel wanted to get on the hype train for creating futuristic adaptations based on their characters, having seen the success ofBatman Beyond.As a result,Avengers: United We Standwas born. The show made a lot of mistakes, and it’s primarily for that reason that it should be rebooted, because the concepts and characters were actually really ahead of their time, but the project was not handled properly.
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Ant-Man and the Wasp form a team of Avengers, largely based on the West Coast Avengers from the comics. This meant heroes like Vision, Scarlet Witch, and Falcon were all major players. The show also featured some big-name villains who are now much more popular, including Kang the Conqueror and Agatha Harkness. However, it was canceled after just one season. In today’s MCU, this superhero team could really work.
Spider-Man
Spider-Man (1981): This animated television series, inspired by the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man, follows the exploits of Peter Parker as he juggles life as a college student and freelance photographer while combating crime in New York City as the costumed superhero, Spider-Man.
Spider-Man is by far one of the most popular IPsto come out of Marvel, and as such, he is mentioned more than a few times on this list.However, one of the absolute best adaptations of the character to come out before the year 2000 was the animated series that ran from 1994 to 1998. Spidey had appeared in several other cartoons, but this series took the character from a shy, struggling boy, and made him into a true superhero.
The show picks up with Peter Parker, already a young man, with a career, and having become an established presence in New York as Spider-Man. And thanks to this development,the show was able to dive into a huge wealth of stories and characters. Even in the show’s final season, it depicted the spider-verse, years before that concept would be translated into a major film. Seeing where this version of Peter wound up would be incredible for the fanbase that watched the show growing up.
The Spectacular Spider-Man
The Spectacular Spider-Man is a 2D-animated series based on the titular Marvel Comics superhero, produced by Marvel Entertainment. Despite its popularity, the show was canceled after only two seasons and 26 episodes, airing from 2008 to 2009.
Moving ahead,The Spectacular Spider-Mandebuted a decade afterSpider-Man TASended.This series actually looked at Peter as a younger hero, still learning the ropes, and finding his way. It also put a lot of emphasis on the supporting cast of characters who help to round Peter’s story out, like Harry Osborn, Flash Thompson, and, of course, one of Peter’s earliest loves before Mary-Jane Watson, Gwen Stacy. The series had a lot to offer, and the art style was unique and stimulating.
Despite this, it does feel likeYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manhas taken some cues from this series, but with a whole different cast of characters.
However, this show met its match when Disney was able to acquire the animated TV rights for Spider-Man back from Sony, and it was swiftly canned.Despite this, it does feel likeYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manhas taken some cues from this series, but with a whole different cast of characters. Both shows deliver well-thought-out arcs for each character, and a rich supporting cast alongside Spidey.
Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer is an animated series that follows the journeys of Norrin Radd, who sacrifices his freedom to save his home planet, becoming the Silver Surfer. As the herald of Galactus, he traverses the universe seeking new worlds for his master to consume. The series explores themes of sacrifice, loyalty, and the cosmic balance between good and evil.
Silver Surfer has long been a character steeped in mystery.However, in the short-lived animated series starring theHerald of Galactus, the character is given an opportunity to truly shine. Think of this show as theGuardians of the Galaxyfor Marvels' animated shows up to this point. Most stories focused squarely on Earth-based heroes, and they rarely explored beyond the atmosphere. ButSilver Surferbroke that glass ceiling, and put the cosmic side of Marvel on the table.
This opened up a whole new world of stories, with incredible heroes and villains who rarely got any attention. Draw made his TV debut here, as well as characters like Ego, Adam Warlock, and the Watcher. The show had so much potential, but maybe because it was too out there at the time, it didn’t make it beyond the premiere season. Today, this show would fare much better, and it could expand the boundaries of the MCU in meaningful new ways.
Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four (1967) is the inaugural animated series adaptation of Marvel’s comic book series, chronicling the adventures of superheroes Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and Thing. The series explores their battles against various villains after gaining extraordinary abilities from cosmic radiation exposure, remaining faithful to the original comic narratives.
In 1967, one of the truest and most faithful adaptations of any comic book stories was released in the form of the animatedFantastic Fourcartoon.The show was directly inspired by the Stan Lee and Jack Kirby run of comics that introduced these heroes to the lineup of Marvel Comics, and from there, it simply brought the stories to life. Often, this was done beat for beat, with dialogue and scenes carrying over from the still comic book page to the animated series.
While not every adaptation should be a direct replica of the story that inspired it, sometimes, staying true to the source material is worth it.
Especially since the series came out just a few years after the Fantastic Four team debuted.If this show could be rebooted, following that same effort of being faithful to the comics could be a great way to highlight some of the more modern talent who create the comics, and bring the story up to date, while still feeling connected to the original show.
Iron Man
Iron Man: Released in 1994, Iron Man follows industrialist Tony Stark as he leads a private team of superheroes. As Iron Man, Stark confronts various adversaries, utilizing his advanced technology and resources to combat the forces of evil.
Today, Iron Man stands out as one of the best-known and most well-loved superheroes. This is largely due to his foundational role in the MCU. But many years earlier, there was an attempt to bring the character off the comic book page and onto the small screen.Iron Man’s animated showbegan airing in 1994, and while the first season did not hit the ground running, the second season managed to get things back on track in a major way.
Unfortunately, the damage was done, and the show was canceled after just two seasons.The show began to tackle more mature themes, and portray Tony Stark in a way that was more aligned with his troubled comic book character.Once again, with an audience now ready to receive and praise this type of show, I would love to see the series brought back to expand Tony’s story even further.
Ultimate Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man is an animated action series that follows a young Peter Parker as the wall-crawling superhero at the early stages of his career. After a chance encounter with Director of Shield Nick Fury, Peter is given the opportunity to train to become an incredible hero - and to do so; he’ll have to train with a group of fellow teenagers vying for the same goal.
Ultimate Spider-Manwas the first run of Spider-Man in an animated show after Marvel got the rights to the character back in a limited capacity from Sony.As a result, there was definitely a learning curve, and following the success of the MCU, the series incorporated some less than typical elements to Spidey’s story, but it was an interesting watch nonetheless.
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Spider-Man is recruited by Nick Fury to train as a junior agent of SHIELD.This leads to the young hero teaming up with a wide range of other young heroes, and learning how to be a hero in a group setting. It’s a departure from the comics for sure, but it’s one that was handled really well. And it created another version of Spider-Man worth exploring. It may not have ended all that long ago, but it would still be great to get this show back and see how the character continues to grow.
Spider-Woman
Spider-Woman centers on Jessica Drew, a woman who acquires incredible powers through exposure to an experimental serum. As she juggles her career as a private investigator and her duties as a superhero, Jessica confronts a wide range of villains and uncovers secrets about her past. The series blends action and mystery, showcasing Jessica’s growth as she learns to harness her abilities and defend those in need.
Spider-Woman doesn’t get talked about enough, and looking at a recent attempt to bring a character like her to live-action inMadame Web, people may be inclined to think it’s for good reason.However,Jessica Drew is a wonderfully compelling characterin her own right that deserves to have her story told. So, in 1979, when the character starred in her own animated series, there was a lot of potential for the show to be a hit.
Some of these changes were inoffensive, but others were less than ideal.
However,Spider-Womanmassively altered the character and her power set.Some of these changes were inoffensive, but others were less than ideal. If there was an opportunity to reboot the show, effectively portray the character in a faithful and meaningful way, and then go from there, this could be a hit Marvel show that sheds light on an underrated character.
Spider-Man Unlimited
Spider-Man Unlimited follows Peter Parker as he travels to Counter-Earth in pursuit of Venom and Carnage, who have hijacked a space shuttle. This animated series explores Spider-Man’s adventures in a high-tech alternate reality where he allies with human resistance fighters against the ruling Beastials, genetically engineered human-animal hybrids.
Spider-Man Unlimitedwas a huge departure from the comics, with a version of Spider-Man on Counter-Earth, with a new costume, and human-animal hybrids.However, this experimentation and creativity is worth celebrating.The show did manage to build a solid fanbase, and it had a lot of bright spots.
But like a couple of the other entries here, it’s worth revisiting a show to try and really tap into the potential that was missed on the first outing.Now, in an era when Spider-Man and the entire Spider-Verse are so much more prominent, a show likeSpider-Man Unlimitedis likely to be better received. The creativity and innovation would be great to revisit. But if the option is between this and one of the otherSpider-Manshows, this one is unlikely to make the cut, but it could be a fun reboot.
X-Men: Evolution
X-Men: Evolution is an animated television series that chronicles the teenage years of various X-Men characters as they learn to control their powers and confront adversaries. The series reimagines Marvel’s mutants in a high school setting, focusing on the challenges they face both as regular students and burgeoning superheroes. Notable characters such as Wolverine, Cyclops, and Rogue navigate their dual identities under the mentorship of Professor Xavier.
X-Men: Evolutionwas one of the great shows of my childhood.Growing up, and having been familiar with theclassic 1992X-Menanimated show, this series really took things to the next level, and understood the growing fanbase. The heroes were familiar, though for the sake of the story, they were mostly reset to become teenagers, and this was a perfect way to deliver a story about these budding heroes as they deal with their numerous struggles.
The show had a great run over four seasons, but in all honesty, it could have kept going for much longer. And having seenX-Men ‘97finally continue the story of the earlyX-Menshow, it makes sense to revisit some other exciting stories too. The show had plenty of action and drama, in addition to coming-of-age narratives that complimented theMarvelshow, and made the characters come to life in a whole new way.
