I'm back again with the final installment in my series on the history of Marvel on TV. If you recall, the 60's was a mixed bag with Spider-Man being the most popular of the three cartoons, the 70's saw Marvel experiment with live-action but sadly only The Incredible Hulk succeeded, the 80's saw Marvel return to animation albeit with some interesting new programming like Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends as well as Pryde of the X-Men; and the 90's where Marvel found its footing with (some) of it's TV properties. Yet it was Batman Beyond that changed comic book-based cartoons. It gave credence to the idea of high-tech teenage superheroes being popular. Were they though?
Without further ado...
X-Men: Evolution (2000-2003)
Hot off the heels of the success with X-Men; Marvel attempted another new cartoon based around the X-Men, and what we got was Evolution. The show was very clearly aimed towards young kids. The animation was more light-hearted and friendly, the designs of the characters were more modernized, and it starts off at a high school. While X-Men was popular with kids, it never really acknowledged it. There were always entry-level characters to bring you into the story but it never really seemed marketed to kids. Alas, not the case with Evolution
It also introduced X-23, a clone of Wolverine, into the Marvel universe.
While the show did pick up steam and get some better, more serious, stories. In fact, I was not a fan of Seasons 1 and 2; but Season 3 certainly was the highlight of the show. Sadly it wasn't renewed, and whatever the writers had in store disappeared with the show.
Mutant X (2001-2004)
Mutant X is an example of Marvel not quite understanding the legality of their licenses. In 2001, Tribune and Fireworks were allegedly to make the show Mutant X as a connection to the X-Men. However, when Fox got wind of the show, they sued Marvel; and were in the right considering Fox did, and still does, own the X-Men franchise.
Mutant X had high ratings, and the show was OK considering that it wasn't even tied into established Marvel franchises. It was cancelled after three seasons.
Spider-Man: The New Animated Series (2003)
Around this time the first Sam Raimi Spider-Man was doing great figures at the box office. The show was originally going to ignore Raimi's movies and focus on Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man comics. Funny how crazy Marvel is for Ultimate Spider-Man...
I digress, the show however focused on continuing the canon of the Raimi movies; acting sort of as a Spider-Man 1.5. None of the actors reprised their roles from the film. With a unique animation style; and lackluster stories when compared to the 90's Spider-Man cartoon, the show was cancelled after only one season.
Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes (2006-2010)
FF: World's Greatest Heroes may have been the family's best outing yet. Sadly, the erratic schedule that is
One Season Over Four Years! didn't help. Sadly the show did not survive to a second season, although the show when watched as a whole is pretty decent.
Blade: The Series (2006)
Another attempt at live-action, Marvel partnered with Spike TV to deliver Blade to the small screen. The show was a good interpretation of the character and a ratings smash for the then young Spike TV network; sadly the network couldn't possibly finance the show past its second season and it was subsequently cancelled.
Despite this, I still personally a Blade or Nightstalkers TV show is possible. As we learned from this series, you need an established partner and network who can back your show for the long term.
The Spectaculer Spider-Man (2008-2009)
Aside from the 90's cartoon, no other cartoon encompassed Spider-Man better then Spectaculer Spider-Man. The show delivered episodes that were rich in the Spider-Man mythos while still feeling fresh and new. The animation was great, and many regard Josh Keaton as the definitive Spider-Man.
Despite the success of the show, the show was cancelled to make way for Disney's Ultimate Spider-Man. An unfourtanete case as Spectaculer Spider-Man was to many, the best Spider-Man cartoon.
Wolverine and the X-Men (2009)
Wolverine and the X-Men was by most accounts a good show; it featured a mysterious attack that becomes a story point for the first season; and the X-Men rebuild themselves With Wolverine leading the charge.
This show, like many others, was cancelled mainly for reasons outside of the typical ratings. Sadly, when financial partners backed out from the show, it was subsequently cancelled.
Iron Man: Armored Adventures (2009-2012)
In this incarnation of the character, Tony is a teenager, and not the adult playboy that he's typically known as. This was due in part to the fact that at the same time the original Iron Man had done the origin tale fairly well, and secondly to cash in on the kid crowd.
Despite this, the show did have some great CGI (for a TV show mind you) and manged to pull off some great cameos throughout its run. Still, it was not a great show by most regards and unsurprisingly, the show wasn't renewed for a third season.
The Super Hero Squad Show (2009-2011)
A kid-friendly show through and through; the show has done very well for itself spawning it's own sub-brand of video games and movies. Despite not being for most adults or even young adults; the show is quite fun and humorous.
Black Panther (2010)
This show enjoyed a short run on BET; but for the most part it's a good adaption of the comic. Klaw, Juggernaught, and even Storm appear. I wouldn't call it one of the best, but it's certainly a serviceable adaptation.
The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (2010-2012)
Looking back on the past decade or so in Marvel on TV; I'd wager that of all these shows, Spectaculer Spider-Man and Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (EMH) were the best. For me though, I'll always prefer EMH for how it adapted so many characters and storylines. In it's two seasons, it crammed so many characters in that it became a must-watch show just in that regard.
It's also worth mentioning that the animation was great, and the voice actors were spot-on. I don't really know what else to say; if you're a fan of Marvel or The Avengers, then EMH may just be required viewing. Rumors persist that EMH will continue on in Avengers Assemble; but to be fair, EMH will still live on in our collective conscious -- much in the same way the Spider-Man and X-Men 90's cartoon does.
Marvel Anime (2010-2011)
Marvel created this anime in the hopes of re-introducing their popular characters for Japanese audiences. The different series featured Iron Man, Wolverine, and the X-Men. Despite the best intentions, it's arguable if the Marvel license is a good match for the structure of anime.
Ultimate Spider-Man (2012-Present)
Finally, we reach the most recent Marvel effort on TV. Can I reserve final judgement? No! If history of Marvel on TV has taught us anything it's that Marvel does get excited over it's ventures and has no problems hitting the 'reset' button on their animated franchises. This is true for Ultimate Spider-Man. Many of the villain designs are simply atrocious, and no doubt that replacing the voice actor is even more unforgiving considering how great Josh Keaton was.
Well that concludes it! This was fun, and a great way for me to showcase what I already knew and that's that Marvel makes a lot of mistakes with their characters; and the success of their franchises is cyclical in nature. We went from Spideys Super Stories to Spider-Man cartoon of the 90's. We had the great Incredible Hulk series of the 70's and then we got The Incredible Hulk 90's cartoon. Just remember to stay open minded with these things and be patient; while your definitive Spider-Man or Iron Man adventure isn't on the small screen now, it could be. Hope for the best people.
I will add some personal thoughts. I am excited for S.H.I.E.L.D. but as is most evident with Marvel's past, you need to adapt storylines and characters from the comics. The original approach rarely works for them. SHIELD agents are fine as a connecting tissue, but they should have multi-episode arcs featuring many different street-level characters that Marvel has.
I also wouldn't mind if Marvel were to spin-off the Guardians of the Galaxy from that Earths Mightiest Heroes episode into their own show. Just saying, it would be great.
What do you guys think of Marvel's TV efforts in the 00's? You know where to rant. In the meantime, look back on the other decades.
Marvel on TV: The 60's
Marvel on TV: The 70's
Marvel on TV: The 80's
Marvel on TV: The 90's