Let me start off by saying that this was going to be a review. However, I am never really sure how many spoilers to include while doing a review and I didn't really want to include any. So, before we get going, let me say that I hope you enjoy my thoughts on The Avengers latest television incarnation.
I have to say that I have been anticipating last night's premiere of
The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes for quite some time, around thirty years to be exact. As a child I wrote to Marvel regularly pestering "the powers that be" to give us an Avengers Saturday morning cartoon. It never happened. I don't count the 90's Avengers cartoon with their
Power Rangers style armor as a true effort at bringing an animated Avengers team to television.
Well, IMO the wait is finally over. Last night I watched the double episode premiere on DXD trying to keep my expectations low. Thank the stars I made it past every fear I have ever had concerning this show and outlasted the theme song (it's bad), because the show quickly became everything I had ever wanted to see from a cartoon calling itself The Avengers. It was not playful. It was not aimed at children. It was The Avengers, the old Avengers (that includes the old Hank Pym, before his transformation into a wife beating moron) at their very best.
I don't want to give away many spoilers in case you missed it and are planning on seeing it. The show did substitute the way the team originally came together with it's own version of the prison break event that brought The New Avengers into being. It did so in a completely workable manner that involved Iron Man and The Hulk making their way across country in order to give Thor, a reluctant Wasp and Ant Man a hand in putting down a very powerful, escaped and enraged Graviton. We also get a brief appearance from Hawkeye (who does not become a member) when he gives Iron Man a brief hand before exiting stage left.
The action in these two episodes was intense. Hulk vs The Absorbing Man, Thor vs Graviton, Hulk vs Graviton, Iron Man vs everybody, Ant Man/ Giant Man vs everybody and The Wasp helping every place she could help, was all done in the manner we have wanted to see it. The fight scenes IMO, had the same feel as the classic Avenger comics back between issues 150 - 200 when the entire team did their part. Repulsor shots, Hammer throws, ant's attacking, wasp stings and Hulk smashes taking place everywhere and in violent fashion.
All action aside, the main endearing point to be made about this show to me, as a fan, is that Marvel nailed the characters. Hawkeye (what little we see of him) is the smart ass, bad ass who does the right thing even though it could cost him greatly. Iron Man is the man on top of most any situation. The Hulk is the misunderstood beast who would desperatly like to belong somewhere. The Wasp is the adventurous, flirty, little go get em woman she has been for years. Ant Man is the scientist with a distrust of SHIELD's methods and agenda. And last but not least, Thor is the God come to Earth because he believes he is needed here more than he is in Asgard.
One drawback I found is the amalgam Nick Fury. He looks like the artists couldn't decide on which version they wanted, so they mashed both versions together. The saving grace on this version of Fury is that he acts completely old school Nick.
While the animation is not the highest caliber I have seen, these shows were everything I have always wanted to see on screen from my favorite heroes. If you did not catch the premiere last night I suggest you give it a watch. If the rest of the episodes are anywhere near as good as the first two, we are in for a treat. I also hope people catch on to the show before it follows in JLA's footsteps and disappears before people realize just how good it is.