Summary

Marvelhas adapted their most famous franchises into animated series for almost as long as they’ve been publishing them as comic books. The first-ever Marvel Comics cartoon series,The Marvel Super Heroes, debuted on TV in 1966, featuring iconic characters like Captain America, Thor, and The Hulk. Since then, animated series have been made for numerous Marvel heroes.

More recently, Marvel Studios has begun expanding their Marvel Cinematic Universe properties into the television space, resulting in series exclusive to Disney+ or Hulu. Among these new shows are some of the best Marvel fans have gotten to see, and with series likeMarvel Zombieson the horizon, it’d be worthwhile to look at which Marvel animated shows are the best.

Updated March 28th, 2025, by Blaise Santi: It’s an exciting year for fans of Marvel Animation, between the recent premiere of the highly-anticipatedYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man(which already has been renewed for two more seasons), as well as the upcoming seriesEyes of WakandaandMarvel Zombies, both of which are slated to hit Disney+ in August and October of this year, respectively. A lot of Marvel’s recent ventures into television have been hit or miss for fans, but these animated series have proven themselves to be among the best the company has put out in the past two decades. In anticipation of more on the way, let’s take a look at a few other Marvel animated series from their television history that deserve your attention while waiting for new ones to release!

26 (2 seasons)

Syndicated

Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, Ben Grimm, Black Panther, Bruce Banner, Super-Skrull, Silver Surfer, Galactus, Thor, Medusa

With there being lots of divisive opinions on theFantastic Fourfilm franchises, one thing fans of Marvel’s First Family can agree on is that they were best represented (so far) by this animated series. Premiering on syndicated TV in 1994, the series is a pretty faithful adaptation of the comic books, featuring the team’s origin and greatest enemies.

While the first season explores plotlines like the coming of Galactus and the origin of Doctor Doom, the second season featured cameos from the Inhumans and Black Panther. Although it only ran for two seasons, it was a great example of how the Fantastic Four are best utilized on-screen: by sticking to the absurdity and character dynamics of the original comics.

Iron Man, War Machine, Nick Fury, Spider-Woman, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, M.O.D.O.K., Mandarin

ManyMarvel Comicsfans will remind you that, prior to Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of the character in the MCU, Iron Man wasn’t as popular as he is today. Nevertheless, the character did get a short-lived animated series on syndication in the mid-90s, with legendary voice actor Robert Hays voicing the billionaire-turned-techno-vigilante.

As anIron Manseries, this cartoon is a lot more faithful to the character’s comic book origins than his now-iconic MCU iteration, featuring battles against the Mandarin and M.O.D.O.K, as well as cameos from Avengers like Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, and Spider-Woman. The series also did several cross-overs with two other animated Marvel series, one of which being…

21 (2 seasons)

UPN

The Hulk, She-Hulk, Rick Jones, Thunderbolt Ross, Betty Ross, Gargoyle, Abomination, The Leader

If you’re a fan of The Hulk, thenThe Incredible Hulkfrom 1996 should be on your watchlist. It went through a lot of changes throughout its run, including its second season being re-branded asThe Incredible Hulk and She-Hulkin order to appeal to more viewers. Nevertheless, it’s a quintessential series of Hulk stories, featuring live-action actor Lou Ferrigno as the voice of the titular transformation.

Additionally, if you were disappointed by the portrayal of The Leader in this past year’sCaptain America: Brave New World, then this series will probably satisfy your itch to see the character done right. The series also boasts some strong talent in its voice cast, including Luke Perry, who voices Rick Jones, as well as Mark Hamill, who voices Gargoyle.

26 (1 season)

Nicktoons

Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, Ben Grimm, She-Hulk, Spider-Man, Namor, Doctor Doom, Super Skrull, Mole Man

2025 is the best year to start brushing up on previous incarnations of Marvel’s First Family, includingFantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes, an animated series that ran for 26 episodes. Compared to the ’90s iteration of the team,World’s Greatest Heroesfeatures original stories loosely based on the comics rather than being direct adaptations, meaning it might share a lot of similarities with the upcoming live-action film.

To get an idea of just how ambitious The Fantastic Four could be in their adventures,World’s Greatest Heroesdid a wonderful job capturing the scope that was sorely missing in the early 2000s' live-action films. Plus, you get to see an episode in which She-Hulk briefly joins the team, which is a dynamic you wouldn’t expect to be as… well, dynamic as it is!

127 (5 seasons)

Disney XD

Falcon, Black Widow, Captain America, Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye, Spider-Man, Captain Marvel, Black Panther, Loki, Winter Soldier, Kang the Conqueror

This animated series comes from the writing collective known as Man of Action, whose most notable work includesBen 10andBig Hero 6. Compared to otherAvengers-centric Marvel shows,Avengers Assembleis unique not only because it ran for over five seasons but because it centers on one underrated Avenger in particular: Sam Wilson, a.k.a. the Falcon, the team’s newest recruit.

Each season ofAvengers Assembleis incredibly ambitious, covering different eras of Avengers comic book history in around 26 episodes each. Season 1 focuses on the Red Skull’s formation of the Cabal, season 2 features a crossover between Thanos and Ultron, andseason four surprisingly adaptsSecret Wars. Though its demographic is much younger, it’s a great series for hardcore Marvel fanatics.

6 (1 season)

BET

Black Panther, Princess Shuri, Storm, Captain America, Ulysses Klaue, Juggernaut, Cyclops, Wolverine

Black Pantherhas certainly taken on a life of its own after the 2018 film’s success. However, this 2010 animated mini-series ran for six episodes on BET in the United States. It also features an all-star cast including MCU veteran Djimon Hounsou as T’Challa, with a supporting cast of Kerry Washington, Carl Lumbly, Taye Diggs, and Stan Lee himself.

The show features a similar story to the 2018 film, with T’Challa inheriting the Black Panther role from his father and facing a team of villains, including Ulysses Klaue as well as characters like Juggernaut and the Black Knight. As far as animated Marvel shows go,Black Pantherfeels even more mature and ahead of its time than the MCU version.

13 (1 season)

Fox Kids

Silver Surfer, Shalla-Bal, Galactus, Thanos, Uatu, Adam Warlock, Nebula, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Beta Ray Bill

Although it only aired for one season on Fox Kids before getting canceled,Silver Surferremains one of the most unique Marvel animated shows. Released in 1998, the show centers on Norrin Radd, who saves his planet from destruction at the hands of Galactus by offering himself as the destroyer’s herald, traveling the cosmos in search of planets for the cosmic being to consume.

Silver Surferis an excellent display of Marvel’s cosmic characters, featuring early adaptations of Thanos, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Adam Warlock. Perhaps the greatest slight against this show, which is written and animated beautifully, is that it ends with a huge cliffhanger that sadly seems like it’ll never be resolved unless Marvel Studios decides to revive it.

56 (3 seasons)

Baymax, Hiro Hamada, Go Go Tomago, Honey Lemon, Wasabi, Obake

You might be scratching your heads wondering whyBig Hero 6: The Series, based on the Disney film, is on this list. Surprisingly, the film originated as a Marvel Comics series, created by Man of Action, the same minds behindBen 10. The animated series, which aired on Disney Channel and Disney XD in the late 2010s, feels a lot more indebted to the franchise’s comic book origins than the feature film.

Reuniting the same cast from the movie,Big Hero 6: The Seriesfollows the adventures of the titular team, led by Hiro Hamada and his inflatable robot Baymax. It sadly was canceled in 2021, though the franchise continued on withBaymax!, a six-episode miniseries on Disney+ in 2022. Still, that show felt more like a sitcom, whereas the proper animated series was more comic book action.

104 (4 seasons)

Spider-Man, Miles Morales, M.J. Watson, Aunt May, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Venom, Doctor Octopus, The Lizard, Squirrel Girl, Scarlet Spider, J. Jonah Jameson

Ultimate Spider-Manis far from the first, nor the last, animated series based on Marvel’s friendly neighborhood web-slinger. However, what setsUltimate Spider-Manapart from the rest is the talent behind the screen, including original comic book writer Brian Michael Bendis, as well as Man of Action, the group behind projects likeBen 10,Big Hero 6, andGenerator Rex.

Premiering in 2012,Ultimate Spider-Man’s adventures feature some familiar storylines, from Peter’s battle with the Venom symbiote to Norman Osborn’s transformation into the Green Goblin. There are even appearances in later seasons by the Guardians of the Galaxy and characters from the Spider-Verse. Even J.K. Simmons reprises his role as J. Jonah Jameson in animated form.

26 (3 seasons)

Disney+

Uatu, Captain Carter, Doctor Strange, Black Widow, T’Challa, Thor, Nebula, Howard the Duck, Hank Pym, Ultron, Yondu

What If…?was the first animated series to be produced by Marvel Studios Animation during the expansion of the MCU into television. Premiering in 2021, the anthology series features stars from the live-action Marvel films reprising their roles to observe how stories would differ from how they happened in the MCU, including Hayley Atwell, Josh Brolin, and Benedict Cumberbatch.

What elevatesWhat If…?is how the stories surprisingly weave together, such as when The Watcher formsa team out of alternate heroes in the Season 1 finale. One of them, notably, is Chadwick Boseman’s final performance as T’Challa in a reality where he’s Star-Lord, while Season 2 introduces an original character in Kahhori, a Mohawk woman powered by the Tesseract.