Before the live-actions movies started delivering quality cinematic universes, comic book fans had animated shows to turn to for their screen time. These shows, produced by both Marvel and DC Comics, skyrocketed the popularity of superheroes by miles. They introduced new heroes, villains and adapted iconic storylines from comics in almost every episode. To this day, even if the animations have aged, the shows are still loved by fans.
Today, I’m going to be sharing my five favorite superhero cartoons. You may not have my list, but that’s okay! We all have our reasons, and I’ll stand by mine.
5. Young Justice (2010-Present)
After the 2003 “Teen Titans” cartoon ended its run, “Young Justice” quickly filled its place. The show follows a group of sidekicks and legacy heroes as they take on two battles: good vs. evil…and adolescence. Every mission affects one or more members of the team in a physical, mental or emotional way. Secrets are exposed, alliances are created and broken and the revolving door of new characters allowed the show to explore more corners of the DC Universe.
The show was incredibly popular amongst fans, but was canceled in 2013. However, people wanted the show back so badly a petition to bring the show back reached nearly 25,000 signatures (mine included). When it returned in 2020, I was pleasantly surprised to see the show take a more political approach and emphasize mental health. The show continues to reinvent itself and remain relevant in today’s day and age, meaning there’s plenty of reasons to still enjoy the show.
4. Justice League Unlimited (2004-2006)
The sequel series to 2001’s “Justice League” proved to live up to its name. “Justice League Unlimited” takes all of the most popular DC superheroes and teams them up with the lesser known heroes, putting them in the spotlight for at least an episode. This show was many fans’ introductions to characters such as Shazam, Booster Gold, The Question and many more who have become fan favorites among the die-hard comic enthusiasts. Combine that with the love characters like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman already got, and this show was a recipe for perfection.
While not as deep of a show as “Young Justice,” “Justice League Unlimited” does a great job of putting the different philosophies of heroes against each other, showing the different ways heroes (and villains) are made. The magic of seeing countless A-List heroes with some C-List heroes makes for a variety of fun combinations you don’t see anywhere else on screen.
3. The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008-2009)
Quite honestly, the only reason this show isn’t higher on the list is because it ended too soon. “The Spectacular Spider-Man” was canceled due to the television rights for Spider-Man going from Sony to Marvel, and its loss is a tragedy the entire fandom mourns.
“The Spectacular Spider-Man” is hands-down the best Spider-Man show out there. It perfectly depicts the struggle Peter Parker has with balancing his life as a high schooler and as our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. The voice cast was spot on, the action was great and the story was one of the most gut-wrenching out there. The show left off on a massive cliffhanger, and quite honestly, that makes me mad. Had it been a complete show, it might have been number one on this list.
2. X-Men (1992-1996)
The X-Men stories on their own are a beautiful fictional metaphor of discrimination in the world and how family will always have your side when the rest of the world is against you. So putting it on screen for thousands more to experience it was one of the best ideas Marvel had in a long time.
“X-Men” perfectly captures the heart of the comic it’s inspired by. It’s emotional, thought-provoking and fun through and through. Every episode is both a deep-dive into one of our heroes as well as a way to expand the Marvel universe. This show made obscure characters become household names for a while and paved the way for the “X-Men” film franchise that followed it. Needless to say I understood every message this show wanted me to understand and had a reaction to every single moment from it, and there are very few shows that can do that.
The show is so widely beloved that Disney and Marvel announced a revival of the series, continuing right where the original series left off. Hopefully they can recapture the magic.
1. Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995)
This is it. The crown jewel of all comic book animations. “Batman: The Animated Series” was the first superhero cartoon to truly go dark. The story featured maniacal villains, leading to tragic storylines, brutal action sequences and heavy pondering. The show hits every possible Batman storyline and villain imaginable in a way that kids can understand and adults can appreciate. Some of these are tearjerkers. Others create the villains you love to hate. Regardless, they all work.
It would also be criminal to not mention two of the best voice actors in the game: Kevin Conroy absolutely crushes the voice of Batman while Mark Hamill brings a new level of psychoticism to The Joker. That’s another big separator: the voice cast in this show is in a league of their own.
The show became so popular it spawned a movie, “Mask of the Phantasm” (which some people say is the best Batman movie ever). And similar to “X-Men,” a revival of the series is set to premiere in time.
I’m living in a world where two of my favorite superhero shows are coming back after 30 years. Somebody pinch me!
The Beat @APU 