Ah, the 1990s, a time when there seemed to be an unlimited supply of cartoons that ranged from the dark and brooding to the hypercolored and hyperactive, with a show for every conceivable niche in the spectrum. In fact, there were so many cartoons available that we've had to break down our favorites into a number of different categories. Today's installment covers a selection of 90s animated series derived from comic books and manga series.

Even with that specificity, we had no problem coming up with 30 of them. In fact, we had trouble trimming the list down to that number, so some rules apply: In order to make the cut, the comic book/manga had to come before the animated series, and the majority of the episodes had to occur in the 90s decade itself. That's why you'll see series like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which started in 1987 but ran well into the 90s, while shows like Static ShockJustice LeagueThe Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot, and Cowboy Bebop won't be included. Perhaps on another list!

We should have hit most of your favorites from the likes of Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Image Comics and other smaller publications here, but I'm almost certain there will be some you haven't heard of, or will have the deepest recesses of your memories triggered by their mention. For some, it might even surprise you to learn that they were adaptations in the first place. If we've left out any of your favorites, be sure to let us know in the comments!

Spawn

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Image via HBO

Capitalizing on the mid-90s success of Todd McFarlane's original Image Comics' character, this mature-rated animated series made the most of its home on HBO and its late-night time slot. Fans of 90s cartoons, especially those based on comics, rightly point to shows like Batman: The Animated Series and Gargoyles when discussing dark, adult subject matter. Spawn puts them to shame in this regard: bodies are torn apart, blood flows freely, "live" sex shows play out on screen, and the philosophies concerning Heaven and Hell form the central conflict of each episode. It's no wonder that the show's serious take on the story and it's stunning, evocative animation earned Spawn two Primetime Emmys.

The success is obviously due in large part to McFarlane's bold creation--the memorable heroes and villains, the bleak take on the hero's journey, and fantastic reimagining of classic religious mythology--but the animated series also found strength in its voice cast and production team. The inimitable Keith David imbues the title character with gravitas, heart-rending despair, and flesh-ripping anger throughout the series. Two-time Primetime Emmy-winner and multi-hyphenate Eric Radomski, who's deeply involved in animated comic book adaptations even today, was a big part of the behind-the-scenes production and its resulting success. If you missed this one when it was on the air, the good news is that HBO still has the episodes available for your viewing pleasure.

The Incredible Hulk

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Image via Marvel Comics / New World Animation

Marvel's Animated Universe had already seen varying levels of success in the 1990s with X-MenIron ManFantastic Four, and Spider-Man, so it made sense that they'd continue the trend with the 1996 debut of The Incredible Hulk. The series featured Lou Ferrigno as the voice of the hulk, which paid homage to his live-action role as the character in Universal Television's series in the late 70s and early 80s. While the live-action series centered more on Dr. David Bruce Banner's travels across America and the people he helps (and hurts) along the way, the animated series was a callback to the classic Marvel Comics characters and storylines first created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby back in 1962.

And yet this toon only ran for 2 seasons and a total of 21 episodes. Season 2 saw a pretty big shake-up with the regular appearance of She-Hulk, reflected in the title change, The Incredible Hulk and She-Hulk, after UPN decided that the first season was too dark. The best part about the show overall was probably its inclusion of a more expansive cast of characters from the comics, with heroes and villains like the Gray Hulk, Thunderbolt Ross, Abomination, Gargoyle, Ogress, Zzzax, Doctor Strange, and many more. Definitely worth a watch for any Hulk fans out there!

The Tick

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Image via Sunbow Entertainment

The Tick just keeps on ... well, ticking! After being created by cartoonist Ben Edlund in 1986 as a mascot for the Boston-area New England Comics chain, this silly spoof on traditional superheroes got his own comic book series starting in 1988. The growing cult following around The Tick would reach critical mass with Fox's 1994 animated series; this would be followed up in 2001 with the short-lived live-action series starring Patrick Warburton in the title role, and Amazon's current comedy pilot which sees Peter Serafinowicz as the big blue bug.

And yet, for some, The Tick is just what the world needs right now: a goofy superhero who doesn't take himself too seriously, even if his villains (chair-faced and otherwise) do. The partnership between The Tick and his sidekick Arthur the Bunny Moth is one of the best in superhero history, even as it draws inspiration and laughs from more famous daring duos. It's an especially fun watch for folks familiar with comic books and their characters since The Tick is a relentless parade of potshots at some of the most iconic heroes and villains in history. If puns get under your skin, this will probably irritate you long before you can appreciate its satire, but those in the know know that The Tick is legit.

Spider-Man

Image via Marvel Entertainment Group

One of the best animated series ever to grace the small screen, Marvel Comics' Spider-Man was a Saturday-morning staple of the 1990s. Spidey has appeared in his own animated series in every decade since his creation by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko back in 1962, but for kids growing up in the 90s, Spider-Man was the absolute best version of the character they'd ever seen. The Marvel Films Animation series ran for 5 seasons and a total of 65 episodes that chronicled Peter Parker's college years at Empire State University and his superhero alter ego tasked with defending New York City.

Other than the comics that bear the character's name, Spider-Man was my go-to visual reference guide for all things related to the character. The classic costume is still the one that first springs to mind when I think about the wall-crawler, and the same can be said about his allies like Black Cat, Morbius, and Blade, as well as his antagonists Doctor Octopus, Kingpin, Kraven the Hunter, and Mysterio, to name a few. Fans of this series, which was animated by Korean studios under the Tokyo Movie Shinsha banner, probably remember the web-swinging sequences through New York City, which were blends of traditional cel-based animation and CGI with faithful recreations of the city's streets and rooftops mapped from photo archives. Spider-Man was the longest-running series for the web-head until Ultimate Spider-Man passed its mark just last year.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

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Image via Murakami-Wolf-Swenson / IDDH

The 80s/90s series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles might just be the quintessential comic book cartoon of all time. That's not to say it's the greatest, necessarily, but that its story from source to screen is emblematic of all successes and failures a comic book adaptation can face. Right from the outset, the adaptation of Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman's Mirage Comics series that started in 1984 is a toned-down, youth-skewing version of the often violent parody of comic books like "Daredevil." Playmates Toys wouldn't get on board with the property without a TV deal in place, citing the small, relatively older teenaged cult following the comics had. The five-episode debut miniseries of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles locked everything in place for the new vision of the title teens that would shape the franchise for years to come.

Despite the changes made to mollify parental groups and others concerned with the violence (and straight-up commerciality) on kids cartoons, TMNT was further reduced from its more mature beginnings. When the British Broadcasting Corporation (a.k.a. BBC) bought the show, they changed its title to Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles (along with a faded, swapped-out logo), and removed Mikey's nunchaku, especially whenever he threw them. This weirdo change was also parroted by the American version. Casey Jones' "despicable" nature, as seen in the comic books and live-action movies, was changed to that of a klutz for the cartoon, as Fred Wolf, president of animation company Murakami-Wolf-Swenson called him. (I'd say, watch a Casey Jones episode again; he comes off as more of a mentally unstable psychopath than anything else.)

Wolf, and by extension TMNT, summed up 80s vs 90s cartoon adaptations in a half-shell:

"I have to sell what's sensational about the show, then hold the reins on it and protect the kids. We have a lot of power, but it's a mistake to believe that power can be translated from the entertainment world to a message."

Batman: The Animated Series

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Image via DC

Arguably the best comic book cartoon ever, if not the best animated series everBatman: The Animated Series would go on to win four Emmy Awards (three Daytime, one Primetime for Outstanding Animated Program), provide a whole new way for fans to view Mark Hamill, introduce Harley Quinn into the mythology, and change the future of Warner Bros. and DC Comics' animated universe. Not too shabby.

Featuring Kevin Conroy as the unquestionable voice of Bruce Wayne and Batman to this day, B:TAS was developed for Fox Kids by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski, names which are still synonymous with success in the world of comic book cartoons. Running for 2 seasons (or 4, depending on whether you count the show's production run or airdate schedule) and 85 episodes, Batman: The Animated Series was notable for its fearless take on darker, more complex material, beautifully shot action and establishment scenes, and its film noir aesthetic. Even its inclusion of Robin and Batgirl (the second season was retitled The Adventures of Batman & Robin, after all) served to strengthen the series rather than show signs of failure, like series that came before it which added characters in an attempt to freshen things up.

Batman: The Animated Series set the anchor point for the DC Animated Universe that ended with Justice League Unlimited back in 2006, though its influence is still felt today. An honorable mention goes out to follow-up series The New Batman Adventures and Batman Beyond; the latter sadly doesn't make the cut due to its airdates.

Superman: The Animated Series

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Image via Warner Bros. Animation

Following up on the success of Batman: The Animated Series is Superman: The Animated Series, a show that continued the DC Animated Universe and hailed from Bruce Timm along with Alan Burnett and Paul Dini. Also lauded for its quality, complexity, and modernization of the Big Blue Boy Scout, Superman won a pair of Daytime Emmy Awards during its run of 54 episodes from 1996 to 2000.

Superman's first season focused mainly on the title hero's encounters with the big bad Brainiac in a season-long conflict that was mind-bending for Superman and audiences alike with nearly Earth-shattering reveals. A second season saw the introduction of Supergirl. Perhaps the series' greatest achievement, beyond being a faithful adaptation of its hero, was the inclusion of the late Jack Kirby's Fourth World/New Gods/Forever People creations, with Superman's nemesis Darkseid being the most notable addition.

A special nod here to The New Batman/Superman Adventures, which was an hour-long block of programming that re-aired an episode from one or both of the original Batman and Superman series, or sometimes included a new Batman adventure drawn in the style of the newer Superman series. It shouldn't be confused with the mid-90s The Superman/Batman Adventures which compiled edited episodes of earlier Hanna-Barbera and Filmation series, including the previously unseen-in-America 1983 episodes of Super Friends.

X-Men

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Image via Marvel Comics

While I was busy marveling at the success of the DC Animated Universe, I almost (almost) forgot about the X-Men. Was there a more colorful comic book adaptation in the 90s that was not only faithful to its source material but also thrilling, compelling, and engaging? I don't think so. Based on the 1963 Marvel Comics creation of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, but pulling from Jim Lee's 1990s team-up and bringing much of Chris Claremont's writing to life, The X-Men provided some of the most intense action scenes, vibrant heroes and villains, and controversial conflicts in animated TV history.

But the show was almost dead on arrival. Marvel Comics' first attempt at an X-Men series failed when the pilot episode "X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men" did not get picked up. Luckily, the show's champion Margaret Loesch became head of Fox Children's Network in 1991, clearing the way for a 13-episode order of the X-Men series. Due to production delays and a number of errors from the animation studios, the newer two-part pilot episode "Night of the Sentinels" nearly missed its October 31st, 1992 deadline. Luckily, when the network re-aired the episodes in early 1993, X-Men's ratings went through the roof. The rest is history.

Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man

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Image via Klasky Csupo

And now we're getting away from the traditional Marvel and DC Comics adaptations and into some more obscure territory. Duckman, inspired by the Dark Horse comic created by Everett Peck, who also developed the story for Paramount Network Television along with Klasky Csupo and Reno & Osborn Productions, centered on a lewd anthropomorphic duck (voiced by Jason Alexander) living with his family in Los Angeles and working as a private detective. You'll find no capes or superheroes here, but there is a supervillain of sorts, known as "King" Chicken, who's voiced by Tim Curry. Over 4 seasons and 70 episodes, Duckman earned three Primetime Emmy nominations and won a CableACE Award in 1996.

On an animation note, Klasky Csupo is the house behind such greats as The SimpsonsRugrats and Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, so even if you haven't seen Duckman, you probably have an idea of what their animation style is like. For my money, it was a perfect match for the more adult thematic material of Duckman, who's basically a horny, widowed Private Eye surrounded by a bunch of weirdos who, for the most part, aren't too fond of him. His genius-level "Siamese" twin sons have two heads but share a body, his sister-in-law/deceased wife's identical twin is a bodybuilder who hates his guts, and his live-in mother-in-law is comatose but audibly flatulent. This solid core cast was bolstered by a huge number of high-profile guest stars who would regularly appear on the show. Do yourself a favor and check out Duckman; who knows, it might even be rebooted so that fans might get a long-awaited resolution to the series' cliffhanger ending.

The Mask: Animated Series

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Image via Sunbow Entertainment

Remember when I said that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a great example of a violent, mature comic book being watered down to make it more kid-friendly as a cartoon? Well, the same goes for The Mask: Animated Series. Its inspiration was the late 80s Dark Horse comic first created by writer Mike Richardson and artist Mark Badger, with a second iteration crafted by writer John Arcudi and artist Doug Mahnke. The original story from the comics focused on a magical mask that granted its wearer unlimited power at the cost of being driven slowly insane (oh, and having your head turned green and growing a large set of teeth.) All social inhibitions would be removed, causing the wearer to either become dangerous and cruel antiheroes at best, or ultra-violent criminals at worst. Basically, it brought cartoon violence into a real-life setting, which is a terrifying proposition.

The Mask: Animated Series, however, played up the cartoonish side of mild-mannered Stanley Ipkiss as seen in the live-action movie starring Jim Carrey. Along with his faithful companion Milo, Stanley/The Mask (voiced by the fantastic Rob Paulsen) entertained kiddos with their various adventures. Fans of Carrey's antics in the movies will find themselves well at home with this animated series; as a bonus, the finale that concluded the 3-season, 54-episode series featured Michael Daingerfield as another Carrey creation, Ace Ventura, in the crossover special, "The Aceman Cometh."

The Maxx

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Image via MTV

Created by Sam Kieth in 1993 for Image Comics, The Maxx was one of a handful of avant-garde animated adaptations appearing on MTV's Liquid Television (in the "Oddities" sub-section), aimed at an older, late-night crowd. The story follows the title character and his misadventures in the real world--in which he's a homeless vagrant taking up residence in a cardboard box--and an alternate reality known as the Outback in which he protects the Jungle Queen, a.k.a. Julie Winters, a social worker who bails Maxx out when the need arises. Things take a dark and strange turn once backstories involving a serial rapist, a hit-and-run incident, spirit animals, and the eyeless, predatory Isz start to get involved.

The Maxx the series stayed pretty faithful to the comics, but never had the chance to dig deep into those backstories thanks to its short runtime (11-13 minutes) and relatively few episodes (only 13). It made up for this shortcoming with an engaging visual style that pulled from various schools of animation, changing from traditional, to simplistic, to computer-generated, to even live-action from one scene to the next, depending on which particular panels the series was attempting to emulate. You can watch The Maxx in its entirety over at MTV Classics.

Sabrina: The Animated Series

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Image via Riverdale Productions and Kent/QMA

Let's change things up with another series aimed more at the kiddos in the audience, and one that didn't need to be toned down from its ultra-violent origins. It may surprise you to know that Sabrina the Teenage Witch actually has her roots in the Archie Comics series, going back to the 1962 creation of Sabrina Spellman by writer George Gladir and designed by artist Dan DeCarlo. First appearing in Archie's Mad House #22, Sabrina soon became a stand-out character who was granted her own series. The adventures of Sabrina (who was either created by a magic potion gone wrong or as a "half-witch" offspring, depending on the adaptation), her aunts Hilda and Zelda, and her cursed cat Salem, were brought to life in an animated segment for Filmation's The Archie Comedy Hour and her own series in 1971, as well as the well-known live-action TV series starring Melissa Joan Hart in the title role.

It was Hart's younger sister Emily Hart who voiced Sabrina for the 90s cartoon, Sabrina: The Animated Series. The non-canon spinoff reimagined Sabrina as a 12-year-old middle-schooler, hence the dropping of "teenage" from the title. The core of the conflict in each episode usually revolved around "everyday" problems for middle school girls which were complicated further by Sabrina's rudimentary knowledge of magic. Surprise! It turns out that the majority of her issues were better solved without involving magic. ~*The More You Know!*~

Savage Dragon

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Image via Universal Cartoon Studios

Comic book fans might know Savage Dragon, the Image Comics creation of Erik Larsen in the 80s, but less well-known is the character's short-lived animated series in the 90s. Appearing in other comic book series in the 80s, Savage Dragon took on his own title series in 1993 with Larsen as a co-founder of the upstart Image; Larsen remains as the series' sole writer/illustrator to this day. The creator describes Savage Dragon as, "More mature than Marvel; less pretentious than Vertigo."

As for the animated series, it did stick to Savage Dragon's origin story as a mysterious, musclebound, green-skinned humanoid with a fin on his head who woke up in a burning field in Chicago; the incident left him with amnesia. As is usually the case in such a scenario, Dragon then joins the Chicago PD and partners up with Alex Wilde in their battle against the villainous mutant "superfreaks" that plague Chicago. Even if you're not familiar with the comic, it's refreshing to see a superhero series in which the title character is a blue-collar member of Chicago's finest rather than a super-powered entity that exists above/outside the law. Add to that the show's excellent voice cast featuring Jim CummingsKath SoucieJeff Bennett and Tony Jay, not to mention Peter CullenFrank WelkerJennifer Hale and Rob Paulsen, and you've got a solid, savage series on your hands.

WildC.A.T.s

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Image via WildStorm Productions

Based on Image Comics' WildStorm Comics banner, WildC.A.T.s introduced readers to the Wild Covert Action Team(s) created by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi for the comics' 1992 debut; Alan Moore also did a number of story arcs for the characters over the years. (DC Comics purchased the characters with their acquisition of Lee's Wildstorm Productions in 1998, which is why you'll occasionally see some of them pop up in DC productions/storylines.) The series' premise was pretty straight-forward: It centered on a centuries-long war between the Kherubim--human-looking aliens gifted with amazing powers who bred with humans on Earth to create "half-breeds"--and Daemonites, fearsome beings who could employ mental control or body possession at will.

The kid-friendly WildStorm Productions adaptation WildC.A.T.s strayed pretty far from the comics: Voodoo isn't a stripper and is fully clothed, Warblade is the rookie instead of Voodoo, Maul has no human form and simply becomes angrier as he grows instead of losing his intelligence (which sounds suspiciously Hulk-like), and Spartan was a cyborg instead of an android. So it should go without saying that this series diverged from the comics, for better or worse. There's still a lot of action and zany comic book craziness to behold in this series, one that's possibly the "most 90s" of the bunch.

And if you can handle WildC.A.T.s and want to go even more extreme, there's always the Malibu/Marvel Comics series, Ultraforce; good luck with that one!

Tales from the Cryptkeeper

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Image via Nelvana Limited

Speaking of kid-friendly, there's perhaps no bigger shift from an adult-oriented property to one that's aimed at kids than Tales from the Cryptkeeper, an animated series spun off from HBO's live-action horror anthology series, Tales from the Crypt. This show was inspired by the 1950s run of bi-monthly horror comics of the same name from EC Comics; those stories were cancelled by publisher Bill Gaines thanks to the highly restrictive Comics Code.

That didn't stop Nelvana Limited from turning the tricks and treats into a family-friendly animated version fit for Saturday morning cartoons, 3 season and 39 episodes worth. The milder version was devoid of blood and gore, but still had plenty of monsters and mayhem, as suggested by the series' fun opening sequence. The anthology format was retained, offering up a new protagonist and scary situation each and every week. And in the spirit of the then-concurrent live-action show, intro and outro sequences with an animated Cryptkeeper were also kept intact, puns included.

Though M. Night Shyamalan is rebooting a live-action series of this classic for TNT, I doubt the same will happen for the animated series, so enjoy the original while you can!

The Adventures of Tintin

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Image via Ellipse Programmé / Nelvana Limited

Easily the oldest comic book property on this list, besting even Superman by a few years, is Georges Remi/Hergé's 1929 creation, The Adventures of Tintin. As of 2007, a year which celebrated the centennial anniversary of Hergé's birth, Tintin had been translated into more 70 languages and sold over 200 million copies. Of course, the story about the titular Belgian reporter and adventurer (and his terrier pal Snowy) has been adapted in various media, some which capture the property's ability to cross genres and pair slapstick with satire better than others.

One of the best is the 1991 series, The Adventures of Tintin which lasted for 3 seasons and 39 episodes. The French-Canadian adaptation was the first new adaptation of the stories in over 20 years, one that took pains to use traditional animation to mimic Hergé's clean-line style of drawing; however, 3D sequences were created for certain sequences involving the Moon rocket. Despite paring down some of the original stories to better adapt to a younger audience (as in, removing violence, death, alcohol, and the use of firearms), this series remains the more faithful version than the late 50s/early 60s animated series. It's as good an adaptation (or introduction) you'll find to Hergé's work short of just reading the comics themselves.

Swamp Thing

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Image via DIC Entertainment

Okay, we're going to stretch the limits of the term "best" with this example since it pales in comparison to the quality of the other shows on this list. But Swamp Thing is such an underrated property with so few opportunities for it to shine that the one-and-only animated series it's ever seen deserves to be listed here, despite its 5 episode run and very obvious issues. Based on Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson's DC Comics creation that first came to life in 1971, Swamp Thing followed the pre-Alan Moore origin story that saw scientist Alec Holland turned into the title mutant monstrosity when the villainous Anton Arcane caused an explosion in Holland's lab. Its release also, not coincidentally, corresponded with a line of toys and action figures by Kenner, making the cartoon little more than a long commercial.

Swamp Thing was far goofier than anything you'd find in the character's story within the pages of DC Comics. The silly theme song alone, one that riffed on The Trogg's "Wild Thing," should be evidence enough. The villains are cheesy, the animation is wonky, and the voice acting and dialogue are subpar. But despite all of the faults, Swamp Thing is still a fun, nostalgic blast to the past. You can't help but smile when you see this walking plant-man transform into vines, moss, and other vegetable matter deep in his swamp. So until a better version comes along (fingers crossed this happens sooner than later), 1991's Swamp Thing is the best we've got!

Fantastic Four

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Image via Marvel Entertainment Group

Known as Marvel's First Family, the Fantastic Four has been a popular property ever since their arrival on the Marvel Comics's scene back in 1961 thanks to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Since then, Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and the Thing have appeared in 4 standalone animated series, with a 1994 series being the third among those; it ran for 2 seasons and 26 episodes and was the third entry in Marvel's Animated Universe. Unfortunately, despite the comic's popularity, this seems to be one property that has a tough time being successfully translated to other media.

The 1994 series actually came pretty close to doing so, but it got off to a rough start thanks to a decision to cut corners in the animation department and "funny up" some situations with the bizarre addition of a stuffy British landlady instead of the comics' running gag of the Baxter Building's landlord. The series did, however, faithfully re-enact some of the 60s storylines from the comics and, in the second season, improved the show's animation quality and level of maturity in its scripts. Unfortunately, these changes weren't enough to land a third season, despite a truly fantastic cast of villains and other heroes who appeared along with the ensemble cast.

Iron Man

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Image via New World Animation

Long before Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the live-action Iron Man, the animated approximation of the character was entertaining audiences with his creepy, creepy 'stache. The second series in Marvel's Animated Universe was the first attempt at a standalone Iron Man series and the first half hour of The Marvel Action Hour (which was concluded by the previously mentioned Fantastic Four series); it ran for 2 seasons totaling 26 episodes.

Iron Man ran into similar troubles as its Fantastic Four compatriot: the first season was decidedly generic, relying on a "good vs evil" style of storytelling following Tony Stark and his allies in a battle against Mandarin and his gallery of rogues, rarely with any actual stories from the comics. The second season brought about a change in animation houses, writers, and storytelling style, one that embraced a continuing narrative rather than standalone cases solved in a single episode. The focus shifted away from "good" and "evil" teams and more towards the single entities representing each side: Tony Stark and Mandarin. While the second season ended with a fantastic reunion between Iron Man and his former teammates, and a final battle between them and the revitalized Mandarin, the strong second season improvements once again failed to secure a third season. That's a shame since Iron Man felt like it ended just as it was getting started.

Silver Surfer

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Image via Saban Entertainment

Closing out the quintet of the 90s Marvel Animated Universe is Silver Surfer, the shortest run of them all and arguably the darkest. Based on Jack Kirby's 1966 creation, Silver Surfer debuted in 1998 and ran for just one season of 13 episodes. And owing to Kirby's art style, the animation was a blend of both cel and computer animation, bringing the celestial traveler to life in a bold, futuristic fashion.

The story, however, diverged a bit from the comics since it removed the Fantastic Four from the early goings involving Silver Surfer and Galactus. This version of the Surfer--a.k.a. Norrin Radd from the planet Zenn-La, the home world he protected by offering to become Galactus' herald--decides to betray Galactus and protect Earth since it reminds him of his former planet. Despite a serialized storytelling approach that saw the Surfer traveling across the known universe in search of his home world, a journey filled with such comic book characters as Ego the Living Planet, Drax the Destroyer, and Adam Warlock, Silver Surfer was canceled after just one season. There were eight episodes reported to be written for a second season, but the cancellation--over legal battles this time--meant they'd never see production. Marvel just couldn't catch a break, could they?