Marvel Studios has a storiedhistory of releasing well-receivedlive-action films into Hollywood and popular culture, with very few misses. The Marvel Cinematic universe itself has changed how Cinema works, with its interconnected stories of superheroes, threats, and more, all leading to some of the best films of the last decade, inAvengers: Infinity WarandAvengers: Endgame(both of which are two out of four films all time to make over two billion dollars at the box office). Needless to say, Marvel has a fantastic track record in the cinematic world of live-action movies.
Though their direct rival, DC Studios and Warner Brothers, are much more well-known for their animated movies and projects (such asBatman: The Killing Joke, Flashpoint,andJustice League Dark: Apocalypse War).Marvel Studios also has a smaller, but just as acclaimed, track record with their animated movies, series, and other projects in that realm of creativity, between Disney and Sony. Withplans for many more animated projectson the way, (X-Men ‘97andSpider-Man: Freshman Year), here are the best of Marvel’s animated projects.
Related:Season 2 of Marvel’s “What If?” to Debut in 2022
4Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse (2018)
The most well-known of Marvel’s animated projects, and the most acclaimed of all, is 2018’sSpider-Man: Into the Spiderverse. Starring the fan-favorite Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) as the main Spider-Man of the film,Into the Spiderversewas a fantastic, unique, coming-of-age superhero story that pitted Miles against real-world struggles, internal unhappy feelings, and the oversized Kingpin of crime, Wilson Fisk. Using more than 140 different animators,Into The Spiderversedirectors Chris Lord and Phil Miller created a new style of animation that they felt would feel like actual comic book art (the style was also inspired by Miles Morales co-creator Sara Pichelli).Spiderversereceived massively favorable reviews, calling it a fresh take on superhero movies, a wacky LSD-fueled trip, and extremely positive reviews across nearly all movie rating aggregator sites. The film went on to make $376 million USD off of a $90 million USD budget.
3What If…? (2021-Present)
The newest addition to the Marvel animated gallery of projects is the wild and exploratory showWhat If…?Based on the hit Marvel Comics series of the same name,What If…?explores different worlds and scenarios based on if actions and events in Marvel’s canon happened differently. Such as the episodes"What if T’Challa Became Star-Lord?“and"What If Ultron Won?”. These scenarios allow for Marvel to explore situations that otherwise would have never happened in the regular Cinematic Universe. Though each episode was presented as standalone, it was a nice surprise for the audience in the season finale, when all the alternate characters came together (under the leadership of the Watcher) to form the Multiversal Avengers, expected to have more time in season two. The show was met with critical acclaim, with stunning scores across multiple aggregator sites, and multiple critics calling it “a breath of fresh air.” The show went on to win the Best Animated Series award from the Critics Choice Television Awards, and Best Editing from the Annie Awards.
2Earth’s Mightiest Heroes (2010)
Marvel’s early answer to the critically-acclaimed DC Animated shows (Justice League Unlimited, Batman: The Animated Series, etc.) wasEarth’s Mightiest Heroes. Though it only lasted two seasons,Earth’s Mightiestboasts some of the best ratings of any Marvel animated show (100% on Rotten Tomatoes, 8.3/10 IMDB). With a unique line-up consisting of Iron Man, Giant Man, Hulk, Thor, and Wasp (the first ever roster of Avengers), with Captain America, Black Panther, and more joining across the show’s two seasons.The show adopted a few different popular storylines, with the first season taking on the “Avengers: Breakout” storyline by Brian Michael Bendis, in where the Avengers have to handle all the villains that have broken out of a maximum security prison. The show also does an overarching storyline involving Loki as the main villain (similar to the Avengers movie). Though immensely popular, the show was canceled after two seasons, being replaced byAvengers Assemble.
Related:Is “Big Hero 6” Part of the MCU?
1Big Hero 6 (2014)
Most fans were shocked to find out thatBig Hero 6is in fact, based oncharacters from Marvel Comics, and that the universe ofBig Hero 6is labeled as “Earth-14123” in Marvel canon. The story follows a young Hiro Hamada (a gifted child in robotics) and Baymax, a healthcare robot that used to belong to Hiro’s brother, Tadashi. The two team up to become heroes after Hiro’s brother is killed by the villain they are trying to stop. An undoubtedly unique entry into lore,Big Hero 6was a massive critical and box office success, bringing in $658 million USD worldwide; along with scores such as an A from CinemaScore, 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, and 74/100 on Metacritic. The success has led to a planned few spinoffs forBig Hero 6,along with a potential sequel all in the works.
Above are just a few of the awesome and wonderful animated projects Marvel has put out over the years. There are many more as well, along with other projects debuting within the next few years.
