The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been dominating pop culture once again after a year-long hiatus, especially with the success of the new Disney Plus TV series like WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki, as well as the recent release of Black Widow. But between all the hype for so many recent and upcoming MCU projects, it’s easy to forget that another MCU show is premiering on Disney Plus this month: the animated series What If…?
What If…?, based on the classic comic of the same name, is a look into the various worlds of the Marvel multiverse, where familiar stories have radically different endings and the characters we know and love find themselves in strange new situations. With the multiverse poised to play a major role in Phase 4 of the MCU, it seems that What If…? will be a first look at the kinds of stories and characters that audiences can expect to see from the MCU going forward. But just as remarkable is the fact that this is the first fully animated project in MCU canon. So, to honor the long history of animated superhero shows, here are some other cartoons on Disney Plus that are perfect to binge watch before What If…? premieres on August 11th.
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So, to honor the long history of animated superhero shows, here are some other cartoons on Disney Plus that are perfect to binge watch before What If…? premieres on August 11th. While most of them predate the MCU, they all showcase what the Marvel Universe has to offer in their own unique way.
The Amazing Spider-Man has had more animated series to his name than any other Marvel hero, from the 1967 cartoon known for spawning an iconic theme song and countless internet memes, to 2008’s The Spectacular Spider-Man, regarded by many fans as one of the greatest superhero cartoons ever made. But much more relevant to today’s topic is Spider-Man: The Animated Series, one of the few cartoons to truly embrace Spider-Man’s role in the larger Marvel Universe.
Spider-Man: TAS featured plenty of beloved characters from the web-slinger’s comic history, from iconic villains like Doctor Octopus, Venom, and Carnage to supporting characters like Mary Jane Watson, J. Jonah Jameson, and the Black Cat. But one of the things the series is best remembered for is its numerous guest appearances from other Marvel heroes. Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Captain America, Iron Man, the X-Men, and more all show up to team up with Spider-Man at some point throughout the series’ run, with Nick Fury even appearing on multiple occasions as a recurring character.
Equally prophetic of Spider-Man’s cinematic future is the show’s two-part series finale “Spider Wars,” which features Peter Parker teaming up with an alliance of alternate Spider-Men from across the multiverse. In other words, it essentially serves as a prototype of sorts to Into the Spider-Verse. It seems like Spider-Man’s multiversal adventures are about to continue in What If…?, with one poster for the series featuring Peter clad in Dr. Strange’s cloak. But until then, Spidey’s retro adventures are well worth another look.
While the Fantastic Four have yet to make their MCU debut, their short-lived 90s cartoon is still an underrated gem that explores the wider Marvel Universe in animated form long before the movies did so. The first season of the series is underwhelming and poorly aged, exemplifying the worst of 90s cartoon cheese. However, the show’s second and final season is vastly superior in quality thanks to a change in writing staff and animation studios.
Season 2 of Fantastic Four: TAS adapts several classic FF adventures from the comics, including plenty of team-ups with heroes like Daredevil, Ghost Rider, and the Inhumans. There are even some high-profile guest voices, like Keith David as Black Panther, John Rhys-Davies as Thor, and Ron Perlman as the Hulk. Season 2 is also worth mentioning for having quite possibly the best portrayal of Doctor Doom yet outside the comics — though hopefully, his inevitable MCU debut will change that. But for now, Fantastic Four Season 2 is still worth revisiting to see the animated appearances of several Marvel icons before they hit mainstream popularity.
Despite being lesser-known compared to its predecessors X-Men: the Animated Series and X-Men: Evolution, the most recent X-Men cartoon to date still manages to stand on its own as a unique adaptation of Marvel’s mighty mutants. The series, which ran only for a single season, maintains a relatively dark tone by superhero cartoon standards, eschewing witty banter and lighthearted hijinks for a more serious, serialized story that follows the X-Men’s attempts to prevent the mutant-killing robots known as Sentinels from taking over the world. If this premise sounds familiar, it should — it’s an adaptation of the “Days of Future Past” comic storyline that would later inspire the film of the same name.
In a unique twist on the source material, however, Wolverine and the X-Men feature one of the heroes getting sent back in time, but rather forward — a mysterious incident in the series premiere sends Professor X into the Sentinels’ dystopian future, where he uses Cerebro to communicate with the X-Men of the past. While the series’ second season never came to be, it would have dealt with another alternate future based on the “Age of Apocalypse” story arc. And though the X-Men will also not be appearing in What If…?, a Marvel cartoon telling a story that spans multiple timelines sounds right in line with what fans can expect from the upcoming MCU series.
Finally, it would be a shame not to mention what is arguably the definitive Marvel cartoon in the eyes of many fans. Though Earth’s Mightiest Heroes features no multiversal travel throughout its two-season run, it still explores the wider Marvel Universe in a way that no cartoon before or since has done. The series introduced younger generations of fans to characters like Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Ant-Man, and the Guardians of the Galaxy years before the MCU got the chance.
But of course, it’s not just the heroes that this show put in the spotlight. Earth’s Mightiest Heroes built up quite the rogues’ gallery over the course of the series, including Loki, Baron Zemo, Ultron, Ronan the Accuser, Doctor Doom, and of course Kang the Conqueror. The show maintained a perfect balance of episodic and serialized storytelling, showcasing one-off adventures while also building towards an overarching narrative in each season. Season 2 even featured heavy foreshadowing for a future arc focused on stopping Surtur from causing Ragnarok — but alas, the show’s untimely cancellation prevented this story from ever being made.
In the eyes of most fans, no Marvel cartoon since the end of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes has managed to reach the high standard it set for future animated adaptations. But in a year where the success of Invincible has proved what superhero cartoons are capable of with an ambitious story to tell and high-quality animation, it’s quite possible that What If…? will recapture the magic of past Marvel animated series. But before it premieres later this month, it’s worth it to look back on the history of Marvel animation for a taste of what fans might be able to expect from the MCU’s first animated project.
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