Marvel animated universe

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The Marvel animated universe.
The Marvel animated universe.

The Marvel animated universe (aka MAU) is a series of animated television shows and related spin-offs which share the same continuity. All of the animated series' were adapted from Marvel Comics properties.

Contents

[edit] When compared to other comic based television programs

While there have been several animated series based upon Marvel Comics characters over the decades, what is commonly accepted as the "Marvel animated universe" refers to the stable of shows that spin-off from X-Men, the original show in this universe. Older shows such as Spider-Man (1967) and newer shows such as Fantastic Four (2006) and X-Men: Evolution are not part of this continuity; despite being released during the same time period, the same goes for the Silver Surfer[1][2] animated series. Though it had a successful beginning with the X-Men in 1992, it failed to reach to the 2000s like its DC counterpart, which started around the same time with Batman: The Animated Series.

[edit] TV series (in chronological order based on debuts)

It should be noted that although the Silver Surfer and some of his supporting characters appear on Fantastic Four, their portrayals are considerably different when compared to on the Silver Surfer series (1998). As a result, the two cartoons are most likely not meant as part of the same universe.

For more details on this topic, see Silver_Surfer_(TV_series)#Fantastic_Four_crossover.

[edit] Contradictions

One notable continuity issue lies with Captain America. In Spider-Man, he was the leader of the Six American Warriors[15] during World War II and got trapped in a vortex machine while fighting off against the Red Skull[16], though he got released by the Red Skull's sons, Rhienholdt Kragov and the Chameleon[17]. Captain America appeared in X-Men, where he teamed up with a pre-adamantium skeleton-Wolverine against the Skull. On X-Men, there was no mentioning of the Six American Warriors; it should also be noted that the Red Skull was a poor fighter in X-Men[18] while in Spider-Man, he was skilled in combat. Another possible inconstancy was that the X-Men showed a female president followed by Robert Kelly as president during "the 1990s" (as Wolverine states in Days of Future Past, Part 1), while Iron Man and The Fantastic Four both showed Bill Clinton to be president. Yet another president was shown in The Avengers.

Another continuity issue is with the character She Hulk[19]; while the character made several non-speaking cameos in the Fantastic Four series, her origin wasn't shown until an episode of the Incredible Hulk series. This Incredible Hulk episode in question, aired immediately before an episode featuring the Fantastic Four's Thing and clearly meant to take place after his encounter with the character in that series. No mention is made of previous meetings between She Hulk or the Thing and the other members of his team.

[edit] Crossovers

  1. Fantastic Four - The X-Men (Cyclops[21], Jean Grey[22], Gambit[23] and Wolverine[24]) appeared in their civilian outfits in the Season 2 episode Nightmare in Green[25]. The Juggernaut's[26] arm was also seen briefly reaching out of the water, placing the episode around the middle of the third season of X-Men. The X-Men's Blackbird is briefly seen attacking Doctor Doom in the episode before being turned to stone Doomsday[27].
  2. Spider-Man: The Animated Series - All of the X-Men[28] appeared in the Season 2 episodes Mutant Agenda[29] and Mutant's Revenge[30]. Also, Storm guest-starred during Season 5 of Spider-Man, during the Secret Wars[31][32][33] three parter. She was not voiced by Alison Sealy-Smith, but instead, by Iona Morris, the original voice of Storm[34]. This was done mainly because Morris was available in Los Angeles (where the Spider-Man series was produced) at the time. It would've been very expensive to produce the episodes with the entire X-Men cast since they were all based in Canada.
  3. Avengers: United They Stand - The entire cast from X-Men: The Animated Series were going to appear in a planned, but unmade two part episode during Season 2. The series was, however, cancelled before Season 2 was made. The X-Men were to have be voiced by their respective voice actors/actresses. Some of the voice cast for Avengers started from X-Men. Lenore Zann, voice of Rogue[35], for instance voiced Tigra.
  1. The Incredible Hulk - The whole team appeared in the Season 1 episode Fantastic Fortitude[37]. Both Beau Weaver (Mister Fantastic[38]) and Chuck McCann (The Thing[39]) reprised their roles for this episode.
  2. Spider-Man: The Animated Series - In the fifth season (in the three part Secret Wars storyline), Spider-Man[40] enlisted the aid of the Fantastic Four (who sport their "Heroes Reborn" uniforms)[41] to help him battle Doctor Doom. Quinton Flynn, the second Human Torch[42] (Brian Austin Green was the first) was the only cast member from the Fantastic Four to reprise his role on Spider-Man. The main reason for the overhaul wasn't because Beau Weaver (Mister Fantastic), Chuck McCann (The Thing), and Lori Alan (The Invisible Woman) were unavailable, it was because John Semper, Jr., the producer and story editor of Spider-Man simply wasn't a fan of the Fantastic Four animated series[43] from around that same period.
  3. The Silver Surfer - Had production of the second season of The Silver Surfer had not been shut down due to Marvel's bankruptcy, then the team would've appeared in a three part episode entitled Down to Earth[44].
  1. X-Men - An alternate version of Iron Man is seen very briefly in the episode entitled One Man's Worth[46].
  2. The Incredible Hulk - Iron Man[47], War Machine[48], and H.O.M.E.R.[49] guest-starred on the Season 1 episode entitled Helping Hand, Iron Fist[50].
  3. Fantastic Four - Although he never spoke, Iron Man made several cameos in some Fantastic Four episodes, actually appearing on a TV show in the first-season episode The Silver Surfer and the Return of Galactus[51][52] and the Season 2 episodes To Battle the Living Planet and Doomsday.
  4. Spider-Man: The Animated Series - Iron Man[53] and War Machine[54] both appeared on Spider-Man, but Iron Man appeared in more than one storyline. They both appeared in the two part Season 3 episodes that brought back Venom[55][56] and introduced Carnage[57][58]. While Robert Hays voiced Iron Man (just like he did on The Incredible Hulk), War Machine was voiced by James Avery, the original voice of War Machine instead of Dorian Harewood, who previously played the villain Tombstone[59] on Spider-Man. Iron Man returned to aid Spider-Man in the Season 5 three parter, entitled The Secret Wars.
  5. Avengers: United They Stand - Iron Man briefly appears in the Avengers episode Shooting Stars[60]. Robert Hays however, didn't reprise his role as Iron Man (as was the case on The Incredible Hulk and Spider-Man). Instead, Iron Man was voiced by Francis Diakowsky.
  1. X-Men - during an episode of the Phoenix Saga[61][62][63]

[64], there was a little glimpse of Spidey's hand throwing his web to prevent a chair from falling over inoccent bystanders. The Scarlet Spider[65] appeared briefly in the episode One Man's Worth.

  1. Fantastic Four - The Scarlet Spider appeared briefly on the Season 2 episode Nightmare in Green.
  1. Fantastic Four - The Hulk[67] and Rick Jones guest-starred on the second season episode of the show, entitled Nightmare in Green. Both Hulk[68] and Rick[69] were voiced by different voice actors than on the subsequent Hulk TV series.
  2. Iron Man - The Hulk[70] guest-starred on a Season 2 episode of Iron Man, called Hulkbuster[71]. In addition to the Hulk, The Leader[72] also guest-starred (The Leader was voiced by Matt Frewer just like on the Hulk TV series[73]).
  3. X-Men - The Hulk appeared for a few seconds in the Season 3 episode The Juggernaut Returns[74], though only was a Danger Room simulation.
  4. Spider-Man: The Animated Series - Hulk and She-Hulk were in the original draft to appear in the Secret Wars three parter, in the fifth season of Spider-Man. However, due to the then current show on UPN, they had to be written out. They were replaced by The Lizard[75].
  1. X-Men - Alternate versions of the Avengers are seen attacking the Mutant Resistance in the episode entitled One Man's Worth.
  2. Fantastic Four - The Avengers had non-speaking cameos in the Season 2 episodes To Battle the Living Planet[76] and Doomsday (the Avengers appearing in both episodes don't fit with the roster shown in Avengers: United They Stand). The Avengers (or Avenger Mansion) are mentioned in the Season 2 episodes Worlds Within Worlds[77] and The Sentry Sinister[78].

[edit] Other characters

  • Absorbing Man: Besides his appearance as an adversary on The Incredible Hulk[79], Absorbing Man appeared as a member of the Masters of Evil in the Avengers episode Command Decision[80].
  • Captain America: Captain America appeared on the X-Men episode Old Soldiers[81] and the Avengers episode Command Decision, as well as a recurring role on Spider-Man[82]. Lawrence Bryne provided Captain America's voice on X-Men[83] while David Hayter provided his voice on Spider-Man. Although he never spoke, Cap had a cameo as a member of the Avengers in the Fantastic Four Season 2 episode To Battle the Living Planet.
  • Daredevil: Daredevil appeared on the Fantastic Four episode And a Blind Man Shall Lead Them…[84] and the Spider-Man episodes Framed[85] and The Man Without Fear[86]. Bill Smitrovich provided Daredevil's voice on Fantastic Four[87] while Edward Albert provived his voice on Spider-Man[88].
  • Doctor Doom: Besides his appearances against familiar adversaries, the Fantastic Four[89], Doctor Doom appeared on the Spider-Man episode arc Secret Wars and The Incredible Hulk[90] episodes Doomed and Hollywood Rocks[91]. John Vernon provided Doctor Doom's voice on the first season of Fantastic Four. Simon Templeman took over for Vernon in subsequent Fantastic Four episodes as well as the Doomed and Hollywood Rocks episodes of The Incredible Hulk. Tom Kane provided Doctor Doom's voice on Spider-Man[92].
  • Ghost Rider: Ghost Rider appeared on the Fantastic Four[97] episode When Calls Galactus[98] and on The Incredible Hulk[99] episode Innocent Blood[100]. Richard Grieco provided Ghost Rider's voice on both occasions. He also made a cameo in X-Men; he's seen in Gambit's memories.
  • High Evolutionary: The High Evolutionary appeared on the X-Men Season 4 episode Family Ties[102]. He also was the main villain in Spider-Man Unlimited[103].
  • Nick Fury: Besides a recurring role on Spider-Man[109], Nick Fury appeared on the Iron Man[110] episodes The Beast Within[111] and Not Far From the Tree[112]. Philip Abbott was the original voice of Nick Fury on Spider-Man (before Jack Angel took over following Abbott's death) in addition to providing his voice on Iron Man. He also made a cameo in the X-Men episode Sanctuary[113].
  • The Scarlet Witch: Scarlet Witch was a regular character in both Iron Man (as a member of Force Works) and Avengers: United They Stand. She was voiced by Jennifer Darling on Iron Man and by Stavroula Logothettis on Avengers (In both appearances, she was voiced with a thick Eastern European accent). She also appeared in the X-Men Season 4 episode Family Ties being voiced by Tara Strong.
  • Thor: Thor appeared on the Fantastic Four[114] episode To Battle the Living Planet and The Incredible Hulk[115] episode Mortal Bounds[116]. John Rhys-Davies provided Thor's voice on both occasions. Thor also had a non-speaking cameo in one episode of X-Men.
  • Whirlwind: Besides his various appearances as an adversary on Iron Man[117], Whirlwind appeared as a member of the Masters of Evil in the Avengers episode Command Decision.

[edit] Video games

There are also several video games that make use of the same voice actors from the cartoons, which implies that they share the same universe.

Note: This list may not be complete.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ DRG4's Silver Surfer the Animated Series Page
  2. ^ Marvel Animation Age Presents: Silver Surfer
  3. ^ DRG4's X-Men Page
  4. ^ Marvel Animation Age Presents: X-Men
  5. ^ DRG4's Iron Man Page
  6. ^ Marvel Animation Age Presents: Iron Man
  7. ^ DRG4's Fantastic Four Page
  8. ^ Marvel Animation Age Presents: Fantastic Four
  9. ^ DRG4's Spider-Man Page
  10. ^ Marvel Animation Age Presents: Spider-Man
  11. ^ DRG4's Incredible Hulk Page
  12. ^ Marvel Animation Age Presents: The Incredible Hulk
  13. ^ Marvel Animation Age Presents: Spider-Man Unlimited
  14. ^ Marvel Animation Age Presents: The Avengers: United They Stand
  15. ^ Six American Warriors (Spider-Man)
  16. ^ Red Skull (Spider-Man)
  17. ^ Chameleon (Spider-Man)
  18. ^ Red Skull (X-Men)
  19. ^ She Hulk (Hulk)
  20. ^ Other X-Men Appearances
  21. ^ Cyclops (X-Men)
  22. ^ Jean Grey (X-Men)
  23. ^ Gambit (X-Men)
  24. ^ Wolverine (X-Men)
  25. ^ Nightmare in Green
  26. ^ Juggernaut (X-Men)
  27. ^ Doomsday
  28. ^ X-Men (Spider-Man)
  29. ^ Mutant Agenda
  30. ^ Mutant's Revenge
  31. ^ Arrival
  32. ^ Gauntlet of the Red Skull
  33. ^ Doom
  34. ^ Storm (X-Men)
  35. ^ Rogue (X-Men)
  36. ^ Other Fantastic Four Appearances
  37. ^ Fantastic Fortitude
  38. ^ Mr. Fantastic Mr. Fantastic (Fantastic Four)
  39. ^ Thing (Fantastic Four)
  40. ^ Spider-Man (Spider-Man)
  41. ^ Fantastic Four (Spider-Man)
  42. ^ Human Torch (Fantastic Four)
  43. ^ DRG4: Also about the Secret Wars, how come you guys didn't get the rest of the FF voice cast? It was really disappointing to hear only Quinton Flynn's familiar voice and not the rest. John Semper: I HATED that show and most of the cast that came with it. I think we recast it better.
  44. ^ Down to Earth, Part 1
  45. ^ Other Iron Man Appearances
  46. ^ One Man's Worth
  47. ^ Iron Man (Hulk)
  48. ^ War Machine (Hulk)
  49. ^ H.O.M.E.R. (Iron Man)
  50. ^ Helping Hand, Iron Fist
  51. ^ The Silver Surfer & the Coming of Galactus (Pt. 1)
  52. ^ The Silver Surfer & the Coming of Galactus (Pt. 2)
  53. ^ Iron Man (Spider-Man)
  54. ^ War Machine (Spider-Man)
  55. ^ Venom (Spider-Man)
  56. ^ Venom Returns
  57. ^ Carnage (Spider-Man)
  58. ^ Carnage
  59. ^ Tombstone (Spider-Man)
  60. ^ Shooting Stars
  61. ^ Dark Phoenix Saga, Part 1: Dazzled!
  62. ^ Dark Phoenix Saga, Part 2: Inner Circle
  63. ^ Dark Phoenix Saga, Part 3: Dark Phoenix
  64. ^ Dark Phoenix Saga, Part 4: The Fate of Phoenix
  65. ^ Scarlet Spider (Spider-Man)
  66. ^ Other Incredible Hulk Appearances
  67. ^ Hulk (Fantastic Four)
  68. ^ Hulk (Hulk)
  69. ^ Rick Jones (Hulk)
  70. ^ Hulk (Iron Man)
  71. ^ Hulkbuster
  72. ^ Leader (Iron Man)
  73. ^ Leader (Hulk)
  74. ^ Juggernaut Returns
  75. ^ Lizard (Spider-Man)
  76. ^ To Battle the Living Planet
  77. ^ Worlds Within Worlds
  78. ^ The Sentry Sinister
  79. ^ Absorbing Man (Hulk)
  80. ^ Command Decision
  81. ^ Old Soliders
  82. ^ Captain America (Spider-Man)
  83. ^ Captain America (X-Men)
  84. ^ And a Blind Man Shall Lead Them
  85. ^ Framed
  86. ^ The Man Without Fear
  87. ^ Daredevil (Fantastic Four)
  88. ^ Daredevil (Spider-Man)
  89. ^ Doctor Doom (Fantastic Four)
  90. ^ Doctor Doom (Hulk)
  91. ^ Hollywood Rocks
  92. ^ Doctor Doom (Spider-Man)
  93. ^ Doctor Strange
  94. ^ Mind Over Anti-Matter
  95. ^ Doctor Strange (Spider-Man)
  96. ^ Doctor Strange (Hulk)
  97. ^ Ghost Rider (Fantastic Four)
  98. ^ When Calls Galactus
  99. ^ Ghost Rider (Hulk)
  100. ^ Innocent Blood
  101. ^ Hawkeye (Iron Man)
  102. ^ Family Ties
  103. ^ High Evolutionary
  104. ^ Hydro-Man (Spider-Man)
  105. ^ Hyrdo-Man
  106. ^ Return of Hydro-Man
  107. ^ The Inhumans Saga, Part 1: And the Wind Cries Medusa
  108. ^ Hydro-Man (Fantastic Four)
  109. ^ Nick Fury (Spider-Man)
  110. ^ Nick Fury (Iron Man)
  111. ^ The Beast Within
  112. ^ Not Far From the Tree
  113. ^ Sanctuary
  114. ^ Thor (Fantastic Four)
  115. ^ Thor (Hulk)
  116. ^ Mortal Bounds
  117. ^ Mandarin's Henchmen (Iron Man)

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Marvel animated universe
Television series
X-Men (1992) · Iron Man (1994) · Fantastic Four (1994) · Spider-Man (1994) · The Incredible Hulk (1996) · Silver Surfer (1998) · Spider-Man Unlimited (1999) · The Avengers: United They Stand (1999)
List of episodes
Production
and distribution
Production staff
Music
Keith Emerson (Iron Man) · Shuki Levy · Giorgio Moroder (Fantastic Four) · Joe Perry (Spider-Man) · David Sibley
Characters
Adapted storylines
Related articles
Languages