Disney Plus has stepped up its game like never before with the Marvel universe. And no, I’m not referring to the live-action MCU series like Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, or Secret Invasion, which have largely gone unnoticed on the streaming platform. The secret to success has been X-Men ’97, the animated series created by Beau DeMayo —before being abruptly fired— that is surprising everyone.
Undoubtedly, X-Men 97′ is being an incredible surprise. Each episode surpasses the previous one, and the ending of the fifth has been compared, even, with that of Avengers: Infinity War. The series that serves as a sequel to the 90s X-Men has managed to resonate like never before among Marvel’s audience, and it has also opened the door to the rest of classic series that deserve to be revisited.
If after watching X-Men 97′ you still want more, don’t despair. In Disney Plus you have all the animated Marvel series from the nineties. In fact, we have made a list for you to watch them… from worst to best quality. Here are the series you shouldn’t miss.
8. The Avengers: United They Stand (1999)
Long before Kevin Feige began his plan to bring the real Avengers to the big screen, Marvel produced an animated series with that same intention… or almost. The Avengers: United They Stand sought to adapt The New Avengers, which at the time was a hit in comics, to the small screen. It made perfect sense: they had already succeeded with characters like X-Men or Spider-Man. However, things didn’t go very well.
From the cast of protagonists, which was not at all striking, to the strange character designs, the series became a small failure of 13 episodes. However, it was far superior to other cartoons of the time, so it is also worth watching on Disney Plus.
7. Iron Man (1994)
Although in the nineties he was a niche character, and not the great star he became thanks to Marvel Studios, Iron Man had his moment of popularity in this era thanks to his own animated series. Through two seasons produced by different studios (Rainbow Animation Group and Koko Enterprises), the series served to introduce the character and his main antagonists.
Its plot was somewhat more complex than the rest and had some very striking details. However, Iron Man was a complete failure and, in addition, its aesthetics were one of the most terrible of all the series that came out at that time. Nowadays, it is better for laughing than for anything else, but it still has some very striking moments.
6. Spider-Man Unlimited (1999)
After the great success of the Spider-Man animated series, Marvel wanted to repeat the success with a very special ally: Saban Entertainment, the production company behind Power Rangers. It was clear that it was going to be a success… except that it wasn’t at all.
The series took Spider-Man to the Counter-Earth, an alternate planet created by the High Evolutionary where Spidey coexisted with hybrids between humans and animals. The idea was that, at the end of the season, he would return to Earth… but it never happened. After a strange and curious first season in its plots, it was canceled.
5. The Incredible Hulk (1996)
In the nineties, the image of Hulk was even darker than what we have now, but after trying their luck with darker plots in Spider-Man and The Fantastic Four, Marvel dared with the story of the green titan in animation.
Although aesthetically it suffers from a time when they still didn’t know how to adapt Hulk to animation, the series is one of the most outstanding of its time. The plots are more adult-oriented, as well as deep and interesting, and the action that enemies like Abomination or Sasquatch led to was admirable.
4. The Fantastic Four (1994)
The First Family, of course, had its own animated adaptation in the early nineties. With so many stories to tell and so many plots to explore, it was almost obligatory to adapt it to a time when superhero television was so well regarded. And, of course, it was a great success at the time.
The Fantastic Four series had 26 episodes in which enemies like Galactus, Doctor Doom, Namor, Uatu, Annihilus or The Inhumans appeared. In other words, the cream of the crop of Marvel made an appearance in this fiction long before they even considered whether they should appear on the big screen. A fiction that set a precedent.
3. Silver Surfer (1998)
Although we may not have it in mind right now, at one point Silver Surfer was one of the most beloved characters in all of Marvel. Of course, he had his own series in the nineties, which also served as a spin-off of the Fantastic Four.
Although it only had 13 episodes, the series was a great qualitative surprise at the time. In addition, it served to show the Marvel galaxy beyond Earth, with great appearances by Thanos, Warlock, Ego, Drax… and, of course, Galactus, who curiously was created with a 3D that still maintains its aesthetic today.
2. X-Men (1992)
Just take a look at X-Men 97′ to understand why the original series from the nineties worked so well. The team led by Charles Xavier had the most contemporary stories of its time. It was a series that spoke to its generation, and the writers took full advantage of this to create plots that still work perfectly today.
It is clear that the best thing after watching X-Men 97′ is to go back to the classic series and understand the reason behind many things. But, beyond that, the fiction works on its own like a charm. A classic that never goes out of style.
1. Spider-Man (1994)
And we finish with the jewel in the crown, to which we have already dedicated an entire article to justify why it deserves a continuation like X-Men 97′. Undoubtedly, the 90s Spider-Man laid the foundations for what we later saw in the movies, and also served to make us understand why he is the most beloved character in Marvel.
With an unmatched list of enemies ranging from Green Goblin to Doctor Octopus, including Vulture, Kingpin, Lizard or Venom, the fiction made it clear that there are no better adventures than those of Spidey.
