A to Z of Animation Studios: Marvel Animation
(Or: The Studio That Gave Us Some of the Best Superhero Cartoons Ever… And Some That Look Like They Were Made in PowerPoint.)
Welcome back to Animation Anarchy, where we celebrate animation history while also questioning how Marvel has both the best and worst animated shows at the same time. If you haven’t subscribed to our YouTube channel, do it now before 90s Spider-Man gets stuck in an endless web-swinging loop trying to reach you.
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🔥 M is for Marvel Animation
Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe took over Hollywood, Marvel was cranking out animated shows with wildly inconsistent quality.
Some were legendary. Some were so bad they feel like AI-generated nightmares. And all of them helped shape superhero animation forever.
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The Greatest Hits (A.K.A. Superhero Cartoons That Actually Slapped)
• Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994-1998) – The GOAT of ‘90s superhero cartoons. A Spider-Man who never actually punched anyone due to censorship, but still managed to have one of the most gripping serialized stories in animation history.
• X-Men: The Animated Series (1992-1997) – Duh-duh-duh-DUH-DUH! If you read that and heard the theme song in your head, you understand its power.
• The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008-2009) – A criminally underrated masterpiece that was canceled way too soon and replaced by… Ultimate Spider-Man (which we do not talk about).
• The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes (2010-2012) – Basically the animated MCU before the MCU took over. And then they canceled it for a worse version because life is unfair.
• Hulk Vs. (2009) – Proof that animated Marvel movies could be brutal and awesome when they wanted to be.
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The Marvel Animation Fails (A.K.A. What Even Was That?)
• Iron Man (1994-1996) – The show that said, “What if we made Iron Man as unwatchable as possible?”
• Spider-Man Unlimited (1999-2001) – “What if Spider-Man… but in space… with furries?”
• Avengers Assemble (2013-2019) – The show that was forced to exist because Disney wanted a safe MCU knockoff for kids.
• Ultimate Spider-Man (2012-2017) – Spider-Man, but he never shuts up, the animation is stiffer than an action figure, and Deadpool humor is forced into every scene.
• The Inhumans Motion Comic (2013) – Motion comics were a dark time for Marvel Animation. It was like watching a slideshow where the slides occasionally blinked.
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Why Marvel Animation Is So Inconsistent
• Budget? Unpredictable. Sometimes they go all out, sometimes they animate a single frame and call it a fight scene.
• Storytelling? A coin flip. They have some of the best serialized storytelling ever (X-Men, Spider-Man) but also some of the most forgettable cash grabs.
• Ownership changes? Constant. Marvel Animation has changed hands more times than Spider-Man has had reboots.
Despite all this, Marvel Animation has given us some of the best superhero cartoons ever made, proving that even with questionable production choices, when they get it right, they get it REALLY right.
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🎖 Honorable Mention: Madhouse (Perfect Blue, Ninja Scroll, Gorgeous Anime Chaos)
Now, let’s talk about Madhouse, the animation studio that specializes in beautiful, violent, mind-bending anime.
What Did Madhouse Create? Pure, Unfiltered Anime Insanity.
• Perfect Blue (1997) – The terrifying psychological thriller that inspired Black Swan. If you want an anime that will make you question your own reality, this is it.
• Ninja Scroll (1993) – One of the most brutal, action-packed, beautifully animated ninja films of all time.
• Redline (2009) – The most visually insane racing movie you’ve ever seen, animated entirely by hand over seven years.
• Death Note (2006-2007) – The anime that made writing in a notebook look dramatic as hell.
• One Punch Man (2015, Season 1) – The show that delivered some of the best fight animation ever put on screen.
• Hunter x Hunter (2011-2014) – A shonen anime masterpiece that proves Madhouse can do anything.
Why Madhouse Is a Legend
• They don’t just animate fights—they create art.
• Their psychological thrillers are unmatched.
• They take their time to perfect their craft.
Madhouse is one of the best anime studios of all time. Meanwhile, Marvel Animation is still trying to figure out how to make Spider-Man move his arms smoothly.
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Final Thoughts (A.K.A. Why You Should Subscribe Before Marvel Cancels Another Good Show)
Marvel Animation? A chaotic mix of amazing and awful.
Madhouse? Anime at its absolute best.
Next up? N for Nickelodeon Animation—the studio that defined childhoods and also somehow gave us Breadwinners.
(Spoiler: Spongebob will be discussed. A lot.) 🚀
