Marvel have enjoyed success with numerous animated outings, most notably offerings involving several Spider-Man series and the beloved X-Men: The Animated Series. Not every animated series can be a winner, though, and 1999's The Avengers: United They Stand is certainly not the cream of the crop.
The series is set to be included in the Marvel section of Disney+ when the platform launches. However, despite being an Avengers title, it did not feature the "Big Three" as prominent members of the team. In fact, only Iron Man featured in any meaningful way, assisting the Avengers directly in only one episode. Captain America would appear in a flashback and Thor would not appear in anything other than the title sequence. This seems somewhat familiar, as in the next iteration of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Cap and Iron Man are no longer going to be around and Thor appears to be off on his own adventure.
The roster of Avengers: United They Stand may have been due to the fact the series was largely based on the West Coast Avengers team. Unfortunately, the absence of the Avengers' heavy hitters was noticeable, and despite getting a comic to supplement the series, it was cancelled after only one season. The team consisted of Ant-Man/Giant Man, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Wasp, Falcon, Hawkeye, Tigra and Wonder Man.
If we look at the current MCU, these are a lot of the prominent heroes tasked with carrying the universe into Phase Four with the exception of Tigra and Wonder Man. The difference this time, however, is that Marvel Studies have built up the value and recognition of these characters over the past decade. With more weight behind them, they may fare better than they did trying to carry their own animated venture at the turn of the millennium.
For the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the popularity of perceived 'B-Teams' or less iconic Avengers has not been a problem. Where United They Stand fell, the MCU has excelled in pushing more obscure or lesser known characters. The presentation of characters like the Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man have pushed them to the forefront of fan's focus, allowing them to become invested in these characters that they may have written off in the past.
This is likely due to the fact that the MCU allows all manner of characters to contribute to a world that is being built and developed in front of fans' eyes. The heavy hitters in the MCU, like Spider-Man and Iron Man, served as a welcome for casual fans, opening the door for them to be introduced to the supporting cast. With Avengers: United They Stand, this was not the case, there was no iconic hook to ease people into the concept of the West Coast Avengers in animated format.
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Another Marvel animated series, Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, did a better job of introducing a B-Team by having the original Avengers gain traction for the series and then having Kang displace them in time. This forced associated friends of the team to form a replacement squad that included heroes like Iron Fist and Luke Cage to rescue them.
It is possible that United They Stand will receive more appreciation when viewed today now that fans are more accustomed to the likes of Falcon, Wasp, Vision and Scarlet Witch from their contributions to the Infinity Saga on the big screen. On the other hand, it's possible the MCU may have some transitional issues going into Phase Four without Iron Man or Captain America. Although, with characters it has built over a decade and remaining icons like Hulk and Spider-Man, it is positioned to continue the trend of bringing deeper lore from its comic source material to light.
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