Over the years, many comic book heroes and teams have taken to the small screen in animated form, some even debuting in original series. The range of these heroes is incredibly broad, with their shows spanning decades of television, each era bringing its own unique style of hero. Whether it's the work of Marvel and DC, indie heroes, or made-for-TV stories, there's no shortage of superhero content for the small screen.
With some great animated superhero shows even set for a reboot and others having received continuations and spin-offs, the medium's popularity speaks for itself. Animated superhero shows entertain older fans and introduce kids to the worlds these characters occupy. Indeed, some of the best superhero stories ever told come out of animated television.
10 Space Ghost Was Hanna-Barbera's Intergalactic Hero
The 1960s was a great period for animated kids' shows, especially as Hanna-Barbera started to make a name for itself. In 1966, Hanna-Barbera debuted Space Ghost, an intergalactic superhero who traveled with his friends Jace, Jan, and a space monkey named Blip.
Space Ghost was a great showcase of '60s superhero cartoons, and cast Space Ghost as a cross between Green Lantern and Superman. While the series mostly consisted of short episodes, the adventures of Space Ghost and his crew were nonetheless a fun exploration of the galaxy.
9 Static Shock Was The Ultimate Teen Hero
Static Shock brought the titular DC/Milestone Comics hero to the silver screen, telling the story of Virgil Hawkins as he adjusted to life as a hero. As Virgil lives the life of a superhero by night, he and his friend Richie work to fight the criminal element of Dakota City.
Static Shock was DC's most successful Milestone property, in no small part due to its brilliant animated series. Static represented a more socially conscious teenage hero, using his electrical powers to bring justice to the streets as he faces a complicated personal and home life.
8 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Gave Kids TV's Coolest Ninjas
Indie comics hit Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was an immediate sensation on the underground comics scene. The ninja turtles had several excellent animated series, each deserving of recognition in its own right. However, the original 1987 series propelled the team into the public consciousness.
This TMNT series brought the lore and origin story of the heroic siblings and their battle against Shredder and the Foot Clan to life. With their friend April O'Neil and mentor Master Splinter, the Turtles brought a weird sense of humor and whimsy as they established themselves as New York's subterranean protectors.
7 Spawn Gave Todd McFarlane's Demonic Hero The Treatment He Deserved
After a commercially unsuccessful and widely panned live-action movie, Todd McFarlane brought his dark antihero Spawn to HBO. Citing too much studio interference in the 1997 film, McFarlane brought fans a darker horror series truer to the world and character of the comics.
A more direct adaptation of the original comic book series, the darker tone paid off well for Spawn and his fans. The show featured Spawn battling the forces of Heaven and Hell, and the cops, Sam and Twitch, getting involved following Spawn's fight with the evil Billy Kincaid.
6 Green Lantern Had Better Treatment In Animation Than On Film
Following on a box office failure, Green Lantern landed an animated series that showed fans Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps at their best. The 3D animation mirrored the success of shows like The Clone Wars and explored Green Lantern history quite well.
The series crafted a new team of Hal Jordan, Kilowog, the Red Lantern Razer, and sentient AI android Aya, making the four unlikely friends inseparable. Ranging from battles with the Manhunters to the origin of Star Sapphire, it serves as a solid look at the GLC.
5 Superman The Animated Series Gave The Man Of Steel Some Of His Best Stories
Superman is generally seen as one of the greatest superheroes in pop culture, and nowhere is this more evident than in Superman: The Animated Series. Exploring Clark Kent's life in Metropolis, his relationship with Lois, and his role as Superman, it was true to the character's core.
One of the best aspects of the series was its introduction of Superman's villains, including great stories revolving around Metallo, Luthor, Brainiac, and Darkseid. With so many prior Superman animated projects to draw on, the '90s series was replete with everything that makes Superman great, even including some notable Batman crossovers.
4 X-Men: The Animated Series Channeled The Best Of Marvel's Mutants
Bringing together the likes of Wolverine, Beast, and Rogue, 1992's X-Men: The Animated Series proved to be one of the team's greatest on-screen appearances. Going up against everything from human intolerance to Magneto, the series did the X-Men justice.
X-Men: The Animated Series felt like the X-Men at the height of their comic book adventures, taking some direct inspiration from those stories. The show was one of the best comic-to-TV adaptations, and it's impressive how much of the X-Men history and characters were condensed into five seasons.
3 Justice League Unlimited Brilliantly Expanded The DCAU
After an excellent 2001 Justice League series, the show was brought back in a newer format, this time uniting the A-list heroes with DC's lesser-known characters. The balance between shorter episodic stories and an ongoing plot involving Luthor and Brainiac provided a sense of balance in a challenging high-concept show.
The JLU series was built on the groundwork laid by the earlier Justice League series, building towards its infamous CADMUS conspiracy arc. The ongoing showcase of DC's more obscure heroes, from Vigilante to Atom Smasher, set this series apart from its predecessor.
2 Spider-Man Was Marvel At Its '90s Best
The 1990s saw a great many superhero projects hit both TV and film, from Marvel and DC alike. The greatest of Marvel's '90s projects was easily its Spider-Man animated series, which served as an excellent introduction to the red-and-blue web-slinger.
This Spider-Man animation was especially great for its ability to balance the life of Peter Parker with his superheroic responsibilities without detracting from either one. The series largely stayed faithful to the character's comic book lore and provided origin stories for his most infamous villains.
1 Batman: The Animated Series Showed Fans The Superhero Genre At Its Best
Widely regarded as the greatest superhero show of all time, Batman the Animated Series delivered fans one of The Caped Crusader's best portrayals. With the forever iconic voice work of Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as Joker, the show was an instant classic.
It followed Batman in his war on crime in Gotham City and served as a deep exploration of his extensive and deadly rogues gallery. Among the series' highlights were Harley Quinn's introduction, Bane's on-screen debut, and the show's iconic reinterpretation of Mister Freeze.