Batman: The Animated Series is still believed by many to be the standard for all superhero cartoons. It's easy to understand why. The series marks the first appearance of a superhero cartoon with proper serial storytelling. Its stories also aim at people of all ages rather than only children. Even now some episodes of the show are as emotionally moving as they were back then.
In the thirty years since Batman: TAS made its debut, there have been plenty of series to follow in the show's footsteps. Many creators responsible for Batman: TAS have since moved on to create better works. Other creators were inspired to create superhero cartoons that were as good or better than the classic '92 series, providing solid entertainment for superhero fans everywhere.
10 Justice League Unlimited Relied On Classic Comic Writers For Many Of Its Stories
Justice League Unlimited served as most superhero fans’ first look at what a shared universe could look like. Rather than focusing solely on the Big Seven of the Justice League, Unlimited introduced characters from across the DC Universe. With every hero serving as a member of the League, the creators were free to tell stories with whatever hero they wanted. Fans received adaptations of classic comics like For The Man Who Has Everything and had famous comic writers work on the show, but Unlimited wasn’t satisfied with simply adapting old comics. The series provided an amazing finale to all the plot lines that had been set up in the DCAU over the years, and became a timeless classic.
9 Spectacular Spider-Man Allowed Character Development For Its Villains And Heroes
Everyone loves Spider-Man: The Animated Series. But in 2008, Greg Weisman and Victor Cook reinvented Peter Parker for a new generation with Spectacular Spider-Man. This time, Spider-Man was back in high school, balancing the life of a superhero with that of a student. What made Spectacular stand out was its focus on character. Unlike the original series, every villain got their own origin story, grounding them in the show's world before allowing them to interact with everyone else. The intentionality on character development gave added layers of meaning and intruge to every conflict.
8 Wolverine And The X-Men Had Wolverine Assemble The Team To Save Earth
Wolverine and the X-Men was Marvel’s third incarnation of the popular X-Men franchise. Looking for a unique twist to set the latest one apart, Marvel decided to make Wolverine the leader of the team. After the group disbanded when the mansion explodes, Wolverine was tasked by a version of Xavier speaking to him from the future to reassemble the team and save the Earth. While fans were skeptical, Wolverine and the X-Men had some strong plotting and became one of the best cartoons on television. Unfortunately it only ran for a single season.
7 Batman Beyond Created A True Successor To Batman
Batman Beyond served as the epilogue to the story of Bruce Wayne. Set several decades in the future, it showed a Neo Gotham that had different problems and different villains. This new Gotham required a new Batman. Rather than Bruce continuing to be the lead, the new Batman was Terry McGinnis, a young teenager who discovered Bruce’s secret.
After Terry successfully uses a new Batman suit on a case, Bruce agrees to train him to keep Gotham’s criminal element in check. Even though fans didn't love the series at first, it quickly grew on them. They loved both the older Bruce, and the new cyberpunk Gotham, which fit the 2000s aesthetic better than Batman: TAS’ Gotham.
6 Ben 10 Developed A Massive Superhero Universe Over A Decade
Ben 10 could have been a forgettable cartoon given its humble roots. It felt like a Saturday morning cartoon show, but the writers created a massive universe fans fell in love with. The protagonist was Benjamin Tennyson, who found a special device known as the Omnitrix. The Omnitrix contained the DNA of aliens around the galaxy — resources Ben soon needed to protect the Earth. Ben 10 turned out to be so popular that it received three different sequels — Ben 10: Alien Force, Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, and Ben 10: Omniverse — keeping the franchise alive for a decade.
5 X-Men: Evolution Presented Fan-Favorite Characters Dealing With New Situations
When Marvel went for their second attempt at the X-Men, they tried something entirely different. Rather than working to keep the show accurate to the comics, they created a new version of their characters with X-Men Evolution. This version hearkened back to the early era of X-Men, with most of the key characters being teenagers attending high school. Although it didn’t seem like it would work at first, fans quickly bought into this new interpretation that allowed them to see a different side to their favorite heroes and villains.
4 Batman: Brave and the Bold Gave Batman A Chance To Team Up With The Entire DC Universe
Brave and the Bold is proof of Batman’s insane popularity. Even though people were concerned a Batman who wasn’t always dark and super-serious wouldn’t work, that didn’t stop this version from receiving three seasons. The key was making sure its scenes were always serious when it came time for the action. Sure, Batman had a gadget for everything in his utility belt, but it worked for what was a modern Silver Age version of the character. Additionally, the series had more guest appearances than any DC show short of Justice League Unlimited and Young Justice.
3 Young Justice Isn't Afraid To Use The Entire DC Universe For Its Stories
Young Justice was so beloved that despite Cartoon Network canceling it in 2011, the fans found a way to bring the series back. It’s received two new seasons since its return, and appears to have developed a bigger fanbase than ever. Despite the show focusing on the main characters of Young Justice, no other DC characters were off-limits — an element the show used to its success.
Super-teams like the Justice League or the Legion of Super-Heroes can appear in the show whenever needed, helping Young Justice bring the heart and lore of the DC Universe to life. Young Justice also has some of the smartest writing of any DC series in the last decade.
2 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003 Is The Best Version Of The TMNT
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ‘03 is still the best rendition of the Turtles. It doesn’t present any new twists on the characters — it simply handles them like the original comics did. The show is excellent at gradually ramping up into the weird and truly "out there" ideas like time travel and alien races. It backs that up with some of the best fights in animated cartoon history, along with great character development for its core cast. Even now, this show remains the gold standard for TMNT.
1 Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Provided A Modern Version Of The Silver Age Avengers
Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes belonged on every “canceled too soon” list. Marvel continued working on an Avengers cartoon with Avengers Assembled, but it wasn’t the same. Both the art style and the writing changed, causing the series to lose the special Silver Age vibe the original show had delivered. Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes had a great roster of characters and explored corners of the Marvel Universe that were scarcely seen. Unfortunately, it wasn’t similar enough to the MCU to stick around, leaving viewers without a third season.