Iron Man: Armored Adventures

Last updated
Iron Man: Armored Adventures
Iron-Man-Armored-Adventures-Logo.png
Series logo
Genre Superhero
Based on
Iron Man
by
Developed by
Directed by
  • Stéphane Juffé
  • Philippe Guyenne
Creative directors
  • Stéphane Juffé
  • Philippe Guyenne
Voices of
Theme music composer Robert Schwartzman
Opening theme"Iron Man: Armored Adventures Theme" by Rooney
Ending theme"Iron Man: Armored Adventures Theme" by Rooney
Composer Guy Michelmore
Country of origin
Original languages
  • English
  • French
  • Luxembourgish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes52 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Cédric Pilot (season 1)
  • Romain van Liemt (season 1)
  • Joshua Fine (season 1)
  • Cort Lane (season 1)
  • Megan Thomas Bradner (season 2)
Running time22 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network
ReleaseApril 24, 2009 (2009-04-24) –
July 25, 2012 (2012-07-25)

Iron Man: Armored Adventures (also known in early promotional materials as Iron Man: The Animated Series) is a 3D CGI-animated series based on the Marvel Comics superhero Iron Man. It debuted in the United States on Nicktoons on April 24, 2009, and it aired on Teletoon in Canada. [2] The series is story edited by showrunner Christopher Yost, [3] who also worked on Wolverine and the X-Men , and numerous other Marvel Animation projects. The television show is not related to the 2007 animated film The Invincible Iron Man ; it has a different voice cast, but some story elements are similar and the show uses the same musical score as the film in some instances. It is the first Iron Man television series since Iron Man from 1994 to 1996, and started airing after the success of the live action Iron Man film, which had been distributed by Nicktoons’ sibling Paramount Pictures.

Contents

The series follows the adventures of a younger version of Tony Stark and his alter ego of Iron Man. As Iron Man, he uses his technological inventions to fight other similarly technologically advanced threats. His friends James "Rhodey" Rhodes and Pepper Potts help him on his courageous and dangerous adventures.

The second season of this series premiered on July 13, 2011, running concurrently with the English dub of the completely separate Marvel Anime: Iron Man anime series, which had already finished airing on Japan's Animax in 2010. [4] [5]

On August 25, 2012, it was revealed that Iron Man: Armored Adventures would air as part of The CW's new Saturday morning children's block Vortexx. After November 24, 2012, Vortexx ceased airing the show and replaced it with Transformers: Prime on December 8, 2012.

As of January 2021, both seasons of the show are available on Disney+.

Synopsis

After a plane crash in which his industrialist father Howard Stark disappears after refusing to weaponize the Earth Mover at Obadiah Stane's behest, 16-year-old genius Tony uses a high-tech suit of armor he has constructed and investigates a charge that Stane may have been involved in his father's death. As Iron Man, Tony spends his time stopping Stane's plans and saving the world from other villains such as Mandarin, Mr. Fix, Whiplash, A.I.M., Living Laser, the Maggia, Controller, Crimson Dynamo, Blizzard, Killer Shrike, Unicorn, M.O.D.O.K., Ghost, Black Knight, and Technovore. He is assisted in his crime fighting efforts by James Rhodes and Pepper Potts. Tony's activities as Iron Man usually result in his needing to make up excuses as to why he is constantly late or missing from school and other activities. Dependent on his phenomenal technology for survival, Tony must balance the pressures of teenage life with the duties of being a superhero.

First season

The first season of Iron Man: Armored Adventures has a total of 26 episodes. Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Pepper Potts, Gene Khan, Happy Hogan, Whitney Stane, Black Panther, The Hulk, and S.H.I.E.L.D. all appear in this season.

The first season focuses on the Makluan Rings saga as Tony Stark, Pepper, James Rhodes, and Gene Khan work together to get the 5 rings. Upon overthrowing his stepfather Xin Zhang, Gene secretly works undercover to steal the rings from his friends, and ends up betraying them (which upsets Pepper). The season also features the Madame Masque Saga, which comes to a conclusion in the episode "Best Served Cold". Tony's feud with Obadiah Stane comes to a partial conclusion in that episode as well. The season ends with two primary cliffhangers in the episode "Tales of Suspense". The now-friendless Gene discovers that the original Mandarin had 5 other rings besides the original 5. Tony finds out that his father, Howard, survived the plane crash and is being held prisoner, while the armory is destroyed during Xin Zhang's attack limiting Tony's resources to find and rescue his father.

This season featured Makluan Guardian versions of Dreadknight, Ultimo, Firebrand, and Fin Fang Foom who guard the rings the Mandarin hasn't obtained yet.

Black Panther, Hulk, Rick Jones, Nick Fury, and S.H.I.E.L.D. make guest appearances.

Second season

The second season of Iron Man: Armored Adventures has a total of 26 episodes, just like the first season. [6] Black Widow / Natasha Romanoff, Hawkeye, Doctor Doom, Magneto and Justin Hammer appear in this season. [7] [8] General Nick Fury, Black Panther, Mr. Fix, Whiplash and Obadiah Stane return. [9]

The second season covers the Armor Wars saga and Stane International storylines. The first half of Season 2 reflecting the Armor Wars has Tony and Rhodey as his definite partner War Machine fighting many people who have stolen Stark's armor tech and seek to exploit the stolen Iron Man specs for their own purposes. The enemies young Stark fights during this version of the Armor Wars include the Ghost who steals Iron Man specs and knows that Tony Stark is Iron Man. Ghost sells the specs to both Justin Hammer and Obadiah Stane but says he will not reveal Iron Man's true identity until Tony turns 18. Justin Hammer makes an armor with the Iron Man specs with the armor being called Titanium Man. [10] [11] Doctor Doom joins forces with Stane to attain the Iron Man armor operating system. [12] Stane builds the Iron Monger armor which is revealed actually to be a direct upgrade from Crimson Dynamo armor (version 3) and is much larger than in the comic book and live action movie realities. The Armor Wars conclude as Obadiah Stane discovers the identity of Iron Man. Stane steals Iron Monger and is intent on destroying Tony once and for all. [13]

While Tony is fighting the Armor Wars, Howard Stark is shown to be alive and forced by Gene to find the other 5 Makluan Rings. Gene continues to find and secured the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth rings for himself during this time. This part of the season also included Makluan Guardian versions of Melter, Sunturion, Grim Reaper, and Grey Gargoyle who guard the remaining Makluan Rings.

The second half of season 2 showcases the printed page storyline of loosely based on the "Stane International" story arc. Justin Hammer (instead of Obadiah Stane) successfully buys control of Stark International. Stark, Rhodey and Potts all agree to fight against Hammer and his weaponization of Stark International's projects. Unlike the printed page version, Stark and Rhodes reject the title of Circuits Maximus for the new start-up and settle on "Stark Solutions" (opposite to Stark Enterprises of the printed page).

By the end of the second season, Pepper has assumed the armored identity of Rescue.

On March 25, 2013, Marvel Animation announced April 23, 2013, the release of the "Complete Season 2" 4-DVD box set.

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 26April 24, 2009 (2009-04-24)January 18, 2010 (2010-01-18)
2 26July 13, 2011 (2011-07-13)July 25, 2012 (2012-07-25)

Main cast

Supporting cast

Production

Pre-release

Months before the show's television debut, Marvel had a screening of the first episode of the series at San Diego Comic-Con. [17] There was also a room where the public could meet, and talk with the Co-Producer Josh Fine and Head Writer Chris Yost among others involved in the production of the show. [17] The trailer of the show was also released on Marvel's official website as well as numerous behind-the-scene and teaser trailers on the website in the weeks before the US television debut. [18]

Theme song

Popular rock band Rooney recorded the theme song to the series. [19] The song originally could be downloaded from Teletoon's website. A provided "secret code", Tony would be needed to access the theme. This "secret code" was shown onscreen during Canadian broadcasts of the first few episodes of the first season. The music video for the theme song features clips of Rooney singing, along with clips of Iron Man from the show. [19]

Animation style

The series is made primarily using computer-generated imagery (CGI), in a similar style to MTV's Spider-Man: The New Animated Series and Nicktoons' original series Skyland . The technique is similar to cel-shading animation technique although the detail and resolution are lower.

DVD releases

United States

The pilot episode was released as a bonus feature in Wal-Mart's DVD edition of the live-action Iron Man movie.

Distribution rights to the series in North America was held by Vivendi Entertainment. [20] Volume One was released on DVD in the United States on October 20, 2009. The Blu-ray edition was released exclusively through Best Buy Volume Two was released in the United States on January 5, 2010. These two releases were distributed through Genius Entertainment. The Complete Season One was released in the United States on May 4, 2010. The Complete Season One set included an unreleased pair of Volume Three and Four DVDs.

Season Two, Volume One was released on DVD on June 26, 2012, with Volume Two released on September 25, 2012. [21] The Season 2, Volume 3 DVD was released on January 22, 2013. [22] Season 2 Volume 4 and the complete second season set became available April 23, 2013. [23] [24]

United Kingdom

In the UK, distribution rights to the series were held by ITV Global Entertainment. Volume One contains the first 13 episodes (the one-hour pilot being split into two separate episodes) on two discs. [25]

Australia

The Complete First Season was released on Blu-ray in Australia.

Reception

The hour-long premiere of Iron Man: Armored Adventures broke Nicktoons Network's record of highest-rated original series by premiering with over 125,000 viewers. [26]

Reviews of the pilot episode have been mixed. Some praise the series for its detailed and layered writing, strong continuity, and character designs. Entertainment Weekly gave the series debut a B+ grade, saying, "What could've been a clunky retrograde reboot works surprisingly well, thanks to some smart writing and stellar CG butt-kickery." [27]

Awards

In 2012, Iron Man: Armored Adventures won the Pulcinella Award for Best TV Series for Teens. [28]

In 2013, it was included on TV Guide's list of the 60 greatest cartoons of all time. [29]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mandarin (character)</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

The Mandarin is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the archenemy of Iron Man. The character was created by Stan Lee and designed by Don Heck, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #50. The character is described as being born in China before the Communist revolution to a wealthy Chinese father and an English aristocratic mother, both of whom died when he was young. He is characterized as a megalomaniac, attempting to conquer the world on several occasions, yet also possessing a strong sense of honor. The Mandarin is portrayed as a genius scientist and a skilled martial artist. However, his primary sources of power are 10 rings that he adapted from the alien technology of a crashed space ship. Each ring has a different power and is worn on a specific finger. Though his primary obsession is Iron Man, given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Thor, Hulk, Shang-Chi and other superheroes in the Marvel Universe.

Justin Hammer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as a villainous entrepreneur, head of Hammer Industries and a frequent adversary of the superhero Iron Man. He is the reason why many of Iron Man's supervillain enemies have access to extremely advanced technology and why these foes use their equipment for violent crimes instead of profiting by bringing the designs to market. These villains are his underworld mercenaries, secretly armed and contractually obliged to fulfill missions against Hammer's competitors and enemies, such as Tony Stark.

<i>Iron Man</i> (TV series) American animated television series from 1994–1996

Iron Man, also known as Iron Man: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series based on Marvel Comics' superhero, Iron Man. The series aired from 1994 to 1996 in syndication as part of The Marvel Action Hour, which packaged Iron Man with other animated series based on Marvel properties, the Fantastic Four and The Incredible Hulk, with one half-hour episode from each series airing back-to-back. The show was backed by a toy line that featured many armor variants. Off the heels of the release of the live-action Iron Man film in 2008, reruns began airing on the Jetix block on Toon Disney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iron Monger</span> Comic book character

Iron Monger is an alias used by multiple fictional characters, supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first character to use the alias is Obadiah Stane, who first appeared in Iron Man #163. The Iron Monger armor first appeared in Iron Man #200.

Stark Industries, later also known as Stark International, Stark Innovations, Stark Enterprises and Stark Resilient, is a fictional multi-national conglomerate appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Frans Robert Bernstein, Stan Lee, and Jack Kirby, the company first appeared in Tales of Suspense #39. Stark Industries is depicted as being owned and run by businessman and namesake Tony Stark, who is also known as Iron Man, and was founded by Tony's father, Howard Stark, from whom he inherited the company.

Harold Joseph "Happy" Hogan is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is usually depicted as a supporting character in stories featuring Iron Man / Tony Stark, for whom he works as a chauffeur, bodyguard, and personal assistant. Happy is close friends with his employer, and is among the first people in the Marvel Universe to discover his identity as the armored superhero. He is also the father of the Teen Abomination, was married to Pepper Potts, and has occasionally been mutated into the giant, savage, nearly mindless, superhumanly strong humanoid known as the Freak. Hogan earned the ironic nickname "Happy" during his boxing days from his reluctance to smile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pepper Potts</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Virginia "Pepper" Potts is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writers Stan Lee and Robert Bernstein, and designed by artist Don Heck, the character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #45. Pepper Potts is a supporting character and love interest of the superhero Tony Stark / Iron Man. The character has also been known as Hera and Rescue at various points in her history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iron Man's armor</span> Fictional powered exoskeleton worn by the comic book character Iron Man

Iron Man's armor is a fictional powered exoskeleton appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is built and worn by billionaire Tony Stark when he assumes the identity of the superhero Iron Man. The first armor was created in-story by Stark and Ho Yinsen, and was designed by artist Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense No. 39.

Guardsman was the name of a supervillain/superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The name was later applied to a squad of agents who wear suits of power armor while working security at the Vault. The character first appeared in Iron Man #43.

<i>Iron Man</i> (2008 film) Marvel Studios film

Iron Man is a 2008 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures, it is the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Directed by Jon Favreau from a screenplay by the writing teams of Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, and Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, the film stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man alongside Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, Leslie Bibb, and Shaun Toub. In the film, following his escape from captivity by a terrorist group, world-famous industrialist and master engineer Stark builds a mechanized suit of armor and becomes the superhero Iron Man.

<i>Iron Man</i> (video game) 2008 video game

Iron Man is an action-adventure video game based on the 2008 movie of the same name as well as the classic iterations of the character. It was released by Sega on May 2, 2008 to coincide with the release of the movie in cinemas for Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, and Microsoft Windows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armor Wars</span> Comic book story arc

"Armor Wars" is a seven-issue Iron Man story arc written by David Michelinie and Bob Layton with art by Mark D. Bright and Barry Windsor-Smith and published by Marvel Comics. The arc first appears in Iron Man #225–232.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeke Stane</span> Supervillain in Marvel Comics comic books

Ezekiel "Zeke" Stane is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as the son of Obadiah Stane and an enemy of Iron Man. Created by writer Matt Fraction and artist Barry Kitson, he first appeared in The Order #10.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard Stark</span> American comic book character by Marvel

Howard Stark is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as a background character in stories featuring Iron Man and stories featuring Captain America. He is the founder of Stark Industries. Throughout the character's publication history, he has been featured in several incarnations of comic book series.

Firepower is an alias used by two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

<i>The Invincible Iron Man</i> (comics) Marvel comic book series

The Invincible Iron Man is a comic book series written by Matt Fraction with art by Salvador Larroca, published by Marvel Comics and starring the superhero Iron Man. After issue #33 The Invincible Iron Man returned to its original numbering with issue #500. It concluded with issue 527, succeeded by the Marvel NOW!–imprinted Iron Man series.

James Rhodes is a Marvel Comics character that has appeared in comics featuring or related to Iron Man since 1979. The character has appeared in other media adaptations of Iron Man both as a non-costumed character and as War Machine.

<i>Iron Man: Rise of Technovore</i> 2013 superhero anime film by Hiroshi Hamasaki

Iron Man: Rise of Technovore is a 2013 Japanese superhero anime film by Madhouse that follows up on the Marvel Anime series. It is directed by Hiroshi Hamasaki, an anime director who is known for his works including Shigurui: Death Frenzy and Texhnolyze, and based on a story written by Brandon Auman. Matthew Mercer and Norman Reedus voiced Tony Stark and Punisher respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Rhodes (Marvel Cinematic Universe)</span> Character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a fictional character originally portrayed by Terrence Howard and subsequently by Don Cheadle in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. He is initially depicted as a U.S. Air Force officer who is the best friend of Tony Stark. A skilled pilot and tactician, he becomes involved in Stark's heroic efforts, gaining his own suit of Iron Man armor in the process while taking on the alias War Machine, and later the Iron Patriot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">What If... Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?</span> 6th episode of the 1st season of What If...?

"What If... Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American animated television series What If...?, based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name. It explores what would happen if the events of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films Iron Man (2008) and Black Panther (2018) occurred differently, with Erik "Killmonger" Stevens enacting a secret plan to enter Wakanda that involves saving and befriending Tony Stark. The episode was written by story editor Matthew Chauncey and directed by Bryan Andrews.

References

  1. ↑ TV (2007-10-09). "DQ, Method Films Pact for Iron Man". Animationmagazine.net. Retrieved 2011-02-27.
  2. ↑ Findlay, Kurtis (2008-05-12). "Iron Man: Armored Adventures". Animated Superheroes. Retrieved 2011-02-27.
  3. ↑ "2 New Iron Man: Armored Adventures Videos | Iron Man | Movie & TV News | News". Marvel.com. 2009-03-18. Retrieved 2011-02-27.
  4. ↑ "Iron Man Anime's US Debut in July, JP Debut in October". 24 May 2023.
  5. ↑ "Marvel to behold".
  6. ↑ "Comic-Con 2010: Marvel Animation Panel". Screenrant.com. 2010-07-23. Retrieved 2011-02-27.
  7. ↑ James Harvey. "New Stills, Series Description For "Iron Man: Armored Adventures" Season Two". Toon Zone.net. Retrieved July 16, 2011.[ permanent dead link ]
  8. ↑ Marvel Entertainment [@Marvel] (2010-10-13). "@RobbieNewton1 We'll confirm Doctor Doom is in IM:AA season 2! Anything else...keep waiting!" (Tweet). Retrieved 2020-06-13– via Twitter.
  9. ↑ "NYCC: Marvel Television Presents". CBR. 2010-10-15. Retrieved 2011-02-27.
  10. ↑ James Harvey. "Descriptions For Upcoming New Episodes Of "Iron Man: Armored Adventures"". Toon Zone.net. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  11. ↑ "IMAA 2x4 on TVGuide". TVGuide.
  12. ↑ James Harvey. "New Images, Details For "Iron Man: Armored Adventures" October 2011 episodes". Toon Zone.net. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
  13. ↑ "Marvel Animation Age - The Marvel Animation News Resource". marvel.toonzone.net. Archived from the original on 2012-12-13. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Animated Superheroes: Iron Man Voice Cast".
  15. ↑ "Comics Continuum by Rob Allstetter: Thursday, April 16, 2009". Comicscontinuum.com. 2009-04-16. Retrieved 2011-02-27.
  16. 1 2 "Comics Continuum by Rob Allstetter: Wednesday, May 13, 2009". Comicscontinuum.com. 2009-05-13. Retrieved 2011-02-27.
  17. 1 2 "First Look: Iron Man: Armored Adventures Animated Series". 2008-07-14.
  18. ↑ "Iron Man: Armored Adventures - Action and Adventure Video Spotlight | Iron Man | Movie & TV News | News". Marvel.com. 2009-04-16. Retrieved 2011-02-27.
  19. 1 2 Collis, Clark (2009-03-27). "'Iron Man' exclusive! Watch Rooney's clip for their new Tony Stark theme song". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
  20. ↑ "Iron Man: Armored Adventures Lands on DVD". June 2012.
  21. ↑ Lambert, David (June 26, 2012). "Iron Man: Armored Adventures - Release Date, Cost for 'Season 2, Volume 2' on DVD". TVShowsOnDVD . Archived from the original on June 28, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  22. ↑ "Download Episode 303 of This Week in Marvel". News - Marvel.com.
  23. ↑ "Iron Man: Armored Adventures - Season 2, Vol 4". 23 April 2013 – via Amazon.
  24. ↑ "Iron Man: Armored Adventures, Complete Season 2". 23 April 2013 – via Amazon.
  25. ↑ "Man: Armored Adventures DVD Vol. 1 at". Amazon.co.uk. 7 September 2009. Retrieved 2011-02-27.
  26. ↑ Hauman, Glenn (29 April 2009). "Iron Man: Armored Adventures breaks Nicktoons rating record". ComicMix. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  27. ↑ Bernadin, Marc (2009-4-24). "Tonight's Best, April 24, 2009", Entertainment Weekly.
  28. ↑ "Marvel Animation Age - The Marvel Animation News Resource". marvel.toonzone.net.
  29. ↑ Sands, Rich (9 October 2018). "The Definitive Ranking of The Simpsons, Peanuts, and More Old Cartoons From Your Childhood". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 13 June 2020.

Archived 2010-04-12 at the Wayback Machine

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.