The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes

Last updated

The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes
The Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes logo.svg
Genre
Based on
Developed by
Voices of
Narrated by Alex Désert (opening narration; season 2)
Theme music composer
Opening theme"Fight As One"
by Bad City
Ending theme"Fight As One" (instrumental)
Composer Guy Michelmore
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes52 [1] (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
ProducerDana C. Booton
Editors
  • Jonathan Polk
  • Steve Ingram
  • George Rizkallah
  • Robert Walz
Running time22 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network Disney XD
ReleaseSeptember 22, 2010 (2010-09-22) –
November 11, 2012 (2012-11-11)
Related

The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes is an American superhero animated series produced by Marvel Animation in cooperation with Film Roman based on the Marvel Comics superhero team. The first season debuted on Disney XD in the fall of 2010. The second season was one of the inaugural shows of the Marvel Universe programming block alongside Ultimate Spider-Man . [2]

Contents

The series originally features a team based on the roster for the original Avengers, consisting of Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Ant-Man, and Wasp. The team is later joined by Captain America, Black Panther, and Hawkeye in the first season, and Ms. Marvel and Vision in the second. In terms of overall tone and style, the series is based on the original stories by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The series also uses material from all eras of the comic's run as well as other sources, such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. [3]

Synopsis

The original Avengers. From left to right: Ant-Man / Giant-Man, Iron Man, the Hulk, Wasp, and Thor Breakout (The Avengers- Earth's Mightiest Heroes).jpg
The original Avengers. From left to right: Ant-Man / Giant-Man, Iron Man, the Hulk, Wasp, and Thor

Season one

Following a mass prison breakout at the Vault, the Cube, the Big House, and the Raft, Earth's mightiest heroes unite to form the Avengers, a team comprising Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk, Ant-Man, Wasp, Black Panther, and Hawkeye. [4] The Avengers battle various supervillains, including Baron Zemo, the Leader, Kang the Conqueror, and Ultron, as well as the criminal organizations Hydra and A.I.M. It is ultimately revealed that Loki orchestrated the breakout and had the Enchantress form the Masters of Evil to distract the Avengers so that he can conquer Earth as well as the nine realms, including Asgard.

Season two

Following Loki's defeat, the Avengers track down the remnants of the Masters of Evil. The team is joined by Ms. Marvel and the Vision as they face new enemies including Doctor Doom, Thunderbolt Ross, and the Red Skull, as well as alien threats such as the Skrulls, the Kree, and Galactus. The season alludes to a developing storyline in which Surtur escapes Muspelheim and gathers strength to oppose the Avengers as a prelude to Ragnarök.

Numerous other Marvel Comics characters make guest appearances, such as Spider-Man, Wolverine, Ant-Man (Scott Lang), the Heroes for Hire, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Daisy Johnson (Quake), Beta Ray Bill, Falcon, and Winter Soldier.

Episode list

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
Season premiere Season finale
1 26September 22, 2010June 26, 2011
2 26April 1, 2012 [2] November 11, 2012

Cast

Crew

Production

Development

Josh Fine and a number of other creators of The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes were initially developing a series based on the Hulk. However, it never made it past the scripting stages, with the team instead creating a new series based on the Avengers. [10]

Production

Marvel announced in October 2008 that its Marvel Animation division and the outside studio Film Roman would produce an Avengers animated TV series, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, for planned broadcast in 2010. [11] Fifty-two episodes were confirmed as being in production. [1] The show's executive producers include Simon Philips and Eric S. Rollman. [12] Joshua Fine serves as supervising producer and Christopher Yost serves as story editor on the show. [13] A 20-part micro-series debuted on September 22, 2010, on Disney XD, focusing on each hero's backstory and the events that lead to the main series. [14] The series started airing on Marvel's sister network, Disney XD in the United States on October 20, 2010, and on Teletoon in Canada on October 22, 2010, in English and March 2011 in French. [15] [16] According to Jeph Loeb, season 2 would presumably begin around October 2011, same as season 1 and producer Josh Fine tweeted in April 2011 that 13 episodes were completed. [17]

At the 2011 New York Comic-Con, Loeb contradicted his earlier statement of season 2 launch in late 2011. Loeb announced at the panel at New York Comic-con that "Avengers Season 2 will be coming in early 2012 (to coincide with Ultimate Spider-Man)." [18] This date would later be clarified as April 1, 2012. [2] Dong Woo Animation, Lotto Animation, and Noxxon Enterprise produced the series' animation.

Cancellation

The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes was not renewed for a third season and was succeeded by a new Avengers show called Avengers Assemble in 2013. [19] On July 14, 2012, at the 2012 Marvel Television Presents panel at San Diego Comic-Con, Jeph Loeb, head of Marvel Television, said of the relationship between the two shows:

We're not in any way saying Earth's Mightiest Heroes never happened. You will see an epic conclusion. And then you'll say, 'Oh, what's next?' [20]

The only voice actors to reprise their roles for Avengers Assemble are Fred Tatasciore and James Mathis as the Hulk and Black Panther, respectively. Additionally, Drake Bell returned to voice Spider-Man for guest appearances, while the other members of the team share their voices with their counterparts in the Ultimate Spider-Man. [21] [22]

Release

Home media

DVD/Blu-ray nameRegion 1Region 2Region 4
Heroes Assemble!April 26, 2011July 25, 2011September 14, 2011
Captain America RebornApril 26, 2011August 22, 2011December 1, 2011
Iron Man UnleashedOctober 25, 2011April 2, 2012March 7, 2012
Thor's Last StandOctober 25, 2011April 30, 2012May 2, 2012
The Complete First SeasonApril 17, 2012April 30, 2012August 1, 2012
Secret InvasionSeptember 25, 2012May 6, 2013 [23] March 6, 2013
End of the CosmosFebruary 19, 2013June 13, 2013 [24]
The Complete Second SeasonMay 7, 2013April 3, 2013
The Complete First and Second SeasonSeptember 29, 2014

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 7.50 out of 10 based on 5 reviews. [25]

Allan Scoot of Screen Rant stated that The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes featured impressive animation and writing, updating the classic origins of the Avengers while faithfully introducing key members such as Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and others. He praised the series for offering a comic-accurate and entertaining portrayal of Marvel's superhero team. Scoot found the series unfortunate to be cut short after two seasons to make way for Avengers Assemble, but noted that it still provided fans with a standout take on the Avengers, complete with a memorable theme song, making it a notable entry in the genre of Avengers cartoons. [26] Will Wade of Common Sense Media gave The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes a grade of 3 out of 5 stars. He found the show to be action-packed, with numerous super-powered battles resulting in significant destruction but few injuries. Wade praised the series for its engaging plotting and character development, appealing to both teens and older Marvel fans. He noted the depiction of positive messages and role models, saying that while the villains sometimes appear to gain the upper hand, the Avengers ultimately prevail, showcasing the heroes' bravery in their ongoing mission to protect the world from powerful supervillains. [27] Alex Zalben of MTV ranked The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes 1st in their "5 Best Avengers Cartoons Of All Time" list, describing it as the best animated Avengers series to date, despite being the most recent. He highlighted its faithfulness to the comics, its fun and ambitious nature, and its successful blend of large storylines and a vast array of Marvel characters. Zalben stated that the series works well for both kids and adults, and not only considered it the best Avengers cartoon, but possibly one of the best Marvel animated shows of all time. [28]

Jonathon Dornbush and Joshua Rivera of Entertainment Weekly ranked The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes 4th in their "9 Best Animated TV Series Drawn From Comics" list, stating that it gave Marvel's superhero team the proper animated treatment, showcasing many heroes and villains who had not yet appeared in films, though they anticipated all would eventually be featured. They praised the show for its well-constructed team dynamic, creating a core cast that felt both familiar and fresh, complementing the live-action Marvel properties at the time. Dornbush and Rivera noted that there was still much to appreciate in the show's 52 episodes, making it a worthwhile revisit, especially during the long waits between live-action Avengers films. [29] Trey Pasch of MovieWeb ranked The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes 2nd in their "Best Marvel Animated Projects" list, noting that, despite its two-season run, the show earned some of the highest ratings of any Marvel animated series. Pasch praised the show's unique lineup, which began with Iron Man, Giant Man, Hulk, Thor, and Wasp, with additional characters like Captain America and Black Panther joining later. He highlighted how the show adapted popular storylines, such as the "Avengers: Breakout" arc by Brian Michael Bendis in the first season, and an overarching plot involving Loki as the main villain. [30] Michael Doran of Newsarama ranked The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes 10th in their "10 Best Comic Book Animated Series Of All Time" list, praised it as one of the newest and most impactful Avengers cartoons, noting that the show made a strong impression in its first season. He highlighted the show's structure, with solo episodes that gradually led to the team coming together in a significant way. Doran described the series as possibly the purest Avengers cartoon, filled with heroes working together, over-the-top villainous threats, and big action. He also appreciated the overall sense of happiness in the show, adding that its catchy theme song was unforgettable, often lingering in viewers' minds until the next episode began. [31]

Accolades

The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes was nominated for Best Sound Editing: Television Animation at the 2011 Golden Reel Awards. [32] [33] [34]

In other media

Comic book

The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes comic book series, written by Christopher Yost, and artwork by Scott Wegener, Christopher Jones and Patrick Scherberger was published to accompany the series. It was a four-issue limited series. [35] An ongoing comic book series titled The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Adventures debuted in April 2012, alongside the Ultimate Spider-Man Adventures series. Christopher Yost returned as the main writer, with Adam Dekraker serving as the comic's creative team, while Nuno Plati provided artwork. [36]

References

  1. 1 2 "Disney Announces The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes". Superhero Hype!. May 4, 2010. Retrieved June 27, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 "Disney XD Launches Marvel Universe Programming With Spider-Man, the Avengers and Other Comic Icons". TV Guide. March 5, 2012. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  3. ↑ "C2E2: Marvel Animation". comicscontinuum.com. April 18, 2010. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
  4. ↑ Iverson, Dan (July 25, 2010). "SDCC 10: The Avengers Assemble On The Small Screen". IGN. Archived from the original on July 27, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
  5. ↑ "The Avengers: EMH! Voicing Captain America". Marvel.com. April 25, 2011. Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Busch, Jenna (February 8, 2010). "AVENGERS Animated Assembling w/ Phil Lamarr". Newsarama. Archived from the original on February 11, 2010. Retrieved February 8, 2010.
  7. ↑ "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes! Voicing Iron Man". Marvel.com. April 22, 2011. Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  8. ↑ "The Avengers Series Overview" (PDF). Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, The (2010, Animated Series) – Voice Cast Listing at Voice Chasers". Voicechasers.com. Archived from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
  10. ↑ Joshua Fine Interview! The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Season 3 Ideas, & More!, April 19, 2021, archived from the original on December 15, 2021, retrieved May 5, 2021
  11. ↑ "Marvel Comics press release: "Announcing Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, October 8, 2008". Marvel.com. Retrieved September 13, 2010.
  12. ↑ Kit, Borys (October 8, 2008). "Marvel assembles cartoon 'Avengers'". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on June 27, 2010. Retrieved August 24, 2010.
  13. ↑ Harris, Jeffrey (July 30, 2010). "SDCC2010: Interview with Marvel Animation's Josh Fine and Chris Yost". toonzone.net. Archived from the original on January 12, 2013. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
  14. ↑ Harvey, James (September 1, 2010). ""The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes" Scheduling, Videogame Updates". marvel.toonzone.net. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  15. ↑ Harvey, James (September 9, 2010). "October 2010 "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes" Event For Teletoon". marvel.toonzone.net. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
  16. ↑ "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Premieres Oct. 20". Superhero Hype!. September 20, 2010. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
  17. ↑ Fine, Joshua (April 9, 2011). "Twitter / Joshua Fine". Twitter. Retrieved April 21, 2011. Halfway point! 13 episodes of Season 2 in the can.
  18. ↑ "NYCC: Spidey, the Hulk and Agent Coulson Walk into a Comic-Con... - IGN". M.ign.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  19. ↑ "Exclusive: Marvel Assembles New Animated Series for the Hulk and Avengers - Today's News: Our Take". TVGuide.com. June 12, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  20. ↑ Ching, Albert. "The 10 Biggest COMIC-CON 2012 Announcements". Newsarama.com. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  21. ↑ Sands, Rich. "Disney XD Picks Up Marvel Cartoons Featuring the Avengers and the Hulk". TV Guide. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
  22. ↑ Diaz, Eric (May 25, 2017). "MARVEL'S AVENGERS: SECRET WARS Coming to Disney XD This Summer (Exclusive)". Nerdist.com. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  23. ↑ "Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes - Volume 6". Amazon UK. May 6, 2013.
  24. ↑ "Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes - Volume 8". Amazon UK. June 13, 2013.
  25. ↑ "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes! (2010 - 2011)". Rotten Tomatoes .
  26. ↑ Allan, Scoot (March 27, 2020). "Every Animated Version Of The Avengers, Ranked". Screen Rant . Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  27. ↑ Wade, Will. "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes TV Review | Common Sense Media". Common Sense Media . Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  28. ↑ Zalben, Alex (May 2, 2012). "The 5 Best Avengers Cartoons Of All Time". MTV.com . Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  29. ↑ Dornbush, Jonathon; Rivera, Joshua (October 2, 2014). "9 Best Animated TV Series Drawn from Comics". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  30. ↑ Pasch, Trey (June 30, 2022). "The Best Marvel Animated Projects". MovieWeb . Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  31. ↑ Doran, Michael (April 1, 2020). "10 Best Comic Book Animated Series of All Time". Newsarama . Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  32. ↑ Napier, Jim (January 21, 2011). "MPSE Announces Golden Reel Nominees - BLACK SWAN & INCEPTION Lead The Pack". GeekTyrant.com. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  33. ↑ Harrison, Alexa (January 21, 2011). "'Black Swan,' 'Inception' top sound noms". Variety . Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  34. ↑ Team, The Deadline (January 21, 2011). "'Inception,' 'Black Swan' Lead Sound Editor Nominees". Deadline . Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  35. ↑ Harvey, James (August 13, 2010). "Marvel Announces "Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes" All-Ages Comic Title". marvel.toonzone.net. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
  36. ↑ Langshaw, Mark (January 24, 2012). "'Avengers', 'Spider-Man' all-ages titles announced by Marvel". Digital Spy. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
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