The series originally features a team based on the roster for the original Avengers, composed of Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Ant-Man and the Wasp. The team is later joined by Captain America, Black Panther, and Hawkeye in the first season, and Ms. Marvel and the Vision in the second season. In terms of overall tone and style, the series is based principally 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]
The series ended on November 11, 2012, and was replaced by Avengers Assemble.
Synopsis
The original Avengers. From Left to Right: Ant-Man / Giant-Man, Iron Man, the Hulk, Wasp and Thor
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, now free of his imprisonment in Muspelheim, slowly gathers his strength to oppose the Avengers as a prelude to Ragnarök.
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 before the team was brought on to create a new series based on the Avengers.[11]
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.[12] Fifty-two episodes have been confirmed as being in production.[1] The show's executive producers include Simon Philips and Eric S. Rollman.[13] Joshua Fine serves as supervising producer and Christopher Yost serves as story editor on the show.[14] 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.[15] The idea behind the micro-episodes came after the success of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. 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.[16][17] 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 have been completed.[18]Ciro Nieli, one of the show's developers, also had a hand in creating Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!.
At the 2011 New York Comic-Con, Marvel TV director, Jeph 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)."[19] This date would later get clarified to April 1, 2012.[2]Dong Woo Animation, Lotto Animation and Noxxon Enterprise has contributed some of the animation for this series.
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.[20] On Saturday, 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?'[21]
The only voice actors to reprise their roles for Avengers Assemble are Fred Tatasciore[22] and James Matthis III[23] 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 separate Ultimate Spider-Man series.[22]
According to Christopher Yost, if the 3rd season had occurred, the first half of the season would have had Surtur as the main antagonist in an adaptation of Ragnarök, and the second half would have focused on introducing the X-Men, where he would have focused on Avengers vs. X-Men, in which the Phoenix Force would have played an important role. Being a season focused on "magic and mutants".[24] It was also mentioned that his line-up for the X-Men would have been Professor X, Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Storm, Shadowcat, Colossus, Rogue, among others that were necessary.[25].
Due to changes among executives in the direction of the second half of the 2nd season (specifically the episodes after the Secret Invasion adaptation), the series producers received new orders that altered the development of the show and some ideas were moved to the cancelled 3rd season. The Red Skull story had originally been conceived to be part of a third season saga and extended into a hypothetical fourth season, before being compressed into a secondary arc in the latter half of season 2.[11] Thus as it was considered that the story of Unlimited Ultron and his robotic replacement plan was introduced very soon after the Skrull invasion with a similar story, wishing that this arc had been carried over to later seasons.[26] Furthermore, among discarded ideas or modified that could have been rescued in the continuation of the series, Cristopher Yost mentions that they wanted to introduce Nova, in an episode focused on him, since the 2nd season[27] and that the Silver Surfer could not be used in the series due to a ban from executives.[28] On the other hand, he mentioned that Spider-Man was originally supposed to be the same version of The Spectacular Spider-Man,[29] and that the "Along Came a Spider" episode was written as if it were a continuation of the canceled series[30] (however, the claims that they take place in the same universe were avoided due to copyright problems with Sony and the replacement of Josh Keaton's voice by Drake Bell,12 in addition to the fact that Spectacular's Peter Parker was assigned his own Earth-26496 by Marvel Comics, and its creator, Greg Weisman, denies the connection with his project),[31] however, it allows us to speculate that the Peter Parker of Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes (Earth-8096) would have revealed in the following seasons that he have a very similar past like the story of the Spectacular version. It was also originally planned to adapt the "Emperor Doom" comic arc (with the appearance of Wonder Man and the Scarlet Witch),[32][33][34][35] before it was altered into the episode "Emperor Stark".[36][37][38] Other ideas were to present the Winter Soldier in a more lethal, although less powerful way.[39] As well as that Falcon and Mockingbird join the Avengers.[35] Finally, it was originally intended to make the season 2 finale a 3-part one where the Avengers would further explore Planet Hala (capital of the Kree Empire) after defeating the Supreme Intelligence, and learn more about its culture and its implications in Marvel's cosmic history; ending everything in a confrontation against Galactus there instead of on Earth.[40][41] At the same time, that season finale would have originally made the New Avengers episode happen after Operation Galactic Storm (as was supposed), replacing the causes that the Avengers were on the other side of the universe and not because Kang took them out of time,[42] where Yellowjacket and Spider-Man would have been searching for Sentry[43] (who was originally supposed to have been introduced in "Assault on 42" and have an episode focused on in it).[44] It is also mentioned, by Josh Fine, that Princess Ravonna would have awakened from her stasis in Reed Richards' laboratory and would be seeking to free Kang with Solomon's Frogs, caused because The Avengers collapsed the Kree wormhole and prevented the destruction of Earth's sun, which prevented the event that destroyed the future Earth of Kang's timeline. Due to script changes by orders from above (Man of Action Studios and Jeph Loeb),[36][45] the Ravonna thread was left pending, so later, when Christopher Yost was working on the comics for the series, he decided to address it as a seed for a possible 3rd season.[46] It is also mentioned, in an original script of "Powerless", that Loki was imprisoned in a corner of Yggdrasil and that Amora the Enchantress had freed herself from Surtur's possession and was serving her with free will (due to Thor's constant rejection and not having saved him in the Ballad of Beta Ray Bill episode, making her more Nihilist and losing faith in the value of life), as well as Ms Marvel and not Iron Man being one of the villains' targets to lose their powers (along with an emphasis on Hawkeye)[34][35] In addition to Odin having a scene where he lost his eye and would be replaced by Kurse, while Amora would accuse Loki (revealing to have severe facial injuries from the Midgard Serpent's acid) of trying to betray him for wanting to use his powers for his own plans to conquer Asgard instead of contributing to Ragnarok.[47][48][49] Other plans for the third season mentioned by Josh Fine included continuing the Ragnarok storyline, with Thor as the focus of the plot, and a story inspired by Avengers vs. X-Men, as well as giving Carol Danvers the rank of "Captain Marvel." As well as introducing characters like Hercules, Morgan le Fay, Taskmaster, Wanda Maximoff, Pietro Maximoff, Black Knight, Stephen Strange, etc.[11]
Additionally, regarding the Fourth Season, Cristopher Yost mentioned that the first half would be called "Under Siege", while the second half would be dubbed "Infinity Quest".[59] The plot of "Under Siege" would have been an adaptation of the comic "Acts of Vengeance" which would have involved a political and global story, with Dr Doom as the main villain in his quest to conquer the world, bringing together the best supervillains on the planet (probably the Mandarin, Magneto, Red Skull, Kingpin, Wizard and Loki, according to the original comic) to put the Avengers on the run, traveling to many international locations, appearing villains and guest stars from outside the United States;[60] in turn, a Hydra invasion, with the help of Norman Osborn (Green Goblin), to Asgard also had to happen, adapting the Dark Reign and Siege story, and probably appearing the Dark Avengers.[59] The plot of "Infinity Quest" would have been about the Elders of the Universe searching for the Infinity Stones to destroy the universe (Earth-8096) and elevating themselves as gods in the new firmament of the multiverse, forcing the Avengers to disperse across the most cosmic corners of the Marvel universe;[61] impliying also the return of Galactus and the introduction of the Beyonder and Molecule Man in this part of the season.[62] In turn, Josh Fine mentioned that the plans for the 4th season included the presentation of the Superhuman Registration Act and that there would be an adaptation of the Civil War as a consequence of the proposals of Maria Hill and Dell Rusk in season 2.[63][64][65]
As for a Fifth Season, the only thing that has been revealed is the interest in having adapted the Secret Wars arc (with the Beyonders starring), which would have involved all the teams of heroes and villains, along with all the possible characters from Marvel Comics, within a saga that would have spanned the entire season.[62][66]
After the abrupt cancellation leaving the producers unhappy, and while accepting that it would still be unlikely, Chris Yost and Josh Fine have since discussed their renewed interest in continuing the series.[11]
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.[69]
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.[70] 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.[71] 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.[72]
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.[73] 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.[74] 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.[75]
Accolades
The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes was nominated for Best Sound Editing: Television Animation at the 2011 Golden Reel Awards.[76][77][78]
In other media
Comic book
The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroescomic 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.[79] 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.[80]
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