Marvel Animated Series and Movies in Order
Marvel has been on TV as a cartoon since 1966, long before the MCU. Here are all 82 animated series and films we track: the MCU’s Disney+ animation first, then every classic series by decade, then the animated movies.
Only a few of these are part of the MCU. Most are standalone continuities, and you can start any of them without homework. If you’re after one recommendation: X-Men: The Animated Series followed by X-Men ’97, or The Spectacular Spider-Man.
MCU animation on Disney+
Made by Marvel Studios Animation. Only What If...?, I Am Groot, Eyes of Wakanda and Marvel Zombies sit on Marvel’s official timeline; X-Men ’97 and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man take place in their own universes.
| Series | Released | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| What If...?: Season 1 | 2021 | 9 |
| I Am Groot: Season 1 | 2022 | 5 |
| I Am Groot: Season 2 | 2023 | 5 |
| What If...?: Season 2 | 2023 | 9 |
| X-Men '97: Season 1 | 2024 | 10 |
| What If...?: Season 3 | 2024 | 8 |
| Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man: Season 1 | 2025 | 10 |
| Eyes of Wakanda: Season 1 | 2025 | 4 |
| Marvel Zombies: Season 1 | 2025 | 4 |
| X-Men '97: Season 2 | 2026 | 9 |
| Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man: Season 2 | expected January 13, 2027 | TBA |
| X-Men '97: Season 3 | 2027 | TBA |
| X-Men '97: Season 4 | 2028 | TBA |
Marvel animated series of the 1960s
| Series | Premiered | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| The Marvel Super Heroes (1966) Marvel’s first animated series and the origin of the much-loved “Captain America” theme song. | September 5, 1966 | 65 |
| Spider-Man (1967) The source of the famous theme song and the “pointing Spider-Man” meme that No Way Home later recreated. | September 9, 1967 | 52 |
| Fantastic Four (1967) The first Fantastic Four cartoon, with designs drawn straight from Jack Kirby’s pages. | September 9, 1967 | 20 |
Marvel animated series of the 1970s
| Series | Premiered | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| The New Fantastic Four (1978) A curiosity remembered for swapping out Johnny Storm because the Human Torch rights were tied up elsewhere. | September 9, 1978 | 13 |
| Spider-Woman (1979) Jessica Drew’s only starring animated series. | September 22, 1979 | 16 |
Marvel animated series of the 1980s
| Series | Premiered | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| Spider-Man (1981) A companion to Amazing Friends, made the same year. | September 12, 1981 | 26 |
| Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends Introduced Firestar, a character created for the show who later joined the comics. | September 12, 1981 | 24 |
| The Incredible Hulk (1982) The Hulk’s first standalone cartoon, narrated by Stan Lee. | September 18, 1982 | 13 |
Marvel animated series of the 1990s
| Series | Premiered | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| X-Men: The Animated Series The defining X-Men adaptation for a generation, and the series X-Men ’97 continues directly. | October 31, 1992 | 76 |
| Iron Man (1994) Part of the 1990s Marvel Action Hour; the second season is a big improvement on the first. | September 24, 1994 | 26 |
| Fantastic Four (1994) Includes an adaptation of the Galactus trilogy, one of the stories First Steps drew on. | September 24, 1994 | 26 |
| Spider-Man: The Animated Series Many fans’ favorite Spider-Man cartoon, and an early take on the Spider-Verse idea. | November 19, 1994 | 65 |
| The Incredible Hulk (1996) Lou Ferrigno voices the Hulk, tying it back to the live-action series. | September 8, 1996 | 21 |
| Silver Surfer A stylish one-season cosmic series that ended on a cliffhanger. | February 7, 1998 | 13 |
| Spider-Man Unlimited A short-lived follow-up to the 1994 series. | October 2, 1999 | 13 |
| The Avengers: United They Stand The Avengers’ first animated team series. | October 30, 1999 | 13 |
Marvel animated series of the 2000s
| Series | Premiered | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| X-Men: Evolution Introduced X-23 to animation before she reached the comics. | November 4, 2000 | 52 |
| Spider-Man: The New Animated Series A loose continuation of Sam Raimi’s first film. | July 11, 2003 | 13 |
| Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes Fun, light and largely standalone. | September 2, 2006 | 26 |
| The Spectacular Spider-Man Often called the best Spider-Man cartoon; canceled after two seasons, which fans still bring up. | March 8, 2008 | 26 |
| Wolverine and the X-Men One season with a strong serialized story built on Days of Future Past. | January 23, 2009 | 26 |
| Iron Man: Armored Adventures A CGI take on a high-school Iron Man. | April 24, 2009 | 52 |
| The Super Hero Squad Show Aimed at younger viewers; a light way in for kids. | September 14, 2009 | 52 |
Marvel animated series of the 2010s
| Series | Premiered | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| Marvel Anime: Iron Man One of four Madhouse anime series made with Marvel. | October 1, 2010 | 12 |
| The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes Widely considered the best Avengers cartoon and close to the comics. | October 20, 2010 | 52 |
| Marvel Anime: Wolverine Adapts the same storyline as The Wolverine (2013). | January 7, 2011 | 12 |
| Marvel Anime: X-Men A Madhouse anime set after the Dark Phoenix saga. | April 1, 2011 | 12 |
| Marvel Anime: Blade The last of the four Marvel anime. | July 1, 2011 | 12 |
| Ultimate Spider-Man Introduced Miles Morales to animation and ran for four seasons. | April 1, 2012 | 104 |
| Avengers Assemble Styled after the MCU line-up and later retitled for its Ultron, Secret Wars and Black Panther seasons. | May 26, 2013 | 127 |
| Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. Light, comedic, and one of the few places to see Skaar before She-Hulk. | August 11, 2013 | 52 |
| Guardians of the Galaxy (2015) Built on the success of the 2014 film, with a similar soundtrack-driven tone. | September 5, 2015 | 79 |
| Marvel Future Avengers A Japan-first anime later streamed on Disney+. | July 22, 2017 | 39 |
| Marvel’s Spider-Man (2017) Includes Miles Morales and a Spider-Island arc. | August 19, 2017 | 58 |
| Big Hero 6: The Series A direct sequel series to Disney’s Oscar-winning film. | November 20, 2017 | 56 |
Marvel animated series of the 2020s
| Series | Premiered | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| M.O.D.O.K. Patton Oswalt voices the title role in this adult Hulu comedy. | May 21, 2021 | 10 |
| Spidey and His Amazing Friends Disney Junior’s long-running Marvel series for young kids. | August 6, 2021 | 111 |
| Hit-Monkey An adult Hulu series; Jason Sudeikis voices the ghost. | November 17, 2021 | 20 |
| Baymax! Baymax comes from Marvel Comics, and this is a gentle follow-up to Disney's Big Hero 6 (2014) with Scott Adsit back as the voice. It's also the first TV series Walt Disney Animation Studios ever made. | June 29, 2022 | 6 |
| Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Executive-produced by Laurence Fishburne; a sharp, music-filled family series. | February 10, 2023 | 41 |
| Iron Man and His Awesome Friends A spin-off of Spidey and His Amazing Friends for preschool viewers. | August 11, 2025 | 30 |
| Avengers: Mightiest Friends It's the next step in Disney Jr.'s preschool Marvel line, and it's taking the place of Iron Man and His Awesome Friends, which was reported canceled after one season to make way for it. | 2027 | Not listed |
Marvel animated movies
23 released animated films and 3 LEGO specials, plus 4 still to come. Mostly direct-to-video films from Marvel Animation and Lionsgate, plus Sony’s Spider-Verse films and Disney’s Big Hero 6.
Animated Marvel FAQ
Which Marvel animated shows are part of the MCU?
What If...?, I Am Groot, Eyes of Wakanda and Marvel Zombies are on Marvel’s official timeline. X-Men ’97 and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man are Marvel Studios productions set in their own universes.
What is the best Marvel cartoon?
Fans most often name X-Men: The Animated Series and X-Men ’97, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Spider-Man: The Animated Series and The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
Do I need to watch X-Men: The Animated Series before X-Men ’97?
It helps. X-Men ’97 picks up right after the 1990s series ends, but it recaps enough to follow on its own.
What was the first Marvel cartoon?
The Marvel Super Heroes, in 1966, featuring Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and Namor.
Where can I watch old Marvel cartoons?
Most of the 1990s and later series stream on Disney+ in the US. Availability for the 1960s–80s shows varies; check each series page.
See also: Marvel TV outside the MCU · Marvel films outside the MCU · Spider-Man movies in order · X-Men movies in order