Explains the rise of superhero media, including comics, TV shows, movies, and video games, and highlights the enduring popularity of classic cartoons that have made audiences fall in love with larger-than-life figures.
Superhero media has been popular for the better part of a century. Starting with the rise of comics, the industry soon expanded to include TV shows, movies, video games, and more, leading to a significant boom in the 21st century.
Now, superhero stories are everywhere, with the likes of Marvel and DC being box office juggernauts, but this wouldn't be possible without some classic cartoons making audiences around the world fall in love with these larger-than-life figures. Over the years, we've seen superhero shows that are perfect from start to finish, continuing to expand on what came before them.
However, among these gritty live-action hits and more mature animated shows, countless classic cartoons have stood the test of time. Whether they are older gems or more modern masterpieces, these animated adventures have been crafted carefully to make unforgettable television that can be enjoyed by all ages, hence why they remain so popular.
While some of the shows in question deserved another season and left us wanting more, each of these ten entries has earned every bit of love and praise they've garnered over the years, and are easily among the best cartoons of all time. 10 Superman: The Animated Series The 1990s was a great era for superhero cartoons, and while Superman: The Animated Series may often be overshadowed by its earlier Batman counterpart, it is still an all-timer. Not only was it a great introduction to the character for those who had never indulged in Superman content, but it also featured plenty of his underrated rogue gallery.
Opting to adapt comic stories into this vibrant, charming cartoon really paid off, and the show even tied in with Batman: The Animated Series to add more depth. Superman: The Animated Series undoubtedly understood what makes Clark Kent so unique and the epitome of superheroes, confirming its status as one of the greatest bits of Superman media out there, and a perfect cartoon. 9 The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes The MCU's Avengers may be the modern iteration everyone is familiar with, but The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes offered a great alternative around a similar time.
Many fans consider this the best on-screen depiction of characters like Captain America, Hawkeye, and Hank Pym, with the cast all having great chemistry. Diving beyond surface-level entertainment, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes really reached into Marvel's history and lore, making the series feel like comics coming to life.
Perhaps the only criticism of the show is that it didn't run longer, but the fantastic writing, dialogue, and performances easily cement this Marvel hit as one of the greatest superhero shows ever assembled. 8 Spider-Man: The Animated Series It wasn't just DC producing great animated shows in the 90s, as Spider-Man: The Animated Series also emerged as a major hit and helped a whole generation grow to love Peter Parker. Spider-Man is one of the most popular superheroes of all time, and this cartoon was key to surging his popularity and showing the webslinger in a new light.
The show saw him interact with characters we aren't used to seeing him with, while telling mature yet digestible stories. It featured an absolute ton of villains for Spider-Man to overcome, and each season brought its own unique theme, highlighting that there was a clear vision for this project.
So many of Spider-Man: The Animated Series' episodes are true masterpieces, and while the hero has had countless on-screen adventures since this cartoon first aired, this creative series remains a source of inspiration for the franchise 30 years later. 7 Batman: Beyond Making a Batman series that didn't center around Bruce Wayne was an incredibly brave choice, and despite the potential for backlash, Batman Beyond stood out as a truly special project. Set in a futuristic Gotham where Bruce had retired from his vigilante days, Terry McGinnis boldly stepped up as the new Batman.
Between its memorable intro, original characters, and incredible soundtrack, Batman Beyond proved Terry was Bruce Wayne's true successor in this iconic three-season gem. His story made him a natural fit for this role, and Terry getting Bruce's blessing to continue his legacy felt earned.
It also provides a completely fresh take on Batman based on all the futuristic gadgets and villains Terry has to face, culminating in a top-tier cartoon that was so good, DC hasn't ever attempted to replicate it. 6 Teen Titans At a time when Cartoon Network had so many huge shows, Teen Titans had a big mountain to climb, yet it emerged as one of the best cartoons of the 2000s. Robin, Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy offered a perfect blend of personalities that allowed the gang to mesh together seamlessly and tell all kinds of unique tales.
Whether the installments were funny and light-hearted, or darker and more dramatic, Teen Titans thrived throughout all five seasons. The show's animation was also ahead of its time, allowing the group to be expressive while the visuals captured the distinct personality of this timeless hit.
In addition, Teen Titans also has one of the greatest theme songs of all time and opted to end on a high note, proving why it belongs on this list. 5 X-Men: The Animated Series For as good as The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes was, X-Men: The Animated Series is still Marvel's greatest team-based cartoon. It feels like the ultimate demonstration of who the X-Men are and what their relationships with each other are like, as so many characters get a chance to shine.
Like Teen Titans, X-Men: The Animated Series had one of the best superhero show opening credits that got audiences ready for each thrilling new episode. All these exceptional traits, combined with its vibrant art style, made the project era-defining, and if its success wasn't evident, the modern reboot, X-Men 97, confirms that this elite cartoon remains influential all these years later. 4 Young Justice It can be easy to overlook Young Justice when it comes to discussing the greatest superhero cartoons, especially after it was cancelled then revived, but it really is an all-time classic.
Its first season did an exceptional job of introducing the core group and slowly expanding on them, making the team feel like much more than rookies or sidekicks. They became an ensemble of young heroes that fans grew to care about in a mature and interesting DC universe.
These OG members also paved the way for younger talent to come through, providing a new focus each season, while The Light acted as a menacing villainous faction across multiple seasons, despite other antagonists regularly grabbing the spotlight. Even if the later installments became a little more inconsistent, there is no denying Young Justice is a one-of-a-kind show that competes with the very best superhero cartoons, and it deserves way more attention. 3 The Spectacular Spider-Man If Spider-Man: The Animated Series laid the groundwork, The Spectacular Spider-Man took this blueprint and elevated Spider-Man cartoons to a whole new level.
Balancing Peter Parker's personal life with his superhero persona can often be challenging, yet this show got it down to a tee, making audiences interested in both sides of the protagonist. Subscribe to our newsletter for superhero cartoon deep dives Dive further into superhero animation by subscribing to our newsletter, curated analyses, character spotlights, behind-the-scenes context, and essential recommendations that bring classic and modern cartoons into sharper focus for fans and newcomers alike Get Updates By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
You can unsubscribe anytime. At times, it was heartfelt, on other occasions, it was serious, and it did all this while providing the right amount of comedy as well.
The overarching narrative was consistently exciting, but there was still room for side stories too, and had the superhero show not been cancelled so soon, the sky was the limit for The Spectacular Spider-Man. 2 Justice League Unlimited Following the incredible 2001 Justice League series, DC continued focusing on this version of the hero group and expanded massively on it in Justice League Unlimited. Taking all the elements that made the original show so good, such as great characterization, interesting group dynamics, and stellar action, Justice League Unlimited somehow became even better.
It allowed for more unique team-ups, while giving new heroes and villains the spotlight without detracting from the project's main selling point. Sitting down and watching DC's expansive roster of crime fighters taking on new missions each week was always a blast, and it still holds up today.
Justice League Unlimited was full of creative ideas that landed way more often than not, and its final episode wrapped up the DCAU in style, hence why many consider it the greatest superhero cartoon ever made. 1 Batman: The Animated Series Every so often, a new show bursts onto the scene attempting to be Batman: The Animated Series' true successor, and no matter how good they end up being, they always fall short of the 90s masterpiece. Artistically, it's still one of the best-looking animated shows out there, and BTAS successfully proved that cartoons could be dark and gritty.
It toed the line of being family-friendly while also tackling mature themes in a way few other projects of its kind had before. Perhaps most impressively, it gave us arguably the best on-screen iteration of Batman, as Kevin Conroy nailed the Caped Crusader and remains the definitive voice of this hero even after passing.
Batman's most popular rogues get numerous strong outings in the animated series, as do some of his more niche foes, creating a universally loved masterpiece that is undisputedly the best superhero cartoon of all time.
Powered by Expand Collapse Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Leave a Review Your comment has not been saved Like Follow Followed The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Animation Action Adventure Superhero 9.8/10 Release Date 2010 - 2012-00-00 Cast See All Powered by Expand Collapse Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Leave a Review Your comment has not been saved Like Follow Followed Spider-Man: The Animated Series TV-Y7 Animation Action Adventure Science Fiction 49 9.3/10 Release Date 1994 - 1998 Network FOX, Fox Kids Cast See All Powered by Expand Collapse Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Leave a Review Your comment has not been saved Like Follow Followed Batman Beyond TV-Y7 Action Adventure Animation Sci-Fi 8/10 17 9.5/10 Release Date 1999 - 2001-00-00 Network The WB Cast See All Powered by Expand Collapse Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Leave a Review Your comment has not been saved Like Follow Followed Teen Titans TV-PG Animation Comedy Action 8.6/10 Release Date 2003 - 2006-00-00 Network Cartoon Network Directors Michael Chang, Alex Soto, Ben Jones, Ciro Nieli, Matt Youngberg Writers David Slack, Amy Wolfram, Rob Hoegee, Adam Beechen, Greg Klein, Rick Copp, Tom Pugsley, Marv Wolfman, Richard Elliott, Simon Racioppa, Dwayne McDuffie, John Esposito, Melody Fox, Joelle Sellner, George Pérez Cast See All Powered by Expand Collapse Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Leave a Review Your comment has not been saved Like Follow Followed X-Men: The Animated Series TV-Y7 Kids Sci-Fi & Fantasy Animation Action & Adventure 29 8.4/10 Release Date 1992 - 1997-00-00 Cast See All Powered by Expand Collapse Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Leave a Review Your comment has not been saved Like Follow Followed Young Justice TV-PG Animation Action Adventure Superhero 8/10 9.1/10 Release Date 2010 - 2022-00-00 Network Cartoon Network, HBO Max Cast See All Powered by Expand Collapse Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Leave a Review Your comment has not been saved Like Follow Followed The Spectacular Spider-Man TV-Y7 Action Animation Superhero 10/10 Release Date 2008 - 2009-00-00 Directors Victor Cook, Jennifer Coyle, Dave Bullock, Troy Adomitis, Dan Fausett, Kevin Altieri, Michael Goguen Cast See All Powered by Expand Collapse Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Leave a Review Your comment has not been saved Like Follow Followed Justice League Unlimited Sci-Fi 21 8.7/10 Release Date 2004 - 2005 Network Cartoon Network Cast See All Powered by Expand Collapse Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Leave a Review Your comment has not been saved Like Follow Followed Batman: The Animated Series TV-PG Animation Drama Mystery Action Science Fiction 9/10 122 9.2/10 Release Date 1992 - 1995-00-00 Network FOX, Fox Kids Cast See All Powered by Expand Collapse
Superhero Media Cartoons Superman: The Animated Series The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Spider-Man: The Animated Series Batman: Beyond Teen Titans
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