Marvel Animated Universe Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Marvel Animated Universe Wiki
Featured article
This article is written from the Real World perspective Real World


The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes!
The Avengers Earths Mightiest Heroes
Beginning date September 22, 2010 (United States)
End date June 28, 2012 (Australia)
Number of Episodes 52
Micro-Episodes
Season One
Season Two
Writers Christopher Yost
Producers Joshua Fine
Simon Philips
Eric S. Rollman
Ciro Nieli
Original Channel Disney XD
Previous Series The Super Hero Squad Show
Next Series Marvel Anime: Iron Man

The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes was a series that ran from September 22nd, 2010 to June 28th, 2012. It is the second series to focus on the Avengers after The Avengers: United They Stand.

For the first time since Spider-Man and Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, the series featured a main character, Iron Man, who also appeared on another series currently airing, the other being Iron Man: Armored Adventures.

Story[]

When the worst criminals in the world are broken out of prison, Earth's greatest champions must ban together and become an unstoppable fighting force. The team includes Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Panther, Hulk, Wasp, Ant-Man, and their leader Iron Man. Together they'll face villains such as Loki, Kang the Conqueror, Ultron, Doctor Doom, Baron Zemo, Enchantress, Abomination, Crimson Dynamo, HYDRA, Serpent Society,[1] and others.[2]

Continuity[]

Story Editor Christopher Yost confirmed in an online interview that this series took place in the same universe as Wolverine and the X-Men. On audio commentary, Yost said that Hulk vs Wolverine was a prequel to Wolverine, and Thor: Tales of Asgard is a prequel to Hulk vs Thor. Thus, this series is a continuation of the fourth Marvel animated universe.

Chronologically, Avengers takes place after Thor: Tales of Asgard and Hulk vs Wolverine but before Hulk vs Thor and alongside Wolverine and the X-Men.

Cast[]

Actor[3] Role
Brian Bloom Captain America/Steve Rogers
Eric Loomis Iron Man/Tony Stark
Rick D. Wasserman Thor
Absorbing Man
Surtur
Ymir
Wally Wingert Yellowjacket/Hank Pym
MODOC
Colleen O'Shaughnessey Wasp/Janet van Dyne
Vapor
Cassandra Lang
Brunhilde
Fred Tatasciore Hulk
Graviton
Frost Giant
Mandrill
Thing
Volstagg
Fenris Wolf
Yon-Rogg
Griffin
Hoarfen
Kalum Lo
Red Hulk
Gabriel Mann Bruce Banner
Alex Desert Nick Fury
Jack Fury
Vanessa Marshall Black Widow/Natalia Romanova
Madame Hydra/Viper
Anaconda
Jennifer Hale Ms. Marvel/Carol Danvers
Corrina
Chris Cox Hawkeye/Clint Barton
Crimson Dynamo
Fandral
Peter Corbeau
Rattler
Phil LaMarr JARVIS
Wonder Man/Simon Williams
James C. Mathis III T'Challa/Black Panther
Bulldozer
King Cobra
Hakeem Kae-Kazim T'Chaka/Black Panther
Elizabeth Daily Mockingbird
Veranke
Dawn Olivieri Pepper Potts
Scott Menville Bucky
Kari Wahlgren Jane Foster
Enchantress
Karnilla
Bumper Robinson War Machine/James Rhodes
Drake Bell Spider-Man/Peter Parker
Nolan North Balder
Jimmy Woo
Scientist Supreme
Living Laser
Piledriver
Chemistro
Scientist Supreme
Kari Wuhrer Maria Hill
Troy Baker Clay Quartermain
Blizzard
Grey Gargoyle
Whirlwind
Faradei
Ulik
Groot
Joseph Robertson
Sydren
Glenn Talbot
Michael Korvac
Constrictor
John DiMaggio Eitri
Dum Dum Dugan
Madman
Peter Jessop Vision
Graham McTavish Loki
Jeffrey Combs Leader
Robin Atkin Downes Baron Zemo
Abomination
Mark Hamill Klaw
Jonathan Adams Kang
Steven Blum Red Skull
Wolverine
Beta Ray Bill
Lance Henriksen[4] Grim Reaper
Jim Ward Baron Strucker
Henry Peter Gyrich
Grant Moninger Arnim Zola
Doughboy
Cam Clarke Constrictor
Doc Samson
Vector
Danny Mann Mad Thinker
Kevin Michael Richardson Man-Ape
N'Gassi
Cindy Robinson Ravonna
Jean-Benoît Blanc Heimdall
Wrecker
Black Knight
Frost Giant
Gary Anthony Williams Thunderball
Clancy Brown Odin
Nika Futterman Sif
Hela
Keith Ferguson Red Hulk
X-Ray
Roger Craig Smith Captain Marvel
Wade Williams Bi-Beast
Tom Kane Ultron
Jasper Sitwell
Professor
Quinton Flynn Malekith
Kirsten Potter Lucia von Bardas[5]
Kirk Thornton[6] Adam Warlock
Kyle Hebert Lyle Getz
Super-Skrull
Crispin Freeman Scott Lang
Loren Lester Iron Fist
Christopher B. Duncan Luke Cage
Jon Curry Winter Soldier
Grey DeLisle Betty Brant
Lance Reddick Falcon
Dee Bradley Baker Mister Fantastic
Erin Torpey Invisible Woman
Invisible Woman (Skrull)
David Kaufman Human Torch
Steve Downes Star-Lord
Greg Ellis Rocket Raccoon
Moira Quirk Quasar
J. K. Simmons J. Jonah Jameson
Lacey Chabert Quake
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn Abigail Brand
Neil Ross Crossfire
Lex Lang Doctor Doom
Kevin Grevioux Terrax
Keith Szarabajka Ronan
David Kaye Supreme Intelligence
Brent Spiner Purple Man
Dwight Schultz Technovore

Fred Tatasciore, Alex Desert, Steven Blum, and Graham McTavish reprise their roles from Wolverine and the X-Men, Hulk vs Wolverine, and Hulk vs Thor. Tom Kane previously played Ultron on the unconnected Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow.

Matthew Wolf auditioned for the role of Thor, having played him on Hulk vs Thor and Thor: Tales of Asgard, but the producers of the series wanted to go in a different direction.

Ultimate Spider-Man actor Drake Bell played Spider-Man, replacing The Spectacular Spider-Man actor Josh Keaton who had recorded for the role. This caused controversy among Spectacular fans who wanted Keaton to reprise the roll.

Background[]

Promotional image

Much of the series is based on the various films. For example, Eric Loomis was chosen as Iron Man because he sounded like Robert Downey, Jr., who plays the character in various films, and J.A.R.V.I.S. is an artificial intelligence instead of a butler.[7]

Marvel confirmed that the team would consist of Iron Man, Captain America, Black Panther, Hulk, Thor, Wasp, and Ant-Man. They also confirmed that Hawkeye, Black Widow, Kang, Loki, and Hydra would appear. They also stated that the series would mostly consist of stories written in the last ten years.[8]

The first episode was screen at the 2010 Comic-Con in San Diego.[9]

The series is part of Marvel Entertainment's overall "Avengers Assemble" strategy that began with Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. This is all to build up to the The Avengers film in 2012.

Some actors began recording lines for the assumed season two before the series began to first air.[10]

Matthew Wolf, voice of Thor on Hulk vs Thor and Thor: Tales of Asgard, auditioned for the role once again. But the show's producers had a different idea than those of the animated features and he was not cast.[11]

A series was intended to be produced called Hulk: Gamma Corps. However, when this series went into production Gamma Corps was incorporated into this one as it was more inclusive. Eventually, a similar sounding series was announced called Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.. It is unknown if the fate that befell Gamma Corps also happened to Thor.

Animation[]

The animation is done by Film Roman, who also worked on X-Men: Evolution and The Super Hero Squad Show. They had already begun production on twenty-six episodes when the series was announced on October 7, 2008.[12][13]

Episodes[]

The series featured twenty-six episodes per season for a total of fifty-two, which is how many were ordered total.[14]

The series itself began airing October 20, 2010 on Disney XD in the United States and Teletoon in Canada. The series will also begin airing on Marvel.com, Marvelkids.com, and DisneyXD.com/Avengers. Beginning October 21 full episodes will air on iTunes, Xbox Live, Sony PlayStation, and Disney XD Mobile VOD. Beginning October 25 the series will be available on Disney XD on Demand on AT&T, Verizon, Charter and Cox.[15][16]

There are also twenty micro-episodes, roughly five minutes each, that introduce the characters and people of the universe. They air online on Marvel.com, MarvelKids.com, DisneyXD.com/Avengers and Disney XD Mobile. The micro-episodes began airing on September 22, 2010 and were released once a day. These episodes detail the adventures of each Avengers member before the formation of the team. On October 5 select micro-episodes will appear for free on iTunes. Starting October 11 and going till October 15, Disney XD will air four of the micro-episodes together.[17]

Comic Book[]

A comic book tie-in was released along with the series. The series was written by Christopher Yost, Scott Wegener, and Patrick Scherberger. It lasted four issues filling in space in between the episodes, mostly about catching other breakout criminals.[18]

Cancellation[]

On June 12, 2012 it was announced that the series would not be picked up for a third season. Instead, Marvel Animation would produce Avengers Assemble. The series would be produced completely in-house along with Ultimate Spider-Man and Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., in the same continuity. The line-up is to be the same from The Avengers film with the addition of Sam Wilosn.[19]

Head of Television Jeph Loeb compared the change to how one comic book line will change creative hands. The new series is part of the Marvel Animation Universe along with Ultimate Spider-Man and Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. and currently does not appear to be part of this series' universe.

The cancellation left several plot threads hanging without a proper resolution. The Superhuman Registration Act had been teased several times hinting at an adaptation of the Civil War series while Surtur was being built up as a major threat. Christopher Yost and Joshua Fine had been planning to feature "magic and mutants" in the third season.

When asked about a potential revival, whether in animated or comic book form, Yost said there had been no discussions.[20]

Trailer[]

Teaser[]

Trailer[]

Original Animation Test[]

Reception[]

Newsarama ranked the series the tenth best animated comic book series. The site stated the series was the "purest Avengers" found and felt the theme song was catchy.[21]

Rotten Tomatoes ranked the series among its top one-hundred superhero series with this series at sixty-nine above Big Hero 6: The Series at one-hundred Spider-Woman at eighty-nine, Iron Man: Armored Adventures at eighty-six, Ultimate Spider-Man at eighty-three, Spider-Man Unlimited at seventy-three and below The Super Hero Squad Show at sixty-eight, X-Men: Evolution at sixty-six, Fantastic Four at sixty-four, Avengers Assemble at fifty-eight, Guardians of the Galaxy at fifty-five, The Marvel Super Heroes at fifty-one, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends at forty-eight, The Spectacular Spider-Man at forty-six, Spider-Man at forty, Spider-Man at nineteen, and X-Men at five.[22]

References[]

  1. C2E2 2011: Liveblog Central at Marvel.com
  2. C2E2: MARVEL ANIMATION at Comics Continuum
  3. Earth's Mightiest Heroes at Disney XD Media Net
  4. Christopher Yost at Twitter
  5. Resume at Kirsten Potter's Website
  6. Resume at Kirk Thornton's Website
  7. Comic-Con 2010: Marvel Animation Also Assembles Avengers at UGO
  8. C2E2 2010: Marvel Animation Panel Liveblog at Marvel.com
  9. San Diego Comic-Con 2010: Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes Animated Panel Liveblog at Marvel.com
  10. AVENGERS Animated Assembling w/ Phil Lamarr at Newsarama.com
  11. Toonzone Interviews Matthew Wolf on Voicing Thor in "Thor: Tales of Asgard" at Toonzone
  12. Announcing Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes at Marvel.com
  13. Marvel assembles cartoon 'Avengers' at The Hollywood Reporter
  14. New Avengers TV Series Debuting This Fall at IGN.com
  15. "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes" October 2010 Disney XD Debuts at Marvel Animation Age
  16. "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes" Scheduling, Videogame Updates at Marvel Animation Age
  17. Animated Avengers Assemble Oct. 20 at Marvel.com
  18. Marvel Announces "Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes" All-Ages Comic Title at Marvel Animation Age
  19. Exclusive: Marvel Assembles New Animated Series for the Hulk and Avengers at TV Guide
  20. Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Would Have Featured 'Magic and Mutants' in Season 3, Says Co-Developer at Comic Book Resources
  21. 10 Best Comic Book Animated Series of All Time at Newsarama
  22. 100 Best Superhero TV Shows of All Time at Rotten Tomatoes

External links[]

The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Episodes
Micro-Episodes "Iron Man is Born!" • "The Coming of the Hulk" • "The Man in the Ant Hill (Micro-Episode)" • "HYDRA Lives!" • "Thor the Mighty (Micro-Episode)" • "Behold, the Mandroids!" • "Hulk Versus the World (Micro-Episode)" • "The Siege of Asgard" • "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." • "This Monster, This Hero" • "My Brother, My Enemy" • "The Isle of Silence" • "Enter the Whirlwind" • "Meet Captain America (Micro-Episode)" • "The Red Skull Strikes!" • "If This Be Doomsday!" • "Welcome to Wakanda" • "Lo, There Shall Come a Conqueror" • "Beware the Widow's Bite" • "The Big House"
Season One "Iron Man is Born" • "Thor the Mighty" • "Hulk Versus the World" • "Meet Captain America" • "The Man in the Ant Hill" • "The Breakout, Part One" • "The Breakout, Part Two" • "Some Assembly Required" • "Living Legend" • "Everything is Wonderful" • "Panther's Quest" • "Gamma World, Part One" • "Gamma World, Part Two" • "Masters of Evil" • "459" • "Widow's Sting" • "The Man Who Stole Tomorrow" • "Come the Conqueror" • "The Kang Dynasty" • "The Casket of Ancient Winters" • "Hail, Hydra!" • "Ultron-5" • "The Ultron Imperative" • "This Hostage Earth" • "The Fall of Asgard" • "A Day Unlike Any Other"
Season Two "The Private War of Doctor Doom" • "Alone Against A.I.M." • "Acts of Vengeance" • "Welcome to the Kree Empire" • "To Steal an Ant-Man" • "Michael Korvac" • "The Ballad of Beta Ray Bill" • "Who Do You Trust?" • "Behold...The Vision" • "Nightmare in Red" • "Infiltration" • "Prisoner of War" • "Secret Invasion" • "Assault on 42" • "Along Came a Spider..." • "Ultron Unlimited" • "Yellowjacket" • "Powerless" • "Emperor Stark" • "Code Red" • "Winter Soldier" • "The Deadliest Man Alive" • "New Avengers" • "Operation Galactic Storm" • "Live Kree or Die" • "Avengers Assemble!"
Related Hulk vs Thor
Christopher Yost Animated Universe
Series Wolverine and the X-MenThe Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes
Features Hulk Vs: (Hulk vs Wolverine/Hulk vs Thor) • Thor: Tales of Asgard
Advertisement