So I'm not going to be one of those guys who gets nostalgia blind, but I don't think it's much of a hot take to say the 90s to mid-2000s had the best superhero animation. While live-action movies got mixed results at the box office and from fans, these shows gave us the definitive versions of the characters we wanted so badly to be real. For Spider-Man, it was spectacular. It was the animated series for X-men, and it was even better for the Avengers.

Because on a day unlike any other, earth's mightiest creators decided to unite against the common threat of their last cartoon. On that day, Avengers, earth's strongest heroes, was born for the world to bear witness! It may have existed briefly, but it's important to look back at a time before the MCU and show you why EMH was the definitive version over a decade ago. 

Intro

Through the efforts of Film Roman, Marvel Animation, and the combined talents of veterans like Joshua Fine - Supervising Producer; Vinton Heuck - Director, Sebastian Montes - Director; and Jamie Simone - Casting/Voice Director. Plus Christopher Yost - Story Editor. They have worked on numerous acclaimed series in both past and future projects. This series, in particular, was made to pay tribute to the Avengers from various source materials like comics and movies.

This was a bit of a risk as, unlike other shows at the time, there was no real nostalgia grab that would automatically make the show a hit like X men or Spiderman. It was quite the opposite, with the last series Avengers United Stand flopping due to financial instability and fan disinterest in 1999. Despite the limitations, the show has a strong fanbase. Before the official series started, we had the first minisodes made to highlight our main characters. But I think I can explain that better in the Story section.

Story

In a world where superheroes are commonplace, it seems prevalent that the challenges and villains they face are getting harder to handle. Iron Man's technology is utilized for ulterior motives outside of his control despite his origins. The Hulk gets captured by Shield to be made as a potential weapon. Ant-Man and the Wasp are dealing with their unique philosophies on how to help the world.

Thor got exiled to Midgard after arguing with Odin. However, after 74 supervillains escape from various super prisons, the five heroes decide to avenge the wrongs of themselves and others by becoming the Avengers! And through this mashup, we see them battle threats from over this grand Marvel Universe as they grow in power.

Cast

Befitting the nature of the Avengers, this show has a sizeable interchangeable cast, but I'll focus on the ten mainstays throughout the two seasons. Also, let me add that the voice acting in this series is both top-tier and very fitting for every character involved. First up, we have Iron man portrayed by Eric Loomis. However, unlike most characters, Tony got built after the MCU Iron Man.

He's a futurist who must learn humility from the past to become stronger. Captain America is an unapologetic hero, but I think Brain Bloom makes up for it through his fantastic portrayal. The man plays the role with so much raw charisma, presence, and resolve that I can't help but feel inspired whenever he makes a speech. Next, we have the noble Norse out-of-water Thor and the beautiful dynamic of wasp and ant-man.

While Hank Pym isn't the most well-defined character, I respect his means. He wants the Avengers to save civilians with the energetic and spunky wasp wishing to make a positive difference in the world. We also have the most interesting portrayal of the Hulk ever. More recent portrayals of the Hulk try to entirely out Bruce Banner without realizing what makes him unique. This portrayal shows Bruce willingly giving up his life to make sure the Hulk could have a new life as a hero despite the world's feelings toward him, making him more casual and stoic than other versions.

Next, we have the wise Black Panther, who is always a treat amongst the more outlandish members. Hawkeye in this show is one of my favorite characters in this. Despite having no powers, this version of Hawkeye is one of the show's most crafty, reliable, consistent, and grounded characters, and his reactions are awesome. Finally, we have Ms. Marvel and Vision. While we don't see much of them, I think they're entertaining enough as they provide for some incredibly badass members and comedic moments.

Outside of the team, we have numerous other characters. We got introduced to a lively world with the potential for endless stories from Shield, Asgard, and New York heroes. I'm more surprised by the usage of villains since we get everybody from greats like Ultron and Loki to lesser-knowns like Micheal Korvac and Mandrill, which makes any villain appearance possible. These characters make fun interactions and moments, with my favorites being Iron Man and Cap, Hawkeye and Hulk, Thor and Wasp, etc.

Presentation

No, if's and's or buts about it, this shows looks hot. While I will admit that the proportions of certain characters are off, and the characters never seemingly look good in posters and the like, the show itself is joyous. This series takes much of its design from 60's comics with a modern repaint. While it gives a well-cartoony look to everything, I think it works well for the show's tone.

This is a world where superheroes are both new and common in this universe. Which could take getting used to, but you can. Overall just seeing Jack Kirby's colorful and dynamic pencils be inspired to create a modern retelling is the authenticity and creativity I like to see in series like this. Not everything needs to be the same, but it's important to remember your source material.

Overall the animation is top tier; the first episode is a feast for the eyes in every sense of the word as we see how over the top and powerful our heroes are as they trash Manhattan. No fight is boring, and seeing how the series finds new uses for the character's abilities is great. 

This leads to the theme song that blew the minds of every elementary school nerd watching. Fight as one perfectly hypes you and introduces you to the story's themes. The series shows a world about to break, with heroes stranded and lost in unfamiliar territory. Still, when you think it's all over, these heroes realize that as long as they fight as one, they can make up for each other's weaknesses and have evil on the run, a message that holds today.

It's hopeful, inspiring, and downright chilling as we see through the current roster, we know that whoever might be an Avenger at the time, they are heroes that will defend us all the same. Outside of that soundtrack is pretty good and fun to listen to in battles as it has a heroic or techno feel.

Season 1

So this show overall started strong as all hell. The way starting subplots integrally tie the entire season story was done well. The introduction of certain characters through subsequent arcs like Gamma World and the Masters of Evil creates a sense of cause and effect that I appreciate. The entire season feels like a crash course on the Avengers lore as we see Asgard, the Raft, Shield, and some of their greatest enemies like the Masters of Evil, Ultron and Loki portrayed positively light for the most part. I liked this series mainly the focus on two things: characters and the team overall.

Many of these arcs feature villains or actions of the heroes, making these characters a lot more complex than my descriptions of them before. For example, iron Man's worry over a utopic future characterized by Kang the conqueror's premonitions, Hawkeye's drive for revenge and slow separation of organizations like Shield and Hydra, and Ant Man's regret over turning Ultron from peacemaker to genocidal madman are all great stuff to develop the cast and characters further and hit home that they can do more with like-minded individuals.

And I also like how even this superhero society, the Avengers, isn't seen as some new trend that will end soon. Organizations like Hydra and Shield go to great lengths to try and control the Avengers, given their independent status. Villain groups like the Masters of Evil and the creation of Ultron prove that, unfortunately, their unearthly might can cause grave consequences to reverberate out. This hits home with Marvel in general, given that Marvel is all about Humans becoming Gods, meaning that they are even more infallible than usual. The season finale is probably the best aspect of that, as we see everything our heroes have built up to test our heroes' abilities in the most outlandish scenario. At the same time, he showed Loki (the season's main villain) face to face that his greatest trick was bringing this fabulous team together.

Season 2

Overall, Season 2, in comparison to Season 1, is a bit of a mixed bag. If you wanted to see more of this universe, you certainly got it. But, on the other hand, this universe with heroes like Spider-Man and the Heroes for Hire to cosmic entities like the Kree and Skrulls is more prevalent than last season. Unfortunately, this season's biggest problem is making the roster we've built up from season 1 largely nonexistent, as it took nearly the entire season for the cast to fully assemble again.

The stories were also largely episodic because of this nature which can be good or bad depending on how you see it. Episodes like Along Came With A Spider are probably some of my favorite episodes. The adaptations of the Kree Skrull War, Skrull War, and Micheal Korvac are all impressively good and distinct.

However, the Kree and Skrulls are a bit too scripted over my liking, as they deserved far better given the unique build-up. The overall strengths and weaknesses of the season are exemplified best in the finale. Despite no real build-up, we get Galactus appearing with every character we've seen to make an appearance. Overall, it's a good finale and shows this series's potential.

Epilogue

Soooo, you're probably wondering why a well-received show got canned. I wish I could tell you to because there is no legitimately good reason for the vast success of the Avengers live-action movie. But instead, Disney smelled money in the oil and decided to try a new strategy that sounded like this.

"Chuck, man look at these numbers, we capitalize on this craze now, and Marvel could dominate both live-action given the success of our recent show with this new Marvel show."

"Yeah, this cinematic universe is coming together, but I think I know how to make sure that this universe stays timeless and makes them even better moving forward."

"We're going to keep using the near-infinite amount of money we have at our disposal to keep bringing fantasy to life while simultaneously challenging young kids' minds through the infinite possibilities of animation?"

"No, are you daft? We're just going to cancel that awesome show without the creators knowing about it and then make a cheaper show so those little kids will get brainwashed into seeing the movies."

"But what about trying to pay respect to kids and adults by making implausible stories that won't fit the MCU anyway? What about the fact that any smart kid is enough to realize that movies and cartoons are different and watch them anyway? What about trying to innovate an already oversaturated market and establishing a long and loyal universe and fanbase like the DC animated universe?"

"Chris, let me tell you something straightforward. This cash cow is too good to fail. We don't need to try and innovate anymore. We don't need to be risky and try something new because, in 10 years, our brainwashed base will love these movies. Sure we could get a couple of critiques and sweaty neckbeards, both young and old, but they'll learn to live with it like others. What's the point of being timeless when you can be trendy?"

And while yes, I know that whole section of the post could get seen as cringy, it's not untrue in my eyes. Avengers Assembled and all of the shows Disney made past it aren't inherently bad, but the reason why they'll always be second fiddle is so obvious. Because stories like EMH got made for a simple purpose: to add something to the equation, make a dream a reality, and honor something that has existed for so much longer than most symbols do. 

They didn't rewrite the wheel, but Avengers Emh was in the right direction. It honored its roots while trying to make these somewhat problematic stories work in their unique way. It tried treating its audience like adults with messages and stories that were grippingly eternal and questioned even what you could do with animation—all with a dash of love and care from passionate people. Avengers Assembled and Ultimate Spiderman aren't bad or unwatchable but compared to the variety of boundary-pushing stuff that quickly never talked down to its audience. It's sorely lacking.

If Avengers Emh did continue, I think it could have given the DCAU a run for its money. Future storylines would have focused more on the fantastic four, X men, Dracula, and Surtur. All these would've been fantastic stories, but unfortunately, they'll never see the light of day.

Even still, I think that Emh will always be one of the best shows of its genre and one of the most important to me. Without this series, I don't think I could make the stories I have now. Overall, Emh may never truly get finished, but I don't think that the impact of this show itself will ever be as long as we fight as one.