THE MARVEL ANIMATED UNIVERSE PART 2 - THE X-MEN

Well! It was last July that I wrote a fairly long post about my dream Spider-Man cartoon series, an adaptation of the Silver Age comics by Steve Ditko, Stan Lee, and John Romita; a series that would have been set in the sixties (or at least in a pre-digital world). At the time, I said it was part one of a two-part series, and the second installment would cover my ideal X-Men animation. But, while I thought about it quite a bit in the subsequent nine months, I never got around to putting fingers to keyboard to write about it... until now.

Look, I loved the X-MEN cartoon in the 1990s. It was my companion through middle school and high school. And I really enjoyed its continuation, X-MEN 97, on Disney Plus. (Though that series is perfect encapsulation of why I loathe the current streaming model for TV series -- we had a ten episode season one in 2024 and we are still waiting for season two, two years later!! It's idiotic.) The X-Men series, at least for it's first season, took one of the most appealing aspects of the comics of the era -- namely, serialization -- and translated it to the small screen. To a kid who had never watched the likes of ROBOTECH, this was groundbreaking.

But X-MEN wasn't perfect; far from it, in fact. Even as a teen, I found it odd that the group was made up of a bunch of then-popular characters like Gambit, Rogue, and Jubilee, waltzing around like they'd always been there. Later in the series, this premise was walked back and it was established that there had been at least one prior iteration of the X-Men -- but at least early on, we were meant to believe that Wolverine and Gambit were among the first X-Men, fighting alongside Cyclops and Jean Grey against Magneto. It was weird.

And as with Spider-Man, I've long wished for an X-Men series that hewed more closely to the original comics. However, where the Spider-Man show I ruminated on last year was a somewhat straight adaptation -- not issue-to-issue, but simply in terms of the major storytelling beats -- this hypothetical X-Men cartoon would take a different route, at least at first. We would begin with the same basic premise as Spider-Man; a 65-episode series comprised of five 13-episode seasons. The first two seasons would focus on the original X-Men, and the final three would cover the era of the "new" X-Men.

JULY 2025 - THE MARVEL ANIMATED UNIVERSE PART 1

Marvel cartoons have existed practically since the dawn of the Marvel Universe in the 1960s, when Grantray-Lawrence Animation produced THE MARVEL SUPER HEROES and THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, while Hanna-Barbera gave us THE FANTASTIC FOUR. Over the decades, many more series followed. I have particularly warm and fuzzy memories of watching SPIDER-MAN AND HIS AMAZING FRIENDS and THE INCREDIBLE HULK on NBC Saturday morning in the early eighties, catching the "Pryde of the X-Men" pilot episode for an unproduced X-MEN cartoon later in the decade, and then eventually, in the 1990s, watching a semblance of a united Marvel animated universe (if only by dint of the various shows using all the same voice actors for episodes with guest appearances) with X-MEN and SPIDER-MAN on Fox, FANTASTIC FOUR and IRON MAN in syndication, and THE INCREDIBLE HULK on UPN.

And there have been many, many more Marvel shows since then, including the unparalleled and cancelled-far-too-soon AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES, whose first season I wrote about here years ago, during the height of COVID lockdown time.

I think after EMH ended, Marvel dabbled with what you might call a shared universe again, with shows like ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, MARVEL'S AVENGERS, HULK AND THE AGENTS OF S.M.A.S.H., and GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY all having some degree of crossover. But Marvel has never done -- and, as you'll soon see, likely never will do -- a shared animated universe in the way I'd like to see it done. I've written about this concept before, in comments on posts over at Gentlemen of Leisure, but I decided I should consolidate my thoughts and post them here, if for no other reason than posterity. So what you're about to read are some of those afore-mentioned comments, expanded and updated.

Again, it's unlikely to ever happen exactly this way, but my dream will always be to someday see animated versions of the Marvel characters that adhere to the established comic book continuities of their early years. Now, I'm not saying I want straight page-to-screen translations of every issue from the 60s; but more like picking and choosing the things that worked best and making them into a pre-planned, cohesive story, while respecting the general original chronology laid out by Kirby, Ditko, Lee, Romita, and the rest.

Now, I know I'm already dating myself with this, but let's say Marvel/Disney is going to produce a Spider-Man cartoon using the long-established "magic number" of 65 episodes -- in this case, a pre-planned five-season series of thirteen episodes per season. The show would start with Spider-Man established; no need to revisit his origin. Peter Parker is, say, a high school junior with maybe a year of adventuring and fighting common criminals under his belt. Our first season would basically adapt the first half of Steve Ditko's run. Again, there's no need to cover every single issue; just hit the major highlights -- the first appearances of the Chameleon, Vulture, Doctor Octopus, Sandman, the Lizard, Electro, the Enforcers, Mysterio, the Green Goblin, and Kraven would be sufficient, with Ditko's sub-plots threading through all the episodes in a serialized fashion. Perhaps the season ends with the Sinister Six story from the first Spidey Annual.

The first thing to note is that certain characters should be introduced in our series sooner than in the comics. For example, there's no reason not to have Robbie Robertson working at the Daily Bugle from the first episode. Norman Osborn could start to show up earlier than in the comics as well, in order to better plant the seed that he will eventually be revealed as the Green Goblin. But the flip side of this is that we don't want to mess with the continuity too much. Peter Parker absolutely did not go to high school with Mary Jane Watson and Harry Osborn, and it drives me nuts every time adaptations in various media have them at Midtown High with him. We'll get to them eventually; no need to shoehorn them in too soon.

And the main way our series would be different from a lot of cartoons would be that it passes in real time, with each seasona accounting for a school year in Spidey's life. So season 2 would pick up a few months after the end of season 1, with Peter starting his senior year in high school. This season would continue to adapt Ditko stories, but with more of an organized crime bent, featuring the story of the Big Man and the Crimemaster, more of the Enforcers, the Green Goblin trying to take over New York's gangs, and perhaps some foreshadowing of the Kingpin. Plus the debuts of a couple new villains like Scorpion and the Spider-Slayers, as well as return engagements from the major villains -- Kraven, Sandman, etc. -- and it would all culminate with a 2-part season finale featuring Doc Ock, adapting the classic "Master Planner" story.

At this point, the series moves in a new direction. When season 3 opens, another summer has passed and Peter is starting college at Empire State University. Certain high school cast members are gone (Liz Allen, Sally Avril), replaced by the afore-mentioned Harry, Mary Jane, and of course Gwen Stacy. This season opens with the transition from Steve Ditko to John Romita -- a 2-parter featuring the unmasking of the Green Goblin. From there, the remaining 11 episodes of the season adapt the early John Romita material; the Rhino, the Shocker, the "death" of the Vulture, and the returns of stalwarts like the Lizard and Kraven. The season likely ends with another classic, "Spider-Man No More!", showing us the Kingpin in full for the first time, after we've heard thorughout the season that someone has been villing the mob boss void left by Crime-Master and the Big Man, as well as the disappearance of the Green Goblin following the season premiere.

By now, you know the drill. Another summer time-jump and we reach season 4, in which we adapt more John Romita stories. This is a Kingpin-heavy year, as were the comics around this time. The Kingpin appears in, or has his hands in, nearly every episode. But there's still time for appearances by Doc Ock, the Vulture, and Mysterio. I imagine the season might end with a Green Goblin return, adapted from the story in SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN Magazine #2.

And that brings us to the fifth and final season, which spends nearly its entire run-time on the classic "Petrified Tablet" story, featuring a gang-war between the Kingpin and Silvermane, and ending with Silvermane's death.

Now -- this isn't perfect; it's really me coming up with all of this off the cuff while looking at AMAZING SPIDER-MAN covers for inspiration. But you get the idea. Five seasons, following Peter from the midpoint of high school to the end of hus junior year of college (and if the series is successful enough, maybe we get picked up for another 65 to cover his senior year and a few years of graduate school). The show would stick to adapting the Silver Age stories as best it could, with certain modifications to allow for better pacing, foreshadowing, and so forth. And -- this is a big one -- I would actually set the series in the sixties, when the comics were published! Or, at least, in a pre-digital world. I find that as I get older, I feel everything is better if it's set in the era when it was created. I read someplaced that the current PEANUTS cartoons produced for Apple TV have a mandate not to use any technology created after the 1970s. I think that's a great rule of thumb for everyting, everywhere, all the time, but for now we'll just apply it to these fictional Marvel shows!

(Yes, I said "these" -- I'm not done yet! Next time, I'll talk about my hypothetical X-MEN series!)

Anyway, like I said up top, there's no way this actually happens. It's not commercially viable enough. It's too niche. Audiences nowadays want their Miles and their Venom and their Spider-Gwen and their Silk and so on and so forth. And setting in the sixties probably loses a lot of the young viewers such a show would need in order to survive. So this concept will always remain nothing more than a pipe dream for me! (At least until the day A.I. can create bespoke content on demand with no regard for corporate ownership.)

This post went pretty long, so I won't bore you with any other content, other than to note that I'm still reading the newspaper strip adventures of Rip Kirby! But I think I went pretty in-depth on what I liked about that last time, so I won't go into it again. Maybe next month I'll have moved along to something different?!

MAY 2025 - I DON'T WATCH TV ANYMORE

At least not like I used to. I grew up watching TV. As a child, I was enamored with my Saturday morning and weekday afternoon cartoons, as you might expect. Everything from HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, THUNDERCATS, and TRANSFORMERS to SUPER FRIENDS to THE SMURFS and GARFIELD AND FRIENDS. I also followed the adventures of THE DUKES OF HAZZARD and THE A-TEAM in live action. I watched TV all the time through elementary school, high school, and college. I took in the TV shows my parents grew up with via "Nick at Nite" and weekday syndication (I have very specific memories of watching THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW anytime I was home sick during elementary school). There were the TGIF sitcoms on ABC (PERFECT STRANGERS was always my favorite). Must-See TV on NBC. STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION and DEEP SPACE NINE during the nineties "Golden Age" of first-run syndication. In terms of animation, you had BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, X-MEN, and SPIDER-MAN on Fox Kids when I was in middle school and high school. Then DRAGON BALL Z and GUNDAM WING, among many others, on Toonami during college and beyond.

Then the early twenty-first century brought me THE OFFICE, PARKS AND RECREATION, 30 ROCK, MODERN FAMILY, and more in the comedy genre, as well as 24, PRISON BREAK, LOST, and a slew of other network dramas with a similar serialized feel. In a way, these were -- to me, at least, someone who didn't watch the pay cable channels like HBO and Showtime -- the precursors to "prestige" or "peak" television. Which I'm not sure why we call it that; it was never all good -- but by the later part of the 2000s, I was watching it. I was engrossed with MAD MEN, BREAKING BAD, and THE WALKING DEAD on AMC, and JUSTIFIED on FX, as well as -- having finally gotten an HBO subscription -- BOARDWALK EMPIRE and GAME OF THRONES.

I watched a lot of TV around that time, in the aughts and into the teens. And I liked most all of it. MAD MEN is one of my all-time favorite television experiences ever. I love that show; at the risk of a little hyperbole, I'd even say that I cherish it (or at least I do the first three seasons; I find that my interest plummets the further the narrative moves into the sixties). Likewise, JUSTIFIED, which I adored. GAME OF THRONES was great for the first several years. BREAKING BAD was amazing, but not something I'm particulary attached to; I can't really ever see myself watching it again. And I will never understand how THE WALKING DEAD became the cultural juggernaut that it remains to this day. I gave up on that one a few seasons in; it was too dark and depressing for me. The final scene I ever watched was when a certain baseball bat connected with a certain beloved character's face, and I never looked back (though I did often question why I had even stuck with it for that long, in hindsight).

AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES S1x026

"A DAY UNLIKE ANY OTHER"
Written by Christopher Yost | Directed by Sebastian Montes

The Plot: Around the Nine Realms, the Avengers prepare for battle agaisnt Loki's forces with their various new allies -- while in Asgard, Loki is crowned king. Hulk and the Warriors Three battle the frost giants at the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge, and are joined by Giant-Man, Wasp, and Sif and the valkyries. Hawkeye, Black Panther, and Faradei arrive to assist, and the giants (as well as Loki's loyal Asgardian warriors) are defeated.

Meanwhile, in Niffelheim, Hela continues her attempt on Captain America's soul. But Cap refuses, so Hela begins to bargain with him. Elsewhere, Loki sees the Avengers advancing on his palace and summons Hoarfen, a gigantic ice wolf, to attack them. When it appears Hoarfen has the upper hand, Captain America appears and barks out orders that let the Avengers turn the tide. The Avengers and their allies march into Loki's throne room, but Loki, empowered by the Odinforce, proves more than they can handle. He destroys Captain America's shield and is about to finish the group, when Iron Man bursts in, wearing a new suit crafted in the Dwarven forge.

The Avengers free Thor, who reclaims his hammer and joins his teammates in battle against Loki. Meanwhile, Black Panther, Ant-Man, and Hawkeye go to Yggdrasil, the Tree of Life, to attempt to cut off Loki's power -- while Loki himself begins to lose control of the Odinforce. Giant-Man uproots the tree and its energy surges out, awakening Odin. Odin reclaims his power from Loki and confronts the villain. He banishes Loki and then honors Thor and the Avengers as heroes of Asgard.

AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES S1x025

"THE FALL OF ASGARD"
Written by Christopher Yost | Directed by Vinton Heuck

The Plot: Hawkeye awakens in Asgard, where he is attacked by a pack of wolves. In Odin's palace, Loki brags to Thor about having conquered Asgard. In snowy Jotunheim, Giant-Man and the unconscious Wasp are attacked by frost giants. In Niffelheim, the realm of the dead, Captain America comes face to face with the long-dead Howling Commandos. The same holds true for the remaining Avengers, all awakening across the Nine Realms and coming face to face with various threats.

Tony Stark, armorless ave for one gauntlet, comes to in Nidavellir, realm of the dwarves, and learns from its people that Loki is behind the Norn Stone attack on Earth. Ulik the Troll appears and attacks, but Iron Man dispatches him. Meanwhile, Hawkeye struggles against the wolves until an elf rescues him. While Hulk battles trolls, Hela tries to take Captain America's soul, and Loki continues to gloat over Thor. In Jotunheim, Giant-Man is saved from the frost giants by Sif and a group of valkyries.

Black Panther fights undead spirits, while the Hulk overcomes his trollish foes. The Warriors Three and other Asgardians appear to recruit Hulk to their team. Meanwhile, Captain America overcomes Hela's ploy and then finds himself facing her directly. Meanwhile, Black Panther appears to rescue Hawkeye and his elf ally, Faraday, from the wolves. But in Nidavellir, Ulik renews his attack and defeats the dwarves, leaving Stark to defeat him by supercharging his arc reactor. And back in Asgard, Loki prepares to execute Thor.

AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES S1x024

"THIS HOSTAGE EARTH"
Written by Michael Ryan | Directed by Sebastian Montes

The Plot: An anothe realm, Karnilla, queen of the Norns, is transformed to stone by the Grey Gargoyle at the Enchantress's order. Meanwhile, Baron Zemo has formed a larger Masters of Evil team. Enchantress and Executioner return to Earth and provide Zemo with a Norn Stone taken from Karnilla. Meanwhile, Iron Man reveals schematics for a device he beleives can create a wormhole between Earth and Asgard. Captain America reveals that he's seen such a device before, during World War II. Elsewhere, Hank Pym packs his belongings and leaves the mansion, despite the Wasp's pleas that he stay.

Iron Man assembles the Avengers to discuss the wormhole device, which Cap explains was used by the Red Skull during the war. As they talk, Iron Man reveals that he has found ley lines around Earth, which seem to link it with the nine realms of Asgard. Detecting energy surges on the various ley lines, the Avengers split up to investigate -- one Avenger for each of the seven lines. In the arctic, Wasp finds a Norn Stone, but it is guarded by the Abomiation. Meanwhile, Iron Man finds a Norn Stone as well in the jungle, but is attacked by the Living Laser. At a castle somewhere, Captain America encounters the Crimson Dynamo near his Norn Stone. And in another jungle, Hawkeye finds himself up against Chemistro, while in a graveyard, Black Panther finds Wonder Man -- also both guarding Norn Stones. Finally, the Hulk engages Executioner over a Stone in a wooded area, while Thor the Red Skull's old castle to find the Enchantress and Zemo.

The Avengers proceed with their battles, while Enchantress activates the Norn Stones, mystically linking the Nine Realms. Wasp finds herself about to be killed by Abomination when Giant-Man shows up to save her, defeating the monster. But thanks to the Norn Stones, frost gaints show up a moment later. Around the world, at the other Norn Stones' locations, additional Asgardian creatures and beings appear, challenging Avengers and Masters of Evil alike. At the Red Skull's castle, Zemo uses a mind control device to take over the Enchantress's mind, ordering to place the armies of Asgard under his control. He then prepares to finish Thor, but the Thunder God reclaims his hammer and knocks out both Zemo and the Enchantress.

At Thor's oder, the Avengers simultaneously destroy the Norn Stones at every location, but are all transported away from Earth in the process. Thor appears in Asgard to find Loki seated on Odin's throne.

AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES S1x023

"THE ULTRON IMPERATIVE"
Written by Brandon Auman | Directed by Vinton Heuck

The Plot: Around the world, systems belonging to various world powers are taken over by Ultron. Meanwhile the Avengers mourn Thor. But elsewhere, the Enchantress hold Thor, enthralled, in another realm. Tony Stark and Hank Pym realize that Ultron has transferred his consciousness into another body, and Ultron takes control of various Iron Man armors to attack the Avengers, while the real Ultron boards the SHIELD helicarrier.

Meanwhile, Thor regains his senses and demands the Enchantress send him back to Earth. The Avengers, battling Iron Man's armors, are joined by Iron Man himself. Iron Man, Hulk, and Wasp head out to defend the helicarrier, while Hawkeye and Black Panther stay behind to battle the Iron Man suits. Aboard the helicarrier, Ultron extracts SHIELD's nuclear missile codes from Maria Hill just as the Avengers arrive to save her. But they're too late, and Ultron launches missiles from the various systems he has commandeered around the world, in order to wipe out humanity.

At Avengers Mansion, Thor appears to save Hawkeye and Black Panther, then travels with them to the helicarrier and engages Ultron. The robot remains a match for the full Avengers team, however, even transforming the Hulk back into Bruce Banner. While most of the group battles Ultron, Ant-Man arrives and goes inside his creation, where he uses a device he created to deactivate Ultron. Meanwhile, Stark manages to disengage the missiles, saving the world from nuclear annihilation. But the victory is bitter for Ant-Man, who stalks off sullenly in the battle's aftermath.

AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES S1x022

"ULTRON-5"
Written by Brandon Auman | Directed by Sebastian Montes

The Plot: In the subway, the Avengers battle the Serpent Society, despite Ant-Man's entreaties for a peaceful resolution. The Society manages to escape, and Ant-Man quits the Avengers when the group chastizes him for not joining in thier slugfest. Later, at his lab in Avengers Mansion, Hank Pym works on Ultron. At Avengers Mansion, Hulk and Black Panther arrive, having captured the Red Ghost and his Super Apes, who were captured with schematics for the Baxter Building on their person, which they received in a coded message. Recalling that the Serpent Society also claimed to have received a message from Madame Hydra, Iron Man does some digging and finds that the messages were sent from the mansion.

In Pym's lab, Ultron zaps him and then the Wasp as well, when she comes to check on him. Then, as Black Panther and Hulk load the Red Ghost and his apes into a Quinjet, both of the Avengers' jets activate and turn on them. In the mansion's training room, the systems turn on Captain America, Hawkeye, and a visiting Jane Foster as well. Iron Man's armor begins to attack Thor also, with Tony Stark unable to communicate. Elsewhere, Ultron learns taht his programming prevents him from harming the imprisoned Wasp.

Cap, Hawkeye, Jane, and Black Panther escape their traps and regroup, while Stark manages to speak to Thor, telling him to overload his armor. Thor does so, and Iron Man realizes that the override signal sent to his armor originated from Ultron. The Avengers burst into the mansion and attack, and Thor is seemingly disintegrated by Ultron. While Cap, Hawkeye, and Black Panther continue their battle, Stark revives Hank. When Ultron gains the upper hand on the Avengers, Wasp uses her power to grow and break free of her bonds. She tries to appeal to Ultron, but he continues to fight back.

Hulk, who was rocketed into the outer atomsphere aboard a Quinjet, breaks free of the craft and plummets back to Earth. Meanwhile, Ant-Man appears and attempts to shut down Ultron, but the robot reveals it can no longer be controlled by Pym's commands. Iron Man bursts in next, wearing his original bulky armor, free of computers for Ultron to override. Hulk appears a moment later, tearing Ultron in half and allowing Ant-Man to remove and destroy his power core. Pym then destroys all the other Ultrons' cores and memory units as well, but Ultron has already completed uploading of his consciousness to another old Ultron head.

AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES S1x021

"HAIL, HYDRA!"
Written by Kevin Burke & Chris Wyatt | Directed by Vinton Heuck

The Plot: Manhattan is hit by an electromagnetic pulse. When the Avengers head out to investigate, they find Black Widow standing on their doorstep. She reveals that she was sent to infiltrate Hydra by Nick Fury, and then explains that Hydra is attacking AIM in search of the Cosmic Cube. Black Widow goes with the team to find Hydra and AIM, battling in airships over the city. Captain America and Hulk go after Hydra while Hakweye, Ant-Man, and Black Widow battle AIM. Meanwhile, Iron Man and the Wasp are conftonted by SHIELD, under the command of Maria Hill.

Strucker shoots down MODOK's ship and confronts him in a burning warehouse, sending a trio of Dreadnoughts to destroy him. Strucker reaches for the Cosmic Cube, but Ant-Man appears to stop him. Elsewhere, SHIELD shoots down Iron Man and are about to take out Wasp when Thor and Black Panther arrive. Hill orders SHIELD to attack the Avengers, but Hydra assaults the Helicarrier. In the warehouse, while Giant-Man is occupied with the Dradnought, Captain America bursts in and attacks Strucker. As the old enemies duel, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Hulk show up.

Strucker is defeated, and he and MODOK are arrested. Hill promises Iron Man that she will see the Avengers brought to heel under SHIELD, while elsewhere, Black Widow bids farewell to Hawkeye and heads out to saerch for Nick Fury.

AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES S1x020

"THE CASKET OF ANCIENT WINTERS"
Written by Paul Giacoppo | Directed by Sebastian Montes

The Plot: Somewhere in Norway, Malektih the Dark Elf finds a small Asgardian casket. In New York, Radioactive Man attacks Stark Tower, where Iron Man, Thor, and Black Panther fight back. When Radioactive Man tries to absorb the power from Stark's arc reactor, Iron Man attempts to trigger a meltdown to overload him -- but Thor steps in and defeats the villain instead. Meanwhile, Enchantress and Executioner visit Malekith, who opens the casket, releasing a worlwide winter.

Thor realizes the Casket of Ancient Winters is behind the weather changes and Black Panther pinpoints its location, while elsewhere in Manhattan, Captain America and the rest of the Avengers battle ice monsters. Iron Man, Thor, and Black Panther head out to confront Malekith, while the ice creatures gain the upper hand on the other Avengers in New York. In Norway, Thor and Iron Man team up to supercharge Iron Man's armor with Asgardian magic, and Malekith is defeated.

Thor closes the casket, and the world returns to normal, but Enchantress and Executioner are unfrozen in the process. They subdue the Avengers and teleport away with the Casket, and Thor attempts to follow them to Asgard, but finds himself locked out.

AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES S1x019

"THE KANG DYNASTY"
Written by Brian Reed | Directed by Sebastian Montes

The Plot: The Avengers and their Ultron army depart Earth for Kang's Damocles Base even as it launches a tremendous energy beam at Earth. Thor exits the jet and intercepts the beam, but falls to Earth as the Avengers continue on their mission. The Avengers fight their way through Kang's armada, with Iron Man and Wasp flying out into space to assist the Ultrons. Cap, Ant-Man, Hawkeye, and Hulk infiltrate Damocles with the two remaining Ultrons. The group is confronted by Kang's elite guardians, who take the upper hand with their time controlling technology.

Wasp and Iron Man manage entrance to the ship, and Wasp goes scouting, finding Kang's love, Ravonna, in suspended animation. Meanwhile, Cap's team attempts to destroy the ship's time drive and knock it back to the thirty-first century, but they're interecepted by Kang's robots. Kang himself appears to confront them and prepares to destroy Captain America. Iron Man arrives to help. He destroys the base and has the final Ultron take control of Damocles Base, sending all of Kang's ships and warriors back to the future.

Ultron is about to finish the base as well, but Wasp arrives, explaining Ravonna's condition, and the fact that she will cease to exist if she's returned to the thirty-first century. The Avengers defeat Kang after he refuses to surrender, and he is incarerated in Prison 42.

AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES S1x018

"COME THE CONQUEROR"
Written by Eugene Son | Directed by Vinton Heuck

The Plot: Kang launches an attack on Manhattan, and local law enforcement and SHIELD fight back. The Avengers join the fray and begin taking out Kang's robots -- but the mechanoids soon reveal that they're only playing possum when they begin repairing thesmelves and press the attack. Nick Fury soon reveals to the Avengers that Kang's assault is not centered in New York -- he has launched similar assaults on tactical locations around the globe.

The Avengers regroup at their mansion, where Black Panther departs in a Quinjet to lead the defense of Wakanda. The rest of the team heads back out to battle Kang's robots while Iron Man stays behind to try and pinpoint Kang's location. Despite their best efforts, teh Avengers remain unable to turn the tide. When Captain America observes that the Avengers will need an army to win the war, Wasp suggests using Hank Pym's Ultron robots. Ant-Man and Wasp take Cap to a storehouse filled with Ultrons, where Ant-Man teaches the robtots the concept of violence.

Cap, Ant-Man, and Wasp rejoin Hulk, Thor, and Hawyeke in the field, now accompanied by the Ultron legion. Ant-Man and Wasp infiltrate one of Kang's attack ships, where Wasp blasts the controls, causing the vessel to lose its "anchor" with the twenty-first century and sending it back to the future. Armed with this knowledge, the Avengers and Ultrons begin boarding the ships and banishing them all back to the thirty-first century. The battle is won, but the war continues. Meanwhile, Iron Man finds Kang's command ship, cloaked in orbit over Earth.

AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES S1x017

"THE MAN WHO STOLE TOMORROW"
Written by Andrew Robinson | Directed by Sebastian Montes

The Plot: Kang the Conqueror arrives at Earth in the early 21st century. Meanwhile, Captain America trains Tony Stark in hand-to-hand combat at Avengers Mansion, but the pair is soon attacked by Kang, who announces his plan to eliminate Captain America from the timeline. Hulk, Hawkeye, and Black Panther soon join the battle, with Ant-Man, Wasp, and Thor close behind.

Kang explains that his future was compeltely wiped out by a temporal storm, which he believes to have been caused by the existence of an anomaly -- Captain America -- which should not exist in the 21st century. He then transports the Avengers ten years inot the future, showing them the post-apocalyptic ruins of New York City, caused by a Kree/Skrull war which Captain America helped to incite. Kang then demands that the Avengers turn Captain America over and allow him to conquer the planet in order to prepare it for the coming war.

The Avengers refuse, and while most of the group battles Kang, Iron Man seizes control of his time travel chair and transports everyone back home. Kang then teleports away, and his invasion fleet apperas in space around his flagship.

AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES S1x016

"WIDOW'S STING"
Written by Kevin Burke & Chris Wyatt | Directed by Vinton Heuck

The Plot: A meeting between AIM (led by MODOK) and Hydra (led by the Grim Reaper) is interrupted by Hawkeye, in search of Black Widow. The archer forces both groups into retreat, and then is brought to the SHIELD helicarrier by Clay Quartermain. There, Nick Fury berates Hawkeye for getting in SHIELD's way, while Captain America, Iron Man, and Black Panther watch. Hawkeye leaves in a huff, but is followed by Cap and the Panther, who tell him that they want to help him find Hydra. In the hallway, the group bumps into SHIELD agent Bobbie Morse, codename Mockingbird, and the quartet heads out in search of Hydra, following a tracker Hawkeye planted on the Grim Reaper.

Hawkeye and Mockingbird attack the Reaper and his Hydra team at an abandoned military base, and are captured -- but Cap and Black Panther secretly follow in a Quinjet as the Reaper's team takes them away -- until the Hydra craft cloaks, causing the duo to lose their quarry. The Reaper delivers his prisoners to Baron Strucker at Hydra headquarters, where they are imprisoned. But the pair soon break out of their cell and activate a tracking beacon, which Cap and Black Panther lock in on.

Hawkeye and Mockingbird battle the hordes of Hydra in Strucker's throne room, but are quickly put on the defensive until Captain America and Black Panther burst in. Cap comes face-to-face with Strucker, but Black Widow pulls the villain to safety as he engages his island's self-destruct sequence. In the chaos of battle, Hawkeye finds himself with a choice to finish the traitorous Black Wodow or save Mockingbird from Madame Hydra, and chooses the latter -- but he still manages to confront the Widow as she attempts escape with Strucker. The Widow beats Hawkeye down, and Strucker tries to steal his life force, but the Widow blasts Strucker in the back.

SHIELD arrives just as Hydra's island complex blows up, but the Avengers escape with the Grim Reaper and Madame Hydra in custody. Fury chews out Cap, Hawkeye, and the Black Panther, then dismisses them. Back in New York, Black Widow tells Strucker that it was Black Panther who knocked him out.

AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES S1x015

"459"
Story by Ciro Nieli | Written by Joelle Sellner | Directed by Vinton Heuck

The Plot: Ant-Man and the Wasp arrive at a remote deeo soace observatory manned by Carol Danvers and Doctor Phillip Lawson, who believe they've spotted an extraterrestrial vehicle approaching Earth. The UFO attacks the facility's radar tower and then lands in the forest. Carol leads Wasp ant Ant-Man out to search for it, while Lawson stays behind. Out in the forest, after some brief investigation, the trio is confronted and attacked by a large robot.

Carol returns to the observatory to warn Lawson, but the robot, having deafeated Ant-Man, follows with Wasp in pursuit. As Carol and Wasp battle the robot, a machine explodes, irradiating Carol with energy and revealing that Lawson is no human, but an alien warrior named Mar-Vell. Mar-Vell tries to deactivate the robot with an order, but it ignores him and destroys the facility's power core. Mar-Vell rescues Carol and Wasp, and as Carol recovers at the hospital, Iron Man, Thor, and Hulk arrive. Mar-Vell explains his origin as a member of the alien Kree race, and describs the robot as a Sentry drone.

Having learned from Mar-Vell that the Sentry possesses a last resort, planet-destroying nega-bomb, the Avengers set out to stop it. The group engages the robot and stops it, but the bomb is active. When Mar-Vell's superior, Yon-Rogg, contacts him, the Kree hero tries to convince him to spare Earth, but Yon-Rogg refuses. Mar-Vell tries to fly the bomb into space, but is unable to make it until Thor and Iron Man aid him. The nega-bomb explodes outside Earth's atmosphere and the Avengers regroup at Carol's hospital room, which is now shared with Hank Pym, who was injured in the fight. There, Mar-Vell says goodbye and departs to try and convince his people to spare Earth.

AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES S1x014

"MASTERS OF EVIL"
Written by Christopher Yost | Directed by Sebastian Montes

The Plot: In Manhattan, Whirilwind leads the Wasp on a wild goose chase to a construction site, where he transforms, revealed as the Enchantress in disguise. When she's joined by the remaining Masters of Evil -- Baron Zemo, the Executioner, Crimson Dynamo, Wonder Man, and the Abomination -- Wasp is easily defeated. At the Wakandan embassy, Hawkeye and Black Panther discuss the Avengers. Meanwhile, the Masters of Evil use the Wasp's ID card to enter Avengers Mansion and subdue Tony Stark in the sub-basement. Upstairs, Abomination and Enchantress transports the Hulk to the realm of the frost giants. In the training room, Executioner and Wonder Man take out Captain America.

In Central Park, Thor is on a date with Jane Foster when he receives a priority summons and heads for the mansion. But there, he's confronted by the Masters of Evil. From outside, Hawkeye and Black Panther (both of whose membership on the team is unknown to Zemo at this time) witness Thor's defeat. The duo sneaks into the mansion and, while Zemo and Enchantress speak with their prisoners, begin taking out the Masters. While Black Panther battles Crimson Dynamo and Wonder Man, Hawkeye goes after Zemo, Enchantress, and Abomination in order to free the remaining Avengers. However the heroes are subdued, and Zemo prepares to execute them.

Ant-Man, who was secretly in cahoots with Hawkeye and the Panther, appears with a weapon created in his lab during the chaos. With it, he disperses Wonder Man and then uses his Giant-Man powers to take out the Abomination. This gives Black Panther time to free the Avengers while Thor summons his hammer, which he uses to bring back the Hulk. Wonder Man reconstitutes himself, and a battle royal begins between the assembled Avengers and the Masters of Evil. When the Avengers gain a clear upper hand, Zemo orders a retreat and the Enchantress teleports the Masters away.

In the battle's aftermath, as the Avengers puzzle over what the Masters of Evil were up to, the villains appear in Arnim Zola's lab, where Enchantress reports to a mysterious master.

AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES S1x013

"GAMMA WORLD PART 2"
Story by Christopher Yost & Joshua Fine | Written by Michael Ryan
Directed by Sebastian Montes

The Plot: A satellite beams gamma energy into Las Vegas, mutating the people there. The gamma field speads out past the Cube, mutating the SHIELD agents and Avengers there. Doc Samson is knocked out, and Thor finds himself alone against the gamma monsters. Meanwhile, Hawkeye and Black Widow, who were en route to the Cube, land in the desert. Hawkeye knocks out the Widow as the Leader makes a broadcast to the world, describing his plan to mutate humanity with gamma radiation. Hawkeye sets out to find the Hulk, leaving Black Widow alone as the gamma field expands toward her.

The mutated Avengers bring Doc Samson and Thor to the Leader. Samson is dragged away, while Leader sets the Abomination against Thor. Elswhere, Hulk battles against against the Hulkbusters in Canada. Hawkeye arrives to interrupt the fight and save the Hulk. Hawkeye convinces Hulk to change back into Bruce Banner, and the duo heads to Banner's cabin to make plans. And in the Leader's Vegas lair, Thor gets the villain to begin a monologue, allowing him to regian his strength and summon his hammer. At the cabin, Banner prepares a way to counteract the Leader, then turns back into the Hulk and leaves with Hawkeye.

In Vegas, Mjolnir returns to Thor, but the Leader realizes this was part of his plan. Absorbing Man appears and takes on the hammer's physical properties, then double-teams Thor with the Abomination. Absorbing Man and Thor move outside, but Hawkeye and Hulk arrive a moment later in the Leader's control room. Abomination attacks Hulk while Hawkeye goes after the Leader, but the mutated Avengers come to the Leader's defense. Hawkeye begins hitting the Avengers with special arrows devised by Banner, which changes them back to normal. But the Leader transforms his control dais into a mech with which to fight back.

AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES S1x012

"GAMMA WORLD PART 1"
Story by Joshua Fine & Christopher Yost | Written by Michael Ryan
Directed by Vinton Heuck

The Plot: Iron Man, Black Panther, Captain America, and Wasp chase Hawkeye through Manhattan, but he disappears when SHIELD interrupts. Agent Clay Quartermain tells the group that he needs their help and leads the quarter, plus Thor, to the Cube, which is encased in a green force field. There, they meet Doc Samson. He and Quartermain show the Avengers footage of SHIELD attempting to enter the Cube, but being mutated instead. They explain that the field is expanding, and the Leader is behind it -- with several gamma-powered villains at his command.

The Avengers, Samson, Quartermain, and some SHIELD operatives enter the Cube, and are attacked by the mutated agents. The Avengers take them out, then proceed on their way, but Black Panther splits off from the group. Deeper inside the Cube, they're attacked by the U-Foes, who prove no match for the team. A moment later Zzzax attacks, piercing Wasp's containment suit, which causes her to mutate into an insect monster. As more SHIELD agents mutate, Iron Man, Cap, Thor, and Samson retreat further into the Cube to shut down the gamma generator causing the mutations.

Iron Man and Cap fall, and Samson and Thor continue into the heart of the Cube, where they find the Wrecking Crew guarding the gamma generator. The Crew is supercharged with gamma energy and attacks, putting the heroes on the defensive. But Black Panther arrives unexpectedly and destroys the gamma generator, which changes all the mutated creatures back to their normal selves. The gamma villains are arrested, but the Leader is unaccounted for. Elsewhere, the Leader, Absorbing Man, and Abomination arrive outside Las Vegas to begin the next phase of the Leader's plan.

AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES S1x011

"PANTHER'S QUEST"
Written by Paul Giacoppo | Directed by Sebastian Montes

The Plot: As the Avengers watch footage of Ant-Man saving Captain America's life, they're suddenly interrupted by a perimeter alarm. The Panther himself storms into Avengers' Mansion's courtyard and after testing the group in battle, requests their help in liberating Wakanda from M'Baku the Man-Ape. When the Panther shows the Avengers that M'Baku is in league with Hydra, the team agrees to help him. However, as soon as they enter Wakandan airspace, their Quinjet is shot down. Black Panther abandons the Avengers to hunt down M'Baku, and Iron Man dispatches Cap to follow him.

Iron Man, Ant-Man, and Wasp are attacked by the Wakandan army, while in Wakanda's vibranium mine, Ulysses Klaw and M'Baku demonstrate the power of the metal for Grim Reaper. Soon after, Black Panther appears before M'Baku and challenges him for leadership. In the mine, the Avengers attack Grim Reaper. When Klaw blasts a Hydra agent who accidentally shot the vibranium mound, the Reaper knocks Klaw into the metal. Somehow, Klaw's sonic weapon interacts with the vibranium and turns him into a creature of pure sound. Grim Reaper orders a Hydra retreat, while on the surface, Black Panther battles M'Baku's Dora Milaje bodyguards. When they gain the upper hand, Captain America comes to the Panther's aid. M'Baku attacks the Panther directly, while Cap fights the Dora Milaje.

M'Baku, attacks Black Panther with a sonic weapon, and as he's about to finish the Panther, an explosion bursts out of the mine, distracting him. Black Panther defeats M'Baku and is recognized as the king by his people. Meanwhile, Ant-Man and Iron Man work to stop Klaw while Wasp distracts him. Iron Man flies into Klaw, disabling him with a jury-rigged vibranium device. Later, Black Panther tells his people that Wakanda can no longer hide from the outside world, and announces his intention to join the Avengers.

Meanwhile, Hulkbusters arrive at the Cube, where they're quickly taken out by beings inside as the former prison is covered by a green force field.

AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES S1x010

"EVERYTHING IS WONDERFUL"
Written by Brandon Auman | Directed by Vinton Heuck

The Plot: Simon Williams visits Tony Stark in an attempt to stop Stark's hostile takeover of his company. But when Stark reveals he's now the majority shareholder of Williams Innovations, Williams storms out. Meanwhile Thor and Wasp battle AIM in the skies over Manhattan. At Avengers Mansion, Nick Fury visits Captain America. Elsewhere, Williams asks his brother, the Grim Reaper, for help in dealing with Stark. They go to an AIM facility, where MODOK invites Williams to become a test subject.

Fury takes Cap to SHIELD headquarters, Fury gives Cap his motorcycle from WOrld War II, which was passed down to him by his father, Jack Fury, and then promises Cap that SHIELD will always help him with anything he needs. Elswhere, Thor and Wasp have pursued the AIM agents back to their base. They raid the place, interrupting the Williams experiment. But Williams emerges, now made of ionic energy, and flies out of the base, straight for Stark Tower. Williams attacks Iron Man, but Ant-Man comes to his aid.

At AIM, Thor and Wasp continue their fight against MODOK, who kicks them out and seals the base, revealing it as a flying ship in which he escapes. Meanwhile, Giant-Man battles Williams in the streets of Manhattan, appealing to him as they go at it. Williams finally stops fighting, but when Iron Man shows up to continue the fight, Williams re-engages. Cap shows up, but Williams' body suddenly becomes unstable. Iron Man tries to help him with his arc reactor inside Stark Tower, but Williams fights back and disintegrates before he can be cured.

Later, after the Avengers have departed, the Echantress (accompanied by Baron Zemo and the Executioner) brings Williams back, and tasks him with destroying the Avengers.