I AM IRON MAN!
During the early 90's, Marvel had several animated series on TV which featured a vast array of characters from their library. Following the success of X-Men: The Animated Series and Spider-Man: The Animated Series, they decided to bring the adventures of Iron Man and the Fantastic Four to the small screen in a programming block called the "Marvel Action Hour". These two shows would feature not only the title characters, but featured many heroes from Marvel comics in cameo roles. With the release of Iron Man 2 in theaters, Disney has released Iron Man- The Complete 1994 Animated Series Collection on DVD for the first time ever!
This Iron Man series featured many classic Iron Man villains including The Mandarin, MODOK, Blacklash, Dreadnight, Whirlwind, Ultimo, Fin Fang Foom and more. It also featued a great supporting cast of the West Coast Avengers aka Forceworks that included War Machine, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Century and Spider-Woman. The most notable voice-actors on this project were James Avery (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and Tom Kane (Wolverine and the X-Men and Star Wars -The Clone Wars).
Episode Highlights:
"Rejoice! I Am Ultimo, Thy Deliverer" – The Mandarin unleashes the giant alien robot known as Ultimo upon the world! Iron Man and Forceworks must race against the clock to stop the robot from destroying Stark Industries.
"Origin of the Mandarin"- Several episodes into the first season we get a better insight to the origin of Stark's arch-enemy: The Mandarin! How did he acquire his 10 alien rings? And what does Fin Fang Foom have to do with his origin? Crazy alien dragons and mystic rings make this episode a fun ride.
"The Origin of Iron Man, Part 1 and 2"- During a battle with the Mandarin and his forces, Tony Stark becomes trapped in the Arctic and must fight to survive. Using his armor's systems, he recalls how he became Iron Man in the first place. While this interpretation of the origin isn't spot on, it is still a good take on the character and his past. We also get to meet Tony's father, Howard Stark. As a kid this was a great introduction to the Iron Man backstory.
"The Beast Within"- Tony launches a plan to stop the Mandarin which results in faking his own death. After a brief disappearance, Tony re-emerges (in kick-ass new armor) to stop the Mandarin and Fin Fang Foom. During the battle, a massive explosion takes place, which results in the Mandarin's rings being sent all over the globe. Forceworks disagrees with Tony's actions and causes the team to separate, with only Rhodey and Julia remaining behind. This episode sets up the Mandarin's quest for the duration of the season and also sets the stage for a final confrontation.
"The Armor Wars, Part 1 and 2"- A classic Iron Man story makes its way to TV during the second season of the series. Tony realizes that his proprietary armor technology has made it out into the world and is being used by villains. Rhodey, Julia and Nick Fury warn Tony about his actions having consequences, but Tony disregards their input. He embarks on a journey to destroy all of the stolen technology, which means fighting The Controller, Stiltman, Whirlwind, and more! This was probably the most accurate adaptation of any of the Iron Man stories from the comics.
"Hands of the Mandarin, Part 1 and 2"- After a season of searching, the Mandarin has finally been reunited with his rings. Using alien technology, he creates an anti-technology field which renders Iron Man useless to Tony Stark. With help from his old Forceworks friends, Stark is able to launch an attack on his old arch foe. Tony creates a non-technology based armor (yeah…don't ask me to explain this one) and has a final battle with the Mandarin. This was a great conclusion to the season long arc of the Mandarin's quest to regain his rings, and the chance to see Tony reunited with his former friends with Forceworks!
Special Features:
Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
French and Spanish Language Tracks and Subtitles
Notes about the show:
The first season of Iron Man was animated by a company called Rainbow Animation Group. The quality of animation was severely lacking in comparison to Spider-Man and X-Men and there are several low budget choices that were made which are apparent throughout the season. The most noticeable problem with the show was the use of poorly done CGI during Tony's "armor up" sequence. This footage was used almost every time Tony changed to Iron Man, whether he was using the suitcase armor or a set from the armory. It was bad enough that they kept using stock footage instead of showing him climbing into each individual suit of armor, but the locations where he changed all reverted back to that stock footage regardless of the situation. Additionally, there are many moments during the first season where Tony is conversing with Jim Rhodes (aka War Machine) and the voice switches from James Avery to Jim Cummings (MODOK)…which is very frustrating since the two actors sound nothing alike. A lot of these problems are corrected in the second season because the animation was done by Koko Enterprises. This change created a noticeable leap in animation quality and gave Tony the upgrade that he deserved. The second season had a much darker tone and featured stories derived from the rich history of the comic.
Overall:
I have fond memories of waking up as a kid and watching the Marvel Action Hour featuring Iron Man and Fantastic Four (seriously, the Fantastic Four theme occasionally gets stuck in my head). The second season of the show really stands out in my mind as being the better of the two, but it was great to re-watch each episode because they featured good interpretations of Iron Man's history and characters. If you enjoyed any of the 90s' X-Men, Spider-Man or Fantastic Four animated series, you'll definitely enjoy the 90's Animated Iron Man series.
ComicsOnline gives Iron Man- The Complete 1994 Animated Series Collection 4 out of 5 things that remind me of my childhood.
Purchase Iron Man- The Complete 1994 Animated Series Collection here.
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