Iron Man is as popular as ever and it’s all thanks to the 2008 and 2010 movies that have made big bucks at the box office. But billionaire Tony Stark’s evolution into Iron Man didn’t begin with the movie franchise, as most comic book fans know.
In 1963, Iron Man appeared for the first time in the Marvel Comics anthology Tales of Suspense #39. From there, Tony Stark/Iron Man became a more prevalent and popular superhero, becoming part of The Avengers also in 1963, and gaining his own comic book series in 1968. For 47 years Iron Man has been entertaining audiences.
In 1994, Iron Man: The Animated Series debuted featuring the voice talents of Robert Hays (Airplane!), James Avery (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), Jim Cummings (every Disney movie and every other cartoon you can think of), and Jennifer Hale (who has an extensive voice-acting resume!).
Though it only lasted one season, Iron Man: The Animated Series featured Tony Stark/Iron Man fighting against a band of evil supervillains with the assistance of his own band of superheroes. Each episode finds Stark/Iron Man in the middle of some crisis that the dastardly villains have brought upon the world or the United States. It’s up to Iron Man and his team to take them down before it’s too late.
It’s a lot of fun, and a must-have for Iron Man fans. I was disappointed to find no special features on any of the DVDs. I was hoping for a featurette about the legacy of Iron Man as a tie-in to Iron Man 2 or something in that vein.
Get your daily dose of Iron with Iron Man: The Animated Series on DVD today!!