Superheroes have been a popular archetype to adapt. While everyone now associates them with cinematic universes, and there has been an explosion of live-action superhero series on networks and streamers, the superhero has been the subject of many more types of adaptations for decades. One area the superhero has done well historically has been in animation, becoming a staple for Saturday morning cartoons and blocks of programming after school for years.
Superheroes' roots in comic books make them ideal for animation. It maintains the drawn comic book history while also adding motion to those still comic images. Animation offers a certain freedom that live-action can't always afford, both in terms of budget or even audiences' suspension of disbelief. There have been several superheroes like Batman and Spider-Man who have had so many cartoons that they can have their own lists ranking them. But in the vast world of animated superhero series, the following ten are the best of the best. They offer something unique to the genre, either with a take on a character or even a new hero. They pushed the boundaries of what a superhero series can be, and have left a lasting impact on the genre. These are the best-animated superhero series.
10 Danny Phantom
A Nickelodeon original hero, Danny Phantom is the story of a boy who is given ghost powers after accidentally turning on a failed experiment of his ghost-hunting parents. Danny Phantom is the archetypical superhero series, drawing heavily from the Spider-Man mythos. He has a secret identity he has to keep hidden from his family, fights a colorful cast of new villains every week that will occasionally team up, and has a complicated love life that his superhero alters ego often gets in the way of.
Danny Phantom's great characters, fun humor, and sheer creativity in its lore and various ghost villains make it not only a great superhero series but one of Nickelodeon's best. With how popular superhero movies are, one wonders why Nickelodeon and parent company Paramount have not tried to do a big-budget live-action adaptation of the series. Its stand-alone episodic nature makes it a more ideal fit for a film adaptation than squeezing 22 episodes of a long story arc, as was the case with The Last Airbender.
9 Static Shock
When Static Shock premiered on the Kids WB in 2000, audiences were likely not too familiar with the Milestone superhero. Yet by the time this animated series ended, Static Shock had gained a larger fanbase than ever before, and he was as beloved a member of the DC Universe to fans as The Flash or Green Lantern.
Static's creator, the late Dwayne McDuffie, was heavily involved in the series and reworked his original comic to make it more kid-friendly. Despite that, the series was not afraid to tackle serious issues like homelessness, drugs, racism, gun violence, bullying, and many more topics but blended them in with an exciting superhero story and an engaging coming-of-age story of a boy into a superhero. For a while, Static Shock was the most mainstream black superhero and was a role model for many kids, and the series' legacy is still being felt to this day as fans eagerly anticipate a live-action Static Shock movie.
8 Wolverine and the X-Men
While the 1990s X-Men is often regarded as the best series based on the mutant heroes, the true best version might be Wolverine and the X-Men. Released in 2009, Wolverine and the X-Men was a blend of classic Chris Claremont X-Men stories, the recent Grant Morrison New X-Men and Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men, and the popular X-Men film series to make an X-Men for a modern audience.
Season one managed to tackle the Sentinel threat, Days of Future Past, and the Dark Phoenix storyline in one cohesive story that was less a straight adaptation and more a unique reimagining. Wolverine and the X-Men was canceled after only one season due to Disney acquiring Marvel, and while fans wonder what might have been the first season of Wolverine and the X-Men is some of the best X-Men stories ever told.
7 Harley Quinn
The adult animated Harley Quinn series puts a raunchy R-rated spin on the DC Universe to great comedic effect. The series features incredibly layered jokes both mocking but also lovingly embracing the absurd nature of the DC Universe and these various characters. Bane, King Shark, and Clayface are just a few small examples of classic villains that are given such clever new dimensions in the series it almost becomes tempting to wish this was the de facto depiction of them.
Yet even with all the jokes, Harley Quinn also features an incredibly inspiring story about a woman moving on from a toxic relationship, finding herself, and finding new love. The romance between Harley and Poison Ivy has been a delight and a great depiction of a complicated but loving adult relationship. Harley Quinn is a perfect counterpoint to the Batman cartoons, and will generate laughs from both newcomers and hardcore DC fans.
6 Gargoyles
In the 1990s, Disney television animation was known for colorful animal cartoons like Duck Tales, Goof Troop, and Tale Spin. Yet with Gargoyles, they redefined themselves with their dark, gothic take on the action series format popularized by Batman: The Animated Series. Gargoyles became known for its mix of fantasy and science fiction, and its winged heroes acted as the protectors of New York City.
Yes, Gargoyles was a superhero series, but unlike any other on television. It mixed the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles format of creatures living in the concert jungle of New York City while featuring a mythology deeply rooted in European folklore and Shakespearian characters. The series has been off the air for over 30 years but has a strong passionate fanbase who fondly remember the series as being an alternative to both Disney television but also all other superhero series.
5 Batman: The Animated Series
When it comes to animated superhero series, Batman: The Animated Series cast a large shadow. It is hard to understate how influential it was and reinvented the modern superhero series. It drew from every era of Batman comics and live-action adaptations to make something that was ironically Batman but also a unique interpretation. Mark Hamill's Joker might be the most iconic voice of the character.
Kevin Conroy's Batman voice is to many the definitive version of the character, and his recent passing and the outpour of love and admiration showed how important he was to multiple generations. Batman: The Animated Series was a series that could be enjoyed by both kids and their parents, and even got better as one was older.
4 Justice League Unlimited
Batman: The Animated Series kicked off a whole interconnected universe of series, which culminated in Justice League and finally Justice League Unlimited. Justice League Unlimited built on the foundation of the original series with a larger roster and showcased how vast the DC Universe could be. Each episode put the spotlight on a variety of new heroes and was the first exposure many viewers had to characters like Stargirl, Captain Atom, and Booster Gold just to name a few.
Justice League Unlimited also had incredibly layered season-long plots that would build to satisfying conclusions. They featured double crosses, uneasy alliances, and showcased how vast the DC Universe could be. The final shot of the series brings the franchise full circle as Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman are the last characters on screen with the Bat logo taking over the entire screen, an acknowledgment this all began with Batman: The Animated Series and bringing the franchise to a close.
3 Young Justice
Young Justice in many ways feels like the definitive DC superhero show. It features a fully fleshed-out universe with a sense of history that is populated with various concepts from across the company's rich history. Yet instead of putting the focus on the classic Justice League, it spotlights the sidekicks that modern superhero stories often seem to cast aside.
Young Justice fleshes out its heroes and takes them on long-form arcs and the audiences get to watch these young heroes grow up into becoming legends in their own right. Young Justice has breathed new life into classic DC heroes and helped introduce a whole host of heroes and villains to a wider audience.
2 Invincible
One of the newest series on the list, within its first few episodes Invincible won audiences over and is a crowning achievement in superhero animation. Based on the Rob Kirman Image comic, Invincible fully embraces its status as an animated series to showcase scenes that could never be depicted in live-action both in terms of scope but also violent brutality. The violence is even highlighted by the contrast with the animation style which brings to mind other classic superheroes' Saturday morning series.
While Invincible is an adult-oriented superhero series, it is not the cynical takedown of the genre that Amazon's other superhero series The Boys is. Invincible embraces the violence of superheroes, but deep down maintains an optimism that has defined the genre since its creation. It is the story of a young boy who wants to do good in the world, and against all odds will do what he can. Fans are eagerly anticipating season 2 which will delve more into this colorful and brutal superhero world.
1 The Spectacular Spider-Man
There have been so many animated adaptations of Spider-Man, one would imagine it would be impossible to pick just one, yet The Spectacular Spider-Man is without a doubt the best cartoon based on the webhead and also the best superhero series. From Greg Weisman, who worked on Gargoyles and would later go on to develop Young Justice, The Spectacular Spider-Man feels like the definitive take on the character. It draws heavily from the classic Silver Age Stan Lee/Steve Ditko comics while also mixing in a fair share of the updated Ultimate Comics and the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films. The creators embrace Spider-Man's status as a teenage superhero and expand his supporting roster of classmates to give them depth outside of their relationship with Peter Parker, and the teenage melodrama enhances the high-stakes action of Spider-Man fighting off many of his classic foes.
Similar to Wolverine and the X-Men, The Spectacular Spider-Man was a series that ended far too soon because Disney acquired Marvel. Yet in two seasons across 26 episodes, The Spectacular Spider-Man captured the essence of Spider-Man in a way no other adaptation has, and like Batman: The Animated Series could be the definitive take on the hero. The Spectacular Spider-Man remains the best-animated superhero show.