Did you make it through our weekly picks already? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Comic book movies are a great introduction to characters that you might not have met or heard of before. I mean, Guardians of the Galaxy, right? Someone says ‘We are Groot’ to you before you see the movie and your reaction might be ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa… we just met, buddy.”
If you want bite-size action and adventure stories replete with your favorite characters, try some of these animated superhero series on Netflix or Amazon Instant.
What you’ll need:
-Access to Netflix or Amazon Instant Video
-Time
The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes:
That’s right, in case you wanted to learn more about your favorite Avenger from the movies, Netflix and Amazon Instant have 2 seasons of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes for you to digest. These are family friendly, but still exciting entries that not only introduce each of the Avengers (from the movie team, there are other Avengers teams, but don’t worry about that now). At 30 minutes an episode, you can knock out the series bit-by-bit without having to commit 2+ hours to a live-action epic. And if you’re totally down committing 2+ hours, you can take out half a season faster than you can say ‘Hulk Smash!’
Synopsis via IMDB:
‘After 74 villains break out of prison, Marvel’s most powerful superheroes team up to capture all of them, and also to defend the Earth from widespread threats.’
IMDB user, jruby25342, says:
‘I believe this new animated series will delight long time fans, while bringing a new younger audience to these characters. It seems that the creative team behind this series is taking great care to stay true to the original material, while doing a great job of merging it with a modern spin. They’ve even taken elements from newer story lines, and worked them in very effectively.’
Young Justice follows the teenage superheroes of the DC Universe as they attempt to prove themselves to the adult Justice League. They organize a special assault squad and take on various baddies with the approval of the Justice League. While there is a fair amount of ‘teenage angst’ and problems worked into the script, the stories are great and you get a nice introduction to characters that will be growing up in DC comics for years to come… assuming they let them age.
Synopsis via Wikipedia:
‘Young Justice focuses on the lives of a group of teenaged protégés attempting to establish themselves as proven superheroes as they deal with normal adolescent issues in their personal lives.’
IMDB user, Tolly Maggs, says:
‘Young Justice made sure that the team stays small, like the early days of the Justice League, so that it could make these characters actually important to the plot lines. Secondly, it made each episode a one-off adventure that tied to a single string plot that brought each episode together… Young Justice has a clear sense of what’s happening in the plot, and what the characters are going through. THIS is why I love Young Justice: it knows what it is trying to do, and it makes you constantly want more.’
Our movie-team X-Men have gone their separate ways until they are forced to come back after an attack on the Xavier Institute (the school from the movies, if you aren’t familiar). Prof. X asks them to reunite to face familiar and new challenges. This one season affair provides a good look at the team dynamics and doesn’t command a ton of your time. The show is well written, the plot stays true to X-Men lore, and Netflix users are clamoring for the streaming media company to pick it up as an Original series. Maybe a down-side is that there are a dazzling number of character cameos in the one season that might be a little overwhelming, but as long as you focus on the main team, you’re fine.
Synopsis via IMDB:
After an explosion at the school, the x-men went their seperate ways. But, they must unite once again under the leadership of wolverine to prevent an inevitable war while also dealing with present problem.
An anon Netflix user says
‘For new viewers interested in animated series, Wolverine and the X-Men is a must see. The creators have stayed true to old Fox Marvel X-Men series of the 1990s, but have developed a futuristic storyline where Wolverine is forced to re-assemble and command the X-Men.’
In case committing to a series is too much for you, but you’ve seen all of the live-action superhero movies. There are a few animated movies that are worth your time. Check out the entire comics genre on Netflix right here. Happy watching, gang.
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