The Best Superhero Cartoons

OTHERS

While Marvel and DC might dominate the market when it comes to comic books, there are still plenty of companies out there with some incredible superheroes and t didn’t make sense to ignore them just because they might not be at the height of popularity right now. So, here’s to all those great cartoons that aren’t from the big two. To be fair, most of these cartoons are a bit more on the bizarre side, but hey they helped make me into a truly epic geek and if you haven’t had a chance to catch these series, you’re definitely going to want to get your hands on them soon.

Invincible

Amazon exploded into the world of superhero cartoons with its recent adaptation of the Image series Invincible. It’s been an incredibly popular comic since its premiere since it combined the golden age world of heroes with the jarring reality of the inherent consequences of their actions. What does that mean? It means when people get punched by a superhero, there is some serious damage. Invincible takes a classic coming of age tale and drenches it in blood as it follows a high scholar who just so happens to be the son of the world’s mightiest hero and a budding hero himself. Despite the colorful costumes and heroic catchphrases, he discovers saving the world requires getting your hands dirty in ways he could never have imagined.

Todd McFarlane’s Spawn

One of the darkest comic characters of all time is Spawn. I mean, he spends more than a little time in and out of Hell and has fought his fair share of intense villains. The cartoon featuring this superhero was never really meant for kids and was created by HBO and shown late at night when impressionable minds were hopefully fast asleep. It might have only been 18 episodes long, but it managed to make quite an impression on superhero fans. While a follow-up series has “been in production” since 2009, there’s a bit of hope that the new Spawn movie might give it a swift kick in the butt and we’ll get more of this awesome cartoon soon.

The Powerpuff Girls

The Powerpuff Girls aren’t exactly comic book characters, but that’s not the focus of this list. As far as superhero cartoons though, this is one of the great girl power series out there. It managed to gain a lot of popularity early on in the golden age of Cartoon Network originals. It ran for 78 episodes before meeting its demise in 2005. That wasn’t the last we would hear of the girls though and they made a come back in 2016 tackling even more social issues. While they haven’t always gotten it right, it’s hard to stay mad at these girls though and it’s little wonder that they’re so beloved by kids and adults alike.

The Tick

Amazon recently brought back this epic blue superhero in his own live-action series (which is pretty great if you haven’t seen it yet), but in my opinion, the 90’s cartoon was one of the best superhero series of all time. The Tick was far from your average hero and because of that he fought villains the likes of which still blow my mind (my personal favorite is still Eastern Bloc Robot Cowboy). His powers were essentially being super strong and indestructible with an unshakeable sense of justice. I credit this cartoon with making me the weirdo I am today, so if you haven’t had a chance to see it yet, you’re going to want to check it out. The Tick might not be as well known as Batman or Spider-Man, but his cartoon ranks right up there with theirs.

TMNT

When I was a kid my first cartoon obsession was Ninja Turtles. They are very much a staple of my childhood and it’s a superhero series that earned my loyalty from a young age. Fast forward more years than I’d care to admit and it appears that the next generation has gotten themselves a cartoon of their own that they can take pride in. While I haven’t really had a chance to get sucked into the new series yet, it’s perked my curiosity mostly because of how devoted I was to the original cartoon. To this day I can still judge the people I meet based on their favorite ninja turtle and that’s a gift that has served me for years. Who says cartoons don’t teach you useful things?

Those are some of the best superhero cartoons of all time. However, this collection barely scratches the surface of what’s out there and there are dozens and dozens of others. So, if you’re a geek that grew up loving these cartoons then I want to hear what some of your favorites were. If you’re still going strong on animated series, definitely let your fellow nerds know what shows they need to check out as well. The only rule is no flaming others for their choices, even if they say their favorite cartoon character was Herbie from The New Fantastic Four. Until next time, keep the geek side strong.