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Iron Man (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Iron Man, also known as Iron Man: The Animated Series, is an American
animated television series based on Marvel Comics
' superhero
Iron Man
. The series aired from 1994
to 1996
in syndication
as part of The Marvel Action Hour
, which packaged Iron Man with another animated series based on Marvel properties, the Fantastic Four
, with one half-hour episode from each series airing back-to-back. The show was backed by a toy line that featured many armor variants.
This series of Iron Man was among the few television series to be re-recorded in THX
. This may have been usual at the time for a motion picture, but it is rare for a television series. Off the heels of the release of the live-action Iron Man
film in 2008
, reruns began airing on the Jetix
block on Toon Disney
. It can now be seen on re-runs in the United States
, on Disney XD
.
The first season of Iron Man featured little more than a Masters of the Universe
-style battle of "good against evil", as billionaire industrialist Tony Stark battled the evil forces of the world-conquering Mandarin
as the armored superhero, Iron Man. In his evil endeavors to steal Stark's technology and Iron Man's armor, the Mandarin led a group of villains consisting of Dreadknight
, Blizzard
, Blacklash
, Grey Gargoyle
(when it comes to fighting Iron Man and his team, he has a tendency to accidentally turn his fellow villains to stone), Hypnotia
(Dreadknight and Blacklash were rivals for the affections of Hypnotia), Whirlwind
, Living Laser
, MODOK
, Fin Fang Foom
and Justin Hammer
. To combat these villains, Iron Man had the help of his own team (based on Force Works
, a then-current comic book team which has since faded into obscurity), including Century
, War Machine
, Scarlet Witch
, Hawkeye
(replacing U.S. Agent
from the comics) and Spider Woman.
The season consisted mostly of single-episode open-and-shut-case adventures, with two two-part stories late towards the end. Unlike many other Marvel animated series, despite featuring over-the-top titles that paid homage to the early Stan Lee
written Marvel comics of the 1960s (for example, "The Grim Reaper Wears a Teflon Coat", and "Rejoice, I am Ultimo, Thy Deliverer"), almost none of the episodes were adaptations of comic book stories, consisting instead of original stories penned by Ron Friedman
, occasionally collaborated on by Stan Lee himself. The closest the season came to adapting a comic book tale was in the two-part "The Origin of Iron Man", which recounted a (modified and modernized) version of the character's comic book origin (see below) just before the season concluded.
This late-run recounting of the title character's origin is symptomatic of what is generally thought of as the season's greatest weakness - despite (or perhaps because of) having such a large cast of characters, very few of the show's heroes and villains were actually developed in any way, leaving viewers unaware of their personal stories and powers. The show is generally held to have been at its best when filling in these origin blanks (MODOK in "Enemy Without, Enemy Within," Iron Man and the Mandarin in their self-titled "The Origin of..." episodes), but these were rare occasions, with virtually every other plot simply consisting of the Mandarin attempting to steal Stark's newest invention and being bested, often through very strange and illogical means (with the nadir perhaps being Iron Man somehow using the energy of a small tape-player to restore his armor to full power in "Silence My Companion, Death My Destination". A small sub-plot in the first season revolves around Mandarin secretly spying on Force Works. It culminates in "The Wedding of Iron Man" when Stark realizes they have been spied on by reviewing events from previous episodes (and explaining how Mandarin's forces always knew where they would be). The entire episode's plot is dedicated to resolving the problem, culminating in Iron Man and his team setting up an elaborate deception where Mandarin sees Iron Man and Tony Stark in the same place with the intention being to convince him that the two men are not the same person (The 'Tony' in the situation was an android).
Animation for the first season was produced by the Rainbow Animation Group, but compared poorly to other Marvel shows such as Spider-Man
and X-Men
, coming off as outdated and very '80s
-esque, featuring many visible errors at a time when such things were on a decrease in cartoons. One of the most distinctive pieces of animation in the season was an armor-donning stock footage
sequence for Stark, which saw the hero transform his briefcase into his armor and suit up for action. The sequence was not without its own limitations - it depicted Stark standing in his lab, wearing a white jacket, but would be used regardless of where Stark was or what he was wearing in the episodes themselves, creating massive visual disconnects. Additionally, in all but one instance (in "The Origin of Iron Man"), the sequence featured some brief moments of primitive CGI, in which Stark levitated his helmet from the ground and donned it. The "dead air" the sequence created would often be somewhat forcibly filled by lines of dialog from off-screen characters, which were inserted later in production - actor Jim Cummings
(MODOK) would frequently have to provide the voice of the off-screen War Machine during the sequences (whose regular actor James Avery was evidently not available for the pick-ups), but sounded nothing like the character.
In 1995, Marvel switched The Marvel Action Hour to a new animation studio (as previously mentioned, the animation in Season 1 was provided by the Rainbow Animation Group, while the animation in Season 2 was provided by Koko Enterprises
), and with it came new writers (Ron Friedman was replaced by Tom Tataranowicz
for Season 2) and new music for each sequence, coupled with a new direction for the series. The first season's subtle keyboard theme music
for Iron Man (composed by progressive rock
artist Keith Emerson
) was replaced by an intense electric guitar
theme featuring the repeated refrain of "I am Iron Man!", while showing Tony Stark beating red-hot iron plates into shape with a blacksmith's hammer (possibly to mimic the Black Sabbath
song "Iron Man
"). Tony Stark's longer hair style in the second season was based upon the artist Mark Bright
's depiction of Stark from the late 1980s, which is where most of the episodes from Season 2 were based upon.
The new story lines spanned multiple episodes and were no longer "open and shut" cases. They formed a linking narrative, featuring themes of duplicity, consequence, and phobias. Also, the stories were no longer centered on the Mandarin, whose rings had been scattered and whose power had been depleted. While the Mandarin did appear in these episodes, his appearances were reduced to cameos in the cliffhangers at the end of the story, as he tried to retrieve each ring.
Another change was that Force Works was mostly written out of the series, parting ways with Stark after he deceives them in order to work in secret with the Mandarin when Fin Fang Foom and his fellow dragons were plotting to eliminate Earth. When Stark's counter plan against Justin Hammer, which includes faking his death without the knowledge of his teammates, leads to a disbanding of Force Works, Julia Carpenter and James Rhodes are the only ones who continue to work with Stark. This split would be revisited with Stark's ensuing conflicts with Hawkeye
over the course of several episodes.
Also, War Machine
develops a phobia of being trapped inside his armor (also based on a then-current comic storyline), but this is resolved before the final episode. While Rhodes was active as War Machine in Season 1, he remained out of armor for the majority of Season 2 due to reliving a tragic drowning experience while being trapped underwater in the War Machine armor in the Season 2 episode "Fire And Rain". Rhodes eventually overcomes his fear and dons the War Machine armor once again in the episode "Distant Boundaries".
Prior to finding his last two rings, the Mandarin claims his eighth ring from MODOK in the episode "Empowered". "Empowered" was the clip show
of the season, the purpose being that the Mandarin wanted to learn of Iron Man's recent activities. In the finale, the Mandarin, having regained all of his rings, unleashes a mist using the heart of darkness to render everything technological useless. Iron Man reunites with Force Works in order to stop him. The Mandarin unmasks Iron Man before their final showdown ends in his death. More specifically, Iron Man manages to reflect the power of Mandarin's rings, destroying them, and ultimately leaving the Mandarin with amnesia and helpless before a band of desert bandits who likely killed him, or at least cut off his hand/fingers for the rings. After Mandarin was killed, MODOK and the rest of Mandarin's henchmen were sent to jail.
After disappointing ratings
, the series was canceled.
(who also orchestrated the death of Tony's father
, which was later revealed to be a cover-up by S.H.I.E.L.D.
in "Not Far From the Tree") and the Mandarin
. Wounded not by a chunk of shrapnel near his heart, but by slivers near his spine, Stark and Ho Yinsen
(whose first name is changed to Wellington) were held captive by the Mandarin, rather than Wong-Chu
. Yinsen works with Arnold Brock before Arnold becomes the Mandarin
. The Mandarin later captures Wellington Yinsen to use him to help Tony Stark build an invincible armor for his minions. When Tony Stark becomes Iron Man for the first time, he manages to escape, but Yinsen is killed by the Mandarin.
The Mandarin himself was subject to heavy modification, altered by his rings to a much greater extent than in the comics. He gained green skin (a fate which befell other Asian villains in animation around the time, such as Doctor No in James Bond Junior and Ming the Merciless
in Defenders of the Earth
) and an enhanced musculature, but the show did retain the connection between his origin and Fin Fang Foom
. As previously mentioned, The Mandarin once was known as Arnold Brock, an archaeologist who falls into an ancient catacomb containing an alien starship (which as previously alluded to, belongs to this series' incarnation of Fin Fang Foom, whom Mandarin forged an uneasy alliance with) while fleeing from deserts bandits. In this catacomb, he finds a large gem that is the ship's power source with ten gems beneath it. Unfortunately, the bandits slay everyone else, including his fiancée Ilona. All the raiders leave behind are his fiancée's rings with the jewels plucked from them. The Mandarin uses these as the settings for the ten gems which he made into his rings. The Mandarin of this continuity was altered by the power of the ship's power source when he touched it; he developed pointy ears, claw-like fingernails, and enhanced musculature. His skin turned emerald-green, and he became very smart. The cartoon's versions of the rings were much more ambiguous, with no particular power associated with any ring - most frequently, they were used to project force blasts, alter reality, and transmute objects. The eleventh episode of Season 2, "Hulkbuster" would reveal the specific abilities of two of the rings:
They were both used by The Leader
in an attempt to travel back to the time that the Gamma Bomb that transformed Bruce Banner into the Hulk detonated.
As previously mentioned, Fin Fang Foom is shown as an ally of the Mandarin, but in the opening of the second season, it was revealed that this was a ploy to gain Mandarin's trust, then betray him when his people took over the world. He is supposedly killed in the explosion that scatters Mandarin's rings across the world. Aside from these origin stories, the only episode to draw on a comic book in any way was "Rejoice! I Am Ultimo, Thy Deliverer," which featured the Mandarin's robotic servant Ultimo from the 1960s, but featured his appearance and alien-born origin from the 1990s.
The Mandarin's minions (with the exception of the original character, Hypnotia
) were all solo operators in the comics, most significantly arms-dealing business man Justin Hammer, who was a criminal mastermind in his own right, rather than a villain who would serve another. A much smaller MODOK appears as a scientist who sought to cure the criminal mind. His boss the Red Ghost
increased his mind by 100 times. He soon fell in love and got married to famous ballet dancer Alana Ulanova (voiced by Sarah Douglas
), who later became a swimsuit model. The Red Ghost was envious of his relationship with his new wife and turned him into MODOK. He served as Mandarin's 2nd in command so that he could turn him back into human. However, in the second season MODOK's character became little more than comic relief
, with his original back-story forgotten (When asked why he served the Mandarin after all the abuse he took from him, MODOK gushingly replied "He makes me laugh", which may be a reference to Jessica Rabbit
). After Mandarin was defeated in the season finale, MODOK (alongside Mandarin's henchmen) was sent to jail.
Force Works
, on the other hand, were lifted straight from the comics, but their actual civilian roles (a scene in the episode "Data In – Chaos Out" however, gives Century a civilian identity as a man named Woody, sporting shades and a broad-brimmed hat) were never defined in the cartoon, save for Spider-Woman, who was recast as the vice president of research and development for Stark Enterprises
. Notably, the cartoon's Scarlet Witch
owes next to nothing to the comic book character: here, she is a mystical, tarot-reading spiritualist identified in the closing credits as "Wanda Frank" (an alias by her in the comics, in which her real name is "Wanda Maximoff"), who speaks with a thick Eastern-European (or according to the closed captioning
, German) accent and refers to other characters as "pumpkin" and "cupcake". Her power is identified as a "hex sense," but what that means is never explained, and seems to allow her to do anything, from shape-changing to matter manipulation.
In a sub-plot crafted solely for the cartoon, Spider-Woman and the Scarlet Witch vie for the affections of Iron Man. In the first season, Stark does not appear to reciprocate the feelings of either woman, but in the second season it becomes apparent that he harbors some feelings for Julia, only to have his "lone wolf" attitude complicate their chances of a relationship. Also, Julia Carpenter eventually married Tony Stark. However, this turns out to simply be a ploy by Tony to draw out the Mandarin and convince him he is not Iron Man. While Tony was at the wedding, someone else took up the iron suit and attacked Mandarin. This convinced Mandarin that Tony Stark was not Iron Man.
Meanwhile, Rachel Carpenter (Spider-Woman's daughter) also appears in the series, though she is older than her comic book incarnation and with a more "rebellious" attitude. In "Silence My Companion, Death My Destination", she is shown as a lover of dance music - and arcades - disdaining classical composers (specifically Van Cliburn
) but after a piece of Rachmaninov played by Cliburn on a cassette given to Rachel manages to recharge Iron Man's armor (as previously mentioned), she changes her mood and begins to appreciate the classical music.
" and "The Hands of the Mandarin" and introducing more characters derived from the comic books, including HOMER, Firebrand
(the Gary Gilbert version), Sunturion
and more. Sunturion's appearance in human form was based on another character named Abner Doolittle, who is a scientist working for the Roxxon Brand Corporation. Arthyr Dearborn's origin is altered having suffering from a deadly disease that he wiped out with a unique form of microwave energy. The treatment's side effects included the ability to transform into Sunturion, and an uncontrollable emitting of radiation, deadly to all others around him. The Star Well station was created to be his sanctuary. Ultimately, Dearborn/Sunturion sacrifices himself stopping the Star Well station from crashing into New York city.
This version of Firebrand is the son of the late ex-Stark Industries
employee Simon Gilbert. Firebrand was attacking power sources and demanding a ransom of a million dollars. After a series of arson upon power generators, Iron Man confronted Firebrand and had to use his Inferno Armor to confront him. With the lack of solar energy, Iron Man had a hard time stopping a dam that Firebrand detonated. A fragment of the dam hits Firebrand's jet pack causing him to fall into the flood. With Iron Man low on power, War Machine
had to face his fear of water to rescue Iron Man and Firebrand. After diverting the flood, Iron Man and War Machine handed Firebrand over to the police.
In "The Armor Wars" two-parter, Justin Hammer had Ghost
steal the Stark Armor designs and sold them to each of the armored criminals. For instance, The Beetle
made a brief appearance in during the "Armor Wars
" two-parter, in which he was attacked by Iron Man and had his armor - based on stolen Stark designs - deactivated. He is voiced by John Reilly
with a Liverpudlian
accent that evokes the similarly named band. Stilt-Man
's armor was also based on Tony Stark's Iron Man technology when he is seen when he was trying to rob a building from the outside. Iron Man used his drill armor to take out one of the legs and then attached a Negator Pack on him. In "The Armor Wars (Part 1)", Tony Stark's discovery about Crimson Dynamo
(who first appeared in "Not Far From the Tree", where he worked with an A.I.M.
-made clone of Howard Stark
) using Stark technology as part of his armor ignites the animated version of the Armor Wars. He wore the Crimson Dynamo armor associated with Valentin Shatalov; however, Stark referred him as "Yuri" in the episode. The Controller
also appeared as a guest villain in "Armor Wars (Part 1)". His slave discs were based on the Iron Man technology which allowed him to mentally control his armor which he used on executives who visited the Center for Achievement and Bliss Spa
. Iron Man defeated him and placed a Negator Pack on his armor.
The Mandroid
s appear in "Armor Wars (Part 2)". When Iron Man invaded the Vault
(meanwhile, Blizzard
, Grey Gargoyle
, and Whirlwind
were shown as inmates at the Vault) to disable the Guardsman armors, he ended up in a fight with them and Hawkeye. Iron Man used the Negator Packs on them. He later attacked the super hero Stringray, only to discover that Stingray's armor didn't use his designs. When War Machine tried to talk him down, Iron Man negated his armor as well and almost killed his fellow hero.
Justin Hammer also created the Firepower
robot to eliminate his competition. Because it was Hammer Industry Property, Iron Man's Negator Pack doesn't work on it. Iron Man faked his death, but returned in a new armor when it started to attack properties of Stark Industry. After preventing it's missile from going off, Iron Man used his suit to hack into the remains of Firepower to learn that Justin Hammer was behind the armored villains using his Stark Armor designs. After Firepower was defeated, Iron Man appeared in Justin Hammer's office to confront him. Iron Man then placed a virus-containing disc in Justin's computer that completely wiped out any records of his designs and uploaded it to the internet and Hammer’s computers. The same virus completely deleted all of Hammer’s files, and presumably left his company bankrupt. It is also implied that he is not aware that Stark and Iron Man are one and the same. He was one of the few first season villains who appeared in Season 2 episodes besides the season premiere
and the season finale
.
Madame Masque
appeared in the second season episode "Beauty Knows No Pain". Like the comics, Whitney Frost was a former love of Tony’s but now obsessed with her own beauty. She became bitter when she lost her beloved looks and Tony. She then became involved with the Maggia and took on the identity of Madame Masque. Upon her discovery of the Golden Sepulcher of Isis which could return her beauty to her, she and her Maggia henchmen kidnapped many workers and Julia Carpenter. Tony Stark arrived at the scene and fought some of the Maggia henchmen until they overwhelmed him upon Madame Masque's arrival. Madame Masque then threatened to kill Julia unless Iron Man retrieved the gem for her. After surviving the deadliest of traps, Iron Man gave Madame Masque the Golden Sepulcher of Isis, and restored her beauty. After becoming Isis due to the artifact's effects, she learned that all she really wanted was Tony. After Madame Masque/Isis' fight with Iron Man, War Machine
, and Spider-Woman, the Golden Sepulcher of Isis is destroyed by Iron Man, regressing Isis back to a disfigured Madame Masque. Iron Man then told her the love he once felt for her was inside, and it died years ago.
Stark's armor on the show was the Mark XI "Modular Armor", which was the suit he was wearing in the comics at the time. The first season modified his helmet design to add a traditional mouth slit, but the second season restored the "mouthless" comic book design. It should be noted that the Season 1 armor appears in flashback in the episode featuring Firebrand.
The trademark of a changing armor remained a constant in the animated series, with the first season featuring the hydro-armor and deep space armor, straight from the comics. The second season, however, was when the variant armors became a focal point of the series; the new modifications Stark made to his suit allowed it to shape-shift into different forms with specialized capabilities that could be called upon for the assorted situations he found himself in. The hydro-armor and space armors were incorporated into this mechanism, and more armors from the comics such as the stealth armor and Hulkbuster armor were introduced. The series also introduced an array of original situational armor designs, including:
The toyline also featured two armors which did not appear in the series; an entirely silver Arctic armor (used very briefly in the comics) and the Silver Centurion suit, dubbed hologram armor.
for airing in 2006 alongside a new Fantastic Four series, in effect reviving The Marvel Action Hour, though it remains to be seen if they will be aired together or not. In September 2006, the Fantastic Four series aired on Toonami
at 8:00 p.m. every Saturday; the Iron Man series did not.
, which opened in theaters a few days later, on May 7.
theme song called "Eien ga Ai ni Kawaru Toki (永遠が愛に変わるとき lit. When Eternity Becomes Love)" by the J-Pop group Pretty Cast, and splicing in scenes from various episodes alongside the original opening animation, a similar change was made to the ending credits sequence.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
animated television series based on Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
' superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
. The series aired from 1994
1994 in television
The year 1994 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1994.For the American TV schedule, see: 1994-95 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-Miniseries:...
to 1996
1996 in television
The year 1996 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1996.For the American TV schedule, see: 1996-97 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
in syndication
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
as part of The Marvel Action Hour
The Marvel Action Hour
The Marvel Action Hour was a syndicated television block from Marvel Productions Ltd The Marvel Action Hour was a syndicated television block from Marvel Productions Ltd The Marvel Action Hour was a syndicated television block from Marvel Productions Ltd (as "Marvel Films" (A Division of New World...
, which packaged Iron Man with another animated series based on Marvel properties, the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four (1994 TV series)
Fantastic Four is the third animated television series based on Marvel's comic book series of the same name. Airing began on September 24, 1994, until ending on February 24, 1996...
, with one half-hour episode from each series airing back-to-back. The show was backed by a toy line that featured many armor variants.
This series of Iron Man was among the few television series to be re-recorded in THX
THX
THX is a trade name of a high-fidelity audio/visual reproduction standard for movie theaters, screening rooms, home theaters, computer speakers, gaming consoles, and car audio systems. The current THX was created in 2001 when it spun off from Lucasfilm Ltd...
. This may have been usual at the time for a motion picture, but it is rare for a television series. Off the heels of the release of the live-action Iron Man
Iron Man (film)
Iron Man is a 2008 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Directed by Jon Favreau, the film stars Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark, an industrialist and master engineer who builds a powered exoskeleton and becomes the technologically advanced superhero, Iron...
film in 2008
2008 in film
This is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...
, reruns began airing on the Jetix
Jetix (US)
Jetix USA was a television programming brand running on Toon Disney, owned by The Walt Disney Company. It first officially began programming as a children's programming block on ABC Family in September 2002 as the ABC Family Action Block...
block on Toon Disney
Toon Disney
Toon Disney was an American cable television channel owned by The Walt Disney Company. A spinoff of Disney Channel, it mostly aired children's animated series and some live action programming. Its format had similarities to those of Cartoon Network and Nicktoons...
. It can now be seen on re-runs in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, on Disney XD
Disney XD
Disney XD is a brand of children's TV channels worldwide targeting young males, owned by The Walt Disney Company. The channel was formerly known as Toon Disney and/or Jetix in most areas. According to Gary Marsh, President of Entertainment for Disney Channel Worldwide, "XD" does not "stand for...
.
Series overview
Although only lasting two seasons, Iron Man was the subject of a major overhaul between seasons when its production studio was changed. The result was a massively changed premise, tone, and general approach, which left the disparate seasons scarcely recognizable as being two halves of the same series.First season
Masters of the Universe
Masters of the Universe is a media franchise created by Mattel....
-style battle of "good against evil", as billionaire industrialist Tony Stark battled the evil forces of the world-conquering Mandarin
Mandarin (comics)
The Mandarin is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain and the archenemy of Iron Man.In 2009, Mandarin was ranked as IGN's 81st Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.-Publication history:...
as the armored superhero, Iron Man. In his evil endeavors to steal Stark's technology and Iron Man's armor, the Mandarin led a group of villains consisting of Dreadknight
Dreadknight
Dreadknight is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Iron Man #102 Dreadknight is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Iron Man #102 Dreadknight is a...
, Blizzard
Blizzard (comics)
The Blizzard is the name of three fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.The original version first appears in Tales of Suspense #45 as a supervillain and is currently deceased. The second version first appears in Iron Man #223 The Blizzard is the name of three...
, Blacklash
Blacklash
Blacklash is the name of 2 characters from Marvel Comics.The best known Blacklash is Mark Scarlotti is an enemy of Iron Man.-Publication history:...
, Grey Gargoyle
Grey Gargoyle
The Grey Gargoyle is a fictional comic book supervillain that appears in books published by Marvel Comics, often as an enemy of Thor, Iron Man, She-Hulk or the Fantastic Four. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #107 The Grey Gargoyle (Paul Pierre Duval) is a fictional comic...
(when it comes to fighting Iron Man and his team, he has a tendency to accidentally turn his fellow villains to stone), Hypnotia
Hypnotia
Hypnotia is a fictional character, a supervillain created for the Iron Man animated TV series. Hypnotia is voiced by Linda Holdahl in the first season and Jennifer Darling in the second season.-History:...
(Dreadknight and Blacklash were rivals for the affections of Hypnotia), Whirlwind
Whirlwind (comics)
Whirlwind is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales To Astonish #50 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
, Living Laser
Living Laser
The Living Laser is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Avengers #34 and was created by Stan Lee, Artie Simek and Don Heck.-Publication history:...
, MODOK
MODOK
MODOK is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #93 MODOK (acronym for Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing) is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character...
, Fin Fang Foom
Fin Fang Foom
Fin Fang Foom is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #89 Fin Fang Foom is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #89 Fin Fang...
and Justin Hammer
Justin Hammer
Justin Hammer is a fictional character that has appeared in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics. As a frequent adversary of the superhero Iron Man, Justin Hammer exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe...
. To combat these villains, Iron Man had the help of his own team (based on Force Works
Force Works
Force Works was a Marvel Comics superhero team. It first appeared in the comic book series Force Works #1 . The title was written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning and initially drawn by Tom Tenney....
, a then-current comic book team which has since faded into obscurity), including Century
Century (comics)
Century is a fictional comic book superhero, a member of Force Works in the comic series of the same name from 1994–1996. Created by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, and Tom Tenney, the character first appeared in issue #1 of Force Works in July 1994....
, War Machine
War Machine
War Machine is a fictional character, a comic book superhero appearing in comic books set in the Marvel Comics universe. The character of James Rhodes first appeared in Iron Man #118 by David Michelinie, John Byrne and Bob Layton...
, Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch is a fictional comic book character that appears in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
, Hawkeye
Hawkeye (comics)
Hawkeye , also known as Goliath and Ronin, is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #57 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck. Hawkeye joined the Avengers in Avengers Vol. 1 #16 Hawkeye...
(replacing U.S. Agent
U.S. Agent
U.S. Agent is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually those starring Captain America and the Avengers. He was created by Mark Gruenwald and Paul Neary in Captain America vol...
from the comics) and Spider Woman.
The season consisted mostly of single-episode open-and-shut-case adventures, with two two-part stories late towards the end. Unlike many other Marvel animated series, despite featuring over-the-top titles that paid homage to the early Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
written Marvel comics of the 1960s (for example, "The Grim Reaper Wears a Teflon Coat", and "Rejoice, I am Ultimo, Thy Deliverer"), almost none of the episodes were adaptations of comic book stories, consisting instead of original stories penned by Ron Friedman
Ron Friedman
Ron Friedman is a productive screenwriter most famous for his work on such successful television shows as G.I. Joe, Gilligan's Island, The Transformers and the Marvel Action Hour shows Iron Man and Fantastic Four....
, occasionally collaborated on by Stan Lee himself. The closest the season came to adapting a comic book tale was in the two-part "The Origin of Iron Man", which recounted a (modified and modernized) version of the character's comic book origin (see below) just before the season concluded.
This late-run recounting of the title character's origin is symptomatic of what is generally thought of as the season's greatest weakness - despite (or perhaps because of) having such a large cast of characters, very few of the show's heroes and villains were actually developed in any way, leaving viewers unaware of their personal stories and powers. The show is generally held to have been at its best when filling in these origin blanks (MODOK in "Enemy Without, Enemy Within," Iron Man and the Mandarin in their self-titled "The Origin of..." episodes), but these were rare occasions, with virtually every other plot simply consisting of the Mandarin attempting to steal Stark's newest invention and being bested, often through very strange and illogical means (with the nadir perhaps being Iron Man somehow using the energy of a small tape-player to restore his armor to full power in "Silence My Companion, Death My Destination". A small sub-plot in the first season revolves around Mandarin secretly spying on Force Works. It culminates in "The Wedding of Iron Man" when Stark realizes they have been spied on by reviewing events from previous episodes (and explaining how Mandarin's forces always knew where they would be). The entire episode's plot is dedicated to resolving the problem, culminating in Iron Man and his team setting up an elaborate deception where Mandarin sees Iron Man and Tony Stark in the same place with the intention being to convince him that the two men are not the same person (The 'Tony' in the situation was an android).
Animation for the first season was produced by the Rainbow Animation Group, but compared poorly to other Marvel shows such as Spider-Man
Spider-Man (1994 TV series)
Spider-Man, also known as Spider-Man: The Animated Series, is an American animated series starring the Marvel Comics superhero, Spider-Man. The show ran on Fox Kids from November 19, 1994, to January 31, 1998. The producer/story editor was John Semper, Jr. and production company was Marvel Films...
and X-Men
X-Men (TV series)
X-Men, also known as X-Men: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series which debuted on October 31, 1992, in the United States on the Fox Network as part of its Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup...
, coming off as outdated and very '80s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
-esque, featuring many visible errors at a time when such things were on a decrease in cartoons. One of the most distinctive pieces of animation in the season was an armor-donning stock footage
Stock footage
Stock footage, and similarly, archive footage, library pictures and file footage are film or video footage that may or may not be custom shot for use in a specific film or television program. Stock footage is of beneficial use to filmmakers as it is sometimes less expensive than shooting new...
sequence for Stark, which saw the hero transform his briefcase into his armor and suit up for action. The sequence was not without its own limitations - it depicted Stark standing in his lab, wearing a white jacket, but would be used regardless of where Stark was or what he was wearing in the episodes themselves, creating massive visual disconnects. Additionally, in all but one instance (in "The Origin of Iron Man"), the sequence featured some brief moments of primitive CGI, in which Stark levitated his helmet from the ground and donned it. The "dead air" the sequence created would often be somewhat forcibly filled by lines of dialog from off-screen characters, which were inserted later in production - actor Jim Cummings
Jim Cummings
James Jonah "Jim" Cummings is an American voice actor who has appeared in almost 100 roles. He has appeared in classic animated movies such as Aladdin and The Lion King, as well as taking on roles in more current films, such as Bee Movie, Princess and the Frog, and Winnie the Pooh.-Personal...
(MODOK) would frequently have to provide the voice of the off-screen War Machine during the sequences (whose regular actor James Avery was evidently not available for the pick-ups), but sounded nothing like the character.
Second season
Koko Enterprises
Koko Enterprises is an animation studio located in South Korea. It was founded by Myong Ok Jeon. The owners are Tokyo Movie Shinsha and Sega. Koko has animated and provided ink and paint for the following series and movies:*Tweety's High-Flying Adventure...
), and with it came new writers (Ron Friedman was replaced by Tom Tataranowicz
Tom Tataranowicz
Tom Tataranowicz is a cartoon animator and director. His first credit was He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. He is president of Gang of 7 Animation.-External links:...
for Season 2) and new music for each sequence, coupled with a new direction for the series. The first season's subtle keyboard theme music
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
for Iron Man (composed by progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
artist Keith Emerson
Keith Emerson
Keith Noel Emerson is an English keyboard player and composer. Formerly a member of the Keith Emerson Trio, John Brown's Bodies, The T-Bones, V.I.P.s, P.P. Arnold's backing band, and The Nice , he was a founder of Emerson, Lake & Palmer , one of the early supergroups, in 1970...
) was replaced by an intense electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
theme featuring the repeated refrain of "I am Iron Man!", while showing Tony Stark beating red-hot iron plates into shape with a blacksmith's hammer (possibly to mimic the Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
song "Iron Man
Iron Man (song)
"Iron Man" is a song by British heavy metal band Black Sabbath from their second studio album Paranoid released in 1970. It was later included on their initial greatest hits compilation We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll , as well as all subsequent greatest hits compilations.-Writing and...
"). Tony Stark's longer hair style in the second season was based upon the artist Mark Bright
M. D. Bright
Mark D. Bright is an American comic book and storyboard artist. Often credited as M.D. Bright, he is best known for pencilling the Marvel Comics Iron Man story "Armor Wars," the two Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn miniseries for DC Comics, for painting the iconic cover to Marvel Comics' Transformers...
's depiction of Stark from the late 1980s, which is where most of the episodes from Season 2 were based upon.
The new story lines spanned multiple episodes and were no longer "open and shut" cases. They formed a linking narrative, featuring themes of duplicity, consequence, and phobias. Also, the stories were no longer centered on the Mandarin, whose rings had been scattered and whose power had been depleted. While the Mandarin did appear in these episodes, his appearances were reduced to cameos in the cliffhangers at the end of the story, as he tried to retrieve each ring.
Hawkeye (comics)
Hawkeye , also known as Goliath and Ronin, is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #57 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck. Hawkeye joined the Avengers in Avengers Vol. 1 #16 Hawkeye...
over the course of several episodes.
Also, War Machine
War Machine
War Machine is a fictional character, a comic book superhero appearing in comic books set in the Marvel Comics universe. The character of James Rhodes first appeared in Iron Man #118 by David Michelinie, John Byrne and Bob Layton...
develops a phobia of being trapped inside his armor (also based on a then-current comic storyline), but this is resolved before the final episode. While Rhodes was active as War Machine in Season 1, he remained out of armor for the majority of Season 2 due to reliving a tragic drowning experience while being trapped underwater in the War Machine armor in the Season 2 episode "Fire And Rain". Rhodes eventually overcomes his fear and dons the War Machine armor once again in the episode "Distant Boundaries".
Prior to finding his last two rings, the Mandarin claims his eighth ring from MODOK in the episode "Empowered". "Empowered" was the clip show
Clip show
A clip show is an episode of a television series that consists primarily of excerpts from previous episodes. Most clip shows feature the format of a frame story in which cast members recall past events from past installments of the show, depicted with a clip of the event presented as a flashback. ...
of the season, the purpose being that the Mandarin wanted to learn of Iron Man's recent activities. In the finale, the Mandarin, having regained all of his rings, unleashes a mist using the heart of darkness to render everything technological useless. Iron Man reunites with Force Works in order to stop him. The Mandarin unmasks Iron Man before their final showdown ends in his death. More specifically, Iron Man manages to reflect the power of Mandarin's rings, destroying them, and ultimately leaving the Mandarin with amnesia and helpless before a band of desert bandits who likely killed him, or at least cut off his hand/fingers for the rings. After Mandarin was killed, MODOK and the rest of Mandarin's henchmen were sent to jail.
After disappointing ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, the series was canceled.
Season 1
As described above, the first season of the series bases very few of its stories on the comic books, aside from its retelling of Iron Man's origin. In modernizing the character's origin story, Tony Stark is not injured in a Vietnamese war zone, but in an act of industrial sabotage plotted by Justin HammerJustin Hammer
Justin Hammer is a fictional character that has appeared in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics. As a frequent adversary of the superhero Iron Man, Justin Hammer exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe...
(who also orchestrated the death of Tony's father
Howard Stark
Howard Stark is a fictional person in the . He is the father of Tony Stark and the founder of Stark Industries. His name came from Howard Hughes, whom he was named after. -Biography:...
, which was later revealed to be a cover-up by S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....
in "Not Far From the Tree") and the Mandarin
Mandarin (comics)
The Mandarin is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain and the archenemy of Iron Man.In 2009, Mandarin was ranked as IGN's 81st Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.-Publication history:...
. Wounded not by a chunk of shrapnel near his heart, but by slivers near his spine, Stark and Ho Yinsen
Ho Yinsen
Ho Yinsen is a fictional supporting character of the Marvel Comics superhero Iron Man , who is key to Iron Man's origin story and was a mentor to him.Actor Shaun Toub portrayed Yinsen's character in the 2008 superhero film, Iron Man....
(whose first name is changed to Wellington) were held captive by the Mandarin, rather than Wong-Chu
Wong-Chu
Wong-Chu is a Marvel Comics supervillain. He was the first villain that Iron Man faced.-Fictional character biography:Wong-Chu once served as a commander for the Vietnamese congress during the Vietnam War...
. Yinsen works with Arnold Brock before Arnold becomes the Mandarin
Mandarin (comics)
The Mandarin is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain and the archenemy of Iron Man.In 2009, Mandarin was ranked as IGN's 81st Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.-Publication history:...
. The Mandarin later captures Wellington Yinsen to use him to help Tony Stark build an invincible armor for his minions. When Tony Stark becomes Iron Man for the first time, he manages to escape, but Yinsen is killed by the Mandarin.
The Mandarin himself was subject to heavy modification, altered by his rings to a much greater extent than in the comics. He gained green skin (a fate which befell other Asian villains in animation around the time, such as Doctor No in James Bond Junior and Ming the Merciless
Ming the Merciless
Ming the Merciless is a fictional character who first appeared in the Flash Gordon comic strip in 1934. He has since been the main villain of the strip and its related movie serials, TV shows and film adaptation.- First appearance :...
in Defenders of the Earth
Defenders of the Earth
Defenders of the Earth is an animated television series produced in 1986, narrated by Corey Burton and featuring characters from three comic strips distributed by King Features Syndicate—Flash Gordon, the Phantom, and Mandrake the Magician—battling the Flash Gordon villain Ming the Merciless in the...
) and an enhanced musculature, but the show did retain the connection between his origin and Fin Fang Foom
Fin Fang Foom
Fin Fang Foom is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #89 Fin Fang Foom is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #89 Fin Fang...
. As previously mentioned, The Mandarin once was known as Arnold Brock, an archaeologist who falls into an ancient catacomb containing an alien starship (which as previously alluded to, belongs to this series' incarnation of Fin Fang Foom, whom Mandarin forged an uneasy alliance with) while fleeing from deserts bandits. In this catacomb, he finds a large gem that is the ship's power source with ten gems beneath it. Unfortunately, the bandits slay everyone else, including his fiancée Ilona. All the raiders leave behind are his fiancée's rings with the jewels plucked from them. The Mandarin uses these as the settings for the ten gems which he made into his rings. The Mandarin of this continuity was altered by the power of the ship's power source when he touched it; he developed pointy ears, claw-like fingernails, and enhanced musculature. His skin turned emerald-green, and he became very smart. The cartoon's versions of the rings were much more ambiguous, with no particular power associated with any ring - most frequently, they were used to project force blasts, alter reality, and transmute objects. The eleventh episode of Season 2, "Hulkbuster" would reveal the specific abilities of two of the rings:
- One allows for creating windows through time and space.
- The other allows for traveling through the windows.
They were both used by The Leader
Leader (comics)
The Leader is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #62, and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. In 2009, The Leader was ranked as IGN's 63rd Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.Actor Tim Blake...
in an attempt to travel back to the time that the Gamma Bomb that transformed Bruce Banner into the Hulk detonated.
As previously mentioned, Fin Fang Foom is shown as an ally of the Mandarin, but in the opening of the second season, it was revealed that this was a ploy to gain Mandarin's trust, then betray him when his people took over the world. He is supposedly killed in the explosion that scatters Mandarin's rings across the world. Aside from these origin stories, the only episode to draw on a comic book in any way was "Rejoice! I Am Ultimo, Thy Deliverer," which featured the Mandarin's robotic servant Ultimo from the 1960s, but featured his appearance and alien-born origin from the 1990s.
The Mandarin's minions (with the exception of the original character, Hypnotia
Hypnotia
Hypnotia is a fictional character, a supervillain created for the Iron Man animated TV series. Hypnotia is voiced by Linda Holdahl in the first season and Jennifer Darling in the second season.-History:...
) were all solo operators in the comics, most significantly arms-dealing business man Justin Hammer, who was a criminal mastermind in his own right, rather than a villain who would serve another. A much smaller MODOK appears as a scientist who sought to cure the criminal mind. His boss the Red Ghost
Red Ghost
The Red Ghost and his Super-Apes are a group of Marvel Comics supervillains, who started their career fighting the Fantastic Four, before confronting other Marvel heroes like Iron Man and Spider-Man...
increased his mind by 100 times. He soon fell in love and got married to famous ballet dancer Alana Ulanova (voiced by Sarah Douglas
Sarah Douglas
Sarah Douglas is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for playing the Kryptonian supervillain Ursa in the first two Superman movies , and for her role as Pamela Lynch in the 1980s primetime drama series Falcon Crest .-Early life:Douglas was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire, the...
), who later became a swimsuit model. The Red Ghost was envious of his relationship with his new wife and turned him into MODOK. He served as Mandarin's 2nd in command so that he could turn him back into human. However, in the second season MODOK's character became little more than comic relief
Comic relief
Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension.-Definition:...
, with his original back-story forgotten (When asked why he served the Mandarin after all the abuse he took from him, MODOK gushingly replied "He makes me laugh", which may be a reference to Jessica Rabbit
Jessica Rabbit
Jessica Rabbit is a fictional character from the Roger Rabbit film-and-novel franchise.Jessica Rabbit may also refer to:* Jessica Rabbit vibrator, a sex toy* Melyssa Ford , Canadian model-See also:...
). After Mandarin was defeated in the season finale, MODOK (alongside Mandarin's henchmen) was sent to jail.
Force Works
Force Works
Force Works was a Marvel Comics superhero team. It first appeared in the comic book series Force Works #1 . The title was written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning and initially drawn by Tom Tenney....
, on the other hand, were lifted straight from the comics, but their actual civilian roles (a scene in the episode "Data In – Chaos Out" however, gives Century a civilian identity as a man named Woody, sporting shades and a broad-brimmed hat) were never defined in the cartoon, save for Spider-Woman, who was recast as the vice president of research and development for Stark Enterprises
Stark Industries
In the fictional world of Iron Man, Stark Industries, later also known as Stark International, Stark Innovations, Stark/Fujikawa, Stark Enterprises and currently Stark Resilient, is a fictional multi-billion dollar corporation owned and run by businessman Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark, also known as...
. Notably, the cartoon's Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch is a fictional comic book character that appears in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
owes next to nothing to the comic book character: here, she is a mystical, tarot-reading spiritualist identified in the closing credits as "Wanda Frank" (an alias by her in the comics, in which her real name is "Wanda Maximoff"), who speaks with a thick Eastern-European (or according to the closed captioning
Closed captioning
Closed captioning is the process of displaying text on a television, video screen or other visual display to provide additional or interpretive information to individuals who wish to access it...
, German) accent and refers to other characters as "pumpkin" and "cupcake". Her power is identified as a "hex sense," but what that means is never explained, and seems to allow her to do anything, from shape-changing to matter manipulation.
In a sub-plot crafted solely for the cartoon, Spider-Woman and the Scarlet Witch vie for the affections of Iron Man. In the first season, Stark does not appear to reciprocate the feelings of either woman, but in the second season it becomes apparent that he harbors some feelings for Julia, only to have his "lone wolf" attitude complicate their chances of a relationship. Also, Julia Carpenter eventually married Tony Stark. However, this turns out to simply be a ploy by Tony to draw out the Mandarin and convince him he is not Iron Man. While Tony was at the wedding, someone else took up the iron suit and attacked Mandarin. This convinced Mandarin that Tony Stark was not Iron Man.
Meanwhile, Rachel Carpenter (Spider-Woman's daughter) also appears in the series, though she is older than her comic book incarnation and with a more "rebellious" attitude. In "Silence My Companion, Death My Destination", she is shown as a lover of dance music - and arcades - disdaining classical composers (specifically Van Cliburn
Van Cliburn
Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn Jr. is an American pianist who achieved worldwide recognition in 1958 at age 23, when he won the first quadrennial International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow, at the height of the Cold War....
) but after a piece of Rachmaninov played by Cliburn on a cassette given to Rachel manages to recharge Iron Man's armor (as previously mentioned), she changes her mood and begins to appreciate the classical music.
Season 2
The second season performed a complete turnaround, and began regularly adapting major Iron Man comic book stories including "Dragon Seed" (as "The Beast Within"), "Armor WarsArmor Wars
"Armor Wars" is a seven-issue Iron Man story arc written by David Michelinie and Bob Layton with art by Mark D. Bright and Barry Windsor-Smith and published by Marvel Comics...
" and "The Hands of the Mandarin" and introducing more characters derived from the comic books, including HOMER, Firebrand
Firebrand (Marvel Comics)
Firebrand is the codename of three fictional supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe. All three were normal humans inside powered armor and relied on fire-based weapons...
(the Gary Gilbert version), Sunturion
Sunturion
Sunturion is the name of two fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.The first character, also called Arthur Dearborn debuted in Iron Man #143 and was created by writer David Michelinie and penciller Bob Layton. The second character, Mike Stone, first appeared in...
and more. Sunturion's appearance in human form was based on another character named Abner Doolittle, who is a scientist working for the Roxxon Brand Corporation. Arthyr Dearborn's origin is altered having suffering from a deadly disease that he wiped out with a unique form of microwave energy. The treatment's side effects included the ability to transform into Sunturion, and an uncontrollable emitting of radiation, deadly to all others around him. The Star Well station was created to be his sanctuary. Ultimately, Dearborn/Sunturion sacrifices himself stopping the Star Well station from crashing into New York city.
This version of Firebrand is the son of the late ex-Stark Industries
Stark Industries
In the fictional world of Iron Man, Stark Industries, later also known as Stark International, Stark Innovations, Stark/Fujikawa, Stark Enterprises and currently Stark Resilient, is a fictional multi-billion dollar corporation owned and run by businessman Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark, also known as...
employee Simon Gilbert. Firebrand was attacking power sources and demanding a ransom of a million dollars. After a series of arson upon power generators, Iron Man confronted Firebrand and had to use his Inferno Armor to confront him. With the lack of solar energy, Iron Man had a hard time stopping a dam that Firebrand detonated. A fragment of the dam hits Firebrand's jet pack causing him to fall into the flood. With Iron Man low on power, War Machine
War Machine
War Machine is a fictional character, a comic book superhero appearing in comic books set in the Marvel Comics universe. The character of James Rhodes first appeared in Iron Man #118 by David Michelinie, John Byrne and Bob Layton...
had to face his fear of water to rescue Iron Man and Firebrand. After diverting the flood, Iron Man and War Machine handed Firebrand over to the police.
In "The Armor Wars" two-parter, Justin Hammer had Ghost
Ghost (Marvel Comics)
Ghost is a fictional character appearing in comics books set in the . He first appears in Iron Man #219 and was created by David Michelinie and Bob Layton. Originally portrayed as a supervillain, the character is later portrayed as more of an anti-hero or mercenary.-Fictional character...
steal the Stark Armor designs and sold them to each of the armored criminals. For instance, The Beetle
Beetle (comics)
Abner Ronald Jenkins is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:...
made a brief appearance in during the "Armor Wars
Armor Wars
"Armor Wars" is a seven-issue Iron Man story arc written by David Michelinie and Bob Layton with art by Mark D. Bright and Barry Windsor-Smith and published by Marvel Comics...
" two-parter, in which he was attacked by Iron Man and had his armor - based on stolen Stark designs - deactivated. He is voiced by John Reilly
John Reilly (soap opera actor)
For the notable actor of the same name, see John C. ReillyJohn Reilly is an American television and film actor. Reilly has appeared on several soap operas including General Hospital, Sunset Beach, and Passions....
with a Liverpudlian
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
accent that evokes the similarly named band. Stilt-Man
Stilt-Man
Stilt-Man is the name of two supervillains in Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Stilt-Man first appeared in Daredevil vol. 1 #8 and was one of his earliest enemies. He is a criminal wearing a suit of armor with powerful telescopic legs .The character did not age well, as his powers were more a...
's armor was also based on Tony Stark's Iron Man technology when he is seen when he was trying to rob a building from the outside. Iron Man used his drill armor to take out one of the legs and then attached a Negator Pack on him. In "The Armor Wars (Part 1)", Tony Stark's discovery about Crimson Dynamo
Crimson Dynamo
The Crimson Dynamo is the name of several fictional characters in the Marvel Comics Universe, most of whom have been supervillains. The various Crimson Dynamos have been powered armor-wearing Russian or Soviet agents who have clashed with the superhero Iron Man over the course of his heroic career...
(who first appeared in "Not Far From the Tree", where he worked with an A.I.M.
Advanced Idea Mechanics
A.I.M. is a fictional terrorist organization in the . The organization first appeared in Strange Tales #146 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Publication history:...
-made clone of Howard Stark
Howard Stark
Howard Stark is a fictional person in the . He is the father of Tony Stark and the founder of Stark Industries. His name came from Howard Hughes, whom he was named after. -Biography:...
) using Stark technology as part of his armor ignites the animated version of the Armor Wars. He wore the Crimson Dynamo armor associated with Valentin Shatalov; however, Stark referred him as "Yuri" in the episode. The Controller
Controller (Marvel Comics)
The Controller, real name Basil Sandhurst, is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in the Marvel Universe. He specializes in mind control, and is a frequent foe of Iron Man. Marvel Comics writer Archie Goodwin created the character, and Marvel artist George Tuska designed him.-Fictional...
also appeared as a guest villain in "Armor Wars (Part 1)". His slave discs were based on the Iron Man technology which allowed him to mentally control his armor which he used on executives who visited the Center for Achievement and Bliss Spa
Bliss (Spa)
Bliss is a multi-channel spa and retail product company founded in 1996 and headquartered in Downtown New York. The company retails its own line of bath, body and skincare products through its Bliss catalog, website, Bliss spa stores and at international luxury retailers including Bloomingdale's,...
. Iron Man defeated him and placed a Negator Pack on his armor.
The Mandroid
Mandroid
A Mandroid is a fictional suit of power armor which appears in the Marvel Comics universe. It first appeared in Avengers #94 , created by Roy Thomas and Neal Adams.-Fictional history:...
s appear in "Armor Wars (Part 2)". When Iron Man invaded the Vault
Vault (comics)
The Vault is the widely used nickname of a fictional defunct prison facility for technological-based superhuman criminals in Marvel Comics' Marvel Universe. The prison's full official name is the United States Maximum Security Installation for the Incarceration of Superhuman Criminals.It first...
(meanwhile, Blizzard
Blizzard (comics)
The Blizzard is the name of three fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.The original version first appears in Tales of Suspense #45 as a supervillain and is currently deceased. The second version first appears in Iron Man #223 The Blizzard is the name of three...
, Grey Gargoyle
Grey Gargoyle
The Grey Gargoyle is a fictional comic book supervillain that appears in books published by Marvel Comics, often as an enemy of Thor, Iron Man, She-Hulk or the Fantastic Four. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #107 The Grey Gargoyle (Paul Pierre Duval) is a fictional comic...
, and Whirlwind
Whirlwind (comics)
Whirlwind is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales To Astonish #50 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
were shown as inmates at the Vault) to disable the Guardsman armors, he ended up in a fight with them and Hawkeye. Iron Man used the Negator Packs on them. He later attacked the super hero Stringray, only to discover that Stingray's armor didn't use his designs. When War Machine tried to talk him down, Iron Man negated his armor as well and almost killed his fellow hero.
Justin Hammer also created the Firepower
Firepower (comics)
Firepower is the name of two Marvel Comics supervillains.-Firepower I:Jack Taggert worked on an experimental pilotable suit for Project: Firepower for Edwin Cord . The project was ostensibly designated by the U.S. Armed Forces, in conjunction with Senator Boynton, to serve as an ultimate deterrent...
robot to eliminate his competition. Because it was Hammer Industry Property, Iron Man's Negator Pack doesn't work on it. Iron Man faked his death, but returned in a new armor when it started to attack properties of Stark Industry. After preventing it's missile from going off, Iron Man used his suit to hack into the remains of Firepower to learn that Justin Hammer was behind the armored villains using his Stark Armor designs. After Firepower was defeated, Iron Man appeared in Justin Hammer's office to confront him. Iron Man then placed a virus-containing disc in Justin's computer that completely wiped out any records of his designs and uploaded it to the internet and Hammer’s computers. The same virus completely deleted all of Hammer’s files, and presumably left his company bankrupt. It is also implied that he is not aware that Stark and Iron Man are one and the same. He was one of the few first season villains who appeared in Season 2 episodes besides the season premiere
Season premiere
In North America, a season premiere is the first episode of a new season of a given television show. It often airs in September or October, after several months of reruns.-Evaluating the changes:...
and the season finale
Season finale
A season finale is the final episode of a season of a television program...
.
Madame Masque
Madame Masque
Madame Masque is a fictional character that has appeared in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics. She is an occasional love interest, and sometimes enemy of Iron Man within the Marvel Universe...
appeared in the second season episode "Beauty Knows No Pain". Like the comics, Whitney Frost was a former love of Tony’s but now obsessed with her own beauty. She became bitter when she lost her beloved looks and Tony. She then became involved with the Maggia and took on the identity of Madame Masque. Upon her discovery of the Golden Sepulcher of Isis which could return her beauty to her, she and her Maggia henchmen kidnapped many workers and Julia Carpenter. Tony Stark arrived at the scene and fought some of the Maggia henchmen until they overwhelmed him upon Madame Masque's arrival. Madame Masque then threatened to kill Julia unless Iron Man retrieved the gem for her. After surviving the deadliest of traps, Iron Man gave Madame Masque the Golden Sepulcher of Isis, and restored her beauty. After becoming Isis due to the artifact's effects, she learned that all she really wanted was Tony. After Madame Masque/Isis' fight with Iron Man, War Machine
War Machine
War Machine is a fictional character, a comic book superhero appearing in comic books set in the Marvel Comics universe. The character of James Rhodes first appeared in Iron Man #118 by David Michelinie, John Byrne and Bob Layton...
, and Spider-Woman, the Golden Sepulcher of Isis is destroyed by Iron Man, regressing Isis back to a disfigured Madame Masque. Iron Man then told her the love he once felt for her was inside, and it died years ago.
Stark's armor on the show was the Mark XI "Modular Armor", which was the suit he was wearing in the comics at the time. The first season modified his helmet design to add a traditional mouth slit, but the second season restored the "mouthless" comic book design. It should be noted that the Season 1 armor appears in flashback in the episode featuring Firebrand.
Iron Man's armor
As noted above, Iron Man's modular armor was his standard suit for his appearance in the animated series, but with a slightly modified face plate to give it the traditional mouth-slit. The suit was redesigned in the second season of the show, most significantly by restoring the "mouthless" appearance of the armor. The Season 1 armor appeared in flashback early on.The trademark of a changing armor remained a constant in the animated series, with the first season featuring the hydro-armor and deep space armor, straight from the comics. The second season, however, was when the variant armors became a focal point of the series; the new modifications Stark made to his suit allowed it to shape-shift into different forms with specialized capabilities that could be called upon for the assorted situations he found himself in. The hydro-armor and space armors were incorporated into this mechanism, and more armors from the comics such as the stealth armor and Hulkbuster armor were introduced. The series also introduced an array of original situational armor designs, including:
- Subterranean drill armor - Brown and gold, with an arm-mounted pneumatic drill for underground burrowing.
- Inferno armor - Red and gold with pink highlights, this armor was resistant to extreme temperatures and outfitting with fire-extinguishing foam, which proved helpful in combat with FirebrandFirebrand (Marvel Comics)Firebrand is the codename of three fictional supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe. All three were normal humans inside powered armor and relied on fire-based weapons...
. - Samurai armor - Never actually used in combat, this highly stylized armor was blue and grey.
- Radiation armor - Blue and silver armor to shield against radioactive danger, capable of firing x-ray blasts.
- Lava armor - Red and silver armor that can resist submergence in magma, which proved helpful when Iron Man had to recover one of the Mandarin'sMandarin (comics)The Mandarin is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain and the archenemy of Iron Man.In 2009, Mandarin was ranked as IGN's 81st Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.-Publication history:...
rings from within a volcano. - Magnetic armor - Purple and silver, with the ability to generate electromagnetic pulses, once used by a microscopically reduced Iron Man to fibrilate Hawkeye's heart.
- Bio-energy armor - DNADNADeoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
-powered red and gold armor, used against the Mandarin's anti-technology field in the two-part series finale "Hands of the Mandarin". - Hydro armor - Yellow with a glass-domed helmet, is used for underwater situations.
- Space armor - Used to break through the Earth's atmosphere, the only thing that appears to be different is that it has a jet pack.
- Stealth armor - Dark gray, is used to stay silent and is unable to be traced by radar.
The toyline also featured two armors which did not appear in the series; an entirely silver Arctic armor (used very briefly in the comics) and the Silver Centurion suit, dubbed hologram armor.
Future
A new Iron Man series was in production in FranceHistory of French animation
The first pictured movie was from Frenchman Émile Reynaud, who created praxynoscope, animation system of 12 pictures, and films of about 500~600 pictures, projected on its own théatre optique, system near from modern film projector, at Musée Grévin in Paris, France, the October 28, 1892.Émile Cohl ...
for airing in 2006 alongside a new Fantastic Four series, in effect reviving The Marvel Action Hour, though it remains to be seen if they will be aired together or not. In September 2006, the Fantastic Four series aired on Toonami
Toonami
Toonami was a registered trademark of Cartoon Network, used initially for action-oriented programming blocks on Cartoon Network television channels worldwide, mostly showing American cartoons and Japanese anime, originating in the United States on March 17, 1997 and ended on September 20, 2008.The...
at 8:00 p.m. every Saturday; the Iron Man series did not.
Cast
- Robert HaysRobert HaysRobert Hays is an American actor and is arguably most well known for his role in the movie Airplane!-Life and career:...
- Iron Man/Tony StarkIron ManIron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
, Living LaserLiving LaserThe Living Laser is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Avengers #34 and was created by Stan Lee, Artie Simek and Don Heck.-Publication history:... - James Avery - War Machine/James RhodesWar MachineWar Machine is a fictional character, a comic book superhero appearing in comic books set in the Marvel Comics universe. The character of James Rhodes first appeared in Iron Man #118 by David Michelinie, John Byrne and Bob Layton...
(Season 1, episodes 1-10), WhirlwindWhirlwind (comics)Whirlwind is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales To Astonish #50 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
(Season 1, episodes 1-10), BlacklashBlacklashBlacklash is the name of 2 characters from Marvel Comics.The best known Blacklash is Mark Scarlotti is an enemy of Iron Man.-Publication history:...
(1994–1995) - Ed Gilbert - The MandarinMandarin (comics)The Mandarin is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain and the archenemy of Iron Man.In 2009, Mandarin was ranked as IGN's 81st Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.-Publication history:...
(Season 1), Grey GargoyleGrey GargoyleThe Grey Gargoyle is a fictional comic book supervillain that appears in books published by Marvel Comics, often as an enemy of Thor, Iron Man, She-Hulk or the Fantastic Four. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #107 The Grey Gargoyle (Paul Pierre Duval) is a fictional comic...
, Ultimo - Robert ItoRobert ItoRobert Ito is a Canadian voice, television, and movie actor of Japanese decent.A Canadian actor of Japanese descent, Ito was, for many years, a dancer with the National Ballet of Canada before turning to acting in the mid-1960s...
- The Mandarin (Season 2) - Jim CummingsJim CummingsJames Jonah "Jim" Cummings is an American voice actor who has appeared in almost 100 roles. He has appeared in classic animated movies such as Aladdin and The Lion King, as well as taking on roles in more current films, such as Bee Movie, Princess and the Frog, and Winnie the Pooh.-Personal...
- MODOKMODOKMODOK is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #93 MODOK (acronym for Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing) is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character...
, CenturyCentury (comics)Century is a fictional comic book superhero, a member of Force Works in the comic series of the same name from 1994–1996. Created by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, and Tom Tenney, the character first appeared in issue #1 of Force Works in July 1994....
("The Beast Within" only), many additional supporting characters (including Bill ClintonBill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
) and stand-in vocals for War Machine, Whirlwind, Grey Gargoyle & Justin Hammer - Dorian HarewoodDorian HarewoodW. Dorian Harewood is an American actor. He first garnered attention for his portrayal of Simon Haley in the ABC miniseries Roots: The Next Generations.-Career:...
- War Machine/James Rhodes (Season 1, episode 6 onwards), Whirlwind (Season 1, episode 11 onwards), BlacklashBlacklashBlacklash is the name of 2 characters from Marvel Comics.The best known Blacklash is Mark Scarlotti is an enemy of Iron Man.-Publication history:...
(1995–1996), Stilt-ManStilt-ManStilt-Man is the name of two supervillains in Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Stilt-Man first appeared in Daredevil vol. 1 #8 and was one of his earliest enemies. He is a criminal wearing a suit of armor with powerful telescopic legs .The character did not age well, as his powers were more a... - John ReillyJohn Reilly (soap opera actor)For the notable actor of the same name, see John C. ReillyJohn Reilly is an American television and film actor. Reilly has appeared on several soap operas including General Hospital, Sunset Beach, and Passions....
- Hawkeye/Clint BartonHawkeye (comics)Hawkeye , also known as Goliath and Ronin, is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #57 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck. Hawkeye joined the Avengers in Avengers Vol. 1 #16 Hawkeye...
, Beetle - Katherine Moffat - Scarlet Witch/Wanda FrankScarlet WitchThe Scarlet Witch is a fictional comic book character that appears in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
(Season 1), Rachel Carpenter - Jennifer DarlingJennifer DarlingJennifer Darling is an American actress and voice actress. While her body of work as a voiceover artist greatly eclipses that of her on-stage career, she is, perhaps, nevertheless known best to most people as Peggy Callahan, the secretary to Oscar Goldman in the television series The Six Million...
- Scarlet Witch (Season 2), HypnotiaHypnotiaHypnotia is a fictional character, a supervillain created for the Iron Man animated TV series. Hypnotia is voiced by Linda Holdahl in the first season and Jennifer Darling in the second season.-History:...
(Season 2) - Casey Defranco - Spider-Woman/Julia Carpenter (Season 1)
- Jennifer HaleJennifer HaleJennifer Hale is a Canadian-born American actress and singer best known for her voice over work in video games like Grandia II, the Mass Effect trilogy, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Tales of Symphonia, the Metroid Prime trilogy, the Metal Gear Solid games, Brütal Legend, and Disney's...
- Spider-Woman/Julia Carpenter (Season 2), GhostGhost (Marvel Comics)Ghost is a fictional character appearing in comics books set in the . He first appears in Iron Man #219 and was created by David Michelinie and Bob Layton. Originally portrayed as a supervillain, the character is later portrayed as more of an anti-hero or mercenary.-Fictional character...
(shared) - James Warwick - CenturyCentury (comics)Century is a fictional comic book superhero, a member of Force Works in the comic series of the same name from 1994–1996. Created by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, and Tom Tenney, the character first appeared in issue #1 of Force Works in July 1994....
(Season 1), Sam Jaggers, General Hirsch - Tom KaneTom KaneTom Kane is a prominent American voice actor with over 25 years of experience. He is most widely known for his animation work...
- H.O.M.E.R., CenturyCentury (comics)Century is a fictional comic book superhero, a member of Force Works in the comic series of the same name from 1994–1996. Created by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, and Tom Tenney, the character first appeared in issue #1 of Force Works in July 1994....
("Hands of the Mandarin" only), StingrayStingray (comics)Stingray is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The character first appears as Walter Newell in Tales to Astonish #95 and as Stingray in Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner #19 Stingray (Walter Newell) is a fictional character that appears...
, GhostGhost (Marvel Comics)Ghost is a fictional character appearing in comics books set in the . He first appears in Iron Man #219 and was created by David Michelinie and Bob Layton. Originally portrayed as a supervillain, the character is later portrayed as more of an anti-hero or mercenary.-Fictional character...
(shared), SunturionSunturionSunturion is the name of two fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.The first character, also called Arthur Dearborn debuted in Iron Man #143 and was created by writer David Michelinie and penciller Bob Layton. The second character, Mike Stone, first appeared in...
Recurring cast
- Philip AbbottPhilip AbbottPhilip Abbott was an American character actor and occasional voice actor.Abbott was a secondary lead in several films of the 1950s and 1960s. Miracle of the White Stallions...
- Nick FuryNick FuryColonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the... - Neil DicksonNeil DicksonNeil Dickson is an English actor, who has worked extensively in both American and British film and television.At the age of five, Dickson contracted polio, but he was fortunate enough to make a complete recovery a year later. He attended Worksop College in Nottinghamshire playing Coriolanus in the...
- DreadknightDreadknightDreadknight is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Iron Man #102 Dreadknight is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Iron Man #102 Dreadknight is a... - Linda Holdahl - HypnotiaHypnotiaHypnotia is a fictional character, a supervillain created for the Iron Man animated TV series. Hypnotia is voiced by Linda Holdahl in the first season and Jennifer Darling in the second season.-History:...
(Season 1) - Chuck McCannChuck McCannChuck McCann is a film actor, television actor, stage actor, and a voice actor from Brooklyn, New York.-Early career:...
- BlizzardBlizzard (comics)The Blizzard is the name of three fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.The original version first appears in Tales of Suspense #45 as a supervillain and is currently deceased. The second version first appears in Iron Man #223 The Blizzard is the name of three... - Neil RossNeil RossTheodoric Neilson "Neil" Ross is an English voice actor and announcer, born in London, England and now resident and working in Los Angeles, in the United States. He has provided voices for in many American cartoons, particularly those based on Hasbro products and Marvel Comics, and numerous...
- Fin Fang FoomFin Fang FoomFin Fang Foom is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #89 Fin Fang Foom is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #89 Fin Fang...
, Wellington YinsenHo YinsenHo Yinsen is a fictional supporting character of the Marvel Comics superhero Iron Man , who is key to Iron Man's origin story and was a mentor to him.Actor Shaun Toub portrayed Yinsen's character in the 2008 superhero film, Iron Man....
, Howard Walter StarkHoward StarkHoward Stark is a fictional person in the . He is the father of Tony Stark and the founder of Stark Industries. His name came from Howard Hughes, whom he was named after. -Biography:...
(Season 1), Blizzard ("The Beast Within" only) - Tony SteedmanTony SteedmanTony Steedman was an English character actor, perhaps best known for his role as Socrates in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure....
- Justin HammerJustin HammerJustin Hammer is a fictional character that has appeared in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics. As a frequent adversary of the superhero Iron Man, Justin Hammer exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe...
(Season 1) - Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. is an American actor known for his starring roles in the television series 77 Sunset Strip and The F.B.I. He is also known as recurring character "Dandy Jim Buckley" in the series Maverick and as the voice behind the character Alfred Pennyworth in Batman: The Animated Series...
- Justin Hammer (Season 2), FirepowerFirepower (comics)Firepower is the name of two Marvel Comics supervillains.-Firepower I:Jack Taggert worked on an experimental pilotable suit for Project: Firepower for Edwin Cord . The project was ostensibly designated by the U.S. Armed Forces, in conjunction with Senator Boynton, to serve as an ultimate deterrent...
Guest cast
- Dimitra Aryls - Martha Stark
- Sarah DouglasSarah DouglasSarah Douglas is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for playing the Kryptonian supervillain Ursa in the first two Superman movies , and for her role as Pamela Lynch in the 1980s primetime drama series Falcon Crest .-Early life:Douglas was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire, the...
- Alana Ulanova - Jeannie EliasJeannie EliasJeannie Elias is a Canadian American film and voice actress.-Anime Roles:* Blood+ - Young Haji, Nahabi, Additional Voices* Ergo Proxy - Kitty* Naruto - Kaori-Non-anime Roles:...
- Veronica Benning - Matt FrewerMatt FrewerMatthew "Matt" Frewer is a Canadian American stage, TV and film actor. Acting since 1983, he is known for portraying the 1980s icon Max Headroom and the retired villain Moloch in the film adaptation of Watchmen.-Life and career:...
- The LeaderLeader (comics)The Leader is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #62, and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. In 2009, The Leader was ranked as IGN's 63rd Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.Actor Tim Blake... - William HootkinsWilliam HootkinsWilliam Michael Hootkins was an American character actor, most famous for supporting roles in Hollywood blockbusters such as Star Wars, Batman and Raiders of the Lost Ark.-Early life:...
- Crimson DynamoCrimson DynamoThe Crimson Dynamo is the name of several fictional characters in the Marvel Comics Universe, most of whom have been supervillains. The various Crimson Dynamos have been powered armor-wearing Russian or Soviet agents who have clashed with the superhero Iron Man over the course of his heroic career...
(1st time) - Jamie Horton - The ControllerController (Marvel Comics)The Controller, real name Basil Sandhurst, is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in the Marvel Universe. He specializes in mind control, and is a frequent foe of Iron Man. Marvel Comics writer Archie Goodwin created the character, and Marvel artist George Tuska designed him.-Fictional...
, GhostGhost (Marvel Comics)Ghost is a fictional character appearing in comics books set in the . He first appears in Iron Man #219 and was created by David Michelinie and Bob Layton. Originally portrayed as a supervillain, the character is later portrayed as more of an anti-hero or mercenary.-Fictional character...
(shared) - Julia Kato - Dr. Su-Yin
- Todd LouisoTodd LouisoTodd Louiso is an American film actor and film director best known for his role as timid record store clerk Dick in High Fidelity, opposite Jack Black and John Cusack. Other supporting roles include School For Scoundrels. Louiso directed his first film in 2002, the acclaimed Love Liza with Philip...
- The Hacker - Gerard MaguireGerard MaguireGerard Maguire is an Australian stage, voice and television actor, best known for his role as Deputy Governor Jim Fletcher in Prisoner...
- Titanium ManTitanium ManThe Titanium Man is the name of two or more fictional characters, supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe. The original Titanium Man first appeared in Tales of Suspense #69 . He was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck.-Titanium Man I:Boris Bullski was born in Makeyevka, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union... - Neal McDonoughNeal McDonoughNeal P. McDonough is an American film, television and voice actor.-Career:In 1991, McDonough won the Best Actor Dramalogue for "Away Alone". McDonough has made many television and film appearances since then, including Band of Brothers, Boomtown, Star Trek: First Contact, Minority Report and The...
- Firebrand/Gary GilbertFirebrand (Marvel Comics)Firebrand is the codename of three fictional supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe. All three were normal humans inside powered armor and relied on fire-based weapons... - Ron PerlmanRon PerlmanRonald N. "Ron" Perlman is an American television, film and voice over actor. He is known for having played Vincent in the TV series Beauty and the Beast , a Deathstroke figure known as Slade in the animated series Teen Titans, Clarence "Clay" Morrow in Sons of Anarchy, the comic book character...
- Hulk/Robert Bruce BannerHulk (comics)The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 .... - Peter RenadayPeter RenadayPeter Renaday is an American voice actor.-Film:*The Aristocats as the truck driver*Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost as Mr.McKnight-TV series:*Angel as The Beast's Master...
- Howard StarkHoward StarkHoward Stark is a fictional person in the . He is the father of Tony Stark and the founder of Stark Industries. His name came from Howard Hughes, whom he was named after. -Biography:...
(Season 2) - Stu RosenStuart M. RosenStuart M. Rosen is a voice director and voice actor. He wrote and starred in the TV series Dusty's Treehouse.He has voice directed many cartoons and commercials for television and had live-action roles in Rome and The Huntress...
- Crimson Dynamo (2nd time) - Marla Rubinoff - Elastika
- W. Morgan SheppardW. Morgan SheppardWilliam Morgan Sheppard , sometimes credited as Morgan Sheppard or W. Morgan Sheppard, is a British actor.Sheppard was born in London to an Anglo-Irish family but was educated in Ireland. He graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art 1956-58 before spending 12 years as Associate Artist with...
- Dum Dum DuganDum Dum DuganTimothy Aloysius Cadwallader "Dum Dum" Dugan is a fictional character in the . He is an officer of S.H.I.E.L.D. and is one of the most experienced members of Nick Fury's team, known for his marksmanship with rifles and for his impressive physique... - Scott ValentineScott ValentineScott Eugene Valentine is an American actor.-Life and career:Valentine was born in Saratoga Springs, New York, the son of Beverly Ann and Edward Eugene Valentine. He began to pursue acting one year into his college education, attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York...
- Dark Aegis - David WarnerDavid Warner (actor)David Warner is an English actor who is known for playing both romantic leads and sinister or villainous characters, both in film and animation...
- Arthur Dearborn - Lisa ZaneLisa ZaneElizabeth Frances "Lisa" Zane is an American actress and singer who has starred on stage, in film and television.-Personal life:...
- Madame MasqueMadame MasqueMadame Masque is a fictional character that has appeared in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics. She is an occasional love interest, and sometimes enemy of Iron Man within the Marvel Universe...
DVD release
On October 8, 2007, both seasons were released together in a Region 2 three-disc set from Maximum Entertainment in 2007, when Disney had the rights to the Marvel shows and before they brought the rights back, all before the 2009 take over of Marvel by Disney. The 3 disk set had no features and just included all 26 episodes. UK company Clear Vision released two sets exclusive to their website on April 19, 2010. One contains all 26 episodes over 4 disks while the other - which includes the 1960s Iron Man animated series - is a six disk box set entitled Iron Man: The Ultimate Collection. Buena Vista Home Entertainment released the entire series on Region 4 DVD - which spans 3 separate volumes - on March 30, 2010 and later released the series on Region 1 DVD on May 4, 2010 to coincide with Iron Man 2Iron Man 2
Iron Man 2 is a 2010 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is the sequel to 2008's Iron Man, the second film in a planned trilogy and is a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Jon...
, which opened in theaters a few days later, on May 7.
Japan
When the show had aired in Japanese television stations, the opening sequence was changed, featuring a new J-PopJ-pop
, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...
theme song called "Eien ga Ai ni Kawaru Toki (永遠が愛に変わるとき lit. When Eternity Becomes Love)" by the J-Pop group Pretty Cast, and splicing in scenes from various episodes alongside the original opening animation, a similar change was made to the ending credits sequence.