The 15 Best Animated Shows Based on Comics, Ranked
Updated
Born with Autism (formerly classified as Asperger syndrome), Tyler B. Searle has been obsessed with storytelling since he was old enough to speak. He gravitated towards fairy tales, mythology, the fantasy genre, and animated movies and shows aimed at family audiences. When not writing, Tyler enjoys watching more cartoons and reading fantasy books in his home in Ontario, Canada.
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Comic books have long been a staple of popular culture, thanks to their ease of consumption and stylistic art. The most well-known comics are those that tell the story of superheroes, primarily distributed by the two main juggernauts, Marvel and DC, who have become so ingrained in popular culture that their homages and inspirations can be felt all around. Thus, it's no surprise that so many comics get adapted into television shows since the stories and characters are both developed and well-known.
Some of the best adaptations of comics have been through the medium of animation. This makes sense since comics are already told using still images, so the animators can copy the style or go for something more unique while paying homage to the original.
15 'The Tick' (1994–1996)
The people of the City can sleep soundly knowing that The Tick (Townsend Coleman) is there to protect them. Nobody knows exactly who he is or where he came from—including himself—but so long as there is breath in his lungs and a fire in his heart, he shall dispense justice using his immense durability, super strength, and vaguely defined "Drama power." Aiding him is his faithful moth-themed sidekick, Arthur (Micky Dolenz and Rob Paulsen), whose cramped apartment the two use as a base of operations.
The Tick is one of those love letters to the superhero genre that both embraces and satirizes classic tropes. Each episode sees The Tick and Arthur tackle a classic superhero dilemma, but the writers twist, bend, and break the familiar beats until it's a hilarious barrage of puns, fourth wall breaks, and long-winded speeches about justice. It's a shame that this forgotten '90s cartoon is not more well remembered, because in an era where most superhero properties have taken pages from the MCU's playbook, The Tick offers a one-of-a-kind alternative.
14 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' (2003–2009)
After their home is destroyed by robots, four mutated turtles named Leonardo (Michael Sinterniklaas), Donatello (Sam Riegel), Michelangelo (Wayne Greyson), and Raphael (Greg Abbey) navigate the streets of New York City to meet up with their father, a mutated rat named Splinter (Darren Dunstan). While there, they befriend human reporter April O'Neil (Veronica Taylor) after saving her from thugs called the Purple Dragons. As she and the turtles investigate things, they learn that the robots are linked to a group of ninjas called the Foot Clan, ruled over by the enigmatic and deadly Shredder (Scottie Ray).
This adaptation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was produced by 4Kids Entertainment and proved to be a massive departure from their usual shtick of questionable anime localizations. Unlike the iconic 1987 cartoon, this one stayed much closer to the tone of the comics, resulting in dark storylines, notable character growth, and creative action scenes. Several characters from this show, such as the Shredder's enforcer, Hun (Greg Carey), were even adopted into the comics and future TMNT shows.
13 'Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes' (2010–2012)
A mysterious event disables all four of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s maximum security prisons, allowing over seventy super criminals to break free. As such, the Earth's greatest heroes, including Iron Man (Eric Loomis), Thor (Rick D. Wasserman), Ant-Man (Wally Wingert), and Wasp (Colleen O'Shaughnessey), join forces to form the Avengers. In time, they are joined by other heroes, including Captain America (Brian Bloom) and Black Panther (James C. Mathis III), and learn that they must protect the Earth from extraterrestrial threats as well.
Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes came out alongside the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but chose to stick to the characters and storylines from the comics. It spent a lot of time focusing on the dynamic between the various superheroes, with clashing egos and budding friendships causing the team to fracture and come together multiple times. Its dedication to comic accuracy results in some characters coming across much better than their MCU counterparts, such as Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Adams).
12 'Hilda' (2018–2023)
Hilda (Bella Ramsay) is a young girl living in the wildness who loves to go exploring and interact with numerous magical creatures. Unfortunately, after a giant crushes their house, her mother, Johanna (Daisy Haggard), takes Hilda to Trolberg, a city surrounded by a large wall. Fortunately, Hilda not only makes human friends willing to explore with her but finds that magical creatures can be found in the city if one looks hard enough.
Thanks to its lighthearted tone and lovable characters, Hilda is one of Netflix's best animated shows. It perfectly captures the feeling of exploration and wonder that a child feels when discovering something new, which is complemented by the bright and simplistic art style. The show also makes great use of its numerous fantasy creatures, often drawing from mythological sources over contemporary ones, which gives them a sense of majesty and timelessness.
11 'Teen Titans' (2003–2006)
Off the shore of Jump City rises the T-shaped Titans Tower. It is home to the Teen Titans: Robin (Scott Menville), Cyborg (Khary Payton), Raven (Tara Strong), Beast Boy (Greg Cipes), and Starfire (Hinden Walch). Together, they protect the city from super criminals and extraterrestrial threats, while also trying to balance the difficulties of five teenagers trying to live together.
Teen Titans is a more experimental show compared to other DC projects at the time, switching constantly between dark, serious moments and silly moments full of anime-inspired visual gags. Yet it all came together beautifully, thanks in large part to the strong character writing. Each of the Titans has a defined role in the team and a well-realized personality, allowing for all manner of interpersonal relationships defined by deep trust and hilarious banter.
10 'DuckTales' (1987–1990)
When Donald Duck (Tony Anselmo) joins the Navy, he sends his nephews Huey, Louie, and Dewey (Russi Taylor) to live with their great-uncle, Scrooge McDuck (Alan Young). While initially displeased with the situation, the boys soon learn that Scrooge is not only the richest duck in the world, but also an avid treasure hunter and explorer who doesn't let age slow him down. With the aid of an accident-prone pilot named Launchpad McQuack (Terry McGovern), Scrooge and the boys travel the world and clash with the numerous enemies Scrooge has accumulated.
DuckTales brought the wacky and expansive Donald Duck Comics by Carl Barks to a new audience, and became one of Disney's most beloved cartoons. This is thanks to how fun it is: the show's episodic nature allowed for each adventure to expand on the world and receive proper pacing, the characters bounced off one another perfectly (thanks in large part to the talented voice cast), and its theme song is one of the catchiest ever written. The show also got a reboot in 2017 with David Tennant as Scrooge, which proved to be just as popular, ensuring that the Duck universe won't be forgotten anytime soon.
9 'Superman: The Animated Series' (1996–2000)
When the planet Krypton implodes, Jor-El (Christopher McDonald) sends his infant son, Kal-El (Tim Daly), to Earth, where he lands in America and is adopted by the Kents. Now named Clark, he develops amazing superpowers as he ages, including flight, super strength, and the ability to fire energy beams from his eyes. When Clark moves to the city of Metropolis, he becomes the heroic Superman and fights to protect the city and the planet from super criminals, alien invaders, and local megalomaniac Lex Luthor (Clancy Brown).
Superman: The Animated Series did for The Man of Steel what Batman: The Animated Series did for The Dark Knight, re-invigorating his stories for a new audience. The characters and tone were a mix of contemporary and classic Superman stories, making this animated version of Superman feel powerful, yet not unbeatable, and giving his supporting characters memorable personalities that bounced off one another well. It also introduced a generation of viewers to his greatest enemy, Darkseid (Michael Ironside), and this version remains perhaps the best version of the character thanks to Ironside's voice work and the faithfulness to Jack Kirby's original idea.
Collider Exclusive · 8 Questions · 2 Minutes Which Superhero Team Should You Join? Avengers · X-Men · Teen Titans · The Boys
Every team is a personality test with a uniform. One saves the world and argues about it the whole way home. One has been fighting for the right to exist since the day it formed. One is still working out who it is while the fighting happens. And one has no powers at all, plus no intention of playing fair. Eight questions decide where you actually belong.
🛡️Avengers(Marvel Studios)
🧬X-Men(Marvel)
🐦Teen Titans(DC)
💊The Boys(Prime Video)
01
What kind of power would you actually want? The power matters less than what you would be willing to do with it.
02
Why join a team at all? Nobody puts on the suit for the reason they say out loud.
03
How do you feel about the people in charge? Every team has a chain of command. Very few of them survive contact.
04
What is your role inside a group? Every roster needs the same handful of people to function.
05
How do you win a fight you should lose? This is the scene the entire film gets built around.
06
What is this work costing you? Nobody does this for free. The bill just arrives differently for everyone.
07
How should the world see your team? Half of this job is public relations, and everybody knows it.
08
The offer arrives. What makes you say yes? Eight questions in, this is the one that decides your team.
Recruitment Is Complete Your Team Is…
Four teams, four completely different reasons to put yourself in danger for strangers. This is the roster you actually belong on, what they would want from you, and what it would cost you to stay.
The Avengers
You belong where the stakes are largest and the personalities are loudest. This is a team of people who are all used to being the most important person in the room, which is exactly why it works and exactly why it keeps nearly falling apart.
- The Avengers are not friends who became a team. They are a team that slowly and reluctantly became friends, and you would recognise every stage of that process.
- You can hold your own among big egos without needing to win every exchange, which is the real entry requirement here.
- The arguing is part of the method. This group does its best thinking mid-disagreement, usually at volume, usually in a very expensive building.
- When the sky opens, they are who shows up. You would want to be standing in that line.
The X-Men
You have never had the luxury of being thanked for this. The X-Men protect a world that has never once been comfortable with them existing, and something in you understands exactly why they keep doing it anyway.
- This is the only team on the list whose central conflict is not a villain. It is being wanted gone by the same people they keep saving.
- You know what it is to be the outsider in a room and to decide, anyway, that you will not make yourself smaller so everyone else is comfortable.
- The X-Men are the most genuine found family in comics. People arrive with nowhere else to go and are never once asked to explain themselves.
- You would not be joining for the glory. There has never been any.
The Teen Titans
You do not want colleagues, you want your people. The Titans are the team where the friendship came first and the world-saving turned up afterwards as an inconvenient side effect.
- Every Titan is somebody's sidekick who decided to stop being one. That decision, not the villain of the week, is what the team is actually about.
- You would be joining people who are all working themselves out at the same time as you, which is far less lonely than being the only one.
- The Titans lose regularly. Then they eat together and come back better, which is a more honest model of growing up than any other team here manages.
- The tower would be loud, chaotic, and the first place that ever felt like yours.
The Boys
You are not asking who to trust. You worked out the answer a while ago and it was nobody in a cape. This is where you go once you have decided the people in charge need watching, and that nobody else is going to do it.
- The Boys have no powers, no mandate and no funding. What they have is leverage, patience, and a very high tolerance for consequences.
- You are the person in the room who notices the thing everybody else has quietly agreed not to mention.
- This is not a heroic team and it has never pretended otherwise. It is a group of damaged people doing necessary work in ways nobody would call clean.
- You would not sleep well. You would keep going anyway.
8 'Young Justice' (2010–2022)
Frustrated at being treated like sidekicks, Speedy (Crispin Freeman), Aqualad (Khary Payton), Kid Flash (Jason Spisak), and Robin (Jesse McCartney) investigate a fire at Cadmus Lab and discover that they have made a clone of Superman (Nolan North), called Superboy (North). After freeing Superboy, the Justice League allows the young heroes to form their own team under the League's jurisdiction. They are joined by fellow heroes Miss Martial (Danica McKellar) and Artemis (Stephanie Lemelin), and the team's main source of conflict comes from a mysterious organization called the Light.
Young Justice was co-created by Greg Weisman, one of the creative heads of Disney's Gargoyles, and retains much of the former's fantastic character work and emphasis on strong continuity and character development. The emphasis on sidekicks is also a great premise, as it allows the audience to watch them grow and develop over the seasons: some choose to remain on the team to mentor new heroes, others carve out their own paths, and some come to shocking ends. The show's history is also rather heroic, as it came back from cancelation and jumped between three networks before concluding.
7 'Spider-Man: The Animated Series' (1994–1998)
After being bitten by a radioactive spider, Peter Parker (Christopher Daniel Barnes) gains super strength, reflexes, and a "Spidey sense" that gives him the ability to sense incoming danger. Using web-shooters, he adopts the persona of Spider-Man to protect the people of New York from criminals, both mundane and superpowered. Unfortunately, this not only earns him plenty of enemies among the criminal underworld, but also forces him to make personal sacrifices in the name of the greater good.
Spider-Man: The Animated Series might suffer from repetitive animation and some of the strangest examples of studio-mandated censorship, but when it's good, it's some of the best storytelling the webhead has ever received. The show adapted classic Spider-Man stories and does a good job balancing Peter's expansive list of side characters, villains, and allies, while not being afraid to try something new. In fact, this show is the origin of several aspects that have become mainstays in Spider-Man canon, such as the Spider-verse.
6 'Invincible' (2021–Presenet)
Upon turning seventeen, Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) is delighted to develop superpowers and become a superhero like his father, Nolan (J. K. Simmons). As Mark, under the name Invincible, learns the ins and outs of being a superhero, he befriends other heroes his age, such as Atom Eve (Gillian Jacobs), and begins working closely with the Global Defence Agency, headed by Cecil Stedman (Walton Goggins). However, Nolan brutally murders the Guardians of the Globe, Earth's premier superhero team, and as everyone tries to figure out the truth, it leads to shocking revelations and trials of corpses.
Invincible revels in the fact that it is a superhero show and thus pokes fun at and pays homage to the genre's numerous tropes and classic character archetypes. Yet it also uses it as a framing device to tell very mature stories that delve into the mentality of being a superhero, how that responsibility can make or break both the heroes and their loved ones, and how terrifying the world would be if heroes, villains, and monsters were regularly battling one another. The voice cast is phenomenal, with one of the highlights being Sandra Oh as Mark's mother, Deborah, who has to try and be there for Mark while also coming to terms with Nolan's actions.
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