| Iron Man | |
|---|---|
 The title card for Season 1 ofIron Man | |
| Genre | Superhero |
| Based on | |
| Voices of | Robert Hays James Avery Dorian Harewood John Reilly Ed Gilbert Robert Ito Jim Cummings Katherine Moffat Jennifer Darling Casey Defranco Jennifer Hale James Warwick Tom Kane |
| Narrated by | George Johnson |
| Theme music composer | Keith Emerson (season 1) William Kevin Anderson (season 2) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Avi Arad Stan Lee Rick Ungar |
| Producers | Glen Hill Dennis Ho Ted Tchoe |
| Camera setup | Setup |
| Running time | 26 minutes |
| Production companies | Marvel Entertainment Group Marvel Films Rainbow Animation Korea Koko Enterprises |
| Original release | |
| Network | Syndication (The Marvel Action Hour/Marvel Action Universe) |
| Release | September 24, 1994 (1994-09-24) – February 24, 1996 (1996-02-24) |
Iron Man, also known asIron Man: The Animated Series, is an Americananimated television series based onMarvel Comics'superhero,Iron Man. The series aired from 1994 to 1996 insyndication as part ofThe Marvel Action Hour, which packagedIron Man with other animated series based on Marvel properties, theFantastic Four andThe Incredible Hulk, 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.[1][2] Off the heels of the release of the live-actionIron Man film in 2008, reruns began airing on theJetix block onToon Disney.
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 two seasons scarcely recognizable as being part of the same series.[1]
The first season ofIron Man involves Iron Man battling theMandarin and his minions, who seek to steal his technology. The Mandarin's army consists ofDreadknight,Blizzard,Blacklash,Grey Gargoyle,Whirlwind,Living Laser,MODOK,Fin Fang Foom,Justin Hammer andHypnotia (original character). Iron Man has a group of allies who are based onForce Works and includeCentury,War Machine,Scarlet Witch,Hawkeye andSpider Woman.
The season consisted mostly of episodic, original stories, with the exception of "The Origin of Iron Man". 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 the series' large cast of characters, few of them are developed, leaving viewers unaware of their origins and powers.[3] The show is generally held to have been at its best when telling characters' backstories.[4][5][6]
Throughout the season, the Mandarin spies on Force Works and almost deduces Iron Man's secret identity before Iron Man tricks him with an android duplicate of himself.
In this first season, the theme song was composed byprogressive rock artistKeith Emerson, known for his work on the supergroupEmerson, Lake & Palmer and for his soundtrack forDario Argento's horrorInferno.
The second season had a new animation studio,Koko Enterprises; a new head writer,Tom Tataranowicz; and a newelectric guitar theme composed by William Kevin Anderson.[7][8] Additionally, Iron Man was redesigned to resemble artistMark Bright's depiction of the character from the late 1980s.[9]
In the season premiere, "The Beast Within", Iron Man is struck by a missile, weakening his body and forcing him to wear cybernetic tech on his chest. Throughout the season, he utilizes various armors built for specific situations that he can change on the fly.
The Mandarin is given a significantly reduced role after losing his rings. His remaining appearances see him attempt to recover his rings and disable technology worldwide before being killed by bandits.[10][11]
Another change was that Force Works is mostly written out of the series, parting ways with Iron Man after works with the Mandarin to battle Fin Fang Foom. Julia Carpenter and War Machine are the only ones who continue to work with Stark, with the latter temporarily developingclaustrophobia after almost drowning in his armor.
Iron Man and War Machine appear inThe Incredible Hulk episode "Helping Hand, Iron Fist", where they help theHulk andRick Jones battle a squad of Hulkbusters.
Iron Man and War Machine appear inSpider-Man. Throughout the series, they serve as allies to Spider-Man. As Dorian Harewood was already voicingTombstone in the series, James Avery reprised War Machine. In the "Secret Wars" episodes, Iron Man transported to theBeyonder'sBattleworld before being returned to Earth with no memory of the events.[12]
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 13 | September 24, 1994 (1994-09-24) | December 17, 1994 (1994-12-17) | |
| 2 | 13 | September 23, 1995 (1995-09-23) | February 24, 1996 (1996-02-24) | |
| No. | Title | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "And the Sea Shall Give Up Its Dead" | Ron Friedman | September 24, 1994 (1994-09-24) | |
Hypnotia sinks a Russian nuclear submarine with all hands on board. A year later, the submarine surfaces near Scotland with its entire crew transformed into radioactive zombies loyal to theMandarin. Introducing:Iron Man,Century,Hawkeye,Scarlet Witch, Spider-Woman, War Machine, Justin Hammer, Mandarin,MODOK,Blacklash,Blizzard,Dreadknight,Fin Fang Foom,Whirlwind,Grey Gargoyle, Hypnotia,Titanium Man. | ||||
| 2 | "Rejoice! I Am Ultimo, Thy Deliverer" | Ted Pederson & Francis Moss (story by: Ron Friedman) | October 1, 1994 (1994-10-01) | |
Mandarin, MODOK, andJustin Hammer revive an ancient and powerful robot namedUltimo. They develop a device to control it and send it on a mission to capture Iron Man. Introducing: Ultimo | ||||
| 3 | "Data In, Chaos Out" | Written byDoug Booth (story by: Ron Friedman &Stan Lee) | October 8, 1994 (1994-10-08) | |
The stock markets crash after a massive failure in a military early warning system. Mandarin and MODOK are using the crisis for profit and manage to brainwashWar Machine into turning again Iron Man. | ||||
| 4 | "Silence My Companion, Death My Destination" | Written by Steve Hayes (story by: Ron Friedman) | October 15, 1994 (1994-10-15) | |
Madarin usesJulia Carpenter's daughterRachel to lure Iron Man into a trap. In order to rescue her, Iron Man needs to overcome a serious power supply problem. Meanwhile, the military accepts a new tank design from Stark Enterprises. Introducing: Rachel Carpenter | ||||
| 5 | "The Grim Reaper Wears a Teflon Coat" | Written by Doug Booth (story by: Ron Friedman & Stan Lee) | October 22, 1994 (1994-10-22) | |
Stark Enterprises developed an advanced stealth jet called "the Grim Reaper" for the American military. When MODOK's minions steal the jet for the Mandarin, Iron Man must recover it. | ||||
| 6 | "Enemy Without, Enemy Within" | Ron Friedman | October 29, 1994 (1994-10-29) | |
When the Mandarin sends his men to steal an experiment boat developed by Stark Enterprises, the endangers the life of MODOK's wife, Alana Ulanova. MODOK approaches Iron Man in an attempt to protect her. | ||||
| 7 | "The Origin of the Mandarin" | Ron Friedman | November 5, 1994 (1994-11-05) | |
After the Mandarin attacks one of Star Enterprises oil drills, Spider-Woman discovered a mysterious black box which seem to reveal the Mandarin's life story. Introducing:Wellington Yinsen | ||||
| 8 | "The Defection of Hawkeye" | Ron Friedman | November 12, 1994 (1994-11-12) | |
The heroes of Force Works begin to suspect Hawkeye of being a traitor. This episode takes place after "Iron Man to the Second Power". | ||||
| 9 | "Iron Man to the Second Power, Part 1" | Yale Rudoff | November 19, 1994 (1994-11-19) | |
MODOK creates an Iron Man duplicate. | ||||
| 10 | "Iron Man to the Second Power, Part 2" | Ron Friedman & Yale Rudoff | November 26, 1994 (1994-11-26) | |
Force Works tries to locate the real Iron Man. Introducing:Living Laser | ||||
| 11 | "The Origin of Iron Man, Part 1" | Ron Friedman | December 3, 1994 (1994-12-03) | |
Iron Man's origin is presented as Tony Stark is captured and dons "Iron Man" suits. Introducing:Howard Stark | ||||
| 12 | "The Origin of Iron Man, Part 2" | Ron Friedman | December 10, 1994 (1994-12-10) | |
Tony Stark struggles to repair his armor while Mandarin's minions and Force Works fight to find him first. | ||||
| 13 | "The Wedding of Iron Man" | Ron Friedman | December 17, 1994 (1994-12-17) | |
Tony and Julia get married. | ||||
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | "The Beast Within" | Richard Trueblood | Greg Johnson | September 23, 1995 (1995-09-23) | |
Fin Fang Foom betrays the Mandarin and he and his dragon brethren try to kill the human race. In the end the dragons are killed and the Mandarin is presumed dead. Iron Man's team leave except for War Machine and Spider-Woman. The Mandarin survives and begins to reclaim hisrings. Introducing:Nick Fury | ||||||
| 15 | 2 | "Fire and Rain" | Bob Arkwright | Len Wein | September 30, 1995 (1995-09-30) | |
| 16 | 3 | "Cell of Iron" | Dan Thompson | Jan Strnad | October 7, 1995 (1995-10-07) | |
| 17 | 4 | "Not Far From the Tree" | Bob Arkwright | Francis Moss | October 14, 1995 (1995-10-14) | |
Howard Stark suddenly reappears. But Tony's excitement is short lived, becauseA.I.M. and their chief enforcerCrimson Dynamo are determined to kill Howard. Introducing:Crimson Dynamo | ||||||
| 18 | 5 | "Beauty Knows No Pain" | Dan Thompson | Brooks Wachtel | October 21, 1995 (1995-10-21) | |
Iron Man battles his old flame turned enemyMadame Masque, who is trying to unlock the power ofIsis. Introducing:Madame Masque | ||||||
| 19 | 6 | "Iron Man, On the Inside" | Dan Thompson | Steve Cuden | November 4, 1995 (1995-11-04) | |
When Ultimo severely injures Hawkeye, Iron Man must go inside Hawkeye to save him. But a miniature Ultimo is after Iron Man. | ||||||
| 20 | 7 | "Distant Boundaries" | Bob Arkwright | Greg Johnson | November 11, 1995 (1995-11-11) | |
Iron Man heads to the distant planet Elysian. | ||||||
| 21 | 8 | "The Armor Wars, Part 1" | Dan Thompson | Len Uhley | November 18, 1995 (1995-11-18) | |
After a battle with Crimson Dynamo Iron Man realizes someone is selling his technology. Soon Iron Man goes after every armored superhero or super villain, leavingS.H.I.E.L.D. hunting Tony down. Introducing:Beetle,Controller,Stingray,Firepower,Stilt-Man,Ghost | ||||||
| 22 | 9 | "The Armor Wars, Part 2" | Bob Arkwright | Len Uhley | November 25, 1995 (1995-11-25) | |
Iron Man continues his efforts to disable all other armored warriors. | ||||||
| 23 | 10 | "Empowered" | Bob Arkwright | Greg Johnson | February 3, 1996 (1996-02-03) | |
MODOK locates one of the Mandarin's missing power rings. | ||||||
| 24 | 11 | "Hulk Buster" | Bob Arkwright & Dan Thompson | Francis Moss, Ted Pederson and Greg Johnson | February 10, 1996 (1996-02-10) | |
Iron Man and Bruce Banner work together to recover one of the Mandarin's rings. | ||||||
| 25 | 12 | "Hands of the Mandarin, Part 1" | Bob Arkwright | Douglas Booth | February 17, 1996 (1996-02-17) | |
The Mandarin announces his intentions to take over the world. | ||||||
| 26 | 13 | "Hands of the Mandarin, Part 2" | Bob Arkwright & Dan Thompson | Douglas Booth | February 24, 1996 (1996-02-24) | |
The Mandarin captures Iron Man and the rest of Force Works. | ||||||
| No. | Title | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | "Helping Hand, Iron Fist" | Stewart St. John | September 29, 1996 (1996-09-29) | |
Bruce Banner goes to Tony Stark for a cure. But a blow to the head leaves Bruce, and Hulk, amnesiac. | ||||
| No. | Title | Written by | Original release date | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First crossover | ||||||||||||
| 37 | "The Sins of the Fathers, Chapter X: "Venom Returns" | John Semper (Teleplay by: Stan Berkowitz, Len Wein, & John Semper) | November 2, 1996 (1996-11-02) | |||||||||
| 38 | "The Sins of the Fathers, Chapter XI: "Carnage"" | John Semper (Teleplay by: Stan Berkowitz, James Krieg, & John Semper) | November 9, 1996 (1996-11-09) | |||||||||
| Second crossover | ||||||||||||
| 61 | "Secret Wars, Chapter I: Arrival" | John Semper and Karen Milovich | November 7, 1997 (1997-11-07) | |||||||||
| 62 | "Secret Wars, Chapter II: The Gauntlet of the Red Skull" | Virginia Roth | November 14, 1997 (1997-11-14) | |||||||||
| 63 | "Secret Wars, Chapter III: Doom" | John Semper, Mark Hoffmeier, and Ernie Altbacker | November 21, 1997 (1997-11-21) | |||||||||
On October 8, 2007, Maximum Entertainment released a three-disc DVD set that contained all twenty-six episodes of the series.[16] Maximum released all twenty-six episodes as separate three-disc sets in April 2008, with each disc also including twoIron Man segments fromThe Marvel Super Heroes. These discs also came bundled together as a boxset titledIron Man: The Ultimate Super Hero. The third was also released separately asIron Man: Special Edition.[17] In April 2008, Maximum released a 5-disc boxset containing both complete series sets for this show and the one forThe Marvel Super Heroes segments.
Clear Vision later took over European rights and released a 4-disc complete series set exclusively to their website on April 19, 2010. A six-disc set that was released on the same day bundled both series together.[18]
Buena Vista Home Entertainment released the entire series onRegion 4 DVD – which spans three separate volumes – on March 30, 2010[19]
Buena Vista Home Entertainment later released the series onRegion 1 DVD on May 4, 2010. This complete series release was made to cash-in and coincide with the release ofIron Man 2, which opened in theaters a few days later, on May 7.
The complete series is available to stream onDisney+ although all seasons are erroneously grouped under season 1, as of the service's launch on November 12, 2019.[20]
An eight-issue comic-book series based on the show was published by Marvel:
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