5 Reasons ’90s Marvel Animated Shows Were Better (& 5 Why ’90s DCAU Rocks)

The ’90s was probably the most significant era for comic book animated shows. It was different back then. The comics and their superheroes were popular and were constantly gaining traction. The animated shows played a significant role. They were best at conveying these stories to the ones who didn’t read comics. And as expected, two of the best comic franchises were at it. Both Marvel and DC were making animated shows. The content made was absolute class. But which one was better, Marvel or DC? Let’s see.

10. DC Shows Were Better: One of the most significant points against Marvel in this argument is their failed shows. Shows like Fantastic Four and Iron Man of the ’90s are not something Marvel will be proud of. The shows didn’t have an output and lasted single seasons. The same cant be said for most of the DC shows. Even though Marvel made more shows, they had lesser output.

9. Marvel Shows Were Better: The animated series of Spider-Man was just fabulous. Spidey is a legendary hero. But the comics of the ’90s didn’t do justice to that title. Something more substantial was needed. The animated show filled that void. It represented the hero better than the comics.

8. DC Shows Were Better: The voice behind the characters in DC was unmatched. It was just superb. Marvel had great voice artists, but they don’t compare to DC. Voice in animated shows is of supreme importance, and DC got it right. DC got it so right that some people declare those versions as the best of many superheroes.

7. Marvel Shows Were Better: The X-Men series was another Marvel masterpiece show. X-Men were the rulers in the 90’s comic scene. So much was written about them. But again, not everybody was reading comics. So, X-Men animated series was a great way to introduce these characters. It did well and inspired people to read comics.

6. DC Shows Were Better: DC had better toys and merchandise than Marvel. Toy Biz made Marvel’s toys in the ’90s, and they were good. But not as good as DC’s action figures of Batman and other superheroes of their universe.

5. Marvel Shows Were Better: Marvel had a better display of the breadth of their comic universe. DC shows were largely based around Superman and Batman. They had some branching but not good enough. Marvel showed a much larger part of their comic book universe. For example, the cosmic side of the Marvel universe was shown in Fantastic Four.

4. DC Shows Were Better: The Superman animated series was a classic. Similar to the Spiderman case, the Superman comics failed in the ’90s. But thankfully, the show built it back. The show was about all the elements that made Superman so great. Hence, it earned many fans.

3. Marvel Shows Were Better: Marvel was having great success with their comics in the first half of the ’90s. Comics of Spider-Man and X-Men were constantly top sellers. However this success didn’t continue in the latter half of the decade. But while it lasted, the animated shows added to its impact.

2. DC Shows Were Better: Batman The Animated Series is arguably the best ’90s animated superhero show. It was almost perfect, widely believed to be the best Batman work to date. It started the trend of animated shows.

1. Marvel Shows Were Better: The ’90s X-Men animated series is hugely responsible for making X-Men what it is today. X-Men comics were tremendously popular, and the series just extended the impact. Hands down, one of the best-animated shows.