Don’t tell the Foo Fighters, but USA Today reports that the Wolverine & the X-Men cartoon has found a home at Nicktoons, Nickelodeon’s sister network, and they’re bringing an Iron Man “closer in age to the network’s young viewers” along for the ride.
Yep, that’s right; it’s the return of Teen Iron Man.
The two TV series will premiere in early 2009 and are “designed to play off the big-screen popularity of the Marvel comic-book characters.” The article also mentions the new Speed Racer cartoon coming to Nicktoons this May and the Clone Wars cartoon coming to the Cartoon Network and TNT later this year.
I wasn’t reading Iron Man (or Force Works, or Avengers, actually) when they introduced teen Iron Man in the 90s … so the only thing I really know about him is from Marvel.com:
Some time later the villain Kang the Conqueror took control of Tony Stark in order to use him against his friends. (Though it was later revealed that it wasn’t Kang at all, but Immortus, during the course of the Destiny War.) As a sleeper agent Tony was forced to kill Yellowjacket (Rita DeMara) and Crystal’s Nanny, Marilla. To battle the combined forces of Iron Man and Kang, the Avengers were forced to recruit a teenage version of Tony Stark. Teen Tony stole a suit of armor from Stark International and aided the Avengers in battle. When the adult version came face to face with his teenage self he was finally able to overcome Kang’s control. The older one sacrificed himself and defeated Kang; he died a hero.
Teenage Tony Stark continued to fight with the Avengers and managed to take back control of Stark International. Shortly after this, the mutant Onslaught appeared. The young Tony and many of the world’s superheroes fought Onslaught in New York City’s Central Park. There the young Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor, the Hulk, and other heroes seemingly lost their lives defending the Earth. However, they were actually brought into a pocket universe created by Reed and Sue Richards’ son, Franklin. Events soon forced Franklin to choose a world to survive, but instead he restored to life the original, older Anthony Stark, and the heroes to Earth.
March 18th, 2008 at 3:14 am
I really doubt the animated Iron Man will use any of that. They’ll probably come up with their own version where he invents the armor as a teenager or gets it from his father or something.
March 18th, 2008 at 4:17 am
Too bad, but I guess the idea of a teen Iron Man can work for the animated show. It’s not like they could use an early/mid-20′s Stark a-la The Batman.
March 18th, 2008 at 7:10 am
I wonder how many people actually see Nicktoons. While I hope this means an eventual higher profile for the network, I cannot help but think this is another Boomerang situation where the network remains a lesser-seen “premium” network where the mother network dump shows that doesn’t fit. I hate to sound like the complaining fanboy but this doesn’t look good for both shows.
March 18th, 2008 at 9:56 am
I guess I just don’t understand why the continuing need to make these characters into teenagers to reach a younger fanbase.
He-Man was a grown adult back in the 80s and more of a Captain Marvel type (young man to grown adult) for the new series a few years back.
The first Batman animated series featured an adult Bruce Wayne and as far as I know, there were never any complaints.
Hell, even Gargoyles is a good example, too.
Kid watch this stuff for the cool action scenes and the like. There’s plenty of other cartoons out there that feature young kids.
March 18th, 2008 at 10:11 am
Yeah, I don’t either, Jason; I included it more as an interesting tidbit/”funny how history repeats itself” sidebar.
March 18th, 2008 at 10:16 am
ANY comic book character getting his own cartoon is always a good thing. More exposure and all that.
How many comic readers NOW got hooked on comics b/c of being introduced to the cartoons? Most I’d say (including me)…
March 18th, 2008 at 10:23 am
Sounds more like Ultimate Iron Man to me.
March 18th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Another unmitigated disaster from Marvel Comics. Why is Marvel Comics so completely incompetent when it comes to animated versions of their properties? There has NEVER been a good X-Men cartoon (X-Men Evolution was crap) and now they’re producing a crappy Iron Man cartoon THAT NO ONE WILL WATCH. Do we need any more evidence to realize that all these corporate types are completely retarded? When I was a kid I NEVER watched any of the “teen/kid character types”. Why do corporations today think that kids are retarded today whereas in the past they weren’t?
March 18th, 2008 at 10:35 am
I just wanna go on record and say that I think X-MEN EVOLUTION was one of the best interpretations of the X-Men I’ve ever seen — on TV or comics. Pretty much the opposite of an “unmitigated disaster,” and certainly not “crap.”
March 18th, 2008 at 10:42 am
Yeah, I enjoyed X-Men: Evolution, too.
March 18th, 2008 at 10:53 am
i enjoyed the classic 90s X-Men show, regardless of its sometimes shoddy animation. A lot of those characters were note perfect- I still hear Wolverine’s voice when i read him.
Plus, there were literally dozens of great cameos, and they did a fantastic job streamlining some of the more convoluted 90s stories (Cable, Bishop, i’m looking at you) into good episodes. AND they did the Dark Phoenix saga.
They didn’t have to make everyone extra young and hip (surfer dude Havok, anybody?). They just did good X-Men cartoons. It may not have been as highbrow and fantastic as Batman: TAS, but I always had just as much fun watching it.
As for these new shows- who cares? If they’re on Nicktoons and are going angled in that direction, more power to Marvel for finding a new market. People are always complaining that comics aren’t marketing to kids enough these days, so this is a good thing. They do enough stuff for teens and adults.
March 18th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Huh. I’m not seeing the point of a teen Iron Man at all… I agree with the person who asked why all these newer animated shows feel the need to make the characters teens (Batman: TAS, and the whole DC Timm-verse, being a prime example of how it’s not necessary).
I’m already “meh” regarding the new Spidey ‘toon. The plots so far aren’t that compelling, and the charcters all have that generic, big-eyed “Kim Possible” look to them. Maybe the Wolvie/X-Men show will be better, though I doubt it. For the record, I thought X-Men: Evolution was decent. I was prepared to hate it, but I watched with my daughter and ended up getting drawn into the story.
Sorry to bring this up in yet another thread, but since we’re discussing Nick does anyone have any idea when they plan to start airing the rest of the season 3 of Avatar? The episodes have been showing in Canada for awhile now, but nothing here in the States. I’ve also read that this is to be the final season for Avatar. Can anyone confirm that?
If true, that really sucks… Avatar’s been one of the best things on TV the past few years (animated or otherwise). It’s been a big show for Nick. I thought it would run at least four seasons, one season for each of the four nations.
March 18th, 2008 at 11:15 am
But apk, isn’t that what BND in Amazing Spider-Man is for?
Deals with the devil and Peter going to clubs to mack on other women is great for the kids! No wonder they’re flooding the shops to buy it.
March 18th, 2008 at 11:20 am
“I just wanna go on record and say that I think X-MEN EVOLUTION was one of the best interpretations of the X-Men I’ve ever seen — on TV or comics. Pretty much the opposite of an “unmitigated disaster,” and certainly not “crap.”
Second that.
March 18th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Third that.
It wasn’t the DC Timm-verse, but it was loads better than just about any other comics-based show I’ve seen. The dialogue was realistic, the characters well-rounded and the storyline compelling. I just had to get used to the characters as (mostly) teens. Once you got past that, it was pretty good.
I think it was better than any of Spider-Man shows that have ever been made.
March 18th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Byron, one difference between Nicktoons and Boomerang is that at least Nicktoons is putting new content on that channel, and it sounds like these Marvel shows are an effort to bolster. It’s still mostly reruns of old Nick stuff, but no entirely. “The Secret Show” (which I think might be a UK import?) is one example of a new show, exclusive to Nicktoons.
Another difference is that, in certain timeslots, Nicktoons actually shows commericals. Boomerang has never done that, so far as I know. While I don’t enjoy commericals, it’s another sign that Nicktoons has a higher profile than Boomerang.
March 18th, 2008 at 11:43 am
Count me in as pro X-Men Evolution. I’d be interested in Iron Teen or whatnot, but I don’t get Nicktoons.
March 18th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
I don’t know I could never get into X-Men Evolution, especially after learning all I knew about the X-Men through the original carrtoon. The thing that made the original such a classic is that the animation looked like it came from the comic, and the stories were pulled directly from the comics for the most part. For me, any other X-Men cartoon falls flat for the most part because the standard has been set so high. I do hope that the new Teen Iron Man is based more off the Ultimate Universe Tony stark with his crazy regerative ability. That would be awesome to see in a cartoon.
March 18th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Well, that sucks.
I was really interested in these series, but I don’t have Nicktoons nor can I afford it at this point.
March 18th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Will teen Tony at least have that macho mustache?
March 18th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Iron Teen? Yeesh…
As for X-Men: Evolution, it was so cool, it made the Fox version (bad animation, BTW) look like deer turd.
March 18th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
No, Buried Alien, Tony will have one of those really bad teen mustaches that more resembles dirt on the lip.
I just swiped a USA Today off a table in my work’s lunch room and read another article about this. Sounds like the Wolvie/X-Men show won’t be as teens. At least, it didn’t seem to suggest that. I’m hoping the new X-Men show won’t be too derivative of Evolution and be more “adult” than Iron Man will be.
March 18th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
I also enjoyed X-Men EVO, especially that second season. The new Wolverine and the X-Men looks equally good (although Storm’s hair is too big) and I’m looking forward to that as well. I’ve enjoyed the first 3 eps of Spectacular Spider-Man too.
I think Marvel is putting out some quality animation after a long break. Iron Man, I’ll wait and see since i’m not a big fan of the character.
March 18th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
I’ll hold off on hating any of the series until they start. I thought the Anime’ed up Teen Titans was a horrible idea, but it was entertaining. I really didn’t like the “The Batman” with the younger, dumber feel, but while it was no Batman: TAS, it was fun to see the characters. I also enjoyed it more as they brought in Robin and Batgirl, and even the Justice League (to a much less extent).
Hopefully the Teen Iron Man will go in more of an Ultimate Iron Man (first series) direction. I think a super genius with some serious issues like that could be interesting. Chances are it will be like everyone said, and just be a really simple “teen with a suit” thing, but that could still work.
I have to agree with the people talking about Avatar. That is such a great show, that got pigeonholed as a kids show, so a lot of people just never gave it a shot. I’m surprised it lasted this long. I figured it would get the Invader Zim treatment and just disappear into the Nick vaults.
March 18th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Oh, and for the “Why make the characters younger” group, because sometimes that helps. It’s not needed, but it can help. I think a lot of these guys are looking at the Anime/Manga numbers out of Japan, and on the imported stuff here, and wanting a piece of that younger audience.
Young kids can relate to the older characters, but sometimes they relate better to someone closer to their age. It was the same argument Marvel used on why they where getting better numbers with characters like Spiderman that DC was with guys like Superman. Marvel had REAL characters (hah) that lived in the world we lived in (2xhah), and had problems like us (damn you cure redhead for not noticing me).
Pokemon gets better numbers than Justice League Unlimited did. I don’t think anyone would argue that Pokemon was a better show, but it played to the audience better, and sold more ads and toys.
March 18th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Glad to see another Avatar fan out there, Monkey Attack (great name!)… Now if Nick would just get on with season 3!
I have to say that season 3 has been a disappointment to me, however, seeing how the show seemed to be leaning much heavier on goofy comedy (odd, since the show always had its share of truly funny moments), and too much time with Aang & Co. lying low in the Fire Nation. Hopefully things will pick up again in the second half, whenever it finally airs in the U.S.
Either way, I hope rumors of the show’s demise aren’t true. I am NOT looking forward to M. Night Shamalama-ding-dong’s live action version. I’d much rather have at least one more season of the show and never let that hack make it into a movie.
March 18th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
3 things you can count on; Death, taxes, and some fanboy calling a Marvel cartoon an ‘unmitageted disaster that NO ONE will watch’ before ever seeing a trailer, commercial, or really anything to base it on other than a brief description. Super hero cartoons aren’t known for their depth in general (Superfriends? Spider-man and his Amazing friends? Heck, the old Batman and Robin cartoons?) Give it a chance, and if you don’t like it, fine. There’s always other forms of entertainment. Myself, I’ll reserve judgement until I know it sucks, THEN I’ll hammer it! =)
March 18th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Everything we’ve seen of WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN looks quite good, so I am anticipating that one.
Count me amongst the others who feel that you don’t need teenage characters to appeal to teen audiences. What happened to kids fantasizing about growing up to be big and strong? Personally, I find that it’s the adults who tend to enjoy the teenage characters as a sort of reminiscence of their youth, while teens like stories about people who are at least college age, because that is the time they are looking forward to the most. With all of that said, I think a teenage Iron Man could in fact play well on a channel like Nicktoons and their demographic. I think it will appeal to little kids as well as adults, at the very least.
March 18th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
I was looking forward to WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN, especially after that trailer that was floating around a few weeks back. Guess I’ll have to wait for DVDs or find some sort of alternated method to watch it because I don’t have Nicktoons.
March 18th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Great . . . I don’t get the Nicktoon network.
March 18th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Batman Beyond was Teen Batman. They put another guy in the suit, but the whole project came out of an exectutive literally telling them he wanted “Teen Batman”. Batman Beyond turned out pretty well.
Also, someone mentioned He-Man being a grown adult. Actually, Prince Adam was a teenager. That wasn’t obvious because Mattel decided to give Adam the same body as He-Man so they could use the same molds for the toy. The voice, the way the other characters treated him, and everything else about the character was meant to show him as being a teenager.
March 18th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Man, I am sick of people bashing toons they don’t like and then pretending the ones they do like are all sophisticated. If you take a step back, none of them are actually all that good in terms of writing. Avatar is good for a children’s show but it definitely isn’t “one of the best shows on television.” Same with Batman:TAS. It is a kids show which is surprisingly watchable for adults. It is not some brilliant achievement in the medium of television. It is just irritating when people try to slam shows like X-Men and Spider-Man but say that Dini’s shows and Avatar are “OMG SO BRILLIANT!”
March 18th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
Great . . . I don’t get the Nicktoon network.
You’re probably not the only one. Which is why I think airing the two shows on Nicktoons TV is a bad idea. They would get much more exposure if they aired on Nickelodeon itself.
March 18th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Man, I hope airing these shows on Nicktoons/Nickelodeon Money allow Marvel some extra time and financial wiggle room. That’ll help in giving these shows a strong foundation.
Besides, if these shows do well. They’ll be on Nick-proper in no time.
But, I think they’ll need some kind of block of action shows setup during after school hours. So, these young kids will have a time to expect these types of shows. I mean, that’s how I kept up with the shows I used to watch as a kid.
March 19th, 2008 at 7:30 am
Will he have an Alcohol Addiction? Or, perhaps an addiction to sugar? Huffing?
March 19th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Coming Curse, I don’t know that anyone’s claiming any cartoons are Shakespeare or anything… But did anyone say they had to be? Some things are just better than others. Do you prefer the original Star Wars movies or the prequels? Do you prefer Star Wars or Star Trek? If you like Star Trek, which series do you like/dislike?
I think the fans and critics have spoken. Batman: TAS was indeed something of a watershed program. Yes, it was aimed at kids. But the show was very well written for kiddie programming (compare it to the dialogue and plots of Super Friends, for instance) and it ended up gaining a large adult following. The show even ran in prime time for a while during FOX’s early days. Now compare it, or JL/JLU to what we got on “The Batman.” Personal tastes vary, but can you honestly say there’s no difference between them?
Same is true with Avatar. Yep, it’s a “kids” show. But it’s a DAMNED GOOD kids show, and one that doesn’t talk down to kids. It also doesn’t insult the intelligence of adults. In fact, I’d guess many of the ideas and themes on the show go well beyond the comprehension of younger kids who might be watching the show. It’s honestly been as compelling as anything I’ve seen on TV the past few years (aside from Lost, my personal fave).
If you don’t like it, fine. Who the hell asked you anyway? Have you followed the show pretty regularly and stayed with the storyline? It’s the kind of show that rewards regular viewing, and it’s the kind of show that would appeal to the kind of people who frequent Newsarama. Do you also think The Simpsons is just some stupid cartoon and not well written? No, not all cartoons are created equally. Avatar is certainly a cut above most of what’s out there.
March 19th, 2008 at 9:02 am
Sorry to belabor the point, but here’s a review of the new Spidey cartoon (scroll down a little) that actually answers Coming Curse’s remarks better than I just did:
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/36055
March 19th, 2008 at 10:19 am
#35 – Jack, I think teenaged Tony will develop a crystal meth habit… Or perhaps Ecstacy? Just as long as it’s not whaeatcakes!
March 19th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
EDIT: ECSTASY, and WHEATCAKES!
March 19th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
nutreal on this. It CAN be done but do you really want to work hard enough to make Wolverine nicktoon safe?
March 19th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
ECSTASY & WHEATCAKES…
Two great tastes that taste great together!
And Shaun’s right. Avatar rocks. I wish Nickelodeon would get on with season 3 as well.
March 20th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Sean,I understand the appeal of superhero cartoons. I’m not trying to insult people whi watch them. I am just sick of people on the internet who exaggerate how good their favorite shows are and how bad the ones they don’t like are. People’s preferences in cartoons are more based on which characters/premises they find interesting and which styles of animation they like. A lot of it is nostalgic based where people prefer shows they liked as a kid or show which remind them of the shows they liked as a kid. It is highly subjective. I don’t see the point of being all elitist and saying “90′s X-men sucks and Batmas:TAS rules!” Yeah, Batman has better acting and more sophisticated writing, but if that is all we care about then why watch superhero cartoons at all? Why not just watch adult dramas? I actually prefer X-men. I don’t care if it’s less sophisticated than Batman since It’s just supposed to be relatively mindless fun. I like the frenetic pacing and the far-fetched storylines and the focus on action. But if I share my opinion on the internet someone is going to respond saying I’m an idiot and that their tastes in kid cartoons are way more sophisticated than mine.
It’s fine if people want to discuss which cartoons they like politely, but look at “WTF”‘s post. Shows he dislikes are “crap,” and the producers are “retards.” That is the kind of “bashing” that I was criticizing in my first post.
May 3rd, 2008 at 8:58 am
I didn’t like X-evo at all. But I did happen to watch the Speed Racer: Next Generation and form what I heard about it I kind of guessed about the two main characters Racer X and Speed were some how related either they are brothers or cousins. The only thing I didn’t care about was that crazy Fan of Both X’s and Speed’s father had a robot monkey name Chimp Chimp
i had rather seen the monkey with The Adult Spritle. Hey does any body know when the new IRon Man cartoon is going to start.
July 7th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
I was so Looking forword to watching Wolverine and the x-men, heck I just got Cable and Now this Crap. Why dont they just say Sure will have another X-men Series but ONLY for the RICH, if you Not RICH you can’t watch it. After Gambit BEING LEFT OUT OF THE X-MEN MOVIES and NOW THIS I AM GETTING TIRED OF MARVEL. AND NICK IS REALLY GETTING ON MY NERVES. I HOPE NICK AND MARVEL GET WHAT THEY DESERVE FOR THIS CRAP.
X-men Evoltion was a really great cartoon but the 90s X-men were better.