A slew of animated superhero shows in the 90s came to define how the characters were remembered by an entire generation. Be it, Superman: The Animated Series, Spider-Man: The Animated Series, or X-Men: The Animated Series, these versions of the characters greatly influenced later iterations of them, something that fans have enjoyed a lot through the years.
However, Paul Dini, writer and producer over at WB who had a hand in making Batman: The Animated Series, believed that his show was superior to the other animated superhero offerings of the day, simply because it was one of the most well made and dramatic of its cohorts.
According to Paul Dini, Batman had a bit of an edge over the other animated series
Paul Dini talked about how he believed that Batman: The Animated Series had a serious edge over shows like Spider-Man: The Animated Series and X-Men: The Animated Series. The show was markedly darker than its contemporary, which is what Dini points to as a plus point that the show boasted, especially in a time when a lot of key characters were making their way to the small screen through animation. In an interview with Starbust Magazine, he said:
It was a show that took quite a lot of people by surprise. I think there were a lot of things going on at that time that really made cartoons take a step forward. It wasn’t just Warner Brothers, although I’d say they were a key part of it, but there were other superhero shows like X-Men and the ‘90s Spider-Man. One thing that gave Batman a bit of an edge was that there was such a cinematic feel to it.
X-Men: The Animated Series and Spider-Man: The Animated Series are two shows that are still appreciated as some of the best animation that came out of Marvel, while Batman: The Animated Series holds the fort down for the DC side of things. Dini’s analysis of B: TAS being a cut above the rest remains as sound as it was when the interview was first given, despite a slew of great animated shows having come and gone since then.
While X-Men ’97 was great, the other animated series don’t necessarily need to return
While X-Men ’97 was a great revival of a classic show, fans have called for the same treatment to other beloved shows like Spider-Man: The Animated Series and also the DC counterparts of these shows. This might not necessarily work, given that X-Men’ 97 was unique in what it did, and trying to replicate that with other shows might just feel a little too much like chasing the trend.
As much as fans would hate it, this is also true for shows like Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and Justice League Unlimited. While these shows are remembered pretty fondly by the fanbases that are currently experiencing the MCU and the DCU, it needs to be noted that the best thing that can happen to these shows is if the fandom and IP as a whole manages to move on to better ideas that can be executed well.
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