12 Best Animated Superhero TV Shows Of All Time

Superheroes have dominated the pages of comic books for decades now. Still illustrations showcasing costumed vigilantes fighting for justice, freedom and a ton of other admirable ideals; it's the stuff that comic book fans live for (and have done so for a very long time). But the popularity of those still illustrated heroes eventually paved the way for moving ones as it enabled them to make their presence felt on the animation format.

Animation lends itself nicely to the everyday needs of heroes because it allows those in charge to tell the most ambitious and creative stories imaginable. Limitations are few and the possibilities are endless; so for every good live-action superhero series, you can rest assured that there's a great animated one.

But it's not just about the explosions or how out-there they are. No, the truth is that the animation genre has evolved beyond what it was designed to be. We're no longer watching cartoons, we're watching well-characterised narratives with a long-term goal and a compelling protagonist(s) that just so happen to be animated.

The superhero genre benefited from - and, in a way, even influenced - this evolution, as it has provided fans with some of the most engaging animated TV shows of all time. And on that note, let's take a look at the best that it has to offer.

A few years before Marvel's Avengers began their big-screen domination, they were busy making waves on the small one instead. Arriving at a time when animated superhero shows were few and far between (or memorable ones at least), Earth's Mightiest Heroes made waves in a short space of time.

Centering on the escapades of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Giant Man and The Wasp, and later Black Panther, Hawkeye, Vision and Ms. Marvel, the show ran for three years before it came to an end after only two seasons (and an online micro-series). It may not have been the classic that some of Marvel's more well-known previous offerings were, but it did feature some very impressive animation and featured a number of neat nods to the comics (as well as some to the MCU).

And we can't wrap up this entry without mentioning just how downright awesome that theme song was.