INTRODUCTION

Before the MCU made him a household name, Tony Stark’s first major animated outing came in Iron Man, airing alongside Fantastic Four in The Marvel Action Hour. The series introduced audiences to Iron Man’s rogues’ gallery, including The Mandarin, MODOK, and Fin Fang Foom, while showcasing Stark’s high-tech battles and personal struggles.

The first season followed a team-based approach, with Iron Man leading Force Works, a group including War Machine, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, and Spider-Woman. However, the show struggled with episodic storytelling, failing to develop its characters beyond surface-level action.

Season two revamped everything – animation quality improved, storylines became more serialized, and Iron Man’s personal journey took centre stage. The Armour Wars arc, exploring Stark’s battle to reclaim stolen technology, became a standout moment, proving that the series could deliver compelling narratives when given the chance.

Though short-lived, Iron Man helped introduce audiences to Tony Stark’s world, laying the groundwork for future adaptations. It may not have had the lasting impact of later Marvel cartoons, but it remains a fascinating early attempt to bring Iron Man’s high-tech heroics to animation.

SEASON 1

• 1×01: And the Sea Shall Give Up Its Dead
• 1×02: Rejoice! I Am Ultimo, Thy Deliverer
• 1×03: Data In, Chaos Out
• 1×04: Silence My Companion, Death My Destination
• 1×05: The Grim Reaper Wears a Teflon Coat
• 1×06: Enemy Within, Enemy Without
• 1×07: The Origin of the Mandarin
• 1×08: The Defection of Hawkeye
• 1×09: Iron Man to the Second Power (Part 1)
• 1×10: Iron Man to the Second Power (Part 2)
• 1×11: The Origin of Iron Man (Part 1)
• 1×12: The Origin of Iron Man (Part 2)
• 1×13: The Wedding of Iron Man

SEASON 2

• 2×01: The Beast Within
• 2×02: Fire and Rain
• 2×03: Cell of Iron
• 2×04: Not Far From the Tree
• 2×05: Beauty Knows No Pain
• 2×06: Iron Man, On the Inside
• 2×07: Distant Boundaries
• 2×08: The Armour Wars (Part 1)
• 2×09: The Armour Wars (Part 2)
• 2×10: Empowered
• 2×11: Hulk Buster
• 2×12: Hands of the Mandarin (Part 1)
• 2×13: Hands of the Mandarin (Part 2)

ARTICLES

• Unmasking the Mandarin
• Force Works: From Coastline to Combat
• Century: A Hundred Minds, One Mission
• Julia Carpenter: Black Threads and Broken Ties
• Justin Hammer: Sabotage and Subterfuge
• MODOK: The Monster Who Became the Meme
• ‘He Whose Limbs Shatter Mountains’
• Dreadknight: Doom’s Castoff, Frankenstein’s Houseguest
• Whips and Wires: The Story of Blacklash
• The Cost of Light: The Living Laser
• The Many Lives of Tony Stark
• The Grey Gargoyle: Stone Cold
• Cold Tech, Colder Choices
• Season Shift
• The Weight of Loyalty: The Story of War Machine
• A.I.M. – The Science That Forgot Its Soul
• Nick Fury – The Man Behind the Curtain
• Madame Masque: The Count’s Daughter
• Titanium Man – The Iron Curtain in Combat
• Comics to Screen: The Armour Wars
• Crimson Dynamo – The Red Shadow
• The Controller: Power Through Submission
• The Beetle – A Spider-Man Rogue in Stark’s Crosshairs
• Stilt Man – The Tallest Punchline
• Ghost – The One Who Slips Through
• Iron Man vs the Incredible Hulk
• The Beginning of the End
• The Further Adventures of Iron Man