Top 10 Worst Animated Superhero Shows

Talk about superzeroes. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 worst animated superhero shows.

For this list, we’re looking at animated superhero-themed shows that were poorly received by both fans and critics.

#10: “The Super Globetrotters” (1979)

Look, the Harlem Globetrotters certainly know their way around a basketball court – no one’s denying that. They even sorta became animated icons through spinoff shows or by making various cameos in other properties, but did we really need a show about these basketball legends posing as superheroes? Assuming some lame alter egos like “Liquid Man” and “Spaghetti Man”, the Globetrotters not only have to defeat Z-List villains with their bizarre abilities; they also always have to somehow rope them into a basketball game. Because… of course they do.

#9: “UltraForce” (1995)

Taking relatively unknown properties and crafting them into exciting narratives featuring well-rounded characters is the sort of thing Marvel is known for today. However, unlike the X-Men series that dealt with issues like prejudice, social warfare and identity – with some awesome fight scenes thrown in – UltraForce arrived on the scene far too late – and with basically no chance of succeeding. It followed the standard formula – group of different yet gifted individuals joins forces to defeat a tyrannical threat – but people felt the whole thing was so copy and paste that it didn’t bring anything new to the table. No wonder it only lasted one season.

#8: “The Avengers: United They Stand” (1999-2000)

Hey there, true believers! See all these awesome superheroes you’ve never heard of before? See how each of them has heavily tacked-on power armors? Well, hurry up and scream at your parents until they buy each and every complementary toy! Yeah, this show had people screaming cash grab. Focusing on some of the lesser-known Avengers isn’t a terrible idea - especially in an era where the MCU had yet to bring characters like Scarlet Witch, Giant Man and Wasp to the mainstream - but every episode just feels like one big commercial for a new action figure; a bunch of which were released by Toy Biz during the series’ run. ‘Nuff said.

#7: “The New Fantastic Four” (1978)

The First Family of Marvel hasn’t had the easiest time compared to some of their superhero counterparts. Technically the second series based on the Four, it retained the less than stellar animation quality of its ‘60s predecessor, but was also said to have been bogged down by dismal action, and plots that didn’t even seem to have any enjoyable campiness. Of course the biggest kick in the shin came when they wrote Johnny Storm out of the show entirely and replaced him with a robot named H.E.R.B.I.E. May as well call this one the Terrible Trio.

#6: “The Super Hero Squad Show” (2009-11)

Obviously aimed at a much, much, much younger audience than the MCU movies that came out around the same time, there’s a certain innocent charm here in terms of how “The Super Hero Squad Show” handles its characters. But, it still feels like a huge step back for Marvel. Going for the easy laughs is one thing, but when you’re standing shoulder to shoulder with other shows that challenge the audience while still being aimed at kids, and you go for super-deformed looks and out of character personas – like a mega jovial Incredible Hulk or a stereotypical ‘gnarly bro’ Silver Surfer – you ain’t likely to win over many fans. And they didn’t.

#5: “Swamp Thing” (1990-91)
We’re still not quite sure what headspace the creators were in when they wrote this one. Best guess? Someone saw the need to make a superhero show that teaches kids about the environment but also has its protagonist beat up bad guys. Someone else must’ve suggested the DC Universe character that nearly died in an explosion and got mutated into a horrifying creature as a result. Boom! Done! Show is in the bag. But in reality, this divisive premise seemed like it was trying to mix Captain Planet and Batman, but it did so unsuccessfully, ultimately resulting in only a handful of episodes.

#4: “Super Friends” (1973)

So. Much. Cheesiness! While some part of us will always be thankful that this show laid the foundation for the Justice League – albeit a shaky one – there’s no denying that the overly campy portrayals of these iconic characters don’t hold up well. Later incarnations of the series attempted to focus more on the Justice League, and masterpieces like the Batman and Superman animated series would soon come along, but nostalgia can only take you so far when critics say your animation is flawed. In the end, this first version’s lame story and abundance of campiness were too overwhelming.

#3: “Iron Man: Armored Adventures” (2009-12)

Tony Stark has become a legendary character in mainstream pop culture, so to capitalize on Robert Downey Jr’s first cinematic outing, we got… whatever this is. A retelling of the Iron Man mythos, we focus on Tony Stark as he vows to continue his father’s legacy by becoming the Invincible Iron Man and defending innocents from – wait now, did they turn Tony into a teenager?! But aside from that radical departure from the playboy, booze-drinking genius we all know and love, the 3D CGI effects were also questionable to look at even at the best of times.

#2: “The Marvel Super Heroes” (1966)

This one can probably be written off as a product of its time. At first glance, with the classic comic book art style, it looks like they’re actually taking the characters right off the page, but then you soon find out that each episode is only made up of three seven minute segments. The narratives aren’t what you’d call deep or interesting, the animation is severely limited and people had trouble getting invested – despite the narrator’s enthusiasm. However, props must be given for the awkwardly catchy theme songs they constantly blared at us.

Before we reveal our number one picks, here are a few dishonourable mentions.
- “Supernoobs” (2015-)

- “Mega Babies” (1999-2000)

- “Wild C.A.T.s” (1994-95)


#1: “Teen Titans Go!” (2013-)

What happened here? What was once a shining example of great storytelling that mixed together brilliantly animated action scenes with touching relationships, real-world topics and some truly mature themes has upset multiple critics for offering very little to DC Comics connoisseurs. In fact, to long-time fans, this feels more like a slap in the face. What makes “Teen Titans Go!” feel most like a betrayal is the fact that the characters no longer act like themselves, but retain their original voice actors. Well, that and the creators seem to have gone out of their way to lash back against detractors.