Superheroes and cartoons were once thought of as just kid’s stuff, but that’s no longer the case. Over the years, a few superhero cartoons have come out aimed at older audiences. Often, they are dark, edgy takes on classic superheroes from the comics. This includes characters from DC Comics, Marvel, and even Saturday morning cartoons.
Some of these cartoons take advantage of the darker world to explore more dramatic or action-packed storylines. Others prefer to be comedic and poke fun at classic superhero shorts or just offer something completely surreal.
Superheroes aren’t always the focus in these cartoons either. Sometimes, it’s the villains who get to be the stars of the show. After all, getting older often means realizing a story’s villain might have been on to something. Of course, there are also a few adult superhero cartoons made specifically to give viewers who grew up with a classic character new stories to enjoy. Here are the best animated superhero shows that definitely weren’t made for kids.
10 SuperMansion (2015)
SuperMansion is a stop-motion series coming from the creators of Robot Chicken. Titanium Rex is an aging superhero who leads the League of Freedom, who are based within the titular SuperMansion. Many of his teammates are parodies of other famous superheroes. For example, one teammate is Black Saturn, who is effectively Batman if his parents were still alive. Then there is American Ranger, a parody of Captain America, who comes complete with the political correctness, or lack thereof, of yesteryear.
Superheroes Living Under One Roof
The series is especially known for its voice-acting, which includes Bryan Cranston as Titanium Rex and Chris Pine as the villainous Dr. Devizo. The stop-motion animation also helps the series to stand out from other superhero cartoons.
The pilot was originally intended for Adult Swim, where it competed against others to be greenlit. It actually won, but the series ended up moving to Crackle, although Adult Swim aired it in syndication.
9 Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. (2021)
Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. is a stop-motion series that stars series co-creator Patton Oswalt as the titular villain. With A.I.M., or Advanced Idea Mechanics, going bankrupt and things not going well at home, M.O.D.O.K. faces a midlife crisis.
“M.O.D.O.K. Will Have It All!”
The stop-motion series effectively places typical superhero and supervillain tropes inside a sitcom. Notably, supervillain Monica Rappaccini has been reimagined as M.O.D.O.K.’s work nemesis. M.O.D.O.K.’s daughter has inherited his powers, but mostly uses her intelligence to socially dominate the kids at school. There’s even a time-displaced M.O.D.O.K. known as “Anomaly,” who resents his future self for failing to take over the world, reinforcing M.O.D.O.K.’s own insecurities.
That said, the series could be dark when it wanted to be. Infamously, due to the series being canceled after one season, it ends with M.O.D.O.K.’s family being killed as part of his ambitions to take over the world. This was likely intended as a cliffhanger, with M.O.D.O.K. swearing he’d get them back.
8 Kite Man: Hell Yeah! (2024)
A spin-off of Harley Quinn, Kite Man: Hell Yeah! revolves around the eponymous supervillain buying a bar with his girlfriend, Golden Glider. Their establishment notably caters to villains, being in the shadow of the Legion of Doom. Rounding out the cast are a few other villains, like Malice Vundabar, presented as Darkseid’s godchild, and Bane, also work at the bar.
Come Down to Noonan’s
Kite Man started as a minor character in the comics, and seeing him get his own show makes the series a real “hero’s” journey. That said, part of the series’ charm, much like Harley Quinn, is that it gives the villains their own story. Some characters from the earlier series also make a comeback here, such as the Queen of Fables, who even gets a few replacement bodies.
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7 Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law (2000)
One of Cartoon Network Studios’ first animated series aimed at adults, Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law sees the superhero from Birdman and the Galaxy Trio change careers. Now working as an attorney, Harvey represents various Hanna-Barbera characters, helping them through their legal troubles. Some of Harvey’s old enemies have also switched to legal careers, such as Judge Mentok the Mind-Taker.
Who Is the Man In the Suit?
The series is probably best remembered for poking fun at various classic cartoon characters and long-running fan theories. In one famous example, Harvey represents Scooby-Doo and Shaggy in a case involving drug charges. The series was also known for its voice cast, including Gary Cole and Stephen Colbert. The show also later inspired the spin-off series, Birdgirl.
6 Batman: Caped Crusader (2024)
Batman: Caped Crusader offers a noir take on the famous hero. Taking place in the Gotham of the 1940s, the series once again sees Batman protect the city from criminals. This show notably takes a few cues from the early Batman comics, including Alfred’s design.
The Dark Knight Goes Noir
Though intended as a follow-up to Batman: The Animated Series, the show takes advantage of its older intended audience to feature more violence, corruption, and psychological torment. Of course, the earlier animated series was also dark in its own right.
The series also features a notable voice cast, including Hamish Linklater, Christina Ricci, Jamie Chung, and Minnie Driver. Even the crew should be familiar to Batman fans which includes Batman: The Animated Series‘ Bruce Timm, The Batman‘s Matt Reeves, J. J. Abrams, and comic writer Ed Brubaker.
5 Invincible (2021)
Invincible adapts the Image Comics comic book series of the same name. The story revolves around teenager Mark Grayson, who is trained to become a superhero under his father Nolan, who is also known by the alter-ego Omni-Man. Much like a parody of Superman, Omni-Man is an alien sent to Earth from the planet Viltrum. However, there is more to the Viltrum Empire than Mark realizes.
“In the Grand Scheme of Things… Yes.”
At its heart, the series takes a subversive look at the world of superheroes. It also offers a more, dramatic storyline when many adult animated superhero shows are often comedies. Fans of both DC and Marvel can also enjoy how the series pokes fun at famous characters from both sides. Notably, Omni-Man is just as much a parody of Superman as he is one of J. Jonah Jameson, complete with J.K. Simmons voicing him.
4 Spawn: The Animated Series (1997)
Todd McFarlane’s Spawn, also known as Spawn: The Animated Series or just Spawn, starts off when Lieutenant Colonel Al Simmons is betrayed and killed by his best friend. Damned to hell, he swears revenge, clinging to the hope he’ll reunite with his wife Wanda. The demon Malebolgia allows him to return to Earth in exchange for being his “Hellspawn.”
A Hero Straight Out Of Hell
However, there’s a few catches: years have passed since his death, with Wanda remarrying, and his body has become so decayed he hides behind a mask. Despite this, “Spawn” vows to protect the women he loves. Of course, the real catch might just be the real reason Spawn was sent back to Earth.
When the title character literally rises from Hell, it’s obvious the series is meant for older audiences. In fact, the series is known for being one of the darkest animated series at the time, as well as one of the darkest animated series, period. Of course, this edginess helped the series remain a cult-classic. It especially helps that the art style also heavily matches up with the comics. Keith David’s performance as Spawn has also endeared fans to the animated series.
3 Harley Quinn (2019)
In Harley Quinn, the Joker’s put-upon sidekick, here voiced by Kaley Cuoco, leaves him and goes on a journey of self-discovery. Deciding to make a name for herself in Gotham’s underworld, she teams up with a variety of other villains, including Poison Ivy, Clayface, and Doctor Psycho. Soon, all sorts of DC characters show up in the series, often becoming more unhinged than usual.
“It’s Got Comedy, Action, Incredibly Gratuitous Violence…”
At its heart, the series explores the idea of Harley Quinn being an anti-hero and what it means to be a villain, who make up most of the show’s protagonists and antagonists. Harley had long been a fan-favorite character and many of the ideas presented in the series, like the focus on Harley and Ivy’s relationship, proved popular with fans. The series also inspired a few spin-off comics, as well as the Kite Man: Hell Yeah! series.
2 X-Men ’97 (2024)
X-Men ’97 serves as a continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series. Taking place a year after the finale, Xavier is now being treated in space after surviving an assassination attempt. The team now finds themselves with a new leader: their former enemy, Magneto.
A Superhero Show That Grows Up With Its Audience
The series is a spin-off of a kid-friendly series, but X-Men ’97 is aimed towards older audiences, as seen in greater levels of blood, violence and even language. Granted, this is likely because it’s aimed at viewers who watched the series back in the 1990s, who couldn’t possibly be kids anymore. Many actors from the original even returned to reprise their characters or voice new ones. It also helps that the series is very openly set in the 1990s.
1 Space Ghost Coast to Coast (1994)
Space Ghost Coast to Coast parodies classic talk shows while starring the classic 1960s Hanna-Barbera superhero. While the classic Space Ghost is a straightforward superhero show, the 1990s series favored the surreal, with the titular superhero as the host interviewing live-action guest stars. Villains from the original series, Zorak and Moltar, are also forced to work on the show as staff members.
Cartoon Network’s First Fully Produced Series
The series also inspired a few spin-offs, such as the more kid-friendly Cartoon Planet and The Brak Show, a sitcom parody starring another Space Ghost enemy turned comic-relief. The series was one of Cartoon Network’s first original shows, as well as one of the first aimed at adults. The series is even credited with both the creation of Adult Swim and Cartoon Network’s further ventures into original cartoons. Adult Swim’s in-house production arm, Williams Street Productions, even started as Ghost Planet Industries.
