The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been expanding rapidly with the addition of several Disney+ exclusive shows, the latest being Ms. Marvel. And with several more shows in various stages of development, it appears that the MCU will have plenty of content to last for years.
With the onslaught of new Marvel shows, it's easy to forget sometimes that there were plenty of shows based off of Marvel comics that have nothing to do with the MCU. These shows featured not only the Avengers, but the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and even heroes with no team affiliation. Any Marvel fan, both old and new, won't want to skip these shows.
The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (2010-2012)
Fans interested in the original comic team of Avengers will want to check out The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Released during the time when the MCU had only just begun, the series follows the original Avengers roster of Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man, and Wasp as they battle foes from all corners of the Marvel Universe.
What makes this series so great is how much love it shows for the Avengers comics. Not only did it have its own original episodes, but it also adapted both old comic issues (such as the reviving of Captain America and battling the Masters of Evil) as well as more recent events like Secret Invasion. While the series was sadly canceled after Season 2 before several planned plotlines could be fully played out, Earth's Mightiest Heroes is still an epic ride through Marvel history.
Ultimate Spider-Man (2012-2017)
Spider-Man may have gotten his start from being one of Marvel's best street-level heroes, but Ultimate Spider-Man portrays him as a young hero working to become better by training alongside other heroes at the behest of SHIELD.
Spider-Man's humorous ability to break the fourth wall and talk directly to the audience shows off how whimsical he really is. The series also loosely adapts a few comic stories for its own purposes, such as Clone Saga and Spider-Verse. Bringing in many more heroes and villains from Spider-Man's history, such as the Sinister Six, Iron Spider, and Scarlet Spider, Ultimate Spider-Man is perfect for anyone wanting to see Spider-Man learning to become the hero he was always meant to be.
Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes (2006-2010)
The Fantastic Four don't get a lot of love in Marvel shows. Aside from their two main shows and a few scattered appearances in other shows, they don't get much time on the small screen. World's Greatest Heroes is their most recent outing as a main hero team for a Marvel Show
Despite its wonky production and release (taking four years to fully release its one and only season), World's Greatest Heroes does a good job telling original stories and taking a new look at the Fantastic Four as a team. Most of the episodes are original takes on their encounters with their rogue's gallery, but elements from the comic still remain. Regardless of its original take on one of Marvel's earliest teams, World's Greatest Heroes is still worth the watch.
Wolverine And The X-Men (2009)
Wolverine and the X-men is another example of a great show ending before the story is fully complete. Taking place after the mysterious disappearance of Professor X and Jean Grey, the series follows Wolverine as he rebuilds the X-Men and fights against the Mutant Response Division as well as the Brotherhood and Magneto.
The story set up in the series was an interesting one with an element of mystery to it as the X-Men try to figure out what exactly happened to their beloved teacher and teammate. As mentioned earlier, the series ended with a few storylines still unfinished - as well as teasing an adaptation of the Age of Apocalypse event. Still, Wolverine and the X-Men reunites many fan favorite mutants and takes them on a wild ride to defeat Magneto's machinations and fight for mutant rights.
Spider-Man (1994-1998)
A common trope for Marvel shows - particularly in the 90s - was to adapt comic book lines for episodes or episode arcs. Spider-Man is a clear example of this, and it pulls it off well.
The series shows Spider-Man as an already established hero but focuses on his attempts to balance the responsibilities of his hero and his civilian life. The large scope of the series allows it to feature multiple Spider-Man villains not yet in the MCU while also allowing for team-ups and crossovers with other 90s Marvel cartoons like X-Men and Fantastic Four. There's also an appearance by Stan Lee himself in the series finale. A series like this, highlighting the best of Spider-Man, is not one to pass up.
X-Men: Evolution (2000-2003)
X-Men: Evolution follows several of the main X-Men characters as teenagers learning to control their mutant powers while juggling school life and keeping their identity as mutants secret.
The series may focus on a select group of young characters such as Cyclops, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, and Rogue, but it also gives love to characters that are still adults like Wolverine and Storm. The Brotherhood are aged down as well to act as rivals to the X-Men in school. What makes the series great is its portrayal of these characters as teenagers struggling to get through life, not unlike Spider-Man. It's no wonder then that this team is regarded as one of the best versions of the X-Men.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2015-2019)
After the massive success of the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, it wasn't long before Marvel decided to give the iconic team their own TV show complete with classic 80s music and the same witty characters everyone loves.
Although inspired by the MCU movie, Guardians of the Galaxy strips itself of those ties by delving into original stories using elements from the comics and introducing many new characters. Space heroes like the Asgardians, Nova, and even Adam Warlock make various appearances alongside villains like the resurrected Ronan, Nebula, and even Thanos himself. Add that to its rocking soundtrack, and this series is a great addition to any die-hard Marvel fan's list.
Legion (2017-2019)
These days, it's rare to find a Marvel live action show without any ties to the MCU. However, there are a few of them out there, mostly involving characters from the X-men. One such show is Legion.
The series follows David Haller, aka Legion, as he tries to control his mutant powers while evading both the government and the evil mutant known as the Shadow King, who wants to use his powers for his own sinister purposes. Legion is unique among Marvel shows due to Legion being an unreliable narrator. His views of reality are severely distorted, making audiences question everything he sees - and making the series one to check out for any fans of the X-Men.
Avengers Assemble (2013-2019)
As the spiritual successor to Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Avengers Assemble is inspired more by the MCU movie roster rather than the comics. Despite this, the series does have a likable approach to its style and structure.
Much like an average TV series, each season had the Avengers squaring off against a main villain or a group of villains. Some of these villains are some of the most powerful Avengers villains to exist, including Thanos and Ultron. While some would argue that this series ran for too long, each season is an epic ride as Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and the rest of the Avengers save the world time and time again, featuring appearances from characters throughout Marvel's long history.
X-Men (1992-1997)
Arguably one of the best Marvel shows ever to come out, X-Men follows the main team of the comics at the time - known as the Blue Team - as they fight for mutant rights and against those that would destroy humanity.
Other than an epic theme song, the series is great because it makes every character likable and with their own flaws and trials to get through. Each character gets a moment to shine multiple times throughout the series, and it does a great job in adapting classic comic lines like Days of Future Past. With a revival on the horizon coming to Disney+, X-Men will forever be cemented as one of the great Marvel shows all fans can enjoy.