Disney+ recently added a brand new feature to the streaming platform that is not only historic but will also be a dream-come-true for the brand's most hardcore fans. Since Disney+ launched over five years ago, the streamer has been the home of Marvel content (both released under the Disney umbrella and projects that came out before the House of Mouse acquired the company), and fans have dreamed of a Marvel-exclusive channel for lean-back viewing of their favorite superheroes.
Well, Disney+ has now finally added a Marvel channel to its Streams playlist. The channel's official title is "Marvel Animated Rewind," meaning it plays animated Marvel content 24/7 via a livestream. The Streams playlist was added to Disney+ either on May 27 or May 28 after the platform removed Star Wars' "In A Galaxy Far, Far Away" channel, and it is only available to Disney+ Premiere subscribers.
The addition of "Marvel Animated Rewind" marks a historic moment for both Disney+ and Marvel, as it is the first Streams channel to feature content that is exclusively from Marvel.
Previously, some Marvel projects were a part of Disney+'s "Hits & Heroes" Streams channel, but that was recently removed from the platform. After its removal, the only Marvel content that was included in a Streams playlist was Spidey and his Amazing Friends, which is a part of the "Playtime" Streams playlist.
The "Marvel Animated Rewind" Stream includes 16 total projects. All of them are animated, and they range from shows that were released all the way from the 1970s to series that were released in the 2010s.
Below is a full list of every animated Marvel series that is a part of Disney+'s "Marvel Animated Rewind" Streams channel:
- Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes
- The Avengers: United They Stand
- Fantastic Four (1994)
- Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes
- The Incredible Hulk (1996)
- Iron Man: The Animated Series (1994)
- Iron Man: Armored Adventures
- Silver Surfer
- Spider-Man (1981)
- Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994)
- Spider-Man: Unlimited
- Spider-Woman
- Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends
- Wolverine and the X-Men
- X-Men: The Animated Series (1992)
- X-Men: Evolution
Streams channels are available to watch at all times on Disney+. They work similarly to a traditional TV channel, where Premium subscribers can tune in at any time and watch what is playing live.
It is worth noting that recent shows like X-Men '97 and What If...? (find out why X-Men's showrunner criticized What If...? Season 3 here) are not a part of the "Marvel Animated Rewind" Stream due to those shows releasing extremely recently.
Why Is Other Marvel Content Not on Disney+ Streams?
Since Marvel is such a popular brand, many likely wonder why Disney+ has never had a Streams channel solely dedicated to Marvel content, specifically projects within the MCU.
It is unclear exactly how Streams works, but it is possible that Disney+ has to pay residuals to producers, actors, and other executives who were credited on projects. In traditional television, residuals have to be paid out each time something airs. If that is the case with Disney+ Streams, it would be an unnecessary expense for Disney to pay residuals for projects that are already available to stream on the platform.
The content on Streams channels mostly includes projects that aren't as popular as others. For example, the Spider-Man (1981) series likely does not receive even a fraction of the plays that Doctor Strange does.
So, the Streams channels get more eyes on projects that people may not normally watch as much. If a movie or show already performs decently well on the platform, there would be no reason for it to be promoted on a Streams channel, especially if it costs Disney money in residuals.
