The world of superhero cartoons is vast, but there are a few Marvel and DC titles that fans keep coming back to. There was nothing better, back in the day, than lounging on the couch on a Saturday morning, sugary cereal in hand, and taking in the best that animated superhero fare had to offer. And even as fans age, that love has largely not stopped.
Audiences have seen this in the modern comic book TV landscape, with the likes of Batman: Caped Crusader, X-Men '97, and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man gracing streaming services. There are always more superhero cartoons to discover (next year will even feature a few big ones), but, then again, there have been a handful that fans have continued to return to time and time again.
So, let's break down the biggest, most rewatchable of these Marvel and DC cartoons, spanning the vast history of comic book animated series.
The Most Rewatchable Marvel and DC Cartoons
Batman: The Animated Series
For many people, Batman: The Animated Series sparked a lifelong love for the Batman character. In fact, it was so iconic that it spawned a modern spiritual sequel in the form of Batman: Caped Crusader.
The groundbreaking animated series, created by Eric Radomski and Bruce W. Timm, which ran from 1992 to 1995, was a stark departure from other titles on the air at the time. The hand-drawn TV series painted all its scenes on black paper rather than white, creating an appropriately moody and brooding take on Gotham City and the Batman mythos.
Thanks to this unique feeling, its iconic takes on the central Batman characters, and a colorful cast of villains (including the original-to-the-series Harley Quinn), Batman: The Animated Series remains one of the most easily watchable superhero shows of the era.
X-Men: The Animated Series
If Batman: The Animated Series introduced a generation of comic fans to the Batman character, X-Men: The Animated Series did the same thing for Marvel's marvelous mutant team.
X-Men: The Animated Series (which lives on in X-Men '97) was a villain-of-the-week 1990s cartoon that explored every corner of the X-Men comic lore. The series aired on terrestrial TV for five seasons, from 1992 to 1997, covering major X-Men comic stories, including "The Phoenix Saga" and "Age of Apocalypse."
It was this heavy drawing from the comics that made the show a great crash course for those looking to learn more about the super-powered team. Thanks to the show's ongoing revival in X-Men '97, fans have endless opportunities to revisit the animated classic.
Batman Beyond
There was nothing quite like Batman Beyond before Batman Beyond, and there hasn't been anything after. Set directly within the continuity of the Batman: The Animated Series, this sequel series (which aired from 1999 to 2001 on The WB) followed the next generation of the Dark Knight.
The series picked up as Kevin Conroy's Bruce Wayne was hanging up the cowl. Instead of the typical take on the Caped Crusader, fans followed Bruce's protege Terry McGinnis as he took on the Batman name in a near-future Gotham City.
Due to its futuristic setting, Batman Beyond was able to explore familiar characters from the original Batman: The Animated Series and the broader Batman comics, recontextualizing them within this new sci-fi-inspired futureverse. Beyond remains endlessly watchable, even if you haven't seen Batman: The Animated Series, offering fans a surprising spin on the world and characters they have become so familiar with.
Justice League: The Animated Series
Speaking of Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League was also a continuation of the hit 1990s classic. However, it was not only Batman that the DC team-up served as a direct sequel to. Justice League: The Animated Series was like Marvel Studios' The Avengers long before the MCU, as it brought together and continued the stories of several heroes from their solo shows, including Batman and Superman.
The Cartoon Network animated hit ran for three years from 2001 to 2004. It centered on DC's biggest team, coming together and taking on various villains from across the DC canon. For many people, this opened the door to DC's wider catalog of characters for the first time, introducing heroes like Martian Manhunter and Hawkgirl to the general public.
It was this popularity that would eventually lead to the likes of Isabela Merced taking on a DC role, playing Hawkgirl in 2025's Superman. The beloved TV show looks as though it will play a significant role in helping James Gunn build his DCU, so fans looking to see where the franchise may go should take note.
Teen Titans
Airing around the same time as Justice League, the animated Teen Titans series offered audiences a more youthful take on the DC comics team-up.
Marking the first time the teenage team had gotten a series of their own, the Cartoon Network TV show followed Dick Grayson's Robin, leading a team of heroes that included Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven, and Cyborg.
This anime-inspired cartoon looked and felt unique when compared to other superhero TV series of the time. In fact, it would become so popular, thanks to its striking art style and lovable characters, that it would spawn five total seasons, a TV movie, and several animated spin-offs.
The Spectacular Spider-Man
Only one Spider-Man series deserves to be on this list, and The Spectacular Spider-Man is that. There have been dozens of killer Spider-Man TV shows over the years (the 1990s Spider-Man: The Animated Series almost made the list), but Disney XD's The Spectacular Spider-Man is widely regarded as the best of the bunch.
Even if the show's art style may seem a little childish to some, the Spider-Man stories told here are surprisingly mature, perfectly navigating the complicated relationship between the web-head and his alter ego, Peter Parker. The series follows a high school-aged Peter (voiced by Josh Keaton) as he balances his life as an everyday teenager with being New York City's masked protector.
Running for a criminally low two seasons, Spectacular Spider-Man ended up being a meager 26 episodes when everything was said and done. This makes it extremely easy to rewatch, as burning through it tells a concise Spidey story that covers a surprising amount of the character's lore in under 30 chapters.
X-Men '97 Season 1
Despite being only two years old at this point, X-Men '97 Season 1 has quickly joined the rest of the series on this list as one of the most rewatchable superhero cartoons in the medium's history. This Disney+ series, which debuted in 2024 and is set to return with a second season in 2026, continues the mutant story introduced in X-Men: The Animated Series.
However, instead of being another kids' cartoon, X-Men '97 aged up with the audiences that had watched the original series. This produced a surprisingly mature animated project, one that felt as if the fine folks at HBO had gotten their hands on the X-Men franchise.
With absolutely insane action sequences, big-name character deaths, and an ending that has had fans on the edge of their seat for years, there are plenty of reasons to revisit X-Men '97. Hopefully, the acclaimed animated series can live up to the hype with Season 2 (read more about X-Men '97 Season 2 here).
