For those nostalgic for the old school 1994-1996 “Iron Man” animated series, you’ll be happy with this release! Featuring many of characters from the Marvel Universe and all two seasons (26-episodes) are included in this DVD set.
© MARVEL, X-MEN and all related characters and their distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Marvel Characters, Inc. and are used with permission.© Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
DVD TITLE: Iron Man – The Complete 1994 Animated Television Series (Marvel DVD Comic Book Collection)
DURATION: 26 Episodes – 572 Minutes
DVD INFORMATION: English, Dolby 2.0 Stereo, Fullscreen (1:33:1), French and Spanish Language Tracks, French and Spanish Subtitles
COMPANY: Marvel Entertainment Group/Buena Vista Home Entertainment
RATED: TV Y7 FV
RELEASE DATE: May 4, 2010
Starring:
Robert Hays as Iron Man
John Reilly as Hawkeye
Jennifer Hale/Casie Defranco as Julia Carpenter
Ed Gilbert as the The Mandarin
Katherine Moffat as Scarlet Witch
Jim Cummings as M.O.D.O.L
Dorian Harewood/James Avery as War Machine
James Warwick as Century
tony Steedman as Justin Hammer
Neil Dicson as Dreadknight
Chuck McCann as Blizzard
Neil Ross as Fin Fang Foom
From Stan Lee comes Marvel’s complete 1994 animated television series, Iron Man. Experience every thrilling moment – from the very first episode, to the final climactic battle – in this 3-disc collector’s edition. Witness the action-packed adventure from the very beginning as billionaire inventor Tony Stark dons his invincible suit of iron to battle the villainous Mandarin and the power of his ten deadly rings.
With fellow super heroes Nick Fury, War Machine, Scarlet Witch, Spider Woman and Hawkeye at his side, Iron Man faces off against a band of evil foes, including Whiplash…and confronts his own demons, as well. Go behind the armor and get to know the man under the powered suit. This complete Iron Man collection is a must-have for fans of all ages !
Search Party
The End of Iron Man?
Ultimo!
Iron Man to the Rescue!
The “Iron Man” comic book series has been a strong part of the Marvel Universe. Originally created by Stan Lee and debuting in Tales of Suspense #39 back in 1963,the series revolved around the playboy and industrial millionaire Tony Stark who suffered a severe heart injury during a kidnapping. Keeping him alive was a device connected to his heart and being the master inventor that he is, creates a suit of armor to help keep him alive but also to become the super hero known as Iron Man.
The character continues to be a popular and within the last four decades since his character debut, Iron Man has gone through various uniforms with one given to his best friend James Rhodes who would go on to become War Machine. And with the resurgence of comic book collecting in the early ’90s, Marvel capitalized the opportunity by releasing new animated series.
And in 1994, the Marvel Action Hour was born. “Iron Man” aired from 1994-1996 in syndication along with “The Fantastic Four” and also had a popular toy line to go along with the animated series.  Although the episodes have been shown on television, the complete 1994 animated television series (featuring both seasons) for “Iron Man” will now be released on DVD via a 3-disc DVD set.
The first season of the “Iron Man” animated series was quite different from the comic book series as it featured Iron Man taking on the Mandarin and his group of villains which include Dreadknight, Blizzard, Blacklash, Grey Gargoyle, Hypnotia, Whirlwind, Living Laser, MODOK, Fin Fang Foom and Justin Hammer. Joining Iron Man in the battle are his fellow Force Works team (ala remnants of the West Coast Avengers) featuring Century, War Machine, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye and Spider Woman. By the second season, there was a connection to the comic book series with the inclusion of “The Armor Wars” storyline.
Here is a brief summary of the episodes included in “Iron Man – The Complete 1994 Animated Television Series”:
DISC: 1
- EPISODE 1 – And the Sea Shall Give Up It’s Dead – The Mandarin creates an army of zombies to conquer the world. Can Iron Man and friends defeat Mandarin and his group of enemies?
- EPISODE 2 – Rejoice! I Am Ultimo, Thy Deliverer – The Mandarin and MODOK resurrects Ultimo.
- EPISODE 3 – Data In, Chaos Out – What happens when the Mandarin steals and reprograms Tony Stark’s military and communication satellites.
- EPISODE 4 – Silence My Companion, Death My Destination – Elastika kidnaps Julia Carpenter’s daughter Rachel.
- EPISODE 5 – The Grim Reaper Wears a Teflon Coat – Mandarin’s group steals the super fighter bomber jet, the Grim Reaper.
- EPISODE 6 – Enemy Without, Enemy Within – Mandarin’s group of enemies kidnaps a model and Iron Man and friends must rescue her.
- EPISODE 7Â – Origin of the Mandarin – A video is found featuring the origin of the Mandarin.
- EPISODE 8 – The Defection of Hawkeye – Is Hawkeye helping the Mandarin?
DISC 2:
- EPISODE 9 – Iron Man to the Second Power, Part 1 – MODOK creates an Iron Man double.
- EPISODE 10 – Iron Man to the Second Power, Part 2 – Iron Man vs. his double.
- EPISODE 11 – The Origin of Iron Man, Part 1 – Iron Man is trapped in the arctic, while alone and freezing, Tony Stark remembers how he became Iron Man.
- EPISODE 12 – The Origin of Iron Man, Part 2 – Tony Stark continues to reminisce of his past, meanwhile Force Works tries to find him before the Mandarin and Fin Fang Foom gets to him.
- EPISODE 13 – The Wedding of Iron Man – The Mandarin and Justin Hammer think that Tony Stark may be Iron Man.
- EPISODE 14 -Â The Beast Within – The Mandarin tries to steal Tony Stark’s armor.
- EPISODE 15 – Fire and Rain – Iron Man takes on Firebrand.
- EPISODE 16 – Cell of Iron – A.I.M. has gone forward with terrorist attacks and now Iron Man must stop them.
- EPISODE 17 – Not Far From the Tree – Tony Stark intercepts a plea of help from his father but Tony thought his father is dead.
DISC 3:
- EPISODE 18 – Beauty Knows No Pain – Workers in Egypt have been kidnapped by Madame Masque and Maggia.
- EPISODE 19 – Iron Man, On the Inside – ULTIMO and H.O.M.E.R. are back!
- EPISODE 20 – Distant Boundaries – Iron Man and War Machine embark towards the planet Elysian.
- EPISODE 21 – The Armor Wars, Part 1 – Iron Man tries to stop a coup in Russia started by Crimson Dynamo but Iron Man is blamed when people are injured.
- EPISODE 22 – The Armor Wars, Part 2 – Iron Man takes on his former teammate Hawkeye.
- EPISODE 23 – Hulk Buster – The Leader has found two of the Mandarin’s rings and Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk get pulled into a time rift.
- EPISODE 24 – Empowered – MODOK locates one of Mandarin’s power rings.
- EPISODE 25 – Hands of the Mandarin, Part 1 – The Mandarin has reunited with all ten of his rings and now wants to take over the world.
- EPISODE 26 – Hands of the Mandarin, Part 2 – Iron Man and the Force Works try to stop the Mandarin.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
“Iron Man – The Complete 1994 Animated Television Series” is presented in full screen (1:33:1). It’s important to note that a lot of animation created in the ’90s don’t hold up as well in terms of picture quality. I’ve always felt that the Marvel animated series from the early ’80s had more detail when it came to artistic backgrounds and even the characters themselves. But for the most part, the animation is fine but for those with larger television sets, the edge enhancement is quite apparent as well as interlacing. Although, I was watching this on a 51″, I switched to a smaller screen and on smaller screens, things looked better but the interlacing is still noticeable.
But it’s important to remind people that this is an animated series that is over 15-years-old and it was the first Marvel animated series to also sport CG. Although, the CG is quite dated by today’s standards.
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0. The sound effects are fine and the dialogue is clear. I preferred to have my receiver settings set at stereo on all channels for a more immersive soundscape but for the most part, there are no issues with audio.
Subtitles are in English SDH.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
There are no special features included.
EXTRAS:
“Iron Man – The Complete 1994 Animated Television Series” comes with a slip cover.
It’s great to see “Iron Man” the animated series finally being released on DVD. As a big fan of Iron Man especially enjoying and collecting the comic books for many years, it’s great to see the character receiving some love by fans especially since the first live action film had done so well.
When the “Iron Man” animated series was released in 1994, I have to admit that although I enjoyed the character and the comic book series, I didn’t like the enemies presented in the animated series at all. To have Mandarin being this leader of evil (like Magneto and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants) just didn’t seem right. Also, to see A.I.M. leader MODOK working for Mandarin also seemed a bit out of place.
But when the series was on television, one of the major reasons I was staying tuned to the series was that the characters of the West Coast Avengers (Force Works) were in the series. When the X-Men animated series was released two years earlier, I was wanting an Avengers series (which would eventually happen but several years later), so this “Iron Man” animated series was the best thing at that time.
I felt that the first season of “Iron Man” was a bit hokey but by the second season things started to get better. Especially with the inclusion of the Armor Wars and also showcasing the Hulk Buster armor (it’s important to note that the “Hulk Buster” episode was connected to the Incredible Hulk animated series in 1996 but the animated series has not yet been released on DVD).
As for the DVD itself, it’s great to see all episodes from both seasons on DVD. I guess it has been so long since I have seen the episodes that I was a bit shocked by the edge enhancement and interlacing but I suppose considering the age of the series, this is probably the best we will see of these older animated series.
Overall, “Iron Man – The Complete 1994 Animated Television Series” was great for nostalgic sake and for hardcore Iron Man fans, if you enjoyed the animated series between 1994-1996, then definitely give this DVD a chance!