The Marvel Super Heroes

Production

Sixty-five half-hour episodes, each containing three seven-minute chapters, were produced for a total of 195 segments that initially aired in broadcast syndication from September to December 1966. The series employed limited animation via xerography, using edited images from the comics; movement was generally restricted to lips, eyes, occasional limbs, or fully animated black silhouettes. The stories were taken largely from the Silver Age of Comic Books, showcasing art by Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Don Heck.

Stan Lee, Marvel's editor and art director at the time, stated in 2004 that he believed publisher Martin Goodman negotiated the deal with Grantray-Lawrence and that Robert Lawrence chose the characters. Lawrence rented Lee and his wife a penthouse apartment at 30 East 60th Street near Madison Avenue for Lee's use while working on the series; Lee lived in Hewlett Harbor, New York, on Long Island. Lee recalled no reaction from the Marvel artists involved and said he did not write the theme song lyrics, which were composed by Jacques Urbont.

Series distributor Steve Krantz arranged to subcontract production of The Mighty Thor segments to Paramount Cartoon Studios, headed by Shamus Culhane. Marvel announced the series in the November 1966 issue of its monthly fan page, the Marvel Bullpen Bulletins, stating in hyperbolic style that the superheroes would appear five nights a week for a half-hour each night.

Cast

Len Carlson voiced Quicksilver, Loki, Odin, Nathan Garrett / Black Knight, Mad Thinker, President, Morgan Stark, and Moon Man. Bernard Cowan served as narrator and voiced Steve Rogers / Captain America, Captain Torak, and Morgan. Jack Creley played Donald Blake / Thor and Asgardian Sentry. Max Ferguson voiced Bruce Banner / Hulk.

Vita Linder portrayed Jane Foster, Scarlet Witch, Sharon Carter, Peggy Carter, Lorelei, Neri, Celia Rawlings, and Lady Dorma. Don Mason voiced Rick Jones and Clint Barton / Hawkeye (regular voice). Claude Rae played Thunderbolt Ross, Zeus, Seidring, Cerberus, J.B. Stardust, and Power Man. Henry Ramer voiced Mandarin, Major Uberhart, Melter, Doctor Doom, Wolfgang, Vashti, and Sando / Colonel Kranz.

John Vernon played Tony Stark / Iron Man, Namor, Glenn Talbot, and Major Corey. Chris Wiggins voiced Hawkeye (in Iron Man segments), Kraven, Grey Gargoyle, Byrrah, Balder, Jack Frost, Count Nefaria, and Happy Hogan's grandfather. Carl Banas voiced Bucky Barnes. Len Birman played Hercules, Giant-Man / Goliath, Swordsman, and Boomerang.

Vern Chapman voiced Edwin Jarvis and Super-Adaptoid. Henry Comor played Gargantus, Calvin Zabo / Mister Hyde, and Executioner. Rod Coneybeare voiced Zarrko, Cobra, Ringmaster, Super-Skrull, Cyclops, and Attuma. Other cast members included Peg Dixon, Gillie Fenwick, Margaret Griffin, Tom Harvey, Paul Kligman, Douglas Master, Ed McNamara, Maxine Miller, Mona O'Hearn, Billie Mae Richards, and Alfie Scopp.

For WNAC-TV in Boston, Arthur Pierce portrayed Captain America in live-action segments, with actors portraying Doctor Doom, Hulk, and Bucky also appearing in live-action segments scripted by Jerry Siegel.

Guest characters

The X-Men, in their original lineup of Angel, Beast, Cyclops, Iceman, and Marvel Girl, appeared in a Sub-Mariner episode titled 'Dr. Doom's Day / The Doomed Allegiance / Tug of Death'. This story adapted Fantastic Four #6 and Fantastic Four Annual #3, but because Grantray-Lawrence Animation did not own rights to the Fantastic Four, the X-Men were substituted and referred to as the 'Allies for Peace'. The Avengers appeared in episode 8 of The Incredible Hulk, an adaptation of Avengers #2, co-starring Thor, Iron Man (with his early golden armor recolored to match the red-and-gold design), Giant-Man, and Wasp. The lineup from Avengers #4, with Thor, Iron Man, Giant-Man, Wasp, and Captain America, appears in several Captain America episodes, as does the later lineup from Avengers #16 featuring Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and Scarlet Witch.

Home media

The home video history of The Marvel Super Heroes began in 1985, when Prism Entertainment put out several segments on VHS as part of its Marvel Comics Video Library series. Best Film & Video Corp. took over the line in the early 1990s under the Marvel Video! name. Goldstar Video issued two compilation packs, each holding three tapes: Marvel Superheroes: Triple Pack #1 and Marvel's Mightiest Heroes: Triple Pack #2. Fox Video also released a version called Marvel's Mightiest Super Heroes Gift Set.

In June 2003, a selection of Hulk segments covering his origin story turned up as a bonus feature on Buena Vista Home Entertainment's DVD of The Incredible Hulk (1996). Buena Vista announced a five-DVD set titled the 60s Superheroes for June 28, 2005, which would have included all segments on separate discs, but by February 2005 the release was canceled. In May 2004, Maximum Entertainment put out two box sets, each with one disc for Captain America, Iron Man, Sub-Mariner, and Thor, plus The Avengers: United They Stand; the Hulk segments were left out because Fox Kids Europe had sub-licensed them to Buena Vista the year before.

Maximum re-released Iron Man as a two-disc standalone set on August 1, 2005, and on May 21, 2007, re-released each segment on separate two-disc sets, with episodes re-edited into continuous half-hour chunks. Those sets were later bundled as the Marvel Superheroes Classic Collection box set in November 2007. In April 2008, a five-disc box set called Iron Man - Ultimate Collection combined the Iron Man segments with the 1994 series. Segments also appeared on standalone Iron Man 1994 DVD releases, later bundled as Iron Man Collection on November 24, 2008.

In April 2008, Liberation Entertainment got home media rights to select Marvel shows from Jetix Europe in certain European territories, including Hulk, and on August 25, 2008, released a two-disc set of Hulk segments re-edited into 13 20-minute episodes in the United Kingdom and Germany.