''Iron Man: Armored Adventures'' (also known in early promotional materials as ''Iron Man: The Animated Series'') is a 3D CGI-animated series based on the

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...

. It debuted in the United States on

Nicktoons Nicktoons is the brand name used by Nickelodeon for their original animated series. All Nicktoons are produced partly at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio and list Nickelodeon's parent company (Paramount Global) in their copyright bylines. Since ...

on April 24, 2009, and it aired on

Teletoon Cartoon Network (formerly Teletoon) is a Canadian English-language discretionary specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel primarily broadcasts animated series aimed at children and teenagers. It was launched on October 17 ...

in Canada. The series is story edited by showrunner

Christopher Yost Christopher Lee Yost (; born February 21, 1973) is an American film, television, animation, and comic book writer best known for his work for Marvel Studios' Marvel Cinematic Universe with '' Thor: The Dark World'' (2013) and '' Thor: Ragnarok'' ...

, who also worked on '' Wolverine and the X-Men'', and numerous other

Marvel Animation Marvel Animation Inc. is an American animation production company. It was incorporated on January 25, 2008, to direct Marvel's efforts in animation and home entertainment markets. The incorporated Marvel Animation included then ongoing animatio ...

projects. The television show is not related to the 2007 animated film '' The Invincible Iron Man''; it has a different voice cast, but some story elements are similar and the show uses the same musical score as the film in some instances. It is the first Iron Man television series since ''Iron Man'' from 1994 to 1996, and started airing after the success of the live action ''Iron Man'' film, which had been distributed by Nicktoons’ sibling

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

. The series follows the adventures of a younger version of Tony Stark and his

alter ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I") means an alternate Self (psychology), self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original Personality psychology, personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other ...

. As Iron Man, he uses his technological inventions to fight other similarly technologically advanced threats. His friends James "Rhodey" Rhodes and

Pepper Potts Virginia "Pepper" Potts is a Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writers Stan Lee and Robert Bernstein (comics), Robert Bernstein, and designed by artist Don Heck, the character Firs ...

help him on his courageous and dangerous adventures. The second season of this series premiered on July 13, 2011, running concurrently with the English dub of the completely separate '' Marvel Anime: Iron Man'' anime series, which had already finished airing on Japan's

Animax , stylized as ANIMAX in all caps, is a Japanese animation satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. Launched on July 1, 1998, Animax is the first 24-hour network in the world dedicated to anime.The Anime Biz' - ...

in 2010. On August 25, 2012, it was revealed that ''Iron Man: Armored Adventures'' would air as part of

The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...

's new Saturday morning children's block

Vortexx Vortexx was an American Saturday morning children's television programming block that aired on The CW from August 25, 2012 to September 27, 2014. Programmed by Saban Brands, it replaced Toonzai, a block that was programmed by 4Kids Entertainme ...

. After November 24, 2012,

ceased airing the show and replaced it with '' Transformers: Prime'' on December 8, 2012. As of January 2021, both seasons of the show are available on

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

. As of 15 May 2025, both seasons of the show are available on

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Canada via

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Synopsis

After a plane crash in which his industrialist father Howard Stark disappears after refusing to weaponize the Earth Mover at Obadiah Stane's behest, Tony Stark uses a high-tech suit of armor he has constructed and investigates a charge that Stane may have been involved in his father's death. As Iron Man, Tony spends his time stopping Stane's plans and saving the world from other villains, such as

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

, Mr. Fix, Whiplash, A.I.M.,

Living Laser The Living Laser (Arthur Parks) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book a ...

, the Maggia, Controller, Crimson Dynamo,

Blizzard A blizzard is a severe Winter storm, snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow th ...

, Killer Shrike,

Unicorn The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since Classical antiquity, antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn (anatomy), horn projecting from its forehead. In European literature and art, the unico ...

MODOK MODOK (; also written as M.O.D.O.K.; an acronym for Mental/Mobile/Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing) is a Character (arts), fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Ja ...

Ghost In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...

Black Knight The black knight is a literary stock character who masks his identity and that of his liege by not displaying heraldry. Black knights are usually portrayed as villainous figures who use this anonymity for misdeeds. They are often contrasted with ...

, and Technovore. He is assisted in his crime fighting efforts by James Rhodes and

. Tony's activities as Iron Man usually result in his needing to make up excuses as to why he is constantly late or missing from school and other activities. Dependent on his technology for survival, Tony must balance the pressures of teenage life with the duties of being a superhero.

First season

The first season of ''Iron Man: Armored Adventures'' has a total of 26 episodes. It focuses on Tony, Pepper, Rhodey, and Gene Khan working together to find the five Makluan rings. After overthrowing his stepfather Xin Zhang, Gene secretly works undercover to steal the rings from his friends, and ends up betraying them. At the end of the season, Gene discovers that there are five additional rings, while Tony learns that Howard survived, but was captured.

Second season

The second season of ''Iron Man: Armored Adventures'' has a total of 26 episodes, just like the first season. Black Widow, Hawkeye,

Doctor Doom Doctor Doom is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in '' The Fantastic Four'' #5 in April 1962, and has since endured as the arch ...

Magneto A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce periodic pulses of alternating current. Unlike a dynamo, a magneto does not contain a commutator to produce direct current. It is categorized as a form of alternator, ...

, and Justin Hammer appear in this season. The second season covers the

Armor Wars "Armor Wars" is a seven-issue Iron Man story arc written by David Michelinie and Bob Layton with art by Mark D. Bright, Barry Windsor-Smith, and Layton, and published by Marvel Comics. The arc first appeared in ''Iron Man'' #225–232. Public ...

saga and Stane International storylines, with Rhodey becoming War Machine during the first half of the season. Meanwhile, Gene forces Howard to help him find the remaining rings. In the second half of the season, Justin Hammer buys Stark International and Iron Man must stop him from weaponizing its projects. In the series finale, Iron Man and various other heroes work to stop the Makluan aliens from destroying Earth.

Episodes

Cast

Main cast

Adrian Petriw Adrian Roman Petriw (born August 5, 1987) is a Canadian television, film and voice actor. He is best known for his voice role of Tony Stark / Iron Man in the television series '' Iron Man: Armored Adventures'', Commander Gren in '' The Dragon Pr ...

– Tony Stark / Iron Man * Daniel Bacon – Rhodey Rhodes / War Machine * Vincent Tong – Gene Khan, Xin Zhang / Mandarin * Anna Cummer – Pepper Potts / Rescue * Mackenzie Gray – Obadiah Stane / Iron Monger

Supporting cast

* Alistair Abell – Happy Hogan,

Michael Adamthwaite Michael David Adamthwaite (born September 1, 1981) is a Canadian actor. He is credited with providing the voice for many characters in various anime series. He is also known for portraying the Jaffa (Stargate), Jaffa List of recurring alien charac ...

– Justin Hammer /

Titanium Man The Titanium Man is the name of two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The original Titanium Man, Boris Bullski, first appeared in '' Tales of Suspense'' #69 (September 1965) and was created by Stan Lee and ...

, J.A.R.V.I.S. * Ashleigh Ball – Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow *

Eric Bauza Eric Bauza (born December 7, 1979) is a Canadian voice actor based in the United States. He is mostly known for voicing several ''Looney Tunes'' characters, for which he won three Emmy Awards for his performances in '' Looney Tunes Cartoons'' (20 ...

–

Thunderbolt Ross General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross is a fictional character who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics featuring the Hulk. Ross is a United States Armed Forces, United States military Officer (armed forces)#United States, officer, ...

Lisa Ann Beley Lisa Ann Beley is a Canadian voice actress who often voices over roles which have either regal, motherly, or older sisterly love and authority within them. Early life Beley grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, before moving to Vancouver, where she stu ...

– Iron Man Computer, Abigail Brand *

Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman (born October 21, 1984) is a Canadian actor, model, and television personality. He is known for appearances in films and television, most notably as Jay in the Lifetime dark comedy- drama series '' Unreal'' (2015–2018) a ...

–

Black Panther A black panther is the Melanism, melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical Rosette (zoology), rosettes are al ...

* Christopher Britton –

* Louis Chirillo – Arthur Parks / Living Laser * Michael Daingerfield –

* Michael Dobson –

, Makluan Warrior *

Brian Drummond Brian Drummond (born August 10, 1969) is a Canadian voice actor. He formerly served on the board of directors for the New Westminster-based Urban Academy along with his wife, Laura Drummond, also a voice artist. Usually working in Vancouver, h ...

– O'Brian, Makluan Warrior * Mark Gibbon –

Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...

Andrew Francis Andrew Michael Scott Francis is a Canadian actor. He has appeared in many television shows and films including '' My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic'' as Shining Armor, '' MegaMan NT Warrior'' as MegaMan.EXE, '' Monster Rancher'' as Genki, '' ...

– Rick Jones, Hawkeye * Catherine Haggquist – Roberta Rhodes * Ron Halder – Abraham Klein,

Professor X Professor X (Prof. Charles Francis Xavier) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 ( ...

* Fred Henderson – Howard Stark * Peter Kelamis – Whiplash * Michael Kopsa – Controller * Paula Lindberg – Sasha * Donny Lucas – Mr. Fix *

Kristie Marsden Kristie Marsden (born ) is a Canadian actress from British Columbia. Career Marsden was the youngest Canadian actress to play the role of ''Sophie'' in the touring edition of the Broadway musical ''Mamma Mia! (musical), Mamma Mia!'' She played t ...

– Whitney Stane / Madame Masque * Richard Newman – Anton Harkov * Brenna O'Brien – Rhona Burchill / Mad Thinker * Mark Oliver – Ivan Vanko / Crimson Dynamo * David Orth – Donnie Gill / Blizzard * Ty Olsson – Killer Shrike * Dean Redman –

Nick Fury Colonel (United States), Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, he first appeared in ''Sgt. Fury and ...

* Russell Roberts – Count Nefaria * Tabitha St. Germain –

Maria Hill Commander Maria Christina Hill is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch (comics), David Finch, the character first appeared in ''The New Avengers (comics), The Ne ...

, Technovore * Venus Terzo –

Jean Grey Jean Elaine Grey-Summers is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''Uncanny X-Men, The X-Men'' #1 ...

* French Tickner - Professor Zimmer *

Lee Tockar Lee William Tockar (born February 11, 1969) is a Canadian voice actor and visual artist who works for several studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is also a writer of children's literature, a musician, sculptor, illustrator and col ...

–

* Dale Wilson – Robert Kelly *

Alex Zahara Alex Zahara is a Canadian television, film and voice actor. Born in Grande Prairie, Alberta, he was involved with theatre while still in school, performing in a stage version of '' MASH''. He later taught the "Acting for Teens" class at the Van ...

– Peter Corbeau

Production

Pre-release

Months before the series' television debut, Marvel had a screening of the first episode at

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...

. Additionally, several promotional videos were released on the Marvel website.

Theme song

Popular rock band Rooney recorded the theme song to the series. The song originally could be downloaded from Teletoon's website. A provided "secret code", Tony, would be needed to access the theme. This "secret code" was shown onscreen during Canadian broadcasts of the first few episodes of the first season. The music video for the theme song features clips of Rooney singing, along with clips of Iron Man from the show.

Animation style

The series is made primarily using

computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is a specific-technology or application of computer graphics for creating or improving images in Digital art, art, Publishing, printed media, Training simulation, simulators, videos and video games. These images ...

(CGI), in a similar style to '' Spider-Man: The New Animated Series''. The technique is similar to cel-shading animation technique, although the detail and resolution are lower.

DVD releases

United States

The pilot episode was released as a bonus feature in

Wal-Mart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

's DVD edition of ''

'' (2008). Distribution rights to the series in North America was held by Vivendi Entertainment. Volume One was released on DVD in the United States on October 20, 2009. The Blu-ray edition was released exclusively through Best Buy Volume Two was released in the United States on January 5, 2010. These two releases were distributed through Genius Entertainment. The Complete Season One was released in the United States on May 4, 2010. The Complete Season One set included an unreleased pair of Volume Three and Four DVDs. Season Two, Volume One was released on DVD on June 26, 2012, with Volume Two released on September 25, 2012. The Season 2, Volume 3 DVD was released on January 22, 2013. Season 2 Volume 4 and the complete second season set became available April 23, 2013.

United Kingdom

In the UK, distribution rights to the series were held by ITV Global Entertainment. Volume One contains the first 13 episodes (the one-hour pilot being split into two separate episodes) on two discs.

Australia

The Complete First Season was released on Blu-ray in Australia.

Reception

The hour-long premiere of ''Iron Man: Armored Adventures'' broke Nicktoons Network's record of highest-rated original series by premiering with over 125,000 viewers. Reviews of the pilot episode have been mixed. Some praise the series for its detailed and layered writing, strong continuity, and character designs. ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' gave the series debut a B+ grade, saying, "What could've been a clunky retrograde reboot works surprisingly well, thanks to some smart writing and stellar CG butt-kickery."

Awards

In 2012, ''Iron Man: Armored Adventures'' won the Pulcinella Award for Best TV Series for Teens. In 2013, it was included on ''TV Guides list of the 60 greatest cartoons of all time.

References

External links