''The Marvel Action Hour'', later ''Marvel Action Universe'', was a 1994–1996 syndicated television block from Genesis Entertainment featuring animated adaptations of

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 ...

superheroes ''

Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four, often abbreviated as FF, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover-dated November 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism i ...

'' and ''

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 ...

'', with ''

Biker Mice from Mars ''Biker Mice from Mars'' is an American animated series created by Rick Ungar. The series premiered in syndication the week of September 19, 1993. It consists of three seasons of 65 episodes, with the final episode airing in syndication the we ...

'' added for the block's second season. It aired in syndication for two years before being cancelled.

Format

The first half of the hour was an episode of ''

''; the second half, an episode of ''

''. During the first season,

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...

introduced the episode. Both the ''Fantastic Four'' and ''Iron Man'' were radically retooled for the second seasons, sporting new opening sequences, improved animation, and more mature writing, though the introductions by Stan Lee were shortened and now against a green screen displaying various production paintings from both shows. In most markets, the second season was known as ''

Marvel Action Universe ''Marvel Action Universe'' was a 1988–1991 weekly syndicated television block from Marvel Productions featuring animated adaptions of '' Dino-Riders'' and ''RoboCop'', along with reruns of the 1981 ''Spider-Man'' cartoon and '' Spider-Man a ...

'', which was the name of a previous syndicated programming block in the late 1980s, with the addition of ''

'' extending the block to 90 minutes. The structure was like this: there was a pre-opening overview of the each respective series, then the ''Marvel Action Universe'' opening, then the Stan Lee intro, then the episode prologue, then the regular show opening, and finally the episode.

UK modification

The show underwent a notable modification when broadcast on the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

; because the BBC does not feature commercial breaks, the two shows that made up the ''Marvel Action Hour'' would actually only have totaled about forty minutes, and so episodes of the 1980s '' Incredible Hulk'' series were added between the two original shows to bring the whole bundle up to the promised hour in length. The Stan Lee segments were, however, dropped. First series was broadcast from 20 April until 22 June 1996 with 3 further episodes in late August and early September. The series was repeated in 1997 and 1998; however, the BBC did not screen Marvel Action Universe, due to the fact Channel 4 held the UK rights to ''Biker Mice from Mars''.

Series overview programme

* ''

'' and ''

'' (September 24, 1994 – February 24, 1996) * ''

'' from the second season.

CBBC Animated Series overview programme

* '' Incredible Hulk'' (September 18, 1982 – October 8, 1983) was added into the programme.

Stations

Generally,

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

owned television stations broadcast ''The Marvel Action Hour'' along with generally

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

The WB The WB Television Network (shortened to The WB, stylized as "THE WB", and nicknamed the "Frog Network" and/or "The Frog" for its former mascot Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network that ran from 1995 to 2006. It launched on ter ...

UPN The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that operated from 1995 to 2006. It was originally a joint venture between Chris-Craft Industries (later sold to News Corporation)'s subsidiary, United Television, ...

, or independent stations in markets where New World did not own a station.

References