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''Heroes United'' is a series of American direct-to-video animated
superhero film Superhero film/movie is a film genre categorized by the presence of superhero characters, individuals with extraordinary abilities who are dedicated to fighting crime, saving the world, or helping the innocent. It is sometimes considered a sub ...
s from
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 ...
. They are the first full-length direct-to-video CG animated features created by the animation studio. Both films are available to stream 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 ...
.


''Iron Man and Hulk''

''Iron Man and Hulk: Heroes United'' is a
direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...
animated film by
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 ...
. The film is the first long form of animation for Marvel since its
Marvel Universe The Marvel Universe is a fictional shared universe where the stories in most American comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Comics take place. Superhero teams such as the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Guardia ...
TV block and targets children. The video was released on December 3, 2013.


Characters

* Tony Stark / Iron Man (voiced by
Adrian Pasdar Adrian Kayvan Pasdar (; April 30, 1965) is an American film, television, and voice actor. He is known for his roles in ''Profit'', '' Near Dark'', '' Carlito's Way'', '' Mysterious Ways'', ''Desperate Housewives'', '' Burn Notice'', '' Heroes'' a ...
) * Bruce Banner / Hulk (voiced by
Fred Tatasciore Fred Tatasciore ( , , born June 13, 1967) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk, Volstagg, and Beast in various Marvel media and ...
) * Zzzax (voiced by
Dee Bradley Baker Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of his work has consisted of vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as '' Adventure Time'', ''American Dad!'', '' Avatar: The Las ...
) * Emil Blonsky / Abomination (voiced by
Robin Atkin Downes Robin Atkin Downes is an English actor. He is known for his work in animation and video games. Early life Downes was born in London. He earned an MFA from Temple University in Philadelphia. Career Downes has voiced characters in animated f ...
)


Production

The studio used a new process that they invented referred to as a "2-D wrap." This process starts with traditional animation, then scanning into the computer to wrap it around the characters to give texture and weight to backgrounds and strongly emphasize facial expressions. In October 2012, Marvel Animation Studios announced its first DTV production, the direct-to-video film ''Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United'', which was scheduled to be released on April 23, 2013. The release was pushed back to December 2013. The film was released on DVD, Blu-ray, Digital, and Disney Movies Anywhere on December 3, 2013.


Premise

Two Hydra scientists enlist the Abomination to help them capture the Hulk and siphon his gamma energy into their own version of Tony Stark's arc reactor. By the time Iron Man arrives to investigate, he and the Hulk find themselves facing the newly created energy creature Zzzax. They also fight a
Wendigo Wendigo () is a mythological creature or evil spirit originating from Algonquian folklore. The concept of the wendigo has been widely used in literature and other works of art, such as social commentary and horror fiction. The wendigo is of ...
and a fleet of Mandroids.


''Iron Man and Captain America''

''Iron Man and Captain America: Heroes United'' is a direct-to-streaming animated film by
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 ...
. This is the second film in the ''Heroes United'' franchise.


Characters

* Tony Stark / Iron Man (voiced by
Adrian Pasdar Adrian Kayvan Pasdar (; April 30, 1965) is an American film, television, and voice actor. He is known for his roles in ''Profit'', '' Near Dark'', '' Carlito's Way'', '' Mysterious Ways'', ''Desperate Housewives'', '' Burn Notice'', '' Heroes'' a ...
) * Steve Rogers / Captain America (voiced by
Roger Craig Smith Roger Craig Smith is an American voice actor. He is known for his voice roles in video games such as Chris Redfield in the ''Resident Evil'' series (2009–2017), Ezio Auditore da Firenze in the ''Assassin's Creed'' series (2009–2011), Kyle C ...
) * Bruce Banner / Hulk (voiced by
Fred Tatasciore Fred Tatasciore ( , , born June 13, 1967) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk, Volstagg, and Beast in various Marvel media and ...
) *
Red Skull The Red Skull is the alias of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by France Herron, Jack Kirby, and Joe Simon, the character first appeared in ''Captain America Comics'' #1 (March 1941), in ...
(voiced by
Liam O'Brien Liam Christopher O'Brien (born May 28, 1976) is an American voice actor, writer, and director. He is a regular cast member of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' actual play series '' Critical Role,'' playing Vax'ildan ("Vax"), Caleb Widogast, and Orym. ...
) * Anthony Masters / Taskmaster (voiced by
Clancy Brown Clarence James Brown III (born January 5, 1959) is an American actor. Prolific in film and television since the 1980s, Brown is often cast in villainous and authoritative roles. His film roles include Rawhide in ''The Adventures of Buckaroo Ban ...
)


Production

The film was in production as of December 2013, as they released a clip of film with an announcement that the film would be released in 2014. placeholder It was released on Digital HD, On-Demand, and Disney Movies Anywhere on July 29, 2014.


Plot

The
Red Skull The Red Skull is the alias of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by France Herron, Jack Kirby, and Joe Simon, the character first appeared in ''Captain America Comics'' #1 (March 1941), in ...
and Taskmaster strategize a plan to be rid of Captain America, by stealing weapons that belong to Iron Man. After the two heroes' training is complete, the Hydra soldiers infiltrate the
Helicarrier The Helicarrier is a fictional airborne aircraft carrier appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the aircraft First appearance, first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #135 (August 1965). The ...
and head towards the weapons vault. During their attack, two of the soldiers go in and escape with the Stark Repulsor Cannon. Iron Man flies to reclaim his repulsor cannon while Cap fights with Taskmaster, but to no avail as Taskmaster takes him down and kidnaps him, and brings him to the base. The Red Skull steals Cap's superhuman blood to create an army, replicated with the same powers as he has, with a machine called the Neurotransducer. Iron Man learns that not only the hull of the Helicarrier is damaged, but his Mark VI armor was taken by Taskmaster during the infiltration. He finds their base in an abandoned military bunker in the Southern
Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
. The serum is fully created, and the Red Skull brainwashes Cap, causing him turn into a pawn called Captain Hydra and fights against Iron Man who arrives to rescue him. During the fight, Cap hacks into Iron Man's systems, allowing Taskmaster to gain access to control the Mark VI armor. Iron Man gets Cap back to normal and put up a fake fight to make Taskmaster thinks Cap is still in Hydra's control. After that, Taskmaster announces his plan to Cap about overthrowing Red Skull to rule the world, before being beaten down by the two. As they leave, Taskmaster escapes and activates his Mark VI armor, naming himself the "Iron Master." Arriving in
Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...
, the two Avengers witness a giant rocket, containing Cap's blood, enough to turn the entire population of the United States into the Red Skull's super-powered army, and an underground facility where they mass-produce the Stark Repulsor Cannon and copy Cap's shield from the real one. They fight off against the remaining Hydra soldiers and shut down production of the facility. Before they can take down the Red Skull, the Iron Master arrives and attempts to kill him, but the Iron Master's armor is in the Red Skull's control and forces him to kill them but is quickly beaten. The superhuman Hydra soldiers arrive to defeat the two avengers. Before they can finish them off, the Hulk arrives to their aid. Iron Man fights against the Iron Master with the Hulk and wins, while Cap goes to confront the Red Skull and to halt the rocket's launch sequence. Cap succeeds in stopping the rocket by sticking his shield into the fuel tanks, causing the rocket to destruct by the launch, and destroying the whole facility in the process. The Red Skull, the Iron Master and the remaining Hydra soldiers get taken into custody by
S.H.I.E.L.D. S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism government agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, this agency first appeared in ''Strange Tal ...
At the Helicarrier, Iron Man, Cap (as
Iron Patriot Icarus Icarus (Joshua "Jay" Guthrie) is a mutant superhero. He was a member of the student body at the Xavier Institute and a member of the New Mutants training squad. Jay was the son of Thomas and Lucinda Guthrie. Thomas dies early in Jay's lif ...
) and the Hulk begin training and end up with the two being beaten by Iron Patriot's heat-seeking missiles. After the two make up, they and the Hulk go out to eat some pie.


Reception


Critical response


''Iron Man and Hulk: Heroes United''

John-Michael Bond of ''
The Daily Dot ''The Daily Dot'' is a digital media company covering the culture of the Internet and the World Wide Web. It was founded by Nicholas White in 2011, and is headquartered in Austin, Texas. The site, conceived as the Internet's "hometown newsp ...
'' wrote, "Marvel excels at telling patently ridiculous stories in a way that draws you in, and this animated tale of mad scientists run amok is a shining example. Reimagining the origin story of the Hulk villain Zzzax, a being of pure energy and onomatopoeia, this adventure focuses on the humorous partnership that arises when Iron Man and the god of smashing team up. Computer effects make the animation occasionally look a little odd, but it’s highly stylized art—and what comic fan could turn their nose up at that?." Troy Blackburn of ''
Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and comic books. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publications including Comic Book Resources, Collider, MovieWeb and XDA Developers. ...
'' ranked ''Iron Man and Hulk: Heroes United'' 16th in their "16 Best Marvel Animated Movies" list. Brent McCluskey of '' Mic'' ranked ''Iron Man and Hulk: Heroes United'' 45th in their "50 Netflix Superhero Movies and TV Shows to Binge Watch in 2017" list, calling it one of the "50 best superhero movies and TV shows on Netflix in 2017."


''Iron Man and Captain America: Heroes United''

John-Michael Bond of ''
The Daily Dot ''The Daily Dot'' is a digital media company covering the culture of the Internet and the World Wide Web. It was founded by Nicholas White in 2011, and is headquartered in Austin, Texas. The site, conceived as the Internet's "hometown newsp ...
'' wrote, "Marvel’s ''Heroes United'' movies are lighthearted fare, designed to show off the joys of a superhero team-up while telling a big action story full of laughs. Centering on the dueling hubris of the Avengers two leaders, ''Iron Man & Captain America: Heroes United'' follows our heroes as they takedown Red Skull and an army of Hydra super soldiers. The computerized animation takes some getting used to, but Clancy Brown is a joy as the villainous Taskmaster. If you’re looking for a good film for your kids, ''Iron Man & Captain America: Heroes United'' fits the bill." Joe Garza of ''
/Film ''/Film'', also spelled ''SlashFilm'', is a blog that covers movie news, reviews, interviews, and trailers. It was founded by Peter Sciretta in August 2005. The site's reviews appear on Rotten Tomatoes, and as of 2024, two of its leading film cr ...
'' said, "''Iron Man and Captain America: Heroes United'' is carried by the wonderful chemistry between the two heroes as they continually compete to show up each other, which only makes the moments of them fighting together as a team all the more satisfying." Brian Costello of ''
Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an American nonprofit organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.
'' gave ''Iron Man and Captain America: Heroes United'' a grade of three out of five stars, calling it a "noir" take on Captain America and Iron Man. Troy Blackburn of ''
Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and comic books. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publications including Comic Book Resources, Collider, MovieWeb and XDA Developers. ...
'' ranked ''Captain America:Heroes United'' 14th in their "16 Best Marvel Animated Movies" list. Brent McCluskey of '' Mic'' ranked ''Iron Man and Captain America: Heroes United'' 47th in their "50 Netflix Superhero Movies and TV Shows to Binge Watch in 2017" list, calling it one of the "50 best superhero movies and TV shows on Netflix in 2017."


Sales


In other media


Merchandise

* In 2013,
Diamond Select Toys Diamond Select Toys and Collectibles, LLC was founded in 1999 by sister company Diamond Comics Distributors to create collectibles for adult collectors, and has since licensed a variety of pop culture properties, including Marvel Comics, ''Star Wa ...
released a Tony Stark / Iron Man
minimate Minimates are a block-styled miniature action figure originally created by Art Asylum in 2002, and released by Diamond Select Toys as of 2007. The basic Minimate figure design has a tall humanoid body with 14 points of articulation. Released in b ...
and a Bruce Banner / Hulk minimate inspired by the ''Heroes United'' incarnations of the characters.


References


External links

* * {{Animated films based on Marvel Comics Film series introduced in 2013 2010s direct-to-video animated superhero films Animated films based on Marvel Comics Captain America films Animated superhero crossover films Direct-to-video animated films Films directed by Eric Radomski Hulk (comics) films Iron Man films Marvel Animation Marvel Entertainment franchises Direct-to-video film series Disney direct-to-video animated films