Top 10 Most Shocking Moments from Marvel Animated Shows

“Iron Man: The Animated Series” (1994-96)

This sure is one heck of a disguise. While trying to gain some important intel, MODOK masquerades as a baby. How often do you see supervillains dressing up as infants? He’s even got the stroller and everything. That’s some serious dedication to the bit! While this ploy is undeniably odd, MODOK’s inventiveness proves he’s a bad guy who could never be stale. World domination? That’s boring! But forcing people to see MODOK in a ridiculous getup like this? Psychological warfare at its finest! Though his decision to go through “Extreme Makeover: Newborn Edition” was obviously a surprising choice, never doubt MODOK’s mighty ways.

“Spider-Man: The Animated Series” (1994-98)

This beloved 90’s cartoon took notable big swings with the mythos. Electro is arguably the biggest example of this. Typically, Electro is Max Dillon, a small-time guy who suffers an unfortunate electrical mishap. That isn’t the case here. As revealed in Season Five, he’s Rhienholdt Schmidt, the son of the Red Skull. He got his powers when Red Skull intentionally blasted him with a special Doomsday weapon. Wow, throwing your kid into the line of fire isn’t exactly something that’ll make you Dad of the Year. Needless to say, this revelation was a shocking jolt to the canon like nothing else. Seriously, who had Electro as the “heir to the throne of Hydra” on their bingo cards? Anyone?

“X-Men: The Animated Series” (1992-97)

Come on, it wouldn’t be an “X-Men” story without some soap opera-style family drama in the mix. During “Orphan’s End,” Cyclops discovers that Corsair, the cosmic swashbuckling leader of the Starjammers, is his long-lost father! You’ve got to admit, having your dad be an intergalactic superhero is pretty badass. The truth about Corsair might not have been a huge revelation if you knew your X-Men lore, but it was a major plot twist for Scott. Naturally, this breaking news created a major rift between Cyclops and Corsair. Eventually, Scott overcame his feelings and rescued his father from prison, allowing the two to reconcile.

“Spider-Man Unlimited” (1999-2001)

Despite never having any speaking lines throughout the entire show, viewers developed a surprisingly emotional connection to the freedom fighter Git Hoskins. How could you not? When the Counter-Earth native’s backstory was revealed, it was a deeply tragic one. Ripped from his home by Sir Ram, Git became the subject of incredibly inhumane genetic experimentation. These experiments transformed him into a broken man who sought revenge on Ram even if it meant total destruction. While he would eventually be convinced to let go of his revenge plan, we can’t blame him for his feelings of anger. Git’s turbulent past and even more tragic future were startling eye-openers of the horrors being committed on this world.

“The Incredible Hulk” (1996-97)

It’s hard to imagine anything getting in the Incredible Hulk’s way, after all, he’s an indestructible force of nature. When he got possessed by an evil entity in “Mind Over Anti-Matter,” we were all thrown for a loop. This creature took control of Bruce Banner like it was nothing, which meant that Doctor Strange had to come in to lend a helping hand. The remaining shenanigans led to a whirlwind of events. For example, viewers were treated to multiple different Hulks causing all kinds of mayhem. The entire situation is a scary look at what can happen when the Hulk is compromised. It’s also an intense psychological deep dive into Banner’s head. This was definitely a lot to unpack!

“Fantastic Four: The Animated Series” (1994-96)

What, did you think we were done talking about the Hulk getting possessed? This time, the Hulk gets controlled by none other than Doctor Doom. The Latverian ruler sends him on a collision course with the Fantastic Four, leading toward a battle between the Hulk and the Thing. Fans have long debated which of these two juggernauts would win in a brawl, and well, sorry but the Thing just isn’t on Hulk’s level. If Hulk being mind-controlled wasn’t shocking enough, his beating the Thing to death was. Okay, the Thing didn’t actually die, but this fight wasn’t exactly pretty for him. This was yet another haunting showcase of what the Hulk could do when he’s let off his leash.

“X-Men: The Animated Series” (1992-97)

During the culmination of this show’s “Phoenix Saga” adaptation, Jean Grey became imbued with the power of the Phoenix Force. Despite how powerful she’d become, Jean wouldn’t be able to save the Earth without resorting to some desperate measures. To defeat Emperor D’Ken Neramani of the Shi'ar, Jean commits the ultimate sacrifice. She absorbs the M’Kraan crystal and heads straight towards the sun, ending her life in the process. When it comes to superheroes, no one is dead for long. Either way, this was still an emotional rollercoaster for all involved. It’s one of the most bittersweet sendoffs a hero has ever gotten, and a moment that cements Jean Grey as one of the greatest X-Men of all.

“Silver Surfer: The Animated Series” (1998)

It’s not every day that the Eater of Worlds is a victim. When the Silver Surfer discovers that Galactus is essentially on his deathbed, he’s asked to save him by Galactus’ newest herald Nova. Naturally, the Surfer is a little reluctant to help out his evil former boss, but eventually, he agrees. You won’t normally see superheroes rushing in to save one of Marvel’s most powerful cosmic villains, but it’s a necessary job. Galactus isn’t just one really hungry dude. He’s a force of nature that the entire universe depends upon, which is kind of a shocking revelation all on its own. So yeah, we should probably all be thanking the Silver Surfer for saving the day.

“Spider-Man: The Animated Series” (1994-98)

Peter Parker has some terrible luck. If battling fearsome foes as Spider-Man isn't challenging enough, imagine finding out that your wife isn’t actually your wife. During this show’s final season, it was revealed that Mary Jane was a clone. The original MJ was lost to a dangerous dimensional rift. While we thought she returned, it was all a ruse. To then make matters worse, her clone died. That’s right, she straight up dissolved into complete nothingness as our favorite webhead was left reeling in disbelief. This soul-shattering reveal didn’t just traumatize Spider-Man… it also traumatized the fans! They’d struggle for decades to try and get closure after the show was untimely canceled. What happened to MJ was nothing short of emotional damage.

“X-Men ‘97” (2024-)

If you thought that things were finally looking up for the X-Men when they established the mutant island of Genosha you were unfortunately proven wrong. A sneak attack from the dangerous Tri-Sentinel would prove fatal, annihilating much of Genosha and its residents. Gambit would be the one to put a stop to the Tri-Sentinel, but at the cost of his own life. The complete bloodbath that ensued during this whole thing wasn’t on anybody’s radar. One moment, mutants are enjoying their liberation. The next, Rogue is clinging to Gambit’s fresh corpse. Sure, the X-Men have always been in perilous situations, but this event set the tone for the rest of the series. Simply put, we never expected something made by Disney+ to get this violent.

Are there some major plot twists we left out? Drop all of the bombshells down in the comments!