Why "Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes" Was Canceled

I have written at length elsewhere about why and how much I love the latest animated incarnation of Marvel Comics' the Avengers on Disney XD - "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes."

Much like the comics they were based on, Disney took great care to create and build a continuity and a universe around the characters. They even started before the show even got on the air officially with mini-episodes, detailing the solo pre-Avengers careers of the Avengers, and giving viewers new to the Marvel Universe a taste of how things started and fit together. It was actually a quick short-form, but orchestrated, version of how Paul Dini and Bruce Timm slowly built the DC Animated Universe from its beginnings in "Batman The Animated Series" until it blossomed in the last version seen in "Justice League Unlimited."

In Marvel and Disney's case, we had small vignettes that introduced us to Ant-Man, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk, and Iron Man (and their various villains as well). The last one there was based solidly on Marvel's Cinematic Universe, and the others more comic book versions shoehorned into that world. This was a good thing, making the show accessible, as many new viewers felt like they were coming in on the ground floor. And while the events seemed a bit out of order in places, most things were pretty accurate to the comics, more so than any other comics-to-TV project previous to this.

I loved this series, and now it's over. The word is it was shut down because it did not fit in with the continuity Jeph Loeb had set up with his later "Ultimate Spider-Man" cartoon. He had a mad Hulk, a teenage Power Man and Iron Fist, and other bits like that. Have I mentioned how much I hate the "Ultimate Spider-Man" cartoon? It has its merits, don't get me wrong, but it has more wrong with it than right with it. And maybe I'm just old, but the anime and videogame references annoy me.

So a silly teenaged version of the characters, or one based on the movies and the comics - guess which one gets jettisoned? Bingo, goodbye, "Earth's Mightiest Heroes." Mainly because one old man wants all the animated series under his hat to match? Yep, that's why. Do "Mike and Molly" and "The Big Bang Theory" exist in the same universe, and have to adhere to the same continuity rules? No, but if Loeb was in charge, they'd have to.

This is probably a good time to mention while Loeb has done some good work, like "Hush" and "The Long Halloween," he is also responsible for ruining "Heroes," The Ultimates, Superman, and the Challengers of the Unknown. And while he wrote Teen Wolf, any good will there was erased by Teen Wolf Too, which he also penned.

The new replacement series, "Avengers Assemble," might be a continuation of the "Earth's Mightiest Heroes," and then again, it might not. The voice cast is different, and it features new member, the Falcon, joining a team composed of the heroes from the 2012 hit movie, Marvel's The Avengers. Who wants to take bets that Hawkeye will be in his drab, unexciting, movie uniform? You'd win.

"Avengers Assemble" gets a sneak preview on Disney XD on May 26th, and then premieres in its regular time slot on July 7th. I will withhold my opinion until it airs, but I'm betting there's no way it can be as good, as one of the best superhero cartoons ever made - "Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes." It certainly can't be worse than "Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H." Don't even ask...