Marvel favorite returning to headline new Disney Plus series

The Disney Plus streaming service has changed how we consume Marvel media. Now, we can binge-watch new adventures from our favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe superheroes on the small screen instead of (or as well as) going to the movie theaters to watch them on the big one. It's true; the MCU has expanded exponentially since it launched the first of those streaming TV shows, adding favorites such as WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, Hawkeye, Agatha All Along, Moon Knight and more to the franchise.

It has also expanded into animation with projects that run parallel to the MCU ones. Examples of this are What If...?, which is adjacent to the MCU, and X-Men '97, which is a sequel series to the classic '90s animated show X-Men: The Animated Series. That's just a sign of what the streamer can do with classic Marvel characters, producing projects that are a staple of linear television (like animated shows) for streaming TV now.

if X-Men '97 has proven anything, it's that they all don't have to be tied to the MCU either. And it seems that Disney Plus has taken that idea and run with it, as another is on the way.

Iron Man to headline animated series for Disney Plus

Iron Man is getting the animated series treatment. As reported by Variety, Tony Stark's mecha-suit superhero is set to star in his own animated series for Disney Jr. and Disney Plus titled Iron Man And His Awesome Friends and it is currently in prroduction.

As the title of the project confirms, the series will focus on Tony Stark and two of his allies, Riri Williams, a.k.a. Ironheart, and Amadeus Cho, a.k.a. Iron Hulk, as they team together to protect the world from threats. They won't be the only familiar faces for Marvel Comics fans in it either, as the logline reveals that they will work out of Stark's beach house under the supervision of none other than Vision himself.

Marvel Studios will be involved in the production, along with Disney Jr. in association with Atomic Cartoons, but it's unlikely that this will be a part of their Marvel Animation or Marvel Television brands that they have carved out for their Disney Plus-exclusive shows. Even so, their involvement is extremely promising for the show, as the studio is all-too familiar with what it takes to produce a thrilling adaptation of Tony Stark.

Iron Man was a huge part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since its 2008 launch. He headlined the first film in the franchise and went on to become one of the leaders of The Avengers. Fans adored Tony Stark and his heroic journey, and it was easy to see why because Robert Downey Jr.'s performance was nothing short of captivating.

Even though this new animated series won't be canon to the shared universe of superheroes, we've been all-too light on Iron Man content and this animated series is a great way to bring him back to screens and yet another innovative, intriguing use of the Disney Plus streaming service to help shwocase the character to a whole new generation of fans.

It's not the first Iron Man animated series we've had, but it might just be the most interesting.