The Marvel Action Hour

Syndicated programming block

The Marvel Action Hour, later Marvel Action Universe, was a 1994–1996 syndicated television block from Genesis Entertainment featuring animated adaptations of Marvel Comics superheroes Fantastic Four and Iron Man, with Biker Mice from Mars added for the block's second season. It aired in syndication for two years before being cancelled.

The first half of the hour was an episode of Iron Man; the second half, an episode of Fantastic Four. During the first season, Stan Lee introduced the episode. 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, which was the name of a previous syndicated programming block in the late 1980s, with the addition of Biker Mice from Mars extending the block to 90 minutes. 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.

The show underwent a notable modification when broadcast on the BBC in the United Kingdom; 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.

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

Generally, New World owned television stations broadcast The Marvel Action Hour along with generally Fox, The WB, UPN, or independent stations in markets where New World did not own a station. City StationAlbany GAWFXL 31 (Fox)Albany NYWXXA 23 (Fox)AtlantaWAGA 5 (Fox)WUPA 69 (UPN)AustinKXAN 36 (NBC)BaltimoreWBFF 45 (Fox)Baton RougeWGMB 44 (Fox)BellinghamKVOS 12 (Ind)BirminghamWDBB 17 (Fox)BostonWSBK 38 (UPN)BuffaloWKBW 7 (ABC)CharlestonWTAT 24 (Fox)CharlotteWJZY 46 (UPN)ChicagoWPWR 50 (UPN)ClevelandWJW 8 (Fox)CincinnatiWSTR 64 (UPN)ColumbusWSYX 6 (ABC)WWHO 53 (UPN)DaytonWKEF 22 (NBC)DetroitWJBK 2 (Fox)Fort Worth/DallasKTXA 21 (UPN)KDFW 2 (Fox)HartfordWFSB 3 (CBS)HoustonKTXH 20 (UPN)Goldsboro/RaleighWNCN 17 (WB)Greensboro/High Point/Winston SalemWGHP 8 (Fox)Greeneville/BristolWEMT 39 (Fox)JacksonvilleWBSG 21 (WB)Kansas CityKSMO 62 (UPN)Los AngelesKTLA 5 (WB)MiamiWDZL 39 (WB)MilwaukeeWITI 6 (Fox)New YorkWPIX 11 (WB)Oklahoma CityKOCB 34 (WB)OrlandoWKCF 18 (WB)PhiladelphiaWPHL 17 (WB)PhoenixKSAZ 10 (Fox)PittsburghKDKA 2 (CBS)PortlandKPTV 12 (UPN)RochesterWROC 8 (CBS)SacramentoKPWB 31 (WB)San DiegoKNSD 39 (NBC)San FranciscoKBHK TV 44 (UPN)SeattleKTZZ 22 (WB)St. LouisKTVI 2 (Fox)St. Petersburg/TampaWTVT 13 (Fox)WTTA 38 (Ind)Washington, D. C. WBDC 50 (WB)West Palm BeachWTVX 34 (UPN)