Animation shows have come a long way since 1999. Watching "Avengers: United We Stand" felt like going back in time and observing a relic of the past. Certainly 1999 was almost twenty years ago, more than half my lifetime and I think if I was a child when the show came out I would have given it a much higher score. I recognize that rating the show's quality on today's standards will be skewed and partisan. Keeping this in mind I will review the show as a modern viewer intended for a modern audience. If you are a die hard fan of the Avengers and/or have nostalgic feelings towards the turn of the 21st century era than this show will appeal to you. The thirteen episodes in season one (and the only season for this series) focus on the Avengers team comprised of Ant Man, Wasp, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Vison, Falcon, Tigris, and Wonderman. They battle to save the planet (it wasn't enough to save just Earth) against the likes of Ultron (who was created by Ant Man) and the Zodiac squad. The line of up Avenger characters was surprisingly refreshing. Although stalwart characters like Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Black Widow and Black Panther were missing, I found this cast of characters enjoyable to watch with their varied personalities and gender balancing ratio.
The biggest criticism I have of the show is that the story line was too one-dimensional. Almost like the show "Scooby Doo," each episode had a very formulaic structure where the Avengers needed to save the day and by the end mission was completed. I understand with a superhero show there's only so much variety you can have but I think what could have improved the plot would. have been delving into the backstory of the characters. Each of the Avengers seemed to have a lot of interesting history but virtually none of it was explored. The animation though simple and a little pixelated was colorful and the characters were attractive. Overall "Avengers: United We Stand" is a fun throwback show from yesteryears but unless you are looking for a nostalgic respite from the modern fast paced and intricate Avengers series I wouldn't waste my time.
