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Marvel Animated Features

Direct to DVD series of animated films by MLG Productions, a joint ventures of Marvel Animation and Lionsgate Films

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 21, 2026
Entity authorityQ18121909 ↗
Source-derived summary

Marvel Animated Features (MAF) is a series of eight American direct-to-video animated superhero films made by MLG Productions, a joint venture between Marvel Studios (later Marvel Animation) and Lions Gate Entertainment.

History

In 2004, Marvel Entertainment, Marvel Comics' new parent corporation, struck a deal with Lions Gate Entertainment to produce a series of eight to ten direct-to-video animated films under the name of Marvel Animated Features in conjunction with Marvel Studios, Marvel's direct film subsidiary.

The first two features, Ultimate Avengers: The Movie and Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther, were released February 2006 and August 2006 respectively. As of November 2006, UA and UA2 combined had sold over 1.5 million units and both were in the top 10 children's releases for the year.

After the pair of Ultimate Avengers (UA) DVDs, the next MAF film, The Invincible Iron Man, was released in January 2007. As of January 2007, Doctor Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme was slated next for summer 2007 with the tentatively titled Teen Avengers under early development. Originally, the MAF were being released two per year until Doctor Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme; while it was an Annie Awards nominee for "Best Home Entertainment Production" of 2007, it only sold half the number of DVD as either UA feature. After which, the MAFs releases were slowed to one per year.

Marvel Animation was incorporated in January 2008 to direct Marvel's efforts in animation and home entertainment markets, including Marvel Animation Features.

A proposed Ultimate War/Thor dual film DVD was passed over for the 2009 released Hulk vs.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Marvel Animated Features” is direct to DVD series of animated films by MLG Productions, a joint ventures of Marvel Animation and Lionsgate Films. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Marvel, Animated and Features, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewA dependable orientation record for establishing vocabulary, names and a first evidence trail. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2004, 2006, 2007, 2008—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 2006-07-02. For this dossier, Marvel, Animated and Features is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “direct to DVD series of animated films by MLG Productions, a joint ventures of Marvel Animation and Lionsgate Films” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q18121909. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Critical limits

A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Marvel Animated Features”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Marvel Animated Features primary sources, Marvel Animated Features archive and Marvel research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Marvel Animated Features”?
  2. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
  3. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Subject index

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Marvel Animated Features” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.