Remember that time when they made an "Avengers," cartoon, but decided that the best way to go about it would be to forgo any and all recognizable characters, and focus on the more obscure members, who were given EXTREME redesigns? Well starting this fall, Disney XD has promised to help us all forget those dark days with "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes."

Focusing on the core members of Marvel's premiere super team, this new Avengers cartoon is part of Marvel and Disney's effort to better familiarize the masses with the heroes in anticipation of the 2012 "Avengers" feature film. Available in 75 million homes in the US and millions more worldwide with huge viewership among the kid set, the Disney XD channel has become Disney's most useful arm in increasing Marvel's brand exposure, and currently has 20 hours a week of Marvel programming.

Check out more on the new Disney XD Avengers cartoon, including a trailer, after the jump.

The new cartoon, announced back in October 2008, is produced by Film Roman, the animation studio responsible for "The Simpsons." The series will launch this fall, first with 20 installments of a "microseries," expected to lay the groundwork for the 56 episode series.

The full -cale embrace of the classic version of "The Avenger"s is worth noting, if only because for a long period of time, the franchise was considered fundamentally broken. The characters were among Marvel's least recognizable, had disparate origins; their history was dauntingly convoluted, and there was no mass market for the property to speak of. That being the case, it is little wonder that the only project to be greenlit was the "Avengers: United They Stand," project, which seemed only to exacerbate the issues by focusing on supporting characters, none of whom had proven able to sustain even a monthly comic book, nevermind a television program.

It wasn't until Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch broke through with their acclaimed "Ultimates" series that the Avengers' brand began to shine through, thanks to a cinematic approach and a concise, modern team origin story that brought the team into the 21st century. Now, after a major rehauling of the "Avengers" comics' line from single flagship title to diverse franchise, the mainstream Avengers property is poised to make hay in a mass market way, and with major film properties like "Spider-Man," and "X-Men," already locked up, the film and licensing potential of "The Avengers" may now be the preeminent gem of Disney's multi-billion dollar investment.

Earth's Mightiest Heroes might finally be getting their due respect.

[Hat tip to Robot 6]

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