Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe was conceived and comic book movies were laughably awful (or non-existent save for Batman), there was consolation in the many animated series that occupied slots after school and on Saturday mornings.
Bonding moments with my brother (as previously referenced on this site) were spent watching Spiderman: The Animated Series. Unencumbered by Sony versus Disney, the likes of Iron Man, Captain America, The Hulk and Nick Fury dropped in for several episodes. I look back fondly on The Secret War and a brief arc with Daredevil. 
The Fantastic Four were not beyond the realm of reason either.
In fact, these shows were the gateway into comics for me. My brother and I would, if you could believe it, civilly share the paperbacks he’d buy. Inspired by their appearances in animation, we’d pick up the latest issues, which often had little, if anything, to do with the story arc.
And let’s not forget X-Men. Even though it was intended for a younger audience, it would definitely veer towards darker stuff. Like, teasing that Jean Gray was dead before she returned as Phoenix in a prime time special that, of course, we watched with religious fervor. Channing Tatum better do Gambit justice because his portrayal in that animated series will forever eclipse anything that the silver screen can deliver, or, at least in my opinion, raised the bar pretty high.
As the MCU is able to start bringing heroes back into the fold, I hope we’ll see even more of them cross paths the way that the Universe intended. Until then, at least we’ll have the memories.
