We all know Silver Savage was replaced by Beta Ray Bill due to rights. Surfer is part of the FF rights and I believe his animated rights are somewhere else. You could tell from the silhouettes of the two Iluminati in the shadows at the beginning. We assume they are Richards and Namor or Black Bolt (all FF). At least they replaced Surfer with another powered Marvel character as opposed to creating a lame one from scratch (like Spike or Reptyl)

As for storylines. I would love to see Secret Wars. Not the half-assed one from the 90s animated Spidey, I mean all of the characters that appeared. Again, rights would be an issue. Phoenix Saga would be great but 80 minutes is not enough. It would have to be 120-150 minutes. Other potential great Marvel stories are the Kree/Skrull war, The Korvac Saga, The X-men in Asgard (from the 80s), World War Hulk (again...character rights issue). 

So now the question becomes... how long till DIsney gets the Marvel house in order?

I barely read anything about Planet Hulk before I picked it up, so I didn't know that the Silver Surfer wouldn't be in it.  I am a HUGE Beta Ray Bill fan, so I was ecstatic seeing him onscreen.  And changes are to be expected so I wasn't too upset with any of it.  Overall, I liked it quite a bit.

As for whether or not it would be appropriate for kids... if you read Comicscape, you know how in love with Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends I am because I mention it like, seven times a week.  Like you, it was my intro to the Marvel U.  But along with that cartoon, my other introduction to the Marvel U was... well, Marvel Comics.  And what was going on when I was a kid?  Elektra was getting skewered by Bullseye, Wolverine had all of his flesh and muscle blasted off by a Sentinal (in an alternate timeline) and the Punisher was doing what the Punisher does.  All bought off the spinner rack at my local 7-11. 

As adults, we tend to think that kids need to be coddled and protected from all the scary things that exist in the real world.  Obviously to some extent this is true, but kids can handle a lot more than we give them credit for.  Planet Hulk is pretty darn violent (I actually double-checked the rating on the back of the box a couple times during viewing) but I didn't think it was so over-the-top that it couldn't be viewed by a child.  Of course it always depends on the age and disposition of the kid and I probably wouldn't show this to too young of a child. 

This does bring up an interesting question though.  If these animated features are meant to introduce younger viewers to the Marvel Universe, why didn't they just cut those few overly graphic scenes?  They certainly aren't necessary to the plot and could've been done off-screen.  I doubt there will be too much controversy over this, but eliminating the gore would have ensured it.

A great compromise would be to have a cut/edited family version and the pg-13 version on the disc.  I am a huge hulk fan with three small kids and such an option would help with intoducing my brood to marvel story arcs.

No brood in the show was a downer, as I kinda missed the character, knowing from the first panel that she was in that she was a stone cold killer that would do anything possible to survive.  I imagine the X-men rights may have played a part in her exclusion.

I don't think these movies are meant to introduce young kids to the Marvel U as this article states. These are popular fanboy stories for the longtime fans.

Marvel has already gotten to the young kid audience with Superhero Squad. It might seem all too kiddie for us longtime fans but I actually enjoy this show. On top of that, my kids (two girls 7 and 5) watch it! Which to me is huge. They never showed interest in comicbook cartoons or movies (I'm guessing it was the target audience they were meant for) but Superhero Squad is a great starting point. Now they know who Hulk and Dr Doom are and want to dress up as Ms Marvel and Wasp next Halloween. This show is also funny and has used some obscure references for the fanboys like us as well. I totally recommend this if you are trying to introduce a young one to Marvel characters without the violence of Hulk vs, Ultimate Avengers and Planet Hulk.

Also, it's not Marvel animated movies that will lure kids into becoming fans of their characters. That will be Disney's job.

I'm a big fan of Superhero Squad as well, ElBaz!  Your description of the show is dead-on and I think you're right about the targeted age group.  Batman: The Brave & the Bold is another perfect introduction to the larger world of superhero continuity and features the same type of obscure references and insider jokes while appealing to new fans as well.

I suspect you're probably right about these films not necessarily being designed to bring in new fans, though I think they definitely could serve that purpose.

I think the brood was cut because she wasnt needed. I seriously doubt it had anything to do with X-Men being over at Fox. Having rights to the X-Men will not give you the rights to every character thats ever been in the X-Men comic. These deals are very specific and the studio needs to pay for the rights of each character used. Im sure Fox payed through the nose for Deadpool. But he was still in Hulk Vs.  I dont think we will see any more new X-Men or X-Men villains from the comics in a Fox (or any other studio) film now that the Mouse is at the wheel. Unless a vast sum of money is payed for them... Then again The Brood did appear in the X-Men cartoon... Maybe those rights are still retained... Who Knows...?

Wait a sec.... Did I just read a "think of the children" rant on Mania?

World War Hulk should be next.  Then Marvel should make a full featured Deadpool animated movie.  That would kick ass.  Make it as violent as Hulk VS Wolverine.  Deadpool was PERFECT in that movie!  "Who wants snacks?  You do!"  BOOM!  That was epic.  I want more adult oreiented Marvel animation.  Screw this kiddy crap.  Make it violent as the characters really are in the comics.

I just watched planet Hulk and was completely dissapointed (I actually dozed off for a sec). The comic was 200 times better. i know that have to cut stuff for times sake but they could have stayed a little more in tune with the original comic series.

if the do make world war Hulk I hope they make it more in the vain (sp) of Hulk VS - more adult oriented