Marvel Entertainment is partnering with top Japanese animation studio, Madhouse, to create anime characters based on its iconic superheroes, such as Iron Man and Wolverine, for the Japanese market.

Madhouse will work closely with Marvel to create new characters employing classic anime visual style. The character back stories that play such an integral role in Marvel series are being interwoven with the local culture and history of Japan to make their mythology more relevant to that country’s audience. The collaboration will result in a completely new character base, which the company plans to eventually migrate into the current Marvel Universe.

Madhouse is now in production on the first of four new series (each 12 x half-hours), scheduled to bow in Spring 2010 on ANIMAX, the first 24-hour network dedicated to anime in Japan.