Series 1 - 1990 Impel MARVEL UNIVERSE SERIES 1 trading cards.  
Complete set 1-162 MINT  
Do you have the Ghost Rider Rookie Card? What about the much sought-after Stan Lee "Mr. Marvel" card? Well if you do, you were obviously a collector of the Marvel Universe Series 1 Trading Cards. This is the granddaddy of all Marvel Universe cards--the one that started it all. By far the most ambitious outing to make a collector's card set, it helped kickstart the comic trading card market that flourished for years. This series had plenty of awesome features and factoids that the subsequent sets didn't have. In addition to being the only set with multiple cards dedicated to certain characters (Wolverine, for example had a brown costume card, a yellow costume card and a card featuring his "Patch" persona), each character card also sported Classic Battles, nicknames and--the fan favorite feature--fight records. We're not sure if the card writers used science, magic or some tricked-out hybrid of the two to come up with each character's scorecard, but it was always the first thing we looked at when checking out a new card. A close second in awesomeosity would have to be the 12 card section dedicated to Spider-Man interviewing various characters in the Marvel Universe called "Spider-Man Presents." Spidey would ask questions and the characters would answer with hilariously goofball responses. There is nothing like seeing Magneto having a pow-wow with Spidey and giving him a little taste of some "magnetic humor" as he puts it. Like a red and blue spider-journalist, Spidey asked the tough questions and dug deep to find out stuff like Iron Man's greatest enemy and Thor's fallback job if the superhero gig didn't work out. Seriously, this bunch of cards are so bad, they've now turned to pure golden goodness. Through it all, these cards are a great look at the history of the Marvel Universe and what it was like waaaaaaay back in 1990. We see that greenhorns such as Dan "Ghost Rider" Ketch, The New Warriors, Deathlok and many others had their very own Rookie card. One aspect can't be ignored: the art! Each card (except for the Most Valuable Covers) boasted an original image, this set really opened the doors for some of our favorite Marvel artists to get in the game and provide some sweet shots you won't find anywhere but on the trading cards. This set was the first of its kind and still stands up to the test of time, acting as an index to the Marvel Universe--a time capsule of the Marvel U., complete with that ripe 1990 smell. Sure, some characters have come and gone and the powers may have changed a little (ahem, Speedball), but all of the information is there like a mini Marvel library. The following sets may have been bigger and gave you all new information, but this set still holds a place in every Marvelite's heart that was there when these cards first hit the stores.  
 

Series 2 - 1991 Impel MARVEL UNIVERSE SERIES 2 trading cards.  
Complete set 1-162 MINT  
The cards feature images of all of the Super Heroes, Super-Villains, Archenemies, Weapons, Legends, Rookies, and Teams in the Marvel Universe created by Stan Lee. The reverse side provides a profile of each character and introduced Power Ratings where character attributes such as Speed, Stamina, Intelligence, Strength, Agility, and Durability are rated on a scale of 1 to 7. This is the only series to ever include a Legends tribute to characters that had died and a Weapons category with a statistical look at weaponry.  
After the first series of Marvel Universe Trading Cards caught on like wildfire, Marvel went back to the well, adding in a few new features and more detailed art, significantly stepping up the care and quality of the cards. Like the first set, Series 2 gave us the skinny on everything Marvel. Replacing the Famous Battles section from Series 1 with a section called Archenemies, collectors were treated to cards awash in drama such as Punisher vs. Kingpin and Silver Surfer vs. Galactus. Whole teams also faced off in this section. X-Men vs. the Marauders and Fantastic Four vs. the Skrulls are just a couple of the squads who spotlighted for the second series.  
The first set of Marvel Universe cards to feature a powers rating system. 

Series 3 1992 Impel MARVEL UNIVERSE SERIES 3 trading cards.  

Complete set 1-200 MINT 

Impel had a big thing going with its Marvel Universe line. For several years in the early 1990s, it was the flagship trading card product that brought together the likes of Spider-Man, the X-Men and Captain America. 1992 Impel Marvel Universe Series 3 continues with the trend of offering a comprehensive base set. 

The base set is large, clocking in at 200 cards. The main design is that of a cosmic theme, with stars and planets highlighting the backgrounds. It breaks down into several subsets such as Super Heroes, Super Villains, Cosmic Beings, Origins and Milestones. 

Series 4 1993 Skybox MARVEL UNIVERSE Series 4 trading cards. MINT  

Complete set 1-180 MINT 

This set featured 180 base cards including the checklist. This set was noteworthy because 135 of the 180 base set cards were portions of larger 9 card pictures. Thus, when the cards were put into standard 9 card sheets, the cards formed a large, contiguous, image. There were also 9 cards of "Unsolved Mysteries" such as Wolverine's origin or the identity of the 6th member of the Infinity Watch. The remaining cards featured famous battles of heroes vs villains and also heroes vs heroes.