The Complete and Spectacular History of Spider-Man in Animation

Since 1962, Spider-Man has traversed comic book stories with incredible frequency, earning immense popularity that’s reflected in numerous monthly solo comics, collaborative team books, and guest roles. On screen, there’s been an abundance of Spidey too: three different TV series in the 70s and a continuous string of feature films over the past 25 years, each starring a distinct actor.

Beyond just the original comic books, animation has been a constant presence for Spidey since his initial debut, spanning almost every decade. As the new Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is set to premiere on Disney+, let’s take a walk down memory lane and examine the various animated iterations of our beloved web-slinger. This includes numerous ongoing series as well as forays into award-winning animated feature films.

Spider-Man (1967-1970)

The original Spider-Man animated series, despite using affordable and frequently repeated animation, remains remarkably relevant. One reason is its memorable and timeless opening theme song, “does whatever a spider can!”, which has been utilized or reworked across various Spider-Man media. However, in recent times, the show’s enduring popularity can also be attributed to a scene with Spider-Man and an imposter that created a popular meme involving finger-pointing. This meme has since become deeply rooted in social media and pop culture for over a decade.

Spider-Woman (1979)

Among all decades since Spider-Man’s comic book debut, only the 1970s didn’t see a new animated series starring the character. However, he did make a few appearances in the Spider-Woman cartoon series, with Paul Soles, who voiced him in the 1960s series, providing his voice once more.

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Spider-Man (1981-1983)

It’s quite unusual that in 1981, two separate animated series featuring Spider-Man were launched simultaneously, boasting the same animation style and character designs. However, they weren’t directly linked. The standalone Spider-Man series didn’t garner as much popularity as the other show (for more details on that later), despite the fact it had Spider-Man battling his own set of villains, original adversaries, and well-known Marvel characters like Magneto and Red Skull. Additionally, guest stars such as Sub-Mariner and Captain America made appearances in this series.

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981-1983)

In this rephrased version, let me say that the team-up series featuring Spider-Man, Iceman, and Firestar left a significant impact. This is more so than their individual series running concurrently, which were also quite popular. Known as “Amazing Friends“, this series was particularly notable for its numerous guest appearances by characters from across the Marvel Universe such as the X-Men, Doctor Strange, Black Knight, and others. This brought to life the grandest feeling yet in any Marvel adaptation that mirrored the vast interconnected universe depicted in the comics.

Muppet Babies (1989)

In the episode “Comic Capers” of the series focusing on the strength of creativity, characters Rowlf and Skeeter each envisioned themselves as Spider-Man, transforming into Spider-Dog and Spider-Girl respectively. As they went along, they encountered the actual Spiderman. To add to the excitement, an animated Hulk and a live action Stan Lee also made appearances.

X-Men: The Animated Series (1994)

In a fleeting instance during “The Phoenix Saga – Part V: Child Of Light” episode of X-Men (TAS), it appears to be just Spider-Man swiftly firing a web, though it’s only his hand that’s visible. This brief appearance can be interpreted as an introduction of the same Spiderman who would later star in another series on the list, given that the various 1990s Marvel animated shows eventually turned out to be interconnected.

Spider-Man (1994-1998)

The 1990s Spider-Man animated series is still widely admired, particularly by those who grew up watching it. This show stood out as one of the most accurate adaptations of the comics at that time, featuring both classic villains and storylines that resonated with fans of the original material. The distinctive visual style and character designs from this series continue to be iconic and are often seen in merchandise even today.

Spider-Man Unlimited (1999-2001)

As a dedicated movie enthusiast, I found myself puzzled by the somewhat sequential spin-off of the ’90s Spider-Man series (though it’s not strictly so if you prefer to view it differently). In this production, Peter Parker donned a snazzy new suit and found himself stranded on an oddball planet dubbed “Counter-Earth.” Here, he battled the High Evolutionary’s human-animal hybrids known as Bestials and encountered peculiar variations of familiar faces. Unfortunately for Spidey fans like myself, the intrigue didn’t translate well, and even a suspenseful cliffhanger couldn’t save Unlimited from being axed from the schedule.

Spider-Man: The New Animated Series (2003)

In this MTV computer-generated animated series, Neil Patrick Harris lent his voice to the character of Spidey. The series was designed as a sequel to Sam Raimi’s initial Spider-Man film, picking up where that movie ended and introducing antagonists such as Kraven, Lizard, and Electro. However, before Spider-Man 2 came out and established this show in its own distinct universe.

Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes (2007)

Despite not being explicitly mentioned because of television rights limitations, it’s humorously evident that the unnamed freelance photographer who trails the character throughout “Frightful,” aiming to enhance his public persona, is likely intended to represent Peter Parker.

The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008-2009)

Consistent with its name, this outstanding animated show effectively portrayed a teenage Peter Parker, supported by a charming ensemble of characters, compelling narratives, and thrilling action scenes. Regrettably, the show was terminated prematurely after just two seasons due to Sony losing the TV animation rights for Spider-Man back to Marvel.

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Ultimate Spider-Man (2012-2017)

The ongoing 104-episode span of this Spider-Man cartoon is a record for any animated Spider-Man series, and following the acquisition of the company by Disney, it launched a fresh set of interconnected Marvel animated productions. Similar to the Spectacular series, this show depicts Spidey in high school, which has been a recurring theme since the inception of most Spider-Man shows.

In this adaptation, Spider-Man, who had a significant tie to S.H.I.E.L.D., eventually brought the animated Spider-Verse saga from the comics to life. The voice behind this Spidey character was Drake Bell. This iteration of Spiderman made appearances in the shows “Avengers Assemble” and “Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.” as well.

The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes (2012)

Toward the final episodes, the animated Avengers series frequently featured Spider-Man. A stir among fans arose when Josh Keaton, who played Peter in the popular “Spectacular Spider-Man,” was swapped for Drake Bell after initially recording the episodes. This change seemed to be an effort to align better with “Ultimate Spider-Man.” However, it’s worth noting that “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” maintained its distinct continuity.

Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel (2013)

One entertaining outcome of Disney acquiring Marvel was the creation of a crossover where Phineas and Ferb encountered numerous Marvel superheroes, with Spider-Man among them. Drake Bell and the voice actors from other Marvel animated series at that time reprised their roles for this production; however, it’s likely non-canonical to the Ultimate Spider-Man series. This is a possibility, but not definitively confirmed.

LEGO Specials (2013-2020)

Multiple LEGO television specials showcase Marvel superheroes, with Spider-Man making an appearance in several of them. One such production from 2019 is titled “LEGO Marvel Spider-Man: Tangled Up with Venom“, which spotlights the world of Spidey and his adversaries, in a LEGO fashion.

Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers (2014-2015)

In this Japanese anime, the approach to the Avengers team was uniquely crafted, with characters confined within disks that brave youngsters can momentarily release. Notably, Spider-Man made regular appearances throughout. Differing from his American animated peers of high school age, in this adaptation, Peter Parker worked as a scientist at Stark Industries.

Marvel Future Avengers (2017-2018)

In the subsequent anime series hailing from Japan, we see the Avengers mentoring a team of teenagers who previously sided with Hydra. For several episodes, Spider-Man is a central character, along with his longtime nemesis, the Green Goblin.

Spider-Man (2017-2020)

Starting straight after “Ultimate Spider-Man”, this series introduced characters similar to those seen in Spider-Verse, such as Miles Morales and Spider-Gwen, making them regular figures instead of multiverse creations. The portrayal of Peter Parker’s Spider-Man, voiced by Robbie Daymond, was also featured in the animated “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Avengers: Black Panther’s Quest”.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse / Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2018 / 2023)

Making his debut in an animated feature film, Spider-Man couldn’t have had a better start. The beloved, Academy Award-winning multiverse tale primarily centered on Miles Morales, yet generously featured Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy as well. The sequel was even more successful, maintaining its critical acclaim, leaving everyone eagerly anticipating the third movie… whenever it arrives!

What If…? (2021)

In a single instance, Peter Parker was featured in the show “What If…?” An episode unfolded with him among the scant survivors of a zombie outbreak. For a while, he even donned Doctor Strange’s Floating Cloak.

Spidey and His Amazing Friends (2022-Present)

This show is designed for preschoolers and features Miles, Gwen, and Peter in a kid-friendly version, as they’re all depicted as small children. Filled with characters from both Spider-Man’s universe and the larger Marvel world, Spidey has become extremely popular among its young fanbase.

X-Men’ 97 (2024)

The comeback of the 90’s X-Men animated show also included unspoken appearances by the 90’s Spider-Man, with him appearing in his full costume responding to Magneto’s magnetic wave at the conclusion of episode 8. Later on, we spotted Peter Parker along with Mary Jane Watson and Flash Thompson watching a distressing news broadcast during the final episode of Season 1.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2025-?)

Initially planned as a precursor to Tom Holland’s live-action Spider-Man movies, the new series was revamped to stand alone in its own universe. This gives the newly empowered Peter Parker the opportunity to interact with characters such as Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, and Daredevil, who wouldn’t have been possible according to the MCU timeline. It has already been confirmed that a second season will air for this Disney+ TV show.

2025-01-28 22:34