As one of the most recognizable superhero characters, Spider-Man is to Marvel what Batman is to DC. He’s central to the Marvel universe yet the character stands on his own with having some of the best stories and most memorable arcs in comic history. His time on television and movies has varied in quality. Whether it’s the live-action TV show from the 70s orSpider-Man and Ais Amazing Friends,opinion can often be divided with the web crawler’s efforts on the small screen.
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However, along withthe epic 90sX-MenandThe Incredible Hulkseries,Spider-Man The Animated Seriesthat ran from 1994 to 1998 on the Fox Kids Network is considered the best. The 65 episode series covered important storylines in Spidey’s history, with many only just making it to the big screen. Despite being a children’s show the 90s Spider-Man series is still regarded as one of the best adaptations of the titular character that has stood the test of time.
6The Mature Storytelling
There were restrictions with censorship back in the 90s after complaints rained in from disgruntled parents that thought the likes ofThe Power RangersandBatman: The Animated Serieswas too violent and dark. Yet despite this,Spider-Manmanaged to have a great script that didn’t treat its audience like they were children.
As with the comics, Peter Parker has very relatable human problems with an inner monologue that felt realistic and in line with the comics while not becoming excessive in its exposition. It’s not quite as dark asBatman: The Animated Seriesbut it was a huge step up fromSpider-Man And His Amazing Friends.Just like the 90sX-Mencartoon series, the 90s Spider-Man show is one of the few cartoon series that parents could watch and enjoy with their kids.
5A Grown-Up Peter Parker
In total contrast to most of thePeter Parker portrayalsin past and presentSpider-Mancartoons, the 1994 version featured a more grown-up Peter Parker. The biggest issue many fans have with his most recent portrayals is that cartoons make him appear naive, irritating, and annoying. This version was already out of school, confident in his abilities but still vulnerable and relatable.
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For many fans, the voice work provided by Christopher Daniel Barnes is the definitive Spider-Man much in the same way that Kevin Conroy is for Batman. Interestingly, Barnes returned to voice Spider-Man Noir in the videogamesSpider-Man: Shattered Dimensionsand Spider-Man 2099 inSpider-Man: Edge of Time.
4The Rogue’s Gallery Of Villains
Spider-Man has a rogues gallery only rivaled by DC’s Batman. The Spider-Man comics have always been self-contained with strong characters that very rarely felt the need to crossover with other superheroes just to inject a bit of life into the series. Even though the 90s show was no stranger to crossover events it was a series built on great supporting characters and villains.
The Sinister Six which look likely tofeature inSpider-Man: No Way Homefeatured prominently in important story arcs that developed over time, Spider-Man often felt under threat, outmatched, and vulnerable. As well as having well-known villains like Dr. Octopus, The Green Goblin, and Venom it helped introduce its audience to lesser-known characters (to non-comic book readers) like The Chameleon, Tombstone, Dormammu and more. Morbius, a character that features a lot in the animated series, is set toget his movie starring Jared Letoin the title role.
3A Connected Universe
Long before theMarvel Cinematic Universestarted building upon the first Iron Man movie, the 90s Spider-Man show was part of what has become known as the Marvel Animated Universe. The cartoon featured crossover events with the other 90s Marvel cartoons at the time likeX-Men,The Incredible Hulk,Iron Man,The Fantastic Four,Silver Surfer, andThe Avengers: United They Stand.
The “Neogenic Nightmare” season is easily one of the best in the series as Spidey teams up with the X-Men and runs into The Punisher, Blade, and Michael Morbius. The introduction of said heroes and villains always felt organic rather than forced with each storyline being interconnected such as the focus on the Neogenics theme and The Sins of the Father arc forbringing in the Daredevil.
2Faithful To The Comics
The beauty ofThe Spider-Manseries is that it had a lot of great comic book stories to fall back on to make sure the quality was up to par. Many of its stories were based onThe Amazing Spider-Mancomic books from the mid-eighties.
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It wasn’t just the stories that the series stayed faithful to but the visual style is exactly what one would expect from a comic book show. The characters looked accurate to their comic book counterparts with every character brought to life on the small screen. However, far more important than visual aesthetics, Peter’s relationships with his friends, Aunt May, and Mary Jane Watson are portrayed as they are in the comics complete with their ups and downs.
1Great Supporting Cast
Without a great supporting cast, Spider-Man may not be anywhere near as interesting or as compelling as he is. The TV show does a great job of fleshing out characters like Mary Jane Watson, J.J.Jonah Jameson, Aunt May, and more.
Even minor characters like Robbie Robertson got their chance to shine with his issues with the former schoolmate, mob hitman, and supervillain Tombstone come to a head. There’s more to Peter Parker’s world than just Spider-Man and the series does a perfect job of keeping the drama interesting without playing out like a bad soap opera.
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