Since the 1960s, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man has been swinging his way through the world of cartoons - both the good and the bad. Whether it’s new tech, crazy villains, amazing friends, or meme-worthy moments, this hero has seen it all; so much so that it only seems right to take a look at all the best (and worst) animated series that Spider-Man has graced with his presence and witty banter.
10. Spider-Man: The New Animated Series (2003)
Set after the first installment of the Spider-Man Trilogy, starring Tobey Maguire, Spider-Man: The New Animated Series, is a 3D animated cartoon that continues the story of Spider-Man (Neil Patrick Harris), Mary Jane (Lisa Loeb), and Harry Osborn (Ian Ziering). Canceled after one season for not ‘fitting in’ with the rest of MTV’s programming, the series has always garnered mixed reviews. Two of the main complaints are as follows: it contradicts the storyline of the movies it is based around, and it’s ugly.
Which, to be fair, it was made in the early 2000s, when 3D animation was still coming into its own. That being said, Spider-Man: The New Animated Series does look like a poorly rendered video game, with unnatural animation, strange camera movements, and backgrounds that feel lifeless and dull. It is reminiscent of a student film; not the worst, but definitely has room for improvement.
9. Spidey and His Amazing Friends (2021)
A nod to the 1981 Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, this series is aimed primarily at young children, which is really the only reason it’s number 9 on the list; there’s not much inherently wrong with it, but its niche target audience, simple storylines, and cute animation means that it won’t appeal to many people other than young children. At the very least, the animation is pleasant and the show is filled with lots of characters and references to past Spider-Man media.
8. Spider-Man Unlimited (1999)
‘It could have been worse’ is a common comment when it comes to this story, which featured a new, darker Spider-Man, and some truly sci-fi aesthetics. An interesting concept, with promising story-lines involving the symbiotes Venom and Carnage, humanoid animals, and multiple Earths, but a lackluster voice cast and an inconsistent plot meant that the show ended after only 13 episodes, and on a cliffhanger no less.
Multiple scripts were written for a second season, but, for now, it seems that the door has been closed on this strange interpretation of the web-slinging hero.
7. Spider-Man (1981)
This cartoon followed the classic Spider-Man story: Peter Parker (Ted Schwartz) attempts to lead a double life, one where he’s a crime fighting hero, swinging from the skyscrapers of the city, and one where he’s a college student working a part-time job as a photographer while living with Aunt May (Morgan Lofting).
There isn’t much to say about this cartoon; it’s animation was simple, with nothing in particular making it stand out, and the story itself was one that audiences have seen time and time again through all of Spider-Man media. It’s been praised for its faithfulness to the comics in both story and art style, but the series did little to make itself stand out amongst its fellow animated series and it only ran for one season.
6. Spider-Man (1967)
With an extremely low budget, a habit of reusing old animation (at one point creating an entire episode with reused backgrounds, characters, and plot from an entirely different show), and one of the cheesiest scripts to ever grace the world of animation, Spider-Man is certainly something to behold in the modern world. At worst, it’ll make you cringe from the awkward dialogue and strange animation. At best, you’ll be laughing as you pick out all the various memes that owe this series their creation, most notably the ‘Spider-Man pointing at Spider-Man’ meme, which came from the fittingly named episode, “Double Identity.”
The show isn’t necessarily bad, per se; at least not in its entirety. The first season has Stan Lee as a consultant and the show is responsible for the beloved Spider-Man theme song. However, the second and third seasons of the show were met with cost-cutting procedures, that involved getting rid of the classic villains of the comic books and replacing them with generic monsters instead, most of which were reused from the show Rocket Robin Hood, which, like the second and third season of Spider-Man, was produced by Ralph Bakshi.
5. Ultimate Spider-Man (2012)
Receiving mixed reviews for its ‘juvenile comedy’ and ‘dumbing down’ of the more mature and dark themes that many felt intrinsic to Spider-Man, Ultimate Spider-Man left many fans wanting. It feels stuck between wanting to be a goofy show that teaches young viewers valuable lessons and an ode to the classic Spider-Man that fans know and love, and ends up instead as a confusing mix of childish humor and a more mature-looking art style.
4. Spider-Man/Spider-Man: Maximum Venom (2020)
While critics have praised it for its “strong writing and performances,” Marvel’s Spider-Man, later changed to Spider-Man: Maximum Venom, seems to receive mixed reviews from fans. It follows the classic Spider-Man storyline - Peter Parker’s (Robbie Daymond) transformation into Spider-Man - until it makes a sharp turn, sending Peter to a school for genius kids run by Max Modell (Fred Tatasciore). The show includes characters like Gwen Stacy (Laura Bailey) and Miles Morales (Nadji Jeter) as Peter’s classmates, who aid him in his fights against various villains.
The show is fun and exciting, with clean animation that mixes traditional 2D characters with 3D backgrounds, but it’s understandable that some fans may find its plot convoluted, especially if they went in hoping for a more ‘classic’ Spider-Man cartoon.
3. Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981)
Speaking of classic, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends remains a beloved staple of Spider-Man media, teaming Spider-Man (Dan Gilvezan) up with the heroes Iceman (Frank Welker) and Firestar (Kathy Garver), who made her debut in this series.
Listed as number 59 in IGN’s Top 100 Animated Series in 2009, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends fulfills every comic-loving college student’s dream: to live with your two best friends and fight crime together with your awesome powers. The show even featured a number of notable guest stars, such as Michael Bell, Cathay Cavadini, and Peter Cullin, as well as a plethora of creative and exciting plot lines.
Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends actually ran alongside the previously mentioned (and often forgotten) Spider-Man (1981), but it’s clear to see that fans were more interested in Spider-Man’s escapades with his college buddies rather than a retelling of basic Spider-Man stories.
2. Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994)
Five seasons of crime fighting, love triangles, villains old and new, and appearances from some of Marvel’s most famous heroes, Spider-Man: The Animated Series quickly captivated audiences and continues to do so. It’s large budget meant that it could dig deeper into the personal life of Peter Parker, while still remaining faithful to some of Spider-Man’s most classic stories. It’s been nominated for multiple awards and was, up until Ultimate Spider-Man (2012), the longest running Spider-Man series.
Despite its cancellation in 1998 due to a disagreement between its executive producer and the network head, the show remains high on the list of Spider-Man adaptations.
1. Spectacular Spider-Man (2008)
Where Ultimate Spider-Man failed to balance humor and more mature themes, Spectacular Spider-Man excelled. Receiving widespread acclaim for its writing, exploration of darker topics, a faithful portrayal of Spider-Man, talented voice actors, and a unique and refreshing art style, it only seems right to place this show in the Number 1 spot. The series did an amazing (spectacular?) job at adapting classic Spider-Man into something new, without sacrificing important story and character background; characters feel like they have a chance to come into their own and mature as well rounded people, rather than being cardboard cutouts of their comic-book personas. All of them, from Peter Parker (Josh Keaton) to Norman Osborn (Alan Rachins) feel like real people, who have the chance to change and grow with the series.
It’s a shame this series ended as soon as it did; it really was quality television.
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