Today is National Spider-Man Day! Because of that, we now officially have 11 Spider-Man shows to date. Considering the excessive amount of films starting the beloved web swinger, it makes all the sense in the world to have a near equal amount of shows to go along with that. Even though history with each show can be seen as quite complicated, they are nevertheless all fascinating to talk about.
Because of all this and more, it’s time to rank each series involving Spider-Man at the forefront from worst to best! Time to stop wasting anymore time and web swing right in!
11.) Ultimate Spider-Man
The timing of Ultimate Spider-Man could not have been much worse. It was made right after the most beloved Spider-Man show to date in The Spectacular Spider-Man saw an abrupt end due to Disney buying Marvel and wanting to have a Spider-Man show of their own, aiming for a more lighthearted and kid-friendly tone attached to it. Despite the show lasting for four seasons and gaining over 100 episodes, this is seen as an absolute stinker to this very day. Ultimate Spider-Man abandons the traditional core themes that Spider-Man is always known for in favor of nonstop slapstick comedy, obnoxious four wall breaking, obvious merchandise placement, and having a Peter Parker that feels more in line with Deadpool than Spider-Man. Oh, and did I mention it has little to nothing to do with the Ultimate Spider-Man comics despite the title. The fact that Spectacular Spider-Man was cancelled in favor of this is the real salt on the wound. When taking all of those elements into affect, it easy to see just why this ranks as my least favorite Spider-Man show to date.
10.) Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends (2021)
Despite what the title may suggest, this has little in common with the Spider-Man series of the same name that released back in the 1980s. Instead of Ice-Man and Firestar, we see Peter Parker teaming up with Gwen Stacy (known as Ghost-Spider here) and Miles Morales (known as……Spin (?!) here) in their grade school kid incarnations. On one hand, this show does it’s job at offering Spidey tales for a clearly VERY young demographic. On the other hand, there is almost NOTHING to recommend her to any Spider-Man that is NOT part of the obvious pre-school targeted audience. It’s about as filler, substance free and “put something in the background to distract the kids” as they come. It may not be quite my least favorite Spidey show or the one I have the most gripes with but I can think of a Spidey show I would want to rewatch less than Spidey and His Amazing Friends (2021).
9.) Spider-Man (2017)
Disney’s 2nd attempt at making a Spider-Man cartoon is a mild improvement over Ultimate but still no where near good enough to do it’s title character justice. This does have the ingredients of a back-to-basics approach for Peter Parker, with a more emphasis on his personal life and connections to his friends/allies and having significant less pointless dumb down humor for the most brainless children. However, it tries to do justice to so many different storylines throughout Peter’s history that it’s unable to do almost any of them justice. It’s like the writers couldn’t make up their mind on what specific stories they wanted to tackle that they just threw whatever stories at the wall to see what sticks. Also, it’s quite bizarre to have Miles Morales in this version be of similar age to Peter Parker. And don’t get me started on it’s cheap as hell animation. It has solid voice acting and definitely has more ambition than the Spider-Man shows listed before but Marvel’s Spider-Man (2017) still showed Disney failing to crack the code on making a solid Spidey tale that works.
8.) Spider-Man (1967)/7.) Spider-Man (1981)
The two very first attempts at creating a stand-alone Spider-Man show more or less feel like perfect counterparts for one another. Both shows has the exact same titles, both shows are really hard to tell apart from the other, and both shows are remember more for their memes and iconic theme songs than they are of the actual quality and content in either show. These two shows do deserve a free pass for coming out during a time where Spider-Man was less known to the general public and it was harder than ever to make a successful cartoon due to it’s low budget. However, I can never feel the desire to ever go back and rewatch these shows in any way due to aging as well as a multiple decades supply of Spider-Milk. I still put these two shows this far on the list due to it’s undeniable impact on classic Spider-Man themes songs and meme culture.
6.) Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends (1981)
When it comes to classic Spider-Man cartoons of the late 1960s to early 1980s, this is the one that has aged the best and most consistent in quality. Here, we see Spider-Man informing his own superhero team for the first time ever, pairing him with heroes like Iceman and Firestar from the X-Men (for……some reason). It also has that traditional monster-of-the-week that became a stable for cartoons such as this, while fully utilizing Marvel villains normally not associated with Spider-Man but still finding ways to make it work. Stan Lee’s fingerprints is all over this show and it certainly did make for the better. It may not be a show that will appeal to the last few generations of Spider-Man fans, but Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends does at least offer a unique Saturday morning cartoon vibe that kids who grew up in that era can look very fondly upon, while being a nice blast for the past for those who miss their Saturday morning cartoons feeling very episodic with not much homework attached to it.
5.) Spider-Man: Unlimited
Spider-Man: Unlimited has to have the most bizarre concept of any Spider-Man show thus far. We see a Spider-Man that is fighting not for NYC but to free an alternate Earth from an evil ruler known as the High Evolutionary. This is clear an attempt to ape the success of Batman Beyond, with a much darker tone and a focus on a different iteration of Spider-Man. However, it never could keep the consistency that it’s 1994 predecessor have nor does it fully utilize Spider-Man 2099 very well. Thankfully, this version of Spider-Man did get his cameo in Across the Spider-Verse, opening up the doors for potential future stories with Miguel O’hara now that other Spider-folks that don’t have Peter Parker’s name attached to it can draw an audience. Unlimited may not be the winner it needed to be at the time it came out but it’s certainly one of the most unique Spider-Man shows released, which makes it worth giving at least one watch.
4.) Spider-Man: The New Animated Series
Believe it or not, MTV once took their shot at making a Spider-Man show back in 2003. Set in an alternate timeline after Sam Raimi’s first Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man: The New Animated Series offers a new, distinct, and downright mature take on the character, which led to many fans feel quite divided on the show. Similar to the newer released Spider-Man show, it has it’s own original animated art style, offers it’s own spin to the film franchise it’s based on, and makes bold choices to it’s cast of characters that may be off putting to certain people. Not to mention, that complete downer of an ending is still an all-timer! While there are certainly aspects that has aged poorly (particularly the 3D animation), Spider-Man: The New Animated Series deserves credits for being able to tell more adult-oriented stories of Peter Parker and his struggles to adapting to his college life as Spider-Man without sacrificing the gravitas of the character. Also, Neil Patrick Harris is pretty good here. Just a shame it didn’t get the ratings MTV wanted because I would have been curious to see how this version of Spider-Man went forward in the future.
3.) Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
It might’ve took three times (four if you count the PBS-friendly Spidey And His Amazing Friends) but Disney has finally been able to crack the code on how to make a solid Spider-Man cartoon. Blending the traditional comic book panel traits of the character’s well-known origin while incorporating new distinct traits of it’s own, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is able to find the right balance of exploring the thrills of being Spider-Man and the chills of being Peter Parker, something which The Ultimate Spider-Man and Spider-Man (2017) failed to do. The newer cast of characters the show chooses to explore are (mostly) intriguing, it’s callbacks and references all feel earned, the theme song is dope as hell, and it’s able to use it’s alternate timeline and multiverse concept to not just reuse plot assets of the MCU or recurring fan favorite characters but also show how Peter’s life would’ve been different in the MCU if things play out a different way and he made all new friends and allies in the process. There are some strange creative decisions I’m not a fan of and the animation style won’t be to everyone’s taste but for the most part, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is a winner and is the best Spidey show for the past 15+ years. I’m definitely intrigued to see Season 2 and 3!
2.) Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994)
Here’s the one Spidey cartoon that was so important at introduction Spider-Man to the mainstream media and pop culture entertainment. Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994) stands proudly alongside the likes of Batman: The Animated Series and X-Men: The Animated Series as being classic 1990s superhero cartoons that help introduce iconic superheroes to new generations and beyond. Even though it’s targeted towards children, the core themes and characters that make Spider-Man so special is presented throughout the entire series. Whether it involves it’s solid storytelling, impactful character moments, or for hilarious memes, every Spider-Man fan of old and now should be well aware of this show’s existence. Let’s also not forget it’s killer theme song, faithful adaptions of the characters, and even go as far to have Madame Web at the end voiced by Stan Lee’s wife. You can definitely argue that it’s animation has aged to some degree and doesn’t have the most consistent pacing but that doesn’t change the fact that Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994) is a true must see for any kind of Spider-Man fan.
1.) The Spectacular Spider-Man
The Spectacular Spider-Man is widely regarded by fans as one of the best, if not the best Spider-Man show that has ever been made and for PLENTY of good reasons! It’s a series that has enormous respects towards the character of Peter Parker and understands perfectly why Spider-Man is one of the most iconic and relatable superheroes in history. It’s able to greatly showcased these relatable aspects of Peter in his adventures as Spider-Man along with not being afraid to explore mature themes such as stress, relationships, balancing school and work, and even dark/sensitive topics such as gambling and drug addiction. Despite being targeted towards children, it’s able to deliver a quality superhero show that anyone of any age can understand or relate to without needing to dumb everything down. When it comes to the televisions show and streaming series involving our beloved web swinger thus far, there is not one series that gets as much right and finds the right balance for everything than The Spectacular Spider-Man! Filled with fantastic storytelling and character development along with some dope as hell action sequences, The Spectacular Spider-Man is an near perfect adaption of Spider-Man and one that is a must watch for any fan of the character!
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