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Spider-Man in television

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(Redirected from Spider-Man Animated Series)

The Marvel superhero character of Spider-Man has appeared in multiple forms of media besides the comics, including on television numerous times, in both live action and animated television programs.

Live-action

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Spidey Super Stories (1974–1977)

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The character was first portrayed in live action by Danny Seagren in Spidey Super Stories, an Electric Company segment which ran from 1974 to 1977.

The Amazing Spider-Man (1977–1979)

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In 1977, a short-lived live action television series was produced called The Amazing Spider-Man, starring Nicholas Hammond, one of the actors from The Sound of Music, in the title role. Although the series earned good ratings, the CBS Television Network canceled it after just two seasons, along with Wonder Woman, to avoid being labeled as "the superhero network."[1] The series was broadcast only sporadically during the second season. Several episodes from this series were turned into full-length motion pictures outside the U.S. Three films were released overseas: Spider-Man in 1977, Spider-Man Strikes Back in 1978, and Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge in 1981.

Spider-Man (1978–1979)

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logo for Japanese Spider-Man

In 1978, a Spider-Man live-action tokusatsu series was produced for Japanese television by Toei Company. Due to a request by Bandai that the show include giant robots and vehicles, it was not a faithful adaptation. Instead of Peter Parker, Spider-Man is Takuya Yamashiro (山城拓也, Yamashiro Takuya). It was not related to Ryoichi Ikegami's earlier 1970 Spider-Man manga. Toei planned to follow the series with a new show starring a Japanese counterpart of Captain America called "Captain Japan", which was revamped into Battle Fever J, the first official installment of Toei's Super Sentai franchise (barring the retroactive recognition of Himitsu Sentai Gorenger and JAKQ Dengekitai in later years). The concept of costumed superheroes piloting giant robots introduced in the Japanese Spider-Man was carried over to Battle Fever J, which became a tradition in the Super Sentai franchise.

Spider-Noir

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A live action Spider-Man Noir series, Spider-Noir, is also in development for MGM+.[2] Nicolas Cage will star as the titular character.[3]

Animation

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SeriesSeasonEpisodesOriginally releasedHead writerDirector(s)Network
Spider-Man (1967)120September 9, 1967 (1967-09-09)January 20, 1968 (1968-01-20)Grant Simmons, Clyde Geronimi, & Sid Marcus (season 1)
Ralph Bakshi (season 2)
ABC
219September 14, 1968 (1968-09-14)January 18, 1969 (1969-01-18)
313March 22, 1970 (1970-03-22)June 14, 1970 (1970-06-14)
Spider-Man (1981)126September 12, 1981 (1981-09-12)March 30, 1982 (1982-03-30)VariousSyndication
Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981)113September 12, 1981 (1981-09-12)December 5, 1981 (1981-12-05)VariousDon JurwichNBC
23September 18, 1982 (1982-09-18)October 2, 1982 (1982-10-02)
38September 17, 1983 (1983-09-17)November 5, 1983 (1983-11-05)
Spider-Man (1994)113November 19, 1994 (1994-11-19)June 11, 1995 (1995-06-11)John Semper Jr.Fox Kids
214September 9, 1995 (1995-09-09)February 24, 1996 (1996-02-24)
314April 27, 1996 (1996-04-27)November 23, 1996 (1996-11-23)
411February 1, 1997 (1997-02-01)August 2, 1997 (1997-08-02)
513September 12, 1997 (1997-09-12)January 31, 1998 (1998-01-31)
Spider-Man Unlimited (1999)1133October 2, 1999 (1999-10-02)October 16, 1999 (1999-10-16)Michael Reaves (1–6)
Robert Gregory Browne & Larry Brody (7–13)
Patrick ArchibaldFox Kids
10December 23, 2000 (2000-12-23)March 31, 2001 (2001-03-31)
Spider-Man: The New Animated Series (2003)113July 11, 2003 (2003-07-11)September 12, 2003 (2003-09-12)VariousVariousMTV
The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008)113March 8, 2008 (2008-03-08)June 14, 2008 (2008-06-14)Greg WeismanThe CW
213June 22, 2009 (2009-06-22)November 18, 2009 (2009-11-18)Disney XD
Ultimate Spider-Man (2012)126April 1, 2012 (2012-04-01)October 28, 2012 (2012-10-28)VariousVariousDisney XD
226January 21, 2013 (2013-01-21)November 21, 2013 (2013-11-21)
326May 13, 2014 (2014-05-13)October 24, 2015 (2015-10-24)
426February 21, 2016 (2016-02-21)January 24, 2017 (2017-01-24)
Spider-Man (2017)Origin Shorts6June 28, 2017 (2017-06-28)July 29, 2017 (2017-07-29)VariousVariousDisney XD
126August 19, 2017 (2017-08-19)February 18, 2018 (2018-02-18)
226June 18, 2018 (2018-06-18)December 1, 2019 (2019-12-01)
36April 19, 2020 (2020-04-19)October 25, 2020 (2020-10-25)
Spidey and His Amazing Friends (2021)125August 6, 2021 (2021-08-06)July 8, 2022 (2022-07-08)VariousDarren Bachynski (season 1–2)
Mitch Stookey (season 3–present)
Disney Jr.
229August 19, 2022 (2022-08-19)November 10, 2023 (2023-11-10)
3TBAJanuary 8, 2024 (2024-01-08)TBA
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man1TBA2024 (2024)[4]TBAJeff Trammell[5]TBADisney+

Spider-Man (1967–1970)

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The first animated series was simply titled Spider-Man, and ran on ABC from 1967 to 1970. The show's first season was produced by Grantray-Lawrence Animation, which soon went bankrupt. In 1968, animator Ralph Bakshi took over. Bakshi's episodes, which suffered from extremely low budgets, were stylized and featured dark ominous settings and pervasive background music. One episode reused complete background animation, characters, and storyline from an episode of Rocket Robin Hood. The series is be best remembered for its theme song, having become one of the most identifiable aspects of the series. In the early 2010s, several internet memes gained major prominence across various platforms, using the simplistic art style and awkward situation of the series for comedic purposes. Spider-Man was voiced by Paul Soles.[6]

Spider-Man (1981–1982)

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In 1981, with the creation of the animation studio Marvel Productions Ltd., Marvel endeavored to translate more of their comic characters to television. To garner the attention of the major networks, Marvel first created a new syndicated Spider-Man series partially based on the 1960s show. The strategy worked, and NBC became interested in having their own Spider-Man series. Spider-Man was voiced by Ted Schwartz.

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

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Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends was created for NBC and featured Spider-Man, Iceman of the X-Men, and original character Firestar. Actor Dan Gilvezan gave voice to this incarnation of the wall-crawler. This series also featured a number of Marvel guest stars, and shared many of its character designs with the solo Spider-Man show produced just before it.

Spider-Man (1994–1998)

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The 1994 Spider-Man animated series was made for the Fox Network, with Christopher Daniel Barnes voicing Spider-Man.[7] This series had a bigger budget and used a novel system of one large story arc per season, developed by John Semper. As a result, each of the individual 65 episodes (starting with season 2) were called "chapters". This was the longest Spider-Man series, with 65 episodes in five seasons, until 2012's Ultimate Spider-Man surpassed it.[8]

Spider-Man Unlimited (1999–2001)

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In 1999, an animated series named Spider-Man Unlimited was developed for Fox in which Spider-Man is transported to an animated Counter-Earth inspired by the one created by the High Evolutionary in early 1970s comics. This series was cancelled after one season. Spider-Man was voiced by Rino Romano.[9]

Spider-Man: The New Animated Series (2003)

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In 2003, another television series adaptation, Spider-Man: The New Animated Series this time using computer animation was produced by Mainframe Entertainment for Sony Pictures Television and broadcast on MTV; it featured characters and continuity from the 2002 Spider-Man film, as well as Michael Clarke Duncan voicing the Kingpin, reprising his role from the 2003 live action Daredevil film adaptation. The show lasted only one season, which contained 13 episodes. Spider-Man was voiced by Neil Patrick Harris.

The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008–2009)

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This television series is based on the early Lee/Ditko and Romita eras of The Amazing Spider-Man in addition to drawing elements from other eras of the comics, the Ultimate Spider-Man comics by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley, and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film series. Peter Parker is still a teenager living in contemporary New York, as in Bendis' Ultimate version, but many of the cast members borrow from both the early and later years of Spider-Man comics. Many of the original supporting cast, including Flash Thompson, have been translated into modern terms but are still very true to the comics, and some have altered ethnicities: Liz Allan is Hispanic and Ned Lee (formerly "Leeds") is Korean. The series follows several plot arcs drawn from the comics. Two seasons of the series were aired, each containing 13 episodes. The series ended when Sony Pictures relinquished its rights, which it had licensed from Marvel, to produce animated works using Spider-Man and associated characters. Spider-Man was voiced by Josh Keaton.

Ultimate Spider-Man (2012–2017)

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Spider-Man appears in Ultimate Spider-Man, voiced again by Drake Bell. This version is a member of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the leader of a group of trainees consisting of Iron Fist, Nova, Luke Cage and White Tiger.

Spider-Man (2017–2020)

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Spider-Man features Spider-Man (voiced by Robbie Daymond) teaming up with Miles Morales as Spider-Man II / Spy-D, Gwen Stacy as Spider-Gwen / Ghost Spider, and Anya Corazon as Spider-Girl.[10][11]

Spidey and His Amazing Friends (2021–present)

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A new children's television series titled Spidey and His Amazing Friends premiered on August 6, 2021 on Disney Junior.[12][13] Peter Parker / Spidey is voiced initially by Benjamin Valic and by Alkaio Thiele from the third season onward.[14]

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

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Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man explores Peter Parker's origin story and early days using the Spider-Man persona. It is produced by Marvel Studios for Disney+, part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise,[15] and takes place in an alternate timeline from the MCU in which Norman Osborn meets and mentors Parker in place of Tony Stark in the films Captain America: Civil War (2016) and Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017).[16][17] The series will feature a style that "celebrates" and pays homage to the early The Amazing Spider-Man comic books.[15]

Announced in November 2021, Jeff Trammel serves as head writer and executive producer for the series,[15] with the cast as of July 2022 featuring Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock / Daredevil (reprising his role from previous MCU media) and Paul F. Tompkins as Bentley Wittman.[16] The series will debut on the streaming service Disney+ in 2024. A second season, named Spider-Man: Sophomore Year, is in development.[18]

Appearances in other series

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Marvel Animated Universe

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  • Spider-Man appears in Avengers Assemble, with Drake Bell reprising his role (excluding the episode "Vibranium Curtain" Pt. 2, where Robbie Daymond reprises the role). In "Hulk's Day Out", he is selling hot dogs. In "Avengers Disassembled", Spider-Man temporarily joins the Avengers as Captain America's replacement, but leaves the team near the end of the episode due to Captain America and Iron Man being unable to work together. In "Avengers Underground", Spider-Man is among the heroes the Squadron Supreme imprison, although in his case, he is occupied with one of their drones. In "Avengers World", Spider-Man appears at the end of the episode on a holographic globe as one of the heroes Iron Man and Captain America consider potential Avengers. Finally in "Vibranium Curtain" Pt. 2, Spider-Man shows up and works with Black Panther to fight Vulture.
  • Spider-Man appears in Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., voiced again by Drake Bell.[7]
  • Spider-Man appears in Guardians of the Galaxy, voiced by Robbie Daymond.[7]

Television specials

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Mentions within Marvel animated series

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  • In Iron Man animated series, when a hacker causes H.O.M.E.R., the Starks' artificial intelligence, to malfunction, he mentions Peter Parker.
  • A small reference is made to Spider-Man in the X-Men: Evolution episode "On Angel's Wings", when the Angel is seen reading the Daily Bugle, the place Spider-Man/Peter Parker usually works.
  • Spider-Man is referenced several times in the animated series The Super Hero Squad Show. In the episode "Election of Evil", the Mayor of Superhero City (who is played by Stan Lee, one of the character's creators) references Spider-Man by saying that he tried to get superpowers by "getting bitten by a radioactive bug", and his campaign motto is "With great responsibility comes great power... and vice-versa". This is due to Sony still owned Spider-Man at that time which means he cannot appear on the show but only within video game adaptations as well as book adaptations.
  • In the animated series Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes, Johnny Storm hires a freelance photographer to help make him look good to the public. While it is not explicitly stated, the photographer is confirmed to be Peter Parker who was voiced by Sam Vincent.
  • In Iron Man: Armored Adventures Spider-Man is alluded to. In "Iron Man 2099" a Maggia goon mistakes Hawkeye for Spider-Man after Hawkeye uses a web arrow to catch one of his cohorts.

Mentions within Marvel Cinematic Universe series

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References

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  1. ^ Mangels, Andy (October 2010). "Spinning the Story of the Amazing Spider-Man". Back Issue! (44). TwoMorrows Publishing: 44–48.
  2. ^ Otterson, Joe (2023-02-09). "Spider-Man Noir Live-Action Series in the Works at Amazon (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  3. ^ Petski, Denise (May 14, 2024). "Spider-Man Noir Live-Action Series Gets Amazon Greenlight With Nicolas Cage To Star". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 14, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  4. ^ Barnhardt, Adam (December 11, 2023). "Marvel Studios Confirms X-Men '97 and Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Release Dates on Disney+". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  5. ^ Hipes, Patrick (November 12, 2021). "Disney+ Day: All The Streamer's Film & TV News From Premiere Dates To Series Orders". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 12, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  6. ^ "SpiderFan.org - Fail : Not Found". spiderfan.org.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Spider-Man Voices". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved February 13, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  8. ^ "SpiderFan.org - Fail : Not Found". spiderfan.org.
  9. ^ "SpiderFan.org - Fail : Not Found". spiderfan.org.
  10. ^ Truitt, Brian (October 8, 2016). "Exclusive: New 'Spider-Man' animated series coming in 2017, and a follow up to Spider-Man: Homecoming". USA Today.
  11. ^ Rey, Leo (December 18, 2016). "Spider-Man 2017 Cartoon Will Feature Venom, Spider-Gwen, and Miles Morales". Nerdspan.
  12. ^ "Marvel Animation Announces Its First Full-Length Preschool Series "Marvel's Spidey and His Amazing Friends"". The Futon Critic. August 23, 2019.
  13. ^ ""Jump Into Wow" This Summer on Disney Junior with "Marvel's Spidey and His Amazing Friends" and "Mickey Mouse Funhouse"" (Press release). Disney Channel. June 16, 2021 – via The Futon Critic.
  14. ^ "'Spidey and his Amazing Friends' Swings Back for Season 3". www.marvel.com. December 5, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  15. ^ a b c Vary, Adam B. (November 12, 2021). "Animated X-Men, Spider-Man, Marvel Zombies Series Announced for Disney Plus". Variety. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  16. ^ a b Moreau, Jordan (July 22, 2022). "Marvel Zombies, Spider-Man: Freshman Year, What If? Season 2 Get First Looks". Variety. Archived from the original on July 22, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  17. ^ Davis, Brandon (July 28, 2022). "How Spider-Man: Freshman Year Fits Into MCU Revealed (Exclusive)". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  18. ^ Pulliam-Moore, Charles (July 22, 2022). "Marvel's going all in on animation with Spider-Man: Freshman Year and even more X-Men '97". The Verge. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  19. ^ Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes (TV Series 2006–2010) - IMDb, retrieved 2022-04-13
  20. ^ Goldman, Eric (June 8, 2012). "Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Swaps Spectacular Spider-Man for Ultimate Spidey". IGN. Archived from the original on July 20, 2014. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  21. ^ "Disney Announces Japanese, Animated Marvel Disk Wars Series". Comic Book Resources. October 23, 2013. Archived from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  22. ^ "Behind The Voice Actors – Marvel Future Avengers". Behind The Voice Actors.
  23. ^ Dayani, Aahil (2021-08-19). "Why Tom Holland Isn't Voicing Spider-Man In 'What If...?'". Heroic Hollywood. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  24. ^ Sanders, Savannah (2024-05-01). "X-Men 97 Writer Confirms What Fans Suspected About THAT Spider-Man Cameo". The Direct. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  25. ^ Rivera, Joshua (2024-05-15). "X-Men '97 finally resolves a Spider-Man animated series cliffhanger". Polygon. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  26. ^ "Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel Preview". Marvel.com. July 18, 2012. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
  27. ^ Goldman, Eric (June 28, 2013). "Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel Debut Date Announced". IGN. Archived from the original on July 5, 2013.
  28. ^ "Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Avengers Reassembled". Lego Marvel Super Heroes. November 16, 2015.
  29. ^ "Reddit Finds a Spider-Man Easter Egg in Daredevil Season 3".
  30. ^ "Did You Spot This Cute Spider-Man Reference in Jessica Jones?". Archived from the original on 2016-05-07. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
  31. ^ "Spider-Man™ Popsicle®".
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