Spider-Man Shows: Ranking the Top 5

Spider-Man Shows: Now Airing in Your Friendly Neighborhood

Spider-Man is always in the spotlight. Within five years of his 1962 comics debut, Spidey swung onto TV screens around the world. He hasn’t stopped since, headlining his own shows or appearing in crossovers with everyone from The Avengers to The Electric Company. 

There have been a lot of good Spider-Man shows and a lot of garbage. Which are worth your time? Let’s find out.

#5 Spider-Man (Japan)

Main Cast: Shinji Todo, Rika Miura, Mitsuo Ando, Yukie Kagawa

Spider-Man shows are usually animated. It’s easier to portray his powers, web swinging, and villains that way. Let’s give live-action its due. We’re off to Japan to see Marvel and Toei’s trendsetting tokusatsu team-up.

Plot Synopsis: Takuya Yamashiro is a motorcycle racer whose father is murdered by the Iron Cross army. An investigation leads Takuya to an alien from the planet Spider who gives him the ability to transform into Spider-Man. Now armed with the Spider-Protector and giant robot Leopardon, Spider-Man fights space Nazis.

Why This Series?: Spider-Man: Japan has little to do with the comics, but it took the message and characters to heart. Takuya has a much more serious personality than Peter Parker, swearing to protect innocents and help the needy in between fighting armies of monsters .

Many people think Spider-Man: Japan is goofy because of the Megazord-inspiring Leopardon and cheesy fights. The show was often darker than they acknowledge with many civilian deaths, tragic villains, and plenty of bittersweet endings. One early episode featured a monster killing herself so she wouldn’t murder Spider-Man

Fun Fact: Spider-Man: Japan has developed a cult following and has begun making appearances in modern comics. Takuya and Leopardon are slated to appear in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. 

#4 Ultimate Spider-Man

Voice Actors: Drake Bell, Caitlyn Taylor Love, Ogie Banks, Dee Bradley Baker, Logan Miller

Spider-Man is the second most famous teenage superhero after Robin. Older stories allowed him to fumble his way to greatness, but why would he need to if there were older heroes and mentors available? This Spider-Man show gives him a web of supporters.

Synopsis: Spider-Man is struggling as a superhero. Nick Fury recruits him to lead a team of teenaged superheroes mentored by SHIELD. The team fights alongside a guest hero each episode as they learn how to be heroes.

Why This Series? Ultimate Spider-Man is a gateway into the larger Marvel Universe. Spidey acts as the audience stand-in to learn about the heroes and villains from that universe. Story arcs help him grow from a careless kid into a wise wallcrawler.

The SHIELD team helps Spider-Man develop through differing personalities. Nova is a hotshot and Spidey’s rival. Luke Cage is the moral compass while Iron Fist acts as a sage mentor. White Tiger was created for the show, and is a perfectionist tactician.

Fun Fact: Have you ever wondered where the term “unalive” came from? Look no further than Ultimate Spider-Man’s Deadpool episode. The Merc With The Mouth has a mental tic that won’t let him say the K-word, but he’s more than happy to unalive people.

#3 Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends

Voice Actors: Dan Glivezan, Kathy Garver, Frank Welker, June Foray

Synopsis: Spider-Man stops a supervillain with help from new heroes Iceman and Firestar. They quickly bond and form a team, battling crime in New York. Whenever they aren’t enough to save the day, the “Spider-Friends” can call on allies like Namor the Sub-Mariner or The Black Knight for help.

Why This Series?: Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends was Ultimate Spider-Man 31 years early. Firestar served as the big gun, but was also the love interest the guys fought over and the designated kidnapping victim. Iceman was loyal and heroic, but a distracted, would-be ladies man. Spider-Man was left to do much of the grunt work.

Amazing Friends is campy, silly, and never apologizes for any of it. Episodes feature Spider-Man tricked into a movie-themed death trap, a sapient and irradiated bee colony called Swarm, the deadly menace of Videoman, and an Australian Wolverine. That’ll never catch on, right, Jackman?

Fun Fact: The Human Torch was supposed to be the third member of the trio, but his rights were tied up in an unmade show. Firestar was created to take his place while a concurrent Fantastic Four show used H.E.R.B.I.E. The Robot. Both shows created an urban legend that the Torch was banned for fear of children setting themselves on fire to emulate the hero.

#2 Spider-Man: the Animated Series

Voice Actors: Christopher Daniel Barnes, Ed Asner, Saratoga Ballantine, Hank Azaria

Peter Parker hasn’t had a good showing thus far. He needed back-up in two shows and was completely replaced by Takuya in Japan. Luckily, the 90s were far kinder to him in this Spider-Man show.

Synopsis: A radioactive spider bites Peter Parker, giving him superpowers that he uses to become Spider-Man. He maintains an active social life despite having to run off and fight supervillains. Spider-Man meets a mysterious mentor called Madame Web who trains him for an unspoken danger in the future.

Why This Show: Spider-Man: the Animated Series modernized the hero while allowing him to fly solo. Most episodes were standalone, but story arcs built up over time. Darker characters like Venom and Blade were the order of the day, but The Animated Series never grew too dark. Everyone overacts, but that fits the comic book tone.

The show deserves a lot of credit for being this good despite many restrictions. Network executives wouldn’t let Spidey throw a punch, allude to death, break windows, or even startle pigeons. Other characters were also toned down including Punisher who couldn’t use lethal weapons, Carnage stealing life force instead of being a serial killer, and vampire Morbius hungering for “plasma” absorbed through his hands.

Fun Fact: Spider-Man: The Animated Series inspired the event comic that became the hit movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The final episodes featured the webslinger and several multiversal counterparts joining forces to fight Spider-Carnage.

#1 The Spectacular Spider-Man

Voice Actors: Josh Keaton, Lacy Chabert, James Arnold Taylor, Alan Rachins, Clancy Brown

Spider-Man shows are tricky to write. Do you go darker and edgier or keep it softer for kids? Stand-alone episodes or lore-heavy story arcs? Should drama or heroics be the focus? This adaptation nailed a perfect balance.

Synopsis: Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider and becomes Spider-Man. He struggles to make ends meet while supporting his aunt, attending school, and fighting crime. As villains grow more dangerous and his personal life deteriorates, Spider-Man must consider what type of hero he is. 

Why This Series: Spectacular Spider-Man is a carefully woven story. Many episodes stand alone, but still contribute to larger story arcs. A lot of focus is put onto supporting characters instead of being heaped on Spidey. His daily troubles are treated as dire as any supervillain.

The supervillains are a highlight. Many are reworked to be sympathetic or appear as recurring crooks before gaining their powers. Black Cat and Green Goblin are stand-outs, the former for a turbulent romance with Spider-Man and the latter to trick viewers who think they know his story.

Fun Fact: Spectacular Spider-Man had to cope with legal quagmires over characters Sony didn’t own the rights for. This nixed a team-up with the Human Torch and forced them to replace The Kingpin with Tombstone as “The Big Man of Crime.” Ironically, Kingpin started out as a Spidey villain, but is legally a Daredevil foe.

What is your favorite Spider-Man Show? Did we miss a better one? Tell us in the comments.

Image: Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Hudson Thames) in Marvel Animation’s YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.

Jared Bounacos

Jared Bounacos has written for Movie Rewind since 2016.