Marvel Comics character Spider-Man in television
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)
[
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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)
[
edit
]
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.
Noir
[
edit
]
A live action
Spider-Man Noir
series is also in development for
MGM+
and
Amazon Prime Video
.
[2]
Nicolas Cage
will star as the titular character.
[3]
Animation
[
edit
]
Spider-Man
(1967)
[
edit
]
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 may be best remembered for its
theme song
. In recent years several
internet memes
gained prominence that use the simplistic art style and awkward situation of this series for comedic purposes. Spider-Man was voiced by
Paul Soles
.
[6]
Spider-Man
(1981)
[
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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)
[
edit
]
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)
[
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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)
[
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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)
[
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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)
[
edit
]
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)
[
edit
]
Spider-Man
features Spider-Man (voiced by
Robbie Daymond
) teaming up with Miles Morales as Spider-Man II, Gwen Stacy as Spider-Gwen/Ghost Spider, and Anya Corazon as Spider-Girl.
[10]
[11]
Spidey and His Amazing Friends
(2021)
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
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
[update]
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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]
- Spider-Man guest starred in the
Spider-Woman
TV series in the episodes "Pyramids of Terror" and "The Kongo Spider", voiced again by Paul Soles.
- In an episode of the Marvel Productions-produced animated series
Muppet Babies
, "Comic Capers", Spider-Man appears in a fantasy sequence the characters create that is inspired by
The Amazing Spider-Man
newspaper comic strip.
- Spider-Man makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the
X-Men: The Animated Series
episode " Child of Light".
- Peter Parker appears in the
Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes
episode "Frightful", voiced by
Sam Vincent
.
Johnny Storm
hires him to take publicity stills of the
Fantastic Four
to maintain their reputation as heroes following the emergence of their counterparts, the
Frightful Four
.
[19]
- Spider-Man appears in
The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes
, voiced again by
Drake Bell
. Originally,
Josh Keaton
was intended to reprise his role from
The Spectacular Spider-Man
and had even recorded dialogue for the character, but was ultimately replaced and redubbed by Bell.
[20]
Tasked as Peter Parker to take pictures for an interview with Captain America, whom he admires, he works with him to save civilians from the Serpent Society. Spider-Man reappears in the episode "New Avengers", as a member of the
titular group
. Later, he joins the Avengers as a reserve member. Spider-Man returns in the series finale "Avengers Assemble", aiding the Avengers in a battle against
Galactus
.
- Spider-Man appears in
Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers
, voiced by
Shinji Kawada
in Japanese and
Robbie Daymond
in English.
[21]
- Spider-Man appears in
Marvel Future Avengers
, with Shinji Kawada and Robbie Daymond reprising their roles in Japanese and English dubbed versions from
Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers
and the
Spider-Man
TV series and various Marvel media respectively.
[22]
- Hudson Thames voices
Peter Parker / Spider-Man
in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
television series
What If...?
.
Tom Holland
, who portrays the
character
in the live-action films, could not reprise his role due to contractual conflicts regarding Sony Pictures.
[23]
- The 1994 series' iteration of Spider-Man makes non-speaking cameo appearances in the
X-Men '97
three-part season finale "
Tolerance is Extinction
". In Part 1, he is among the witnesses to the
electromagnetic pulse
(EMP) wave sent throughout the world by
Magneto
to depower the
Prime Sentinels
upon escaping from
Bastion
's captivity.
[24]
In Part 3, Parker is at an electronics store watching the news of
Asteroid M
's impending collision with Earth alongside
Flash Thompson
and
Mary Jane Watson
, who he has brought back to the present timeline.
[25]
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
[
edit
]
- In a flashback during season 1 of
Daredevil
to Matt and Foggy's time at Landman & Zack, Foggy mentions having "bumped into Morales", referring to Rio Morales, the mother of
Miles Morales
. In the 12th episode of
Daredevil
season 1, when
Ben Urich
is taking a drink from his glass and right before he realizes
Wilson Fisk
is there, a photograph of
Spider-Man
is visible in the newspaper posted on his pin-board to the far right of the center-top. In the 12th episode of
Daredevil
season 3, when
Karen Page
is visiting a boxing gym, an old poster behind her advertises a fight between a "Parker" and a "Morales".
[29]
- In the 12th episode of
Jessica Jones
season 1,
Spider-Man-themed
ice pops
are shown to be on sale when Jessica is tailing a Kilgrave-controlled courier through Central Park.
[30]
[31]
- At the end of the fourth episode of
Iron Fist
season 1,
Ward Meachum
compares
Danny Rand
's scaling of a building to "
goddamned
Daredevil
" in the original release. In the Italian and German dubs of the show, Ward compares Danny to "
goddamned Spider-Man
".
- In the final episode of
The Defenders
, when
Danny Rand
unleashes his Iron Fist upon Madame Gao, the action is immediately accompanied by the
Wu Tang Clan
's song "
Protect Ya Neck
". The section of the song heard in the fight scene speaks of "
Swingin' through your town like
your neighborhood Spider-Man
".
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Mangels, Andy (October 2010). "Spinning the Story of the Amazing Spider-Man".
Back Issue!
(44).
TwoMorrows Publishing
: 44?48.
- ^
Otterson, Joe (2023-02-09).
"Spider-Man Noir Live-Action Series in the Works at Amazon (EXCLUSIVE)"
.
Variety
. Retrieved
2023-11-23
.
- ^
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
.
- ^
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
.
- ^
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
.
- ^
"SpiderFan.org - Fail : Not Found"
.
spiderfan.org
.
- ^
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 opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
- ^
"SpiderFan.org - Fail : Not Found"
.
spiderfan.org
.
- ^
"SpiderFan.org - Fail : Not Found"
.
spiderfan.org
.
- ^
Truitt, Brian (October 8, 2016).
"Exclusive: New 'Spider-Man' animated series coming in 2017, and a follow up to Spider-Man: Homecoming"
. USA Today.
- ^
Rey, Leo (December 18, 2016).
"Spider-Man 2017 Cartoon Will Feature Venom, Spider-Gwen, and Miles Morales"
. Nerdspan.
- ^
"Marvel Animation Announces Its First Full-Length Preschool Series "Marvel's Spidey and His Amazing Friends"
"
.
The Futon Critic
. August 23, 2019.
- ^
"
"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
.
- ^
"
'Spidey and his Amazing Friends' Swings Back for Season 3"
.
www.marvel.com
. December 5, 2023
. Retrieved
February 13,
2024
.
- ^
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
.
- ^
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
.
- ^
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
.
- ^
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
.
- ^
Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes (TV Series 2006?2010) - IMDb
, retrieved
2022-04-13
- ^
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
.
- ^
"Disney Announces Japanese, Animated
Marvel Disk Wars
Series"
.
Comic Book Resources
. October 23, 2013. Archived from
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on September 10, 2016
. Retrieved
October 9,
2016
.
- ^
"Behind The Voice Actors ? Marvel Future Avengers"
.
Behind The Voice Actors
.
- ^
Dayani, Aahil (2021-08-19).
"Why Tom Holland Isn't Voicing Spider-Man In 'What If...?'
"
.
Heroic Hollywood
. Retrieved
2021-09-04
.
- ^
Sanders, Savannah (2024-05-01).
"X-Men 97 Writer Confirms What Fans Suspected About THAT Spider-Man Cameo"
.
The Direct
. Retrieved
2024-05-01
.
- ^
Rivera, Joshua (2024-05-15).
"X-Men '97 finally resolves a Spider-Man animated series cliffhanger"
.
Polygon
. Retrieved
2024-05-15
.
- ^
"Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel Preview"
.
Marvel.com
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. Retrieved
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- ^
Goldman, Eric (June 28, 2013).
"Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel Debut Date Announced"
. IGN.
Archived
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- ^
"Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Avengers Reassembled".
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. November 16, 2015.
- ^
"Reddit Finds a Spider-Man Easter Egg in
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.
- ^
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. Archived from
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on 2016-05-07
. Retrieved
2016-05-14
.
- ^
"Spider-Man™ Popsicle®"
.
External links
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