Every Spider-Man Animated Series Ranked

Being Marvel's most popular and recognizable superhero, Spider-Man — and his alter ego Peter Parker — is often voted the biggest, best, or most iconic superhero in all of comic book history. Created in 1962 by artist Steve Ditko and the godfather of comics Stan Lee, Spider-Man has since appeared in countless places outside of comic books, having been adapted into big-budget movies, a live-action TV show, a variety of records, and even a high profile broadway play. It's been in animation where Spider-Man has most often made his indelible mark, burying himself into the consciousness of entire generations of kids over the years. Seeing Spider-Man on their TV screens on Saturday mornings was probably most children's first exposure to the webbed wall-crawler.

He's appeared in his own solo cartoon more than once, and in shows that featured prominent Marvel superheroes alongside him each week. Animated versions of Spidey have battled everyone from Doctor Octopus to Dr. Doom, teamed up with The Avengers, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four, expanding the cartoon Marvel Universe and adapting many of his most famous comic book adventures for television. His shows have featured a variety of visual styles, from crude, stock animation to the most cutting-edge CGI. Some have become TV classics, while others are best left in the "better luck next time" dustbin of TV history.

 From his first-ever cartoon adventures in 1967, to 2021's toddler-friendly "Spidey & His Amazing Friends," here's every Spider-Man cartoon series, ranked according to its IMDB score. 

Timed to coincide with the release of "Spider-Man: Homecoming," "Marvel's Spider-Man" took Peter Parker back to his comic book roots and planted him firmly in his own little corner of the Marvel Universe. Gone were S.H.I.E.L.D. and its team of Marvel heroes, and back were Spider-Man's own unique villains and wider supporting cast. The show even dug deeper into Spider-Man's extensive rogue's gallery, including the likes of The Jackal, Alistair Smythe, and Hammerhead as major players. Even though heroes like Iron Man, Hulk, and the Avengers did pop in for an episode here or there, this was clearly a Spider-Man-focused show, designed to appeal to longtime fans.

While it impressed many critics upon its premiere, the show never seemed to strike a chord with audiences, as it was consistently lambasted by fans online. Criticized mostly for being too adult for little kids, but not sophisticated enough for teenagers, "Marvel's Spider-Man" seemingly tried to recapture the spirit of the acclaimed 2008 "Spectacular Spider-Man" series, but the consensus was that it didn't quite know what it wanted to be. The humor was derided as too childish, and the stories a bit too simplistic. Ultimately, 2017's "Spider-Man" perhaps tried a bit too hard to be a little bit of everything and fans didn't feel it succeed at much. But it's not without its fans, with enthusiasts defending it for its many charms.

After the wild success of Spider-Man's big-budget live-action debut in the 2002 superhero epic directed by Sam Raimi, Marvel and Sony were eager to capitalize with a new cartoon. Just four years after the failure of "Spider-Man Unlimited" a new show debuted. Developed by comic book writer Brian Michael Bendis, this new adventure series used state of the art CGI animation and featured an all-star cast that included Neil Patrick Harris as Spider-Man, Lisa Loeb as Mary Jane, Ian Ziering as Harry Osborn, and in an odd quasi-crossover with Fox's "Daredevil" film, Michael Clarke Duncan made an appearance as the villainous Kingpin.

The animation was ambitious and in some ways revolutionary, and early press really hyped up the "stunning and unique" visual style. However, the show's success or failure would hinge on the stories, which were decidedly more geared towards teenaged and adult audiences. They were similar in tone to the Sam Raimi movies, mixed with Aeon Flux-esque action, and a dash of classic comic book flavor. Unfortunately, it failed to impress and only lasted one season, though some retro reviews have given it a bit more love. "The New Animated Series" has been mostly forgotten and buried by more recent attempts at adapting the wall-crawler to animation. It ultimately suffered the same fate as the "Spider-Man Unlimited" for some of the same reasons, like trying a bit too hard to be new and different.

For many modern fans of the character, particularly those older Millenials or Generation X-ers, "Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends" may very well be where they first became acquainted with the web-slinger. Airing on NBC for three years starting in 1981, it was a popular show even into the mid to late 80s in reruns on Saturday mornings, despite only producing a total of 24 episodes. For the first time though, Spider-Man was part of a team of heroes, appearing alongside two other adventurers each week: Iceman and Firestar, of the "X-Men," making the series an introduction to that superhero group as well. 

The mutant duo became a memorable pairing for Spider-Man, and the series has been fondly remembered in the decades since for its quaint stories, colorful villains, light-hearted nature, and iconic introductions by creator Stan Lee. The animation was a step up from previous attempts, even if it was still relatively simplistic, and stories explored more of Peter Parker's personal life than the 1960s series before it, with Aunt May playing a supporting role. Short run or not, "Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends" has become an iconic part of the "Spider-Man" journey in television and movies, with the new character Firestar — created just for the series — becoming a fan favorite who eventually made her way into the comics. The threesome even inspired new stories in various comic books and on the screen nearly 40 years after its end in the early 1980s. 

In 1967, just five years after his comic book debut in "Amazing Fantasy" #15, Spider-Man debuted in his first cartoon, bringing the wall crawler into living rooms for the first time. It was a low-budget affair even for its day, using stock and recycled animation filled out with slightly moving static images, but it was the first exposure to the character for most of today's older audiences. For that reason, it still holds a place in many peoples hearts, and receives points for being the first, even if it's not the best, of Spider-Man's animated adventures. Despite its cheap animation, "Spider-Man" should be respected for lifting imagery and art directly from the comic books, giving it a quality not unlike today's "motion comics."

Retro reviews are still mixed, with Inverse's deep dive review saying "it makes 'Spider-Man 3' look brilliant" while The Thirteenth Dimension celebrated the voice talents of the cast and quirky, offbeat comic stories. Despite all its flaws viewed with 50 years of hindsight, "Spider-Man" still possesses a certain charm, and certainly it can't be faulted for being cheap or simple in an era defined by cheap and simple cartoons. But perhaps its biggest legacy was giving us the iconic "Spider-Man" theme song that has been used over and over in the decades since including a scene in Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" film in 2002. The song has become a legitimate part of pop culture, and was even reworked in 2017 by composer Michael Giacchino as the title theme for the MCU series of live-action films. 

In the wake of the successful cartoons like "Batman: The Animated Series" and Fox's "X-Men," Marvel launched their flagship superhero in a similarly mature animated series, the singularly titled "Spider-Man" (though it's since become known more commonly as "Spider-Man: The Animated Series"). For the first time in his animated history, Peter Parker and Spider-Man would feature in epic, ongoing storylines aimed at teens and even adults. While it was certainly kid friendly, episodes took the characters more seriously, elevating the source material beyond the light, childish fare seen in "Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends." The animation got a big bump in quality too: no longer stiff and simplistic, no more stock animations, this series would feature smooth, Disney-like animation, complete with groundbreaking CGI backgrounds, necessary to tell stories with complex plots and a wide variety of locations and characters.

It also expanded the Marvel Animated Universe more than any previous show, with guest appearances from the likes of Daredevil, the Punisher, Blade, Dr. Strange, Captain America, and even a landmark multi-part tie-in with "X-Men: The Animated Series." "Spider-Man" translated big storylines from the comics like "The Clone Saga," and in its fifth season, the series adapted the sprawling event miniseries "Secret Wars" in one of the most ambitious animated crossover epics ever seen on television. It's one of the most well-regarded shows in the long pantheon of Marvel cartoons, and while critics can debate which Marvel cartoon is the best of all time, most would not exist if not for the success of "Spider-Man: The Animated Series."