Every Spider-Man animated series ranked

Image Courtesy of Disney-ABC Domestic Television and Marvel Animation for Spider-Man (1981)

8. Spider-Man (1981-1982)

Of all the wall-crawler’s animated outings, 1981’s Spider-Man definitely made the weakest impression. The show was created with the goal of launching a string of animated properties under Marvel Productions. However, it didn’t turn out to be quite the hit the company was hoping for.

It did manage to stick to the basic premise of the comics — Peter Parker trying to protect the city as his alter ego and balance the many obligations of his personal life. It even brought in numerous villains including big names like Green Goblin and Doctor Doom and lesser-knowns like Silvermane and Wizard.

Aside from that and some improved animation, it really didn’t build on the standard set by the 1967 series. To put it simply, it comes off as a bit basic, and it’s likely we’ll always view it as nothing more than “just ok.”