5. Christopher Daniel Barnes
If you grew up watching cartoons in the 1990s, then there’s a pretty good chance that Christopher Daniel Barnes was your definitive Spider-Man. Voicing the character in the classic Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Barnes was renowned for his expressive voicework, which came in handy given that the show relied heavily on voiceover for both expositional purposes and to convey emotions.
Peter went through a lot on this show and Barnes was the right man for the job in bringing him to life. He had a smooth, genuine approach when it came to the everyday life of Peter, portraying him as a quirky but enthusiastic student eager to help others (and learn from others as well), but whenever the stakes were raised, he got louder, more desperate and Barnes shifted to those tones effortlessly, making for an incredibly immersive viewing experience.
Peter was more confident here for the most part, and that (along with the fact that he got on so well with his classmates) made it harder to buy that he was the unpopular kid he was often portrayed to be, but he was a strong and well-rounded character that just exuded authentic youth – and that is all down to Barnes’ compelling performance.
Barnes had a lot to do on this show, and he always exceeded expectations.