Before its premiere, few had high hopes that Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man would turn out to be good. However, now that we've had the chance to catch up on all 10 episodes of the wall-crawler's latest adventure we know it isn't just "good" — it is beyond amazing. The show instantly earned a spot as one of Spidey's best animated shows ever, and it left us craving for more.
On the bright side, a second and third season of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man are officially coming. The only problem? It will be a long time before they're finally released on Disney Plus. With that in mind, now is the perfect time to break down another five amazing shows that will hopefully keep us occupied while we wait to see what this newest version of Spidey will be up to.
So grab your web shooters and put on a mask, because we're about to dive into some more fantastic superhero animated projects.
The Spectacular Spider-Man
Unanimously considered the best Spider-Man series ever made, The Spectacular Spider-Man has earned the love of fans worldwide, and with good reason. For starters: Josh Keaton was simply born to be the voice of Peter Parker. You can even hear the differences when he's portraying a timid teenager going to high school compared to the superhero saving the day. He was so good at playing the character, that he even made a comeback in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man in a very unexpected role. Furthermore, The Spectacular Spider-Man did an exceptional job of diving into Peter's eternal dilemma of being a hero.
Being Spider-Man is no easy task, as he usually saves the day at the expense of Peter Parker's well-being. Well, that idea is perfectly portrayed in The Spectacular Spider-Man where audiences witnessed how Peter wanted to give up the superhero mantle (and had the perfect chance to do so) only to remember that people need him. The series has deep storytelling, and if that isn't enough, it is accompanied by amazing action sequences. I'll never forget one of the first times I witnessed the web-slinger fighting against the Sinister Six in a place that wasn't comic book pages, and it was all thanks to Spectacular Spider-Man.
While we're on the note of villains, iconic characters such as Venom, Doctor Octopus, and The Green Goblin made an appearance. The latter even had an amazing arc that had long-time fans trying to guess his real identity. Unfortunately, the show came to an end just after two seasons when Disney bought Marvel. The Spidey animated shows that followed were nearly as memorable, and it only made us miss The Spectacular Spider-Man even more. So if you haven't watched the show yet, I promise you won't regret doing so. It's simply spectacular.
Spider-Man: The New Animated Series
Spider-Man: The New Animated Series is a mostly overlooked choice that I personally think is a hidden gem. If you've watched Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, chances are you remember that scene where The Scorpion mercilessly stabs a member of the Tenth Street Gang in their hideout. Many people were quick to point out it was a rather violent scene for a Spidey project, and let me tell you: that was nothing compared to any episode of Spider-Man: The New Animated Series.
Dark, mature, violent, yet extremely amazing, this MTV show was originally supposed to fill the gap between the events of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2. However, much like Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, it eventually evolved into its own stand-alone story that allowed for more creative freedom. Characters like Electro, The Kingpin, The Lizard, and Kraven all showed up to torment New York City while brand-new villains such as Shikata made their debut as well. The best part? These antagonists were not holding back in the slightest.
Unfortunately, Spider-Man: The New Animated Series didn't have good enough ratings to secure a second season. As a result, the show will forever end on a bitter note where (*spoiler alert if you haven't watched it*) Peter packs his Spider-Man costume inside a suitcase and throws it to the harbor. While it was meant to be an adaptation of Spider-Man: No More! and audiences would've eventually seen him return to the superhero life, that ultimately wasn't the case. However, even in its ending it was very different, and I'll always give it extra points for that.
What If...? Season 1
There's a case to be said that What If...? was nowhere near as memorable in its last two seasons when compared to the first. After all, that first batch of episodes were the best to execute the series' interesting premise: What if the events audiences know and love from the Marvel Cinematic Universe turned out to be radically different?
Some of the best stories of the series as a whole are hidden within the first season. "What If... Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?" is a tragic yet memorable adventure that almost turns the iconic hero into a villain, created from tragedy and good intentions. Besides, how cool was it to watch every big Marvel hero turn into a zombie? Oh, and we can't forget that time when Hank Pym became evil and single-handedly took out the Avengers. They were all pretty interesting concepts executed in the best way possible, taking audiences on a pretty wild ride that had an equally amazing ending.
While every episode of the first season of What If...? seemed to be disconnected from each other, a few stories converged just in time for the big finale. Watching an Avengers-level team-up working together to stop an unhinged version of Ultron was nothing but exhilarating. Unfortunately, subsequent seasons failed to replicate the same level of quality and magic. But on the bright side, we can always do a rewatch of the first one to see how the MCU could've been had a few events played out differently.
Spider-Man: The Animated Series
Spider-Man: The Animated Series was responsible for introducing a whole generation to the iconic hero, and it did so in the best way possible. First and foremost: it's the lengthiest entry on this list, consisting of five seasons. That means the show had no shortage of memorable stories for audiences to witness; from the first big "Spider-Verse" event seen on-screen to a fantastic symbiote storyline that forever changed the way we all think of Venom. Simply put: This show's story is nothing but iconic.
Carnage, Doctor Octopus, Doctor Doom, Kingpin, Hydro-Man, Scorpion, and many more villains terrorized New York City in Spider-Man: The Animated Series. Fortunately, the wall-crawler wasn't alone while facing them, as other iconic heroes such as Iron Man, The Punisher, Captain America, Daredevil, and The Fantastic Four also showed up to save the day. This series was as ambitious as the MCU before the MCU was ever a thing.
Of course, we all love to see exhilarating superhero action. However, Spider-Man: The Animated Series also featured very "human" moments that remind us why Spidey is such a beloved hero. To this date, people are still revisiting the scene where the wall-crawler pays a visit to a little girl in a children's hospital because she was his greatest fan. Furthermore, there were also many heartbreaking events, such as the time when Mary Jane fell into a portal only to never be seen again. This series nailed the explosive moments, the superhero tragedies, and the heartwarming actions of Peter Parker. With that in mind, it's a must-see for every fan of the web-slinger.
X-Men '97
X-Men '97 is more than just a nostalgia trip. It's a revival of a cult classic that expands on everything that made its predecessor so iconic. It rewards audiences who watched the original series by following up on a few loose threads. However, it also welcomes newcomers who just want to see some fantastic superhero action without having to play the catch-up game.
A lot of love and care was put into every single detail of X-Men '97; from the animation that perfectly evokes the feel of a '90s cartoon, to the voice acting that brought iconic heroes to life on the small screen. Besides, it presents a story that doubles down on the "Mutant Metaphor", perfectly honoring the origin of these characters. And the cherry on top? The relationships between the X-Men are at the heart and center of the show.
X-Men '97 is filled with twists and turns throughout the events of its first season (some of which might be related to other series we've talked about in this list). As a result, it presents an amazing journey that never slows down and keeps audiences engaged through each of its ten episodes. On the bright side, a second season is officially coming, and we can't wait to see how things pan out.