25 years later, what are your thoughts on Spider-Man: The Animated Series?

[Frontier]

I watched it dubbed in my country's language so I was surprised how fast everyone talks in English, it's like they don't have enough time to say all the lines.

Some things I didn't know when I first watch it but know now
- The ending really is awkward because they had to cancel the next season where he finds Mary Jane
- Mary Jane's fall off the bridge was supposed to reference Gwen Stacy
- In fact, I didn't know Gwen Stacy exists at all
- Green Goblin is Spider-Man's nemesis and appears before Hobgoblin
- Morbius is a vampire and sucks blood, not plasma
- Peter Parker is supposed to be a nerd
- No really, because I grew up on this and Alex Saviuk comic, I always thought him as this buff sexy guy. I never thought he's a nerd and always disappointed when other artists depict him as small and spindly.
- I never realized how ridiculous all of Dr. Strange's spell sounds

Things I did already know before watching
- Electro isn't supposed to be that overpowered
- Chameleon is supposed to be a smarter mastermind and not just a hired hand

Things that this series introduced to me
- Kraven The Hunter
- Sinister Six
- Alistair Smythe
- Marvel's version of JSA
- Clone Wars
- Secret Wars
- Madame Webb

Things this series reinforce to me
- Dr. Doom is awesome

It was such a surprise for me to learn Chameleon could talk normally in the comics after watching the 90's show.

[Mistah K88]

Looking at all of the Spider-Man animated series, you can definitely tell that some like the 60's show feel dated, whether it be the animation style, character designs, or how people talk, etc. With this show generally being seen as one of the better animated incarnations of the web slinger, is there anything in the show that feels dated to anyone? There are some character designs like Alistair Smythe that I can just looks at and tell that this character is very 90's (which to be fair, he isn't one of those characters who had a timeless design).

I'll probably dig up the Spectacular thread to ask the same question.

[Agent Z]

Looking at all of the Spider-Man animated series, you can definitely tell that some like the 60's show feel dated, whether it be the animation style, character designs, or how people talk, etc. With this show generally being seen as one of the better animated incarnations of the web slinger, is there anything in the show that feels dated to anyone? There are some character designs like Alistair Smythe that I can just looks at and tell that this character is very 90's (which to be fair, he isn't one of those characters who had a timeless design).

I'll probably dig up the Spectacular thread to ask the same question.

The animation, some character designs, refusal to say "die" or "kill" and depiction of M.J. are dated but everything else holds up well.

[Huntsman Spider]

I would also say some things actually hold up even better when you think about what Marvel went on to do with its characters. For example, the Six Forgotten Warriors arc introduced a version of the Golden Age hero Black Marvel . . . who turned out to be a black man, with his original comics alter ego serving as a public decoy for Black Marvel due to, as the show rather euphemistically referenced, the 1940s being a different time. I bring it up because with that iteration of Black Marvel having been a black man in the 1940s and the discrimination faced by African-Americans back then, it could have possibly foreshadowed Blue Marvel, who had a similar backstory of disguising his race so he could operate as a superhero in a time when people of his hue were discriminated against, disenfranchised, and disrespected by society and then retiring as a superhero when his skin color was exposed due to the tensions of the era, which hadn't entirely abated.

Another example is Carnage being in willing thrall to a dark god and working to unleash said god on the world so he could take part in the inevitable omnicide that god would wreak. In the animated series, it was Dormammu's machinations that resulted in Cletus Kasady being transformed into Carnage and becoming his willing servant, but almost 20 years later, Carnage would have his own comic series, however brief, where he served the Elder God Chthon as the prophesized "Red Slayer" and ultimately managed to unleash Chthon upon the world for a short time. Of course, that's rather obscure compared to Absolute Carnage and its buildup in Donny Cates's Venom series and Web of Venom one-shots, which revealed a dark god named Knull as the true origin of the symbiotes and Carnage as his messenger and prophet.

Third would be the personal connection between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus when they were Peter Parker and Otto Octavius. Contrary to what might be popular assumption, TAS did that first, having Otto as a former mentor to Peter in his childhood instead of when Peter was already a young adult like Spider-Man 2 a decade later or Insomniac Games' Spider-Man for the PS4 two decades later.

And last but not least . . . we may very well not have had a Spider-Verse in its varying incarnations and adaptations, or even Shattered Dimensions, without Spider Wars, the series finale of TAS. Like Into the Spider-Verse, Spider Wars ultimately was a story about what it meant to be Spider-Man, told through the prism of exploring alternate realities where Spider-Man was different or led a different life and leading to an epiphany about the core essence of the character that continues to endure to this day.

[Spidey_62]

I would also say some things actually hold up even better when you think about what Marvel went on to do with its characters. For example, the Six Forgotten Warriors arc introduced a version of the Golden Age hero Black Marvel . . . who turned out to be a black man, with his original comics alter ego serving as a public decoy for Black Marvel due to, as the show rather euphemistically referenced, the 1940s being a different time. I bring it up because with that iteration of Black Marvel having been a black man in the 1940s and the discrimination faced by African-Americans back then, it could have possibly foreshadowed Blue Marvel, who had a similar backstory of disguising his race so he could operate as a superhero in a time when people of his hue were discriminated against, disenfranchised, and disrespected by society and then retiring as a superhero when his skin color was exposed due to the tensions of the era, which hadn't entirely abated.

Another example is Carnage being in willing thrall to a dark god and working to unleash said god on the world so he could take part in the inevitable omnicide that god would wreak. In the animated series, it was Dormammu's machinations that resulted in Cletus Kasady being transformed into Carnage and becoming his willing servant, but almost 20 years later, Carnage would have his own comic series, however brief, where he served the Elder God Chthon as the prophesized "Red Slayer" and ultimately managed to unleash Chthon upon the world for a short time. Of course, that's rather obscure compared to Absolute Carnage and its buildup in Donny Cates's Venom series and Web of Venom one-shots, which revealed a dark god named Knull as the true origin of the symbiotes and Carnage as his messenger and prophet.

Third would be the personal connection between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus when they were Peter Parker and Otto Octavius. Contrary to what might be popular assumption, TAS did that first, having Otto as a former mentor to Peter in his childhood instead of when Peter was already a young adult like Spider-Man 2 a decade later or Insomniac Games' Spider-Man for the PS4 two decades later.

And last but not least . . . we may very well not have had a Spider-Verse in its varying incarnations and adaptations, or even Shattered Dimensions, without Spider Wars, the series finale of TAS. Like Into the Spider-Verse, Spider Wars ultimately was a story about what it meant to be Spider-Man, told through the prism of exploring alternate realities where Spider-Man was different or led a different life and leading to an epiphany about the core essence of the character that continues to endure to this day.

Yeah, this show was forward thinking with Spidey's future in a lot of ways- didn't even realize the Carnage connection but that's very true. I don't think Dan Slott is being entirely fair when he discounts this show as having not originated the idea of the Spider-Verse, he cited that the Shattered Dimensions game he wrote was what gave him the idea to do the comic story but even that game pays its own acknowledgement to this series with Christopher Daniel Barnes' involvement as well as Madame Web in the multiverse shenanigans. Now, I also think John Semper Jr. overplays it as well taking credit for the Spider-Verse movie but I do believe it's more accurate to say the idea was first explored in John's show and it opened the door for it to finally be taken advantage of in the comics/games/movies later.

This show is to date probably the most comprehensive adaptation of Spider-Man. It covers most of the major ideas from his first 35 years (with some big caveats and different interpretations for sure) and looks to the future. It does it in a way that gives you a good feel for what his world is like, it captures the character's essence well. I mean, you can tell John Semper thought Stan's word was the Spidey bible, it feels often dialogue-wise like classic Spidey.

I think if Spectacular went on longer it would unquestionably be the most comprehensive Spidey adaptation, it accomplished a heck of a lot with just 26 episodes.

[Dr. Skeleton]

Pretty flawed. The animation would suffer at times, the censors limited it's action scenes and Spidey would be jerky at times.

[Mister Mets]

IMDB viewers seem to really like it. It's #2 among Marvel animated series, second only to the Fox X-Men.

https://www.cbr.com/marvel-best-animated-series-imdb/

[Hybrid]

Would you say Christopher Daniel Barnes is the definitive Spider-Man voice?

A lot of people hold him to that, even comparable to Kevin Conroy as Batman, and I myself often read Spidey comics imagining his voice. Overall, I'd say he's very good... barring some instances of overacting (the infamous "GET BACK HERE SHOCKER!!!" line comes to mind), and maybe some weird dialogue in the script, but those can be more attributed to directing and writing than him just performing badly. When the direction and writing is good enough, which it is most of the time, he delivers.

[Huntsman Spider]

Would you say Christopher Daniel Barnes is the definitive Spider-Man voice?

A lot of people hold him to that, even comparable to Kevin Conroy as Batman, and I myself often read Spidey comics imagining his voice. Overall, I'd say he's very good... barring some instances of overacting (the infamous "GET BACK HERE SHOCKER!!!" line comes to mind), and maybe some weird dialogue in the script, but those can be more attributed to directing and writing than him just performing badly. When the direction and writing is good enough, which it is most of the time, he delivers.

I'd agree with that, and I also still have him in my head as the voice for 616 Peter Parker/Spider-Man and most other versions that branch off from 616.

[Speed Force League Unlimited]

Would you say Christopher Daniel Barnes is the definitive Spider-Man voice?

A lot of people hold him to that, even comparable to Kevin Conroy as Batman, and I myself often read Spidey comics imagining his voice. Overall, I'd say he's very good... barring some instances of overacting (the infamous "GET BACK HERE SHOCKER!!!" line comes to mind), and maybe some weird dialogue in the script, but those can be more attributed to directing and writing than him just performing badly. When the direction and writing is good enough, which it is most of the time, he delivers.

I prefer other voices, but I do prefer his voice for Spider-Man over Paul Soles, Drake Bill, Sam Reigal, Robbie Daymond, and even Yuri Lowenthal.

[Batman Begins 2005]

Would you say Christopher Daniel Barnes is the definitive Spider-Man voice?

A lot of people hold him to that, even comparable to Kevin Conroy as Batman, and I myself often read Spidey comics imagining his voice. Overall, I'd say he's very good... barring some instances of overacting (the infamous "GET BACK HERE SHOCKER!!!" line comes to mind), and maybe some weird dialogue in the script, but those can be more attributed to directing and writing than him just performing badly. When the direction and writing is good enough, which it is most of the time, he delivers.

Behind Josh Keaton, Christopher Daniels Barnes ahead of the rest. The two Spider-Man voices for me.

[Batman Begins 2005]

I grew up on Spider-Man: The Animated Series, it's second to The Spectacular Spider-Man in my ranking of Spider-Man cartoons. To me, TSSM is Spider-Man and I'd only have TSSM behind Batman: The Animated Series which is by far the greatest comic book animated series of all time.