THE
SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN
(CW, Disney XD, March 8, 2008-November 18, 2009)
Culver Entertainment, Marvel Entertainment, Adelaide
Productions, Sony Pictures Television
MAIN CAST:
Josh Keaton – Spider-Man/Peter Parker
Benjamin Diskin – Venom/Eddie Brock
Clancy Brown – George Stacy, Rhino/Alex
O’Hirn, Ox
(1st appearance)
Daran Norris – J. Jonah Jameson,
Colonel Jupiter/John
Jameson
The
Spectacular Spider-Man was the sixth Saturday morning cartoon (seventh,
overall) based on Marvel Comics’
Spider-Man, and the second of three after Unlimited
to share a title with one of Spidey’s many comic series (which, interestingly
enough, was also his
second comic series).
 |
| Promotional poster featuring Spidey, Electro, Sandman, Doc Ock, Kraven, Mysterio, Venom and Green Goblin's glider. |
Developed by Victor Cook and Greg Weisman, the series chose
to focus on Peter Parker’s (Josh Keaton) high school years; something that hadn’t
been done before (most shows typically began with or focused on his college
years). Upon landing the series, Weisman purchased seven volumes of The
Essential Spider-Man to boil down what creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko tried to
accomplish. From the outset, it was decided that the series would follow the “5
C’s”: it would be Coherent, Cohesive, Contemporary, Classic and iConic
(cheating with the hard “c” sound of the word). They would utilize the earliest
issues of Amazing
Spider-Man as their springboard while combining elements found in the
later comics and even the Sam
Raimi film trilogy
(which was just wrapping up around that time).
 |
| Some of the civilian character models. |
As a result, the characters featured
in the show were a mix from various periods in Spidey’s life and career. Amongst
the regular characters from the comic’s high school days, there was his widowed
Aunt May (Deborah Strang); her friend and neighbor, Anna Watson
(Kath Soucie); gruff Daily Bugle publisher J.
Jonah Jameson (Daran Norris, reprising his role from the 2000 video game); Jonah’s
son, astronaut John Jameson (also Norris); star football player and bully Flash
Thompson (Joshua LeBar); Flash’s girlfriend, Liz Allan (reimagined as a Latina,
voiced by Alanna Ubach); Jonah’s secretary, Betty Brant (Grey DeLisle); Bugle reporter Ned Leeds (renamed Ned
Lee, voiced by Andrew Kishino); Bugle reporter
Frederick Foswell (James Arnold Taylor), who adopted the alter-ego Patch to get
information about the criminal underworld; and Bugle editor-in-chief Robbie Robertson (Phil LaMarr). Introduced from his college
years was Peter’s friend and future wife Mary Jane Watson (Vanessa Marshall);
his best friend, Harry Osborn (Taylor); Robbie’s son, Randy Robertson (LaMarr);
police officer Jean
DeWolff (Irene Bedard)
and her partner, Sergeant Stan Carter
(Thomas F. Wilson); Sha Shan
Nguyen (Kelly Hu), Flash’s
second girlfriend after Liz dumped him; and Glory Grant (Cree Summer), reimagined from
Peter’s neighbor and Betty’s replacement to high school age.
 |
| Glory Grant berating her boyfriend, Kenny. |
Among the newer creations was Flash’s best
friend, Kenny Kong (Kishino), who was introduced in 2000’s Ultimate
Spider-Man #1 (an updated reimagining
of Spidey’s early years) and was Glory's boyfriend for a time; Sally Avril
(DeLisle), who had a sole appearance in Amazing Fantasy #15 (Spidey’s first appearance) but
was later expanded upon in the pages of Untold
Tales of Spider-Man; and Officer Vin Gonzales and his
partner, Alan O’Neil,
who both first appeared in Spider-Man:
Free Comic Book Day (2007) as part of the rebooted continuity stemming
from the controversial “One More Day” storyline. They even introduced the
Osborns’ butler, Bernard
Houeman (Jeff Bennett),
who was only seen in the Raimi films.
 |
| George and Gwen Stacy attend Thanksgiving at the Parkers'. |
One unique aspect of Spidey’s
supporting cast was the inclusion of his college girlfriend, Gwen Stacy
(Chabert). Until this point, Gwen was only seen once in the final episode of Spider-Man:
The Animated Series. Gwen was introduced in Amazing
Spider-Man #31 (1965) and dated
both Flash and Harry before ending up with Peter. However, none of the creators
particularly cared for her character and found Mary Jane more interesting, so
when Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas succeeded Lee as
the series’ writer and editor, respectively, they decided to kill Gwen off at
the suggestion of John Romita,
Sr. She died in a conflict with Spidey’s arch-nemesis, the Green Goblin,
in Amazing
Spider-Man #121 (1973). Because
of this, producers were hesitant to bring her into other media; particularly
cartoons. Gwen, however, had her fans. Weisman had grown up reading the comics
during the Gwen years and wanted the chance to have audiences fall in love with
the character like he had. So, Gwen became Peter’s primarily love interest in Spectacular. With her came the second appearance
of her father, police captain George Stacy (Clancy Brown), beaten to the punch
the previous year by Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 (played
by James Cromwell). Like in
the comics, it was hinted that George had deduced that Peter was Spidey and often
subtlety helped him by providing cover and alibis to allow Spidey to keep his
identity a secret. As with his daughter, he was also killed
in the comics by another Spidey arch-foe: Doctor Octopus.
 |
| The Sinister Six version 1.0: Rhino, Electro, Sandman, Doc Ock, Shocker and Vulture. |
The primary antagonist of the series
began as the mysterious “Big Man”, an identity that was assumed by Frederick Foswell
and later his children in the comics. This time, however, it belonged to the
super strong albino Tombstone
(Keith David the first time,
Kevin Michael Richardson
after). Much like the Kingpin in the
comics (who wasn’t used as he’d become more of a Daredevil
foe, despite beginning as Spidey’s, and wasn’t included in the rights), Big Man
had a benevolent public persona while secret running the criminal underworld of
the city. To accomplish his crimes, Big Man would often hire a cavalcade of
super villains. Previously televised villains included the aforementioned Green
Goblin (Alan Rachins as
Norman Osborn, Steven Blum as the
Goblin), a ruthless businessman who became involved with Big Man before setting
sights on taking his place; the hard-headed Hammerhead (John Dimaggio), who served as
Big Man’s public face and muscle; Vulture (Robert Englund), whose theft of his
proprietary flight technology by Osborn turned him to crime; Silvermane (Miguel Ferrer), a rival crime
lord who sets his own sights on running the underworld; Electro (Crispin Freeman), an
electrician who was turned into an electrical being in a freak accident; Sandman (DiMaggio), a petty
criminal turned into a being that could control sand through an experiment by Osborn;
Rhino (Brown), Sandman’s one-time partner who was given super strength and
invulnerability by Osborn; Dr. Octopus (Peter MacNicol, a fan of the
comics and character), one of Oscorp’s most
intelligent scientists who became fused to his mechanical arms in a lab
accident (and went by his other alias of Master Planner in the second season); Chameleon (Blum), an international
spy and master of disguise; Mysterio (Xander Berkeley), a special effects
expert; Lizard
(Dee Bradley Baker,
reprising his role from the 2000 video game), a brilliant biologist whose
desire to restore his missing arm transformed him into a humanoid lizard; Kraven the Hunter (Eric Vesbit), a skilled hunter later
transformed into a beast by a variation of Lizard’s serum; Dr. Miles Warren (reimagined
as East Indian, voiced by Brian
George), a biochemistry professor who became fascinated by Lizard’s experiments;
and Venom (Benjamin Diskin), whose parents had died along with Peter’s and he became
jealous of Peter’s stable home life before joining with the alien symbiote Peter
would come to reject. Appearing sans their alter-egos were Morris Bench (aka Hydro-Man, voiced by Bill Fagerbakke) and Hobie
Brown, aka Prowler,
who was interrupted every time he tried to speak in a running gag.
 |
| Molten Man's on fire! |
Newly introduced was Molten Man (Eric Lopez), changed from Liz’s
half-brother to full brother who had a crush on Mary Jane. He was transformed by
the Goblin by being given nanite armor that made his skin impenetrable and hot,
and could only be turned off by the Goblin. There was also the Tinkerer (Thom Adcox-Hernandez), who
developed and provided many of the villains’ technology. Roderick Kingsley (Courtney B. Vance), a
businessman obsessed with committing crimes and would eventually become the Hobgoblin,
also appeared.
 |
| Cats and spiders always mix. |
In keeping with the 5 Cs, Weisman
took some liberties with the source material by examining characters’ core
essences and making changes and combinations when necessary. For instance, cat-burglar
Walter Hardy
(James Remar) was combined
with the burglar
who would kill Uncle Ben (Ed Asner, who voiced Jonah in The Animated Series) and provide Spidey
with his motivation. That would also cause Spidey to cross paths with his equally
larcenous daughter, Black Cat
(Tricia Helfer). Deciding Shocker was
just a “costume without an identity”, the character was combined with Montana (Bennett),
a member of the Enforcers.
Fellow Enforcer Fancy Dan (LaMarr)
was reimagined as a diminutive African-American acrobat who also went by the
name “Ricochet”, rather than a typical gangster. Silver Sable (Nikki Cox) was changed from a
mercenary to the daughter of Silvermane who helped run his organization and
once had a relationship with Hammerhead. Although John Jameson would end up
with a cosmic gem that transformed him into Man-Wolf,
the series decided to have him exposed to alien spores that temporarily gave
him powers (and mental instability), letting him become Captain Jupiter.
The
Spectacular Spider-Man debuted on March 8, 2008 as part of the Kids’ WB programming block
on The CW; which became TheCW4K!ds after the block was
sold to 4Kids
Entertainment. As Sony Pictures
owned the Spider-Man television rights at the time, the show was produced by
their direct-to-video label, Culver Entertainment,
and their animation studio, Adelaide
Productions. Sean Galloway was
the lead character designer and utilized a simplified style in order to ensure
Spidey could move as fluidly as he did in Raimi’s films. Animation duties were
handled by Dong Woo
Animation, Hanho Heung-Up Co., Ltd.,
and MCI Animation, Inc. The series was written by Weisman with Kevin Hopps, Matt Wayne, Andrew Robinson, Randy Jandt, and Nicole Dubuc. Cook directed the series’ opening
titles, which were accompanied by a theme from The Tender
Box. Kristopher
Carter, Michael
McCuistion and Lolita
Ritmanis handled the rest of the series’ music. The show’s logo was based
on the one that graced
the Spectacular comic for two
issues in 1996 to signify the end of the controversial “Clone Saga” storyline.
 |
| Green Goblin shows Hammerhead who's in charge. |
The series proved a hit with audiences
and critics, and was renewed for a second season. Weisman and Cook had to pull
double duty working on the second season while finishing up the first due to
the timing of the announcement. A third season was contingent upon the ratings
of the second season and DVD sales. Unfortunately, the show was moved to Disney XD where it didn’t
perform as well and the DVD sales didn’t meet expectations. Also, during that
time, Disney was in the process of acquiring
Marvel (which would be completed by December, 2009) and was looking to bring all
of Marvel’s properties under one roof. In exchange for maintaining the film
rights, Sony relinquished the TV rights back to Disney. The series was
cancelled after just two seasons, failing to reach the 65 Weisman hoped for. Disney
opted to introduce their own show in the form of Ultimate
Spider-Man (which also aired on Disney XD beginning in 2012).
 |
| The Lizard strikes! |
Had the series continued, Weisman planned
to introduce Ghost Rider,
Hobgoblin, Hydro-Man, Scorpion,
Mr. Negative and Carnage (whose alter-ego had
appeared in an episode), and introduce Harry’s mother Emily with
the hopes of having her voiced by Marina
Sirtis (who worked on Wiesman’s Gargoyles).
There was also a plan to release direct-to-video movies set between the seasons
and following the show’s conclusion, which would have followed Peter to college
and his eventual marriage to Mary Jane.
Hasbro
produced a line
of action figures based on the show between 2008 and 2009; featuring
various versions of Spidey and his core foes, playsets and vehicles. In 2010, Burger
King included four toys
based on the show in their Kids’
Meals. Because each episode story arc was initially designed to be combined
together to form a single stand-alone story, the first DVD release by Sony Home
Entertainment was Attack
of the Lizard in 2008. It
combined the first three episodes together with some additional footage.
However, that plan was abandoned for each additional release and Volumes 2-8
contained the episodes as they were broadcast. Attack of the Lizard was re-released as Volume
1 in 2009. In the United Kingdom, only the first four volumes were made
available. In 2009, The
Complete First Season was released and the full show was eventually
made available on various streaming services. In 2013, Saban Brands acquired the broadcast
rights to the show and returned it to The CW as part of their Vortexx programming block
until it was discontinued the following year. To coincide with the release of The Amazing Spider-Man 2
in 2014, the entire series was
released to Blu-ray
for the first time and then to DVD
in 2016.
EPISODE GUIDE:
Season 1:
“Survival
of the Fittest” (3/8/08) – School is around the corning and the Enforcers
decide to make Spidey’s life difficult.
“Interactions”
(3/8/08) – Spidey has to deal with Electro’s constant search for a cure for his
condition while Peter Parker has to tutor Liz Allan.
“Natural
Selection” (3/15/08) – Peter learns a lot about difficult choices when Dr.
Connors transforms himself into the Lizard.
“Market
Forces” (3/22/08) – As Peter concentrates on helping Aunt May pay the bills,
Montana becomes the Shocker in order to take out Spidey.
“Competition”
(3/29/08) – Football tryouts have to wait as convict Flint Marko becomes the
Sandman in order to kill Spidey.
“The
Invisible Hand” (4/12/08) – Rhino’s attack leads Spidey to confront Big Man
once and for all, and is offered an opportunity he can’t possibly pass up—can
he?
“Catalysts”
(4/26/08) – Mary Jane threatens to invert Midtown’s social structure while
Green Goblin sets his sights on taking over as Big Man from Tombstone.
“Reaction”
(5/3/08) – Spidey has to keep Dr. Octopus from stealing an experimental battery
pack that will power his arms indefinitely.
“The
Uncertainty Principle” (5/10/08) – John Jameson struggles to land his damaged
shuttle while Spidey deals with Goblin’s hostile takeover of the New York underworld.
“Persona”
(5/17/08) – Spidey gains a new costume and a new partner when he teams-up with
Black Cat to prove himself innocent of crimes Chameleon has framed him for.
“Group
Therapy” (5/31/08) – Electro and Doc Ock break Vulture, Sandman, Rhino and
Shocker out of prison in order to team-up against Spidey.
“Intervention”
(6/7/08) – Peter realizes that his alien symbiote is affecting his mind and
struggles to remain in control.
“Nature
vs. Nurture” (6/14/08) – Aunt May is released from the hospital just in time
for a newly-transformed Venom to come looking for trouble.
Season 2:
“Blueprints”
(6/22/09) – Peter wants to discuss his kiss with Gwen, but Mysterio has other
plans courtesy of the Master Planner.
“Destructive
Testing” (6/22/09) – Kraven comes to New York to hunt Spidey while Peter deals
with the fact that two girls like him.
“Reinforcement”
(6/29/09) – The Sinister Six reforms with Mysterio and Kraven to renew their
attempts to destroy Spidey.
“Shear
Strength” (7/6/09) – Spidey plans to take the fight to Master Planner’s door
and prevent his plans for world conquest.
“First
Steps” (7/13/09) – Peter actually ends up invited to Flash’s birthday party
while Sandman, Harry and Venom make return appearances.
“Growing
Pains” (7/20/09) – While Venom frames Spidey for crimes, Jonah convinces his
newly-empowered son to become a hero and capture Spidey.
“Identity
Crisis” (7/27/09) – Venom threatens to expose Spidey’s secret identity.
“Accomplices”
(10/7/09) – Silver Sable, Hammerhead and Doc Ock battle for control of the New
York underworld, leaving Spidey caught in the middle with unlikely allies.
“Probable
Cause” (10/14/09) – Peter is stuck in a police ride-along with Sally Avril as
the new Enforcers make their move.
“Gangland”
(10/21/09) – Valentine’s day has to wait as Spidey fights to stop a gang war
when Silvermane attempts to take control.
“Subtext”
(11/4/09) – Goblin turns Liz’s brother Mark into the Molten Man and blackmails
him into doing his bidding.
“Opening
Night” (11/18/09) – Volunteering to test the prison security system ends up putting
A third season Spidey in the middle of a lethal Goblin deathtrap.
“Final
Curtain” (11/18/09) – Peter finally chooses Gwen over Liz and Spidey discovers
the Goblin’s identity.
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