TheMCUhas become so grand sinceJon Favreau’sIron Man, starringRobert Downey Jr., was released in 2008. Throughout the years, the franchise has introduced so many iconic heroes to a broader audience, making them fan favorites. But even with hundreds of characters to choose from,Marvel’s biggest superhero is still Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s Spider-Man. Whether it’sPeter Parker or Miles Morales(created byBrian Michael BendisandSara Pichelli), Spider-Man continues to be a household name. With so many iterations of the webslinger across movies, TV shows, and video games,there’s a Spider-Man project out there for fans of all ages across the world. Although there are so many versions of Spider-Man out there (a whole Spider-Verse, you could say), one of the best ones is from the short-livedThe Spectacular Spider-Man, developed byVictor CookandGreg Weisman.
Released in the same year as the MCU’s inception, Sony Pictures Television’sThe Spectacular Spider-Manran for 26 episodes spread across two seasons. The series was a perfect blend of the traditionalThe Amazing Spider-Mancomics by Lee, Ditko, andJohn Romita Sr, Bendis, and Sara Pichelli’sUltimate-Spider-Mancomic series, andSam Raimi’sSpider-Mantrilogy. It featured Peter Parker (Josh Keaton) and his beloved cast of characters in a more modern-day setting, but still respecting the essence of who these characters are. The animated show didn’t rehash Peter’s origin,it wasn’t afraid to tell darker storylines, and it highlighted less popular characters (at the time) like Liz Allan (Alanna Ubach), Kenny Kong (Andrew Kishino), Chameleon (Steve Blum), and Hammerhead (John DiMaggio). So why does a Marvel series of this caliber, featuring one of the most popular characters, only have 26 episodes, and why is it not easily accessible on streaming in the U.S.?
Why Was ‘The Spectacular Spider-Man’ Canceled?
The Spectacular Spider-Manwas unfortunately canceled after Season 2 when Disney acquired Marvel in 2009. In an online Q&A,Weisman said he had plans for the series to go on for 65 episodes(a typical number for syndication purposes) that would lead up to Peter graduating from high school. Following that, they would continue the show exclusively on DVDs that would tell stories of Peter in college. Although Sony lost the Spider-Man television rights, they still have the rights toThe Spectacular Spider-Man,since they made the show.Josh Keaton, the voice of Spider-Man inThe Spectacular Spider-Man, noted that if Disney wanted to continue the series (similar toX-Men ‘97),they would need to pay Sony for the series rights.
Considering the long legal battle to get Spider-Man into the MCU, and the temporary stress thatTom Holland’s Spider-Man was no longer under Marvel Studios when Sony and Disney couldn’t reach an agreement afterSpider-Man: Far From Home’s success, it seems highly unlikely that Disney would go out of their way to get the rights forThe Spectacular Spider-Man.Jeff Trammell’sYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manunder Marvel Studios’ Marvel Animation banner is already finishing up production onits second season, and a third season is plannedas well. Just because there’s already a Spider-Man series under Marvel Animation doesn’t mean there can’t be another one. Marvel Animation already has another series,Spidey and his Amazing Friends, on Disney Jr. that is completely separate from Holland’s version of the character and the one in Trammell’s series. A continuation ofThe Spectacular Spider-Manwould be what fans of that series have been waiting years for. They wouldn’t clash with one another because they exist in two different universes, andthe more Spidey content, the better.
‘The Spectacular Spider-Man’ Season 3 Would Be Amazing
What makes the cancellation ofThe Spectacular Spider-Manmore frustrating is that it teased stories for Season 3. WhileSpider-Man battles Norman Osborn/Green Goblin(Alan Rachins) in Season 2, Episode 13, Spider-Man stuffs one of Green Goblin’s bombs into his glider. This causes Green Goblin to fly uncontrollably into one of his cannons, creating a massive explosion that seemingly leads to Norman’s death. The end of the season (and the series) sees Harry Osborn (James Arnold Taylor) blame Spider-Man for his father’s death,setting up a potential story with Harry actually taking on the mantle. Meanwhile, the final shot sees Dr. Curt Connors (Dee Bradley Baker) heading down to Florida with his family after his colleague, Miles Warren (Brian George), threatens to tell the Empire State University Board that he was the Lizard.
After Season 2, Weisman revealed in anonline Q&A that Hobgoblin and Scorpion, along with other villains, would be introduced in a potential third season. While it’s been over 15 years since the series was unceremoniously cancelled, a continuation could pick right back up from the Season 2 finalewithout feeling like so much time has passed, like the jump betweenX-Men: The Animated SeriesandX-Men ‘97. If Weisman were to return, he would also havemore Spidey stories released since thento pull inspiration from to amplify the narrative web he’d weave.
So, Why Isn’t Spider-Man Swinging Into the MCU TV Series?
Marvel’s Brad Winderbaum explains the reason for Tom Holland’s absence.
A few years afterThe Spectacular Spider-Manwas cancelled, Keaton was set to reprise the role one more time inAvengers: Earth’s Mightiest HeroesSeason 2, Episode 13, aptly titled “Along Came a Spider…”. The episode is the debut of Spidey in this show as he teams up withCaptain America (Brian Bloom) to fight the Serpent Society. Although Keaton recorded lines as Spider-Man for this episode, it was dubbed over in post-production byDrake Bell, who went on to voice the character in Disney XD’sUltimate Spider-Man(2012). Since Disney was putting out their own Spider-Man show, it wanted audiences to focus on its version of the character instead of Sony’s. Even if it was just in crossover episodes,this could’ve been the way to bring backThe Spectacular Spider-Man, but it was unfortunately ruined.
‘The Spectacular Spider-Man’ Continued (Sort Of) in This Marvel Movie
After the failed attempt to bring backThe Spectacular Spider-ManinAvengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Keaton reprised his version of the character in the biggest way possible: asa cameo inSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Although it’s a short moment with only one line, it provides some insight into the world ofThe Spectacular Spider-Mansince Season 2. The idea of the Spider-Society inAcross the Spider-Verseis how they deal with canon events—moments in a Spider-being’s universe that can’t be changed.Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac)shows Captain George Stacy dying in different universes, like inThe Amazing Spider-ManstarringAndrew Garfield, as an example. Keaton’s Spider-Man tells Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) inAcross the Spider-Verse, “We know it’s hard, but it’s the truth, Miles.” It’s a short line, but it’s delivered with so much emotion that it seemingly confirms that Captain Stacy (voiced byClancy Brownin the series) died in his universe after the events ofThe Spectacular Spider-ManSeason 2.
While audiences aren’t given any information as to how, it’s nice that this was included to giveThe Spectacular Spider-Manfans a slight look into that universe, if Disney were to continue the series, they could show what happened to Captain Stacy since he was very much alive and well at the end of Season 2. Weisman set up a strong foundation forThe Spectacular Spider-Man,and it’s unfortunate that legal issues are the only thing holding back future seasons from being made.The Spectacular Spider-Manis one of the best adaptationsofthe iconic Marvel character, and it deserves a revival. At the very least, it needs to be accessible on more streaming services for audiences around the world to appreciate.
The Spectacular Spider-Manis available for purchase on Amazon Prime and Prime Video in the U.S.
The Spectacular Spider-Man
