Summary
Spider-Manbegan in the comics inAmazing Fantasy #15,and he still persists decades later. His first animated cartoon all his own aired in 1967, which is not that far from his comics debut. It’s one of the faster turnarounds for superheroes, granted it was an age when cartoons were being produced more heavily for TV consumers.
There were many cartoons following this, andYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manis the latest TV-basedanimated series airing on Disney+. Some say that a cartoon is only as good as itsintro animation.Whether that’s true or not, let’s take a look ateverySpider-Mancartoon’s animated introand rank them based on the animation style and the song of choice. OnlySpider-Man-centered cartoons will be counted, soSpider-Man and his Amazing FriendsandSpidey and His Amazing Friendswill only be touched on lightly in reference to other shows.
No shade on the 2017 cartoon as a whole, but the intro needed more effort. It’s just a white background with minimal music as Spider-Man swings in before the show begins.
This series was produced for Disney XD and it took over quickly after the other Disney XD show,Ultimate Spider-Man, ended in 2016. The 2017 reboot did run for quite a few seasons, which is why this intro is so odd in the pantheon of intros that celebrate Spider-Man.
Spider-Mangot a successor on NBC after the 1967 ABC original. It replaced the catchy jingle of the 1967 show with just one word: “Spider-Man.” Technically, there are two words in the intro, as it starts with the narrator saying “Spider-Man,” and the intro ends with him saying it again.
The music is a bit funkier and the animation shows clips from the show, includinga huge emphasis on Doctor Doomand little time spent on classic villains like the Green Goblin. 1981 is also the yearSpider-Man and His Amazing Friendsaired, which gave Spider-Man two allies: Ice Man and Firestar.
The2002 Sam RaimiSpider-Manmoviewas huge from a box office perspective and among critics. MTV wanted to capitalize on this momentum, so they made this 2003 Spider-Man show either calledSpider-ManorSpider-Man: The New Animated Series,depending on where viewers were watching from. It used a splicing of CG animation with a cel-shaded effect. The stories told were more mature, but it was a short-lived effort.
The principal characters in the cast get introduced to a techno beat, including Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson, and Harry Osborn. Classic villains like Kraven the Hunter, Kingpin, and The Lizard are shown, and the intro ends with Peter removing his mask and revealing one of the weirdest animated faces ever, which is not something that enticed many viewers to keep watching.
Ultimate Spider-Manwas a 2012 adaptation of the character. Its intro shows Peter experimenting with what looks to be his parents before getting bit by a spider. The intro almost has an air of having no time to talk, as the music has a thrash metal beat.
It’s honestly too fast to track what’s going on, to a nauseating degree, which was a weird choice for Disney XD to make. Like otherSpider-Mancartoons, Doctor Doom is shown off in the intro,along with Venom, and other shots from the show’s episodes are inserted.
Spider-Man Unlimitedwas another adaptation aired on Fox shortly after the 1994 series stopped airing. It’s immediately clear in the intro that things are different, with darker lines and an overall edgier tone. 1999 was a big year for edgier adaptations of classic heroes; this series began airing in October 1999, whileBatman Beyondstarted in January 1999.
Besides the comic panels, rain, and darker lines, the other thing that will grab the viewer’s attention is a bunch of animal people. That’s because theHigh Evolutionary plays a prominent rolein the plot, aka. the villain fromGuardians of the Galaxy Volume 3. Overall, kudos to Fox for making it clear thatSpider-Man Unlimitedwas indeed different.
The Spectacular Spider-Manbegan airing in 2008 and, visually, it shares a lot with the 2012 series. However, this is the first cartoon since 1967 that attempted to have lyrics in the intro beyond weird chanting. That automatically raises its value, and the song itself is a bop.
The show’s younger take on Peter is clear in this intro, and it also shows a lot of classic villains, including Shocker, Sandman,the tentacles of Doc Ock, and more. It started airing on The CW and then the second season was picked up by Disney XD before the show was canceled when Spidey’s animated TV rights reverted to Disney from Sony.
The1994Spider-Mancartoon was the character’s most successful adaptation, with many seasons following its start. Like the1992X-Mencartoon, which also ran on Fox and took place in the same shared universe, thisSpider-Manintro decided to have catchy music instead of a lyrical ballad.
That said, the continued chants of “Spider-Man” and “Spider Blood” do help it stand out beyond the hard rock backing. There were multiple versions of this intro that changed with each season too, typically set to footage from the episodes. The very first version had Spider-Man facing off against Doc Ock, Hob Goblin, Kraven the Hunter, The Lizard, King Pin, and even Venom.
The original1967Spider-Mancartoon may not have flashy animation or even anything exciting happening all that often onscreen. The intro mostly shows Spider-Man swinging around New York City and occasionally stopping random criminals with web-based antics.
That said, the animation and direction didn’t matter because kids had an amazing song to get into, which is still being used to this day; or at least, is still referenced to this day. It’s a classic song remixed to the nth degree, and it all began with this cartoon on ABC.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manhas it all in its intro. There is energy to it thanks to the song, which reuses music from the 1967 intro remixed to a hip-hop beat. The animation has a comic-book style and doesn’t just rehash a bunch of scenes from the episodes. The most amazing thing is that every episode has a new ending to this theme song, emulating comic book cover art.
For fans who dig the song, there is a full version out there to blast in the car, too. After many Disney attempts, it’s good to see this latest adaptation having a lot of effort put behind it.
