Except for maybe Batman, Spider-Man is comfortably the most famous superhero of all time. Naturally, the comics deserve most of the credit, but Peter Parker has experienced success in nearly every medium. He has many awesome games and multiple cinematic incarnations, all of which have their fans. Finally, Spider-Man animated shows have existed for half a century, and a new one seems to materialize every couple of years.
For the most part, Spider-Man’s abilities are fairly consistent across incarnations. He almost always has super strength, speed, reflexes, and agility, along with spider-sense, web shooters, and a heavy punch. He also tends to go up against most of the same villains in each series, and he always wins at the end. While they might be somewhat similar, these versions have minor differences that allow them to be ranked in terms of strength.
We are only covering the main character of each show, so no Spider-people that show up for an episode or two.
Special Mention: Spider-Man (1967)
Ah, Peter Parker’s animated debut! Spider-Man (1967) has, well, aged terribly, but that can be said for nearly every cartoon from this decade. However, it was still an important show that helped introduce Marvel’s hero to a larger audience than ever before, and it birthed one of the most famous memes.
Now, like the old Batman live-action series, this Spider-Man was seriously limited by both the animation and the TV restrictions of his era, which makes comparing him to his modern counterparts a rather futile experience. During 52 episodes, Peter trounced Mysterio, Vulture, Lizard, Green Goblin, and nearly every major villain that had been introduced in the comics, along with a bunch of generic monsters. Due to the show’s formulaic structure, Spider-Man would frequently lose around the halfway point of an episode, before taking down the villain in the climax. Although strong, he does not have anything that can put him above other Spider-Men.
Spider-Man: The New Animated Series
A Competent But Unspectacular Peter Parker
The wall-crawler’s most forgotten series, Spider-Man: The New Animated Series seems to be primarily known for its unique animation style for its era, as it used 3D-style cel shading. Beyond that, the show has a slight identity crisis due to being repositioned as a continuation of the 2002 movie, despite not being envisioned as such.
This version of Peter Parker is older and more mature than in most other series, and the fights are quite violent and intense. At just 13 episodes, this Spider-Man did not get anywhere near enough time to demonstrate his capabilities. Consequently, deciding this ranking is a bit difficult due to the lack of material. Still, we get to see Spidey go up against and overcome a handful of decent villains, primarily Electro and The Lizard.
Marvel’s Spider-Man (2017)
A Well-Rounded Spider-Man Let Down By The Rest Of The Series
Perhaps the franchise’s most disliked show, Marvel’s Spider-Man tries to set itself apart by introducing an anime-esque art style, but the series seemingly did not have the budget or time to take advantage of this look. The result is an underwhelming series that features some of the most lackluster fights in the web-swinger’s illustrious animated history.
The thing is, this Peter Parker is competent, and he has all the standard abilities associated with the hero. He also overcomes his share of iconic villains and rarely seems to be in genuine danger, despite occasionally struggling against the likes of Venom. As so many animated Spider-Man versions have similar power sets, they are defined by their rogues’ galleries; unfortunately, many of 2017 Spidey’s antagonists are so depowered, they barely seem like threats. The fact that Peter is far from the only Spider-hero also takes away from his mystique.
Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends
The “Friends” Part Helps
Spider-Man is no stranger to team-ups, but he rarely shares the spotlight to the extent of being a co-headliner. In the case of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Peter works alongside Iceman and Firestar, who is basically a female Human Torch, to take on a healthy assortment of villains. The cartoon lives up to the “Friends” part by featuring a rotating cast of fairly legendary Marvel heroes; more importantly, they bring along some of their most iconic villains.
Consequently, Spider-Man plays a part in taking down villains like Doctor Doom, Magneto, Mordred, and Red Skull. In fact, Peter has one of the most impressive resumes of any TV Spider-Man, and he even gets to go up against some deep-cut baddies like Videoman and Swarm. Otherwise, this Spider-Man is not that different from the 1967 version.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
An Alternate Take On MCU Spider-Man
A delightful surprise, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man proved to be way better than its pre-release footage suggested, although its animation style can take some getting used to. As long as you are fine with that, you can look forward to a charming take on MCU Peter Parker, one that switches things around slightly by enhancing Norman Osborn’s role in the hero’s development.
As he is still early in his superhero career, Peter’s inexperience shines through a few times, and he can be a bit too trusting. Thanks to Norman’s involvement, Spider-Man has access to more technologically advanced suits than normal, although his arsenal is not particularly over-the-top. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is nowhere near as action-focused as most of the hero’s adventures, so Spidey doesn’t get too many opportunities to showcase his skills. However, he is a quick learner, and he does take down the likes of Scorpion and Doc Ock.
The Spectacular Spider-Man
A Beloved Spider-Man Who Can More Than Hold His Own
The Spectacular Spider-Man
Release Date
2008 – 2008
Directors
Victor Cook, Jennifer Coyle, Dave Bullock, Troy Adomitis, Dan Fausett, Kevin Altieri, Michael Goguen
Writers
Greg Weisman, Kevin Hopps, Matt Wayne, Andrew Robinson, Randy Jandt, Nicole Dubuc
The Spectacular Spider-Man is one of the best entry-level series that really captures the character’s comic book essence, and it is still a lot of fun to watch nowadays. Like Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, the 2008 cartoon chronicles Peter’s early days as New York’s hero, showing how he slowly but surely becomes comfortable with not only his abilities but also his role.
Due to the show lasting two seasons, Spider-Man’s versatility is on full display, as he has to take on a wide assortment of (well-depicted) villains. He defeats powerhouses like Rhino and Venom, crafty enemies like Mysterio and Shocker, and intellectuals like Doc Ock and Kraven.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’s Spider-Man has arguably a higher floor than The Spectacular Spider-Man’s Peter, but the latter gets the nod due to his accomplishments.
Spider-Man: The Animated Series
A Generational Spider-Man
For people of a certain age (me!), this Peter is their Spider-Man. In many ways, Spider-Man: The Animated Series has the most run-of-the-mill version of the hero, in the sense that he has all the fundamentals and standard abilities, but nothing more than that. He is strong, fast, intelligent, and heals quickly, all the while being a seemingly better fighter than most of the other “basic” takes on the hero.
Despite being fairly tame by today’s standards, the series was far more willing to depict Spider-Man in peril than any of its predecessors; consequently, his triumphs are more rewarding and impressive. He also has to survive against a robust rogues’ gallery that benefits from the presence of characters like Venom and Carnage, enemies that really push Peter to his limits. That said, Spider-Man: The Animated Series was censored in ways that limited how violent its fights could get, which does slightly take away from the experience.
Spider-Man Unlimited
The Suit Maketh The Spider-Man
Putting aside the extremely old cartoons, Spider-Man Unlimited is probably the most overlooked series out of all the ones listed in this article, which is a shame, as it is fairly ambitious. Compared to most other cartoon Spideys, Unlimited Peter has a way more impressive suit, and this is the main thing that separates this version from all the others. He is not dependent on being self-sufficient for things like web cartridges, and the suit allows him to have reflexes that can take full advantage of his spider-sense.
Built using Reed Richards’ nano technology, Peter steals a watch that not only allows him to instantly transform into Spider-Man, but also gives him access to incredible stealth tech, tracers, and sonic weapons. Lasting only one season, this Spider-Man does not get a lot of time in the sun, nor does he get to demonstrate his full capabilities. Furthermore, his adventures are almost entirely set on Counter-Earth, causing him to go up against unique villains, primarily the High Evolutionary and Sir Ram.
Ultimate Spider-Man
The Strongest Cartoon Spider-Man Lives Up To His Name
While Ultimate Spider-Man tends to be a love or hate type of show, it still managed four seasons and more than 100 episodes. By extension, Peter Parker gets to grow, learn, adapt, and excel more than any other version, and he starts as a hero who has enough potential to be recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. He takes this opportunity to fine-tune his hand-to-hand combat, allowing him to out-fight enemies rather than rely solely on his powers. In terms of pure martial arts, this Spider-Man is ahead of his animated peers. S.H.I.E.L.D. also gives Peter a pretty robust assortment of web-shooters, along with upgrading his suit with things like invisibility and gliders. He also gets to put on suits like the Iron Spider.
Through the main show and appearances on Avengers Assemble and Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., Peter faces off against some of Marvel’s most powerful entities, along with strong versions of villains like Doc Ock, Venom, and Green Goblin. Although he rarely fights completely solo, his victories include Dormammu, Deadpool, Ultron, and Anti-Venom, just to name a few. He visits alternate universes multiple times as well, meeting and working with other Spider-Men to further diversify his skill set.
