5 Best Spider-Man Animated Shows, Ranked

The original "Spider-Man" animated series — along with its immortal theme song — debuted in 1967, barely half a decade after Spidey's first appearance in the comics. This show, and the 10 animated series that came after it, gave Spider-Man more exposure than comic books alone could. Some of Spidey's shows are among the best Marvel cartoons ever created, and they arguably paved the way for Spider-Man to become a star on the big screen as well.

For a long time, most of Spider-Man's animated series weren't easily available to watch outside of a handful of DVD and Blu-ray releases. The arrival of Disney+ changed that, and now viewers can revisit most of Spidey's cartoons.

TVLine has narrowed down all of those series to the five best "Spider-Man" animated shows.

In the '70s and '80s, DC fans had the "Super Friends" cartoons for their superhero fix. But in 1981, Marvel got the Spider-Friends in "Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends" on NBC. While this series was born out of the success of "Super Friends," it quickly found its own identity by focusing on a college-aged trio of heroes: Spider-Man, the X-Men's Iceman, and Firestar, who was created for the show.

The animation and stories were a major step-up from the previous "Spider-Man" cartoons, including the entirely separate "Spider-Man" show that ran concurrently alongside it from 1981 to 1982. For fans who grew up in the '80s, "Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends" was their gateway to the larger Marvel universe — it included the first animated appearance of the modern X-Men, among numerous other cameos from Marvel staples. This series was made for Saturday morning audiences and thus didn't dive too deeply into the psychology of the heroes and villains, but it carved out a not insignificant place for itself in Marvel history. Firestar proved to be so popular that she was subsequently incorporated into Marvel's comic book universe.

As originally envisioned, "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" was going to follow the previously unseen adventures of the MCU's Spider-Man. Some time later, the decision was made to place the Disney+ series into its own separate continuity, which sidelined some major characters from Peter Parker's personal life in the current run of films.

This series stands out for the way it smoothly brings aspects of different "Spider-Man" eras together, including a very Steve Ditko-inspired design of Peter himself. Even the classic "Spider-Man" '67 theme song was partially remixed for the show's opening sequence. Although certain supporting cast members appear to be off limits, this show found an inventive way to make Tombstone more compelling by introducing him as a friend of Peter's who was drawn into a gang.

It's also been refreshing to see the subtle evil of Norman Osborn play out even before his inevitable transformation into the Green Goblin. As Peter's mentor, Norman's been one of the most interesting members of his rogues' gallery, even when working alongside Spidey. This show has the potential to move up on this list, and it's expected to return for Season 2 later in 2026.

"Ultimate Spider-Man" leaned harder into comedy than most of its predecessors, but it also embraced its comic-book roots and featured a version of Nick Fury who was inspired by Samuel L. Jackson's MCU performances. At the beginning of this Disney XD series, Fury challenged Peter Parker to live up to his potential and made him train alongside other teenage operatives including Iron Fist, Luke Cage, White Tiger, and Nova.

Despite the expanded cast, Peter's narrative was at the forefront, and he could break the fourth wall and address the audience at will. "Ultimate Spider-Man" also marked the animated debut of Miles Morales roughly four years before 2018's "Into the Spider-Verse." There were only four seasons of "Ultimate Spider-Man," but its 104 episodes and five years on the air make it the longest-running "Spider-Man" animated series to date.

Just over a decade passed between the end of "Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends" and the wall-crawler's next animated incarnation in 1994. "Spider-Man: The Animated Series" came to Fox Kids in large part because "X-Men: The Animated Series" proved to be such a big hit for the network. It was also a large leap forward in quality from its predecessor, with much better stories and animation.

The X-Men appeared in two episodes, and "Spider-Man" felt like a mini MCU during its run. Captain America, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, the Fantastic Four, Blade, and even the Punisher were featured guests. From Season 2 onward, "Spider-Man" embraced serialized stories that sometimes ran the entire length of the season.

Sony's "Spider-Verse" movies also owe a great debt to this series, which featured Peter Parker teaming up with his alternate selves for the first time. The only real knock against this show is that it ended before reuniting Peter Parker and his girlfriend Mary Jane Watson, who was apparently trapped in a limbo dimension at the time.

"The Spectacular Spider-Man" featured a very different art style than the shows that came before it, but it also had perhaps the greatest mixture of Spider-Man's supporting cast and storylines. For the first time, it felt like a Spidey animated series was constructed with a larger plan in mind, rather than one cooked up on an episodic or even a seasonal basis.

One of the most notable changes is that Peter Parker was a lot younger than his previous incarnations, and so were most of the people around him. Peter got to feel the pangs of first love with Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson, as well as the sting of losing his friend, Eddie Brock, as he became the villainous Venom. This show took its characters and subject matter seriously, which is still a rarity among "Spider-Man" cartoons.

Only two seasons of "The Spectacular Spider-Man" were produced — the first aired on The CW in 2008 and Disney XD broadcast the second the following year — but it felt like an even longer run thanks to wonderfully crafted tales that built over time towards satisfying payoffs. It's worth noting that out of the previous Spider-Men who had cameos in "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," it's the one from "The Spectacular Spider-Man" who gets to share a few words about the tragedy he endured after the series concluded. This Spider-Man's adventures went beyond the 26 episodes that were produced, even though the audience never got to see Peter fully come into his own as a hero.