Spectacular Spider-Man: A Cut Web Spoilers

This will likely be a shock to nobody reading this article, but I love the Spectacular Spider-Man animated series. If you don’t know which show I’m talking about (which I refuse to believe), it’s a show which ran from 2008 to 2009. The show’s story wasn’t vastly different from the comics, but blended ideas from multiple Spider-Man works perfectly. The animation was top quality for its time, with seamless movement, beautiful colours, and effects. The characters had proper growth, and the actors voicing them did a phenomenal job delivering lines and expressing their emotions. Unfortunately, it was brought to an end after two seasons, before it could reach a satisfying conclusion. There’s also been more Spider-Man content coming out in recent years. However, instead of making half-hearted and substandard shows, they should bring back this masterpiece and finally give it a proper ending.

(If you’ve never seen the show, I don’t care. It's been almost two decades, and it was spectacular, watch it.)

Now, I’ll give my obligatory summary of the show so that I can make my argument more coherent. The Spectacular Spider-Man revolves around Peter Benjamin Parker / Spider-Man, a high schooler who only recently got his superpowers over summer break. After a field trip to a science lab, Peter was bitten by a genetically altered spider, which gave him multiple abilities. Peter’s altered DNA granted him super strength, agility, durability, fast healing, and he can stick to almost any surface. Like all other Spider-Man shows, Peter also gained a sixth sense that warns him of incoming danger. The show takes us through Peter’s adventures just starting out as the web-slinging hero, and how he matures through his adventures.

Starting off with the theme of Peter’s school life, I want to talk about how relatable it is. Peter was super long before he got his powers; he was a super nerd. Possessing a genius-level intellect, Peter was always a top student. Not so relatable, but it’s necessary for the story so he can make his nifty gadgets like his web shooters. The actually relatable part comes after he gets his powers, becomes a superhero and returns to school. Fuelled with confidence from his newfound abilities and alter ego, Peter asks out one of the school's prettiest cheerleaders. Afterwards, surprising no one except Peter, he receives a crushing and public rejection from the cheerleader.

I was only a kid when this show came out, so I couldn’t completely grasp or care about romance. I just wanted to see my favorite superhero kick bad guy butt and save people in trouble. The only thing I was thinking during that scene was that the cheerleader was incredibly mean, hurling insults at Peter for being a nerd. I couldn’t understand why he liked a girl like that. It wasn’t until I got to high school that I could fully appreciate the personal life aspects of the show. When you're a teenager, especially a boy, no matter how intelligent you are, you can get tricked by a pretty face.

Another aspect is Peter’s friends, Gwen Stacy and Harry Osborn. The three of them are the nerd trio of the school, the ones usually being made fun of by the popular clique. However, they always had each other's backs and cared about each other. They go through tough times but always return to help one another. I wasn’t smart enough to be a nerd in high school, but I was a dork who loved superheroes. If I were a character in a high school movie, I’d be one of the nameless background characters. Just like Peter, I had a small group of friends, but they were able to make the torment of being a teenager in school something bearable.

To me, the Spider-Man shows that came before and after just don’t capture that same development in Peter’s personal life. In other shows, his personal life was more of a setup for his adventures as Spider-Man, something secondary. In The Spectacular Spider-Man, they show that his personal life is what drives him, completes him, and saves him when he begins to lose hope. An example would be when an alien tries to take over his body, and it’s only by remembering all the people he cares about and cares about him that he beats it. (One of my favourite episodes)

Next, let’s get into the characters and their arcs. Peter starts as you would expect a good-hearted teenager with superpowers to act like, overconfident. Never facing any real threat after gaining his abilities, he’s finally caught off guard when he faces off against other powered individuals. He also makes assumptions without getting the whole story before leaping into action.

For example, one of his main enemies, Electro, started as a guy who got into a freak accident, which caused his body to produce massive amounts of bioelectricity. After no longer being able to drink a simple cup of coffee, he starts running through the streets in a rage.

Peter, assuming that he is just another criminal, starts fighting him, which causes a lot of property damage to the surrounding area. It was only afterwards that he learned about Electro’s accident and became remorseful over his actions. In their subsequent encounter, Peter tried to offer his help in finding Electro a cure for his condition. This event led Peter to become more empathetic and try to listen first before swinging his fists. Other shows like Ultimate Spider-Man had similar lessons but felt more forced in comparison.

Ultimate Spider-Man from 2012 had Peter working as an agent for a government organization. Whenever Peter beat a bad guy, it was one moral speech, and then they just tossed the guy away and forgot about him. There just didn’t feel like any real character growth. I’m pretty sure the show was just a way to sell more toys because Peter got many spy gadgets.

Continuing my character rant, let’s talk about Gwen Stacy, one of Peter’s oldest friends, who also has a massive crush on him (one that he was too dense to notice). She proves she’s more than just a friend or love interest. She’s a fiercely intelligent woman, matching Peter’s genius, with a big heart who’s always willing to help. When she and Peter’s boss at the lab they’re interning at turns himself into a lizard-human hybrid, she steps up to help find a cure. Even after encountering mortal danger numerous times throughout the show, she never let her spirit waver and continued to become stronger.

Nearing the end, I want to discuss the show's potential future. The creators planned at least three more seasons and would have introduced other characters from the Marvel universe. Peter was going to graduate from high school, and there were even going to be direct-to-DVD movies. The movies would be centred on Peter’s time adventures while attending university. They were even planning to have him get married by the end, which would have been an insanely satisfying ending for the show. Considering it's science fiction, I still believe this can be done in a modern setting.

Now, it’s time to bring this article to a close with my final thoughts. The Spectacular Spider-Man was a show created with an incredible amount of work and love for the story of Spider-Man. The show respected characters and their stories while keeping them fresh and entertaining. They even brought back The Spectacular Spider-Man and his original voice actor for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. I refuse to believe they won’t do a return of the show after bringing the character back for a movie.

Thank you for reading all this way, and don’t forget, “With great power comes great responsibility.”