The best episodes of Spider-Man: The Animated Series

By Alex Wiggan

In 1994, Spider-Man: The Animated Series arrived on television screens. Taking inspiration from the comics, and featuring a wealth of characters during its run (the X-Men, Iron Man, Madame Web, Morbius, etc), the show boasted excellent animation, as well as a strong voice cast, and quickly became a smash hit.

In total, Spider-Man: The Animated Series ran for 65 episodes between ’94 and ‘98 – and most of the episodes were a lot of fun. In fact, there are very few bad episodes in the show’s entire run, as the quality of the series remained consistent throughout.

But if you want the best episodes of Spider-Man: The Animated Series, then you have come to the right place. Below you will find a list of the top episodes from the show’s entire run.

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Night of the Lizard (Season One – Episode One)

The first episode on this list is reserved for the opening instalment of the series: Night of the Lizard. In this story, Peter Parker’s science teacher, Dr. Curt Connors transforms into the villainous Lizard, leaving Spider-Man with no choice but to square-off against his mentor.

Night of the Lizard is a great episode, which provides the perfect entry point for the series. The Lizard is a fantastic villain, the episode demonstrates high quality animation, and the story boasts a strong mix of action and adventure.

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Doctor Octopus: Armed and Dangerous (Season One – Episode Four)

Doctor Octopus is one of the greatest Spider-Man villains of all time and his debut episode, Doctor Octopus: Armed and Dangerous is a standout story. Once again, Spider-Man is faced with battling a former mentor, only this time around it is Otto Octavius – a scientist with eight limbs!

Doctor Octopus: Armed and Dangerous is the fourth episode of the first season and it is yet another episode which showcases the strength of this show. It is also worth pointing out that season one is a great season in general.

Speaking of which…

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Kraven the Hunter (Season One – Episode Seven)

Another story from the first season and another classic villain. The episode is Kraven the Hunter, which introduces one of Spidey’s most relentless foes.

The story is simple (Kraven hunts Spider-Man across New York), but builds to a terrific showdown between a hunter and his prey. This is 20-minutes of action with a superb super villain.

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The Alien Costume – Part 1 – 3 (Season One – Episodes Eight, Nine, and Ten)

This entry groups together three episodes as one, as they are all part of the same story. If you watch one episode, then you need to watch all three – and you will want to watch all three.

The Alien Costume introduces the symbiote – an alien entity which arrives in New York and bonds with Peter Parker. The symbiote then enhances Peter’s strength, but also influences his decisions and increases his temper.

In the first chapter, Spider-Man bonds with the symbiote and faces the Rhino. In the second chapter, a powerful and arrogant Spider-Man fights the Shocker, before he decides to remove the symbiote, fearing it is taking over his life.

In the final entry, the symbiote finds a new host – disgraced journalist, Eddie Brock. Both Brock and the symbiote share a mutual hatred of Spider-Man and together they adopt the guise of Venom to rid the world of the wall-crawler.

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The Insidious Six / Battle of the Insidious Six (Season Two – Episodes One and Two)

And now onto another collection of episodes that are best watched together – the two-part story, The Insidious Six and Battle of the Insidious Six. This two-parter, which kick-starts the show’s second season, sees Spider-Man come face-to-face with a group of super villains.

Led by the Kingpin, the team (known as the Insidious Six) is composed of Rhino, Shocker, Doctor Octopus, Mysterio, the Scorpion, and the Chameleon. These villains prove to be more than a match for Spider-Man – especially when he starts to lose his powers!

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Enter the Green Goblin (Season Three – Episode Four)

The Green Goblin is arguably Spider-Man’s most iconic villain, yet he doesn’t appear in Spider-Man: The Animated Series until the third season. However, when Gobby does finally arrive in the show, his debut is certainly worth the wait!

In this story, the Green Goblin kidnaps a collection of New York’s most prominent citizens, because he feels they have in some way wronged Norman Osborn (the Goblin’s alter-ego). Thankfully Spider-Man is on hand to save the day, but will he be able to stop the Goblin before he delivers his own brand of justice?

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Venom Returns / Carnage (Season Three – Episodes Ten and Eleven)

Venom Returns and Carnage is another two-part story, which not only brings Venom back into the series, but also introduces the villainous, Carnage. The mass-murdering super villain of the comics is severely depowered for Spider-Man: The Animated Series (sorry, no killings here, kids), but Carnage still makes for a deadly villain.

Oh, and not only do Venom and Carnage take centre stage in these stories, but Iron Man and War Machine also put in guest appearances too!

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The Spot (Season Three – Episode Twelve)

Up next is The Spot – a quirky episode about a brilliant scientist named Dr. Jonathon Ohn, who acquires the ability to open portals. Using the power for his own gain, he takes on Spidey as well as the Kingpin, before having a change of heart.

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Turning Point (Season Three – Episode Fourteen)

The Green Goblin is back and in this episode he is at his most menacing! Not only does the Goblin know Spider-Man’s secret identity, but he uses that knowledge to taunt Peter Parker.

Turning Point is without doubt one of the best episodes of Spider-Man: The Animated Series and sees Spider-Man and the Green Goblin locked in battle, with Mary Jane Watson’s life hanging in the balance. The episode ends with a nail-biting cliff-hanger that creates huge ramifications for the rest of the series, making this a must-see episode.

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Six Forgotten Warriors Part 1 – 5 (Season Five – Episodes Two, Three, Four, Five, and Six)

And finally, saving the biggest story for last – and this one is a five-part tale! The story is Six Forgotten Warriors, a sprawling adventure which sees Spider-Man involved in a mystery spanning back to World War II.

Six Forgotten Warriors includes a large cast of characters, including the Insidious Six, Kingpin, Captain America, Red Skull, Electro, and Silver Sable. It also introduces a number of long forgotten heroes from the past, including the Black Marvel and the Whizzer!

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Recap

OK, to recap the best episodes of Spider-Man: The Animated Series are:

Night of the Lizard (Season One – Episode One)
Doctor Octopus: Armed and Dangerous (Season One – Episode Four)
Kraven the Hunter (Season One – Episode Seven)
The Alien Costume – Part 1 – 3 (Season One – Episodes Eight, Nine, and Ten)
The Insidious Six / Battle of the Insidious (Season Two – Episodes One and Two)
Enter the Green Goblin (Season Three – Episode Four)
Venom Returns / Carnage (Season Three – Episodes Ten and Eleven)
The Spot (Season Three – Episode Twelve)
Turning Point (Season Three – Episode Fourteen)
Six Forgotten Warriors Part 1 – 5 (Season Five – Episodes Two, Three, Four, Five, and Six)

As mentioned at the top of this post, Spider-Man: The Animated Series is consistently good, with most episodes offering something of value, whether it is an interesting storyline, a great guest star, or a menacing villain. If you have time to go beyond the best episodes, it is recommended you work your way through the entire series.

And to help you with your journey, below you’ll find a list of all 65 episodes of Spider-Man: The Animated Series presented in chronological order. But before jumping to the list, here is what you need to know about each season:

Season One – The first season of Spider-Man: The Animated Series comprises 13 episodes and largely focuses on introducing villains. The majority of the episodes are either adapted from, or take inspiration from, issues of The Amazing Spider-Man.
Season Two – The second season of Spider-Man: The Animated Series comprises 14 episodes, all falling under the banner heading of ‘Neogenic Nightmare’. Neogenic Nightmare is the story arch which ties all 14 episodes together.
Season Three – The third season comprises 14 episodes and runs under the banner heading of ‘The Sins of the Fathers’. Once again, this is the season-long story arc.
Season Four – The fourth season comprises 11 episodes, with the episodes falling under the banner heading of ‘Partners in Danger’.
Season Five – The fifth season comprises 13 episodes and breaks away from the story arc format of the previous seasons by focusing largely on multi-part tales (five episodes, two episodes etc). The only exception to this is the opening episode, ‘The Wedding’, which is a one-off story.

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Spider-Man: The Animated Series: Episode List

Below is a list of all 65 episodes of Spider-Man: The Animated Series, in chronological order.

Season One (1994 – 1995)

1 Night of the Lizard
2 The Spider Slayer
3 Return of the Spider Slayers
4 Doctor Octopus: Armed and Dangerous
5 The Menace of Mysterio
6 The Sting of the Scorpion
7 Kraven the Hunter
8 The Alien Costume – Part 1
9 The Alien Costume – Part 2
10 The Alien Costume – Part 3
11 The Hobgoblin – Part 1
12 The Hobgoblin – Part 2
13 Day of the Chameleon

Season Two – Neogenic Nightmare (1995 – 1996)

14 The Insidious Six
15 Battle of the Insidious Six
16 Hydro-Man
17 The Mutant Agenda
18 Mutants’ Revenge
19 Morbius
20 Enter the Punisher
21 Duel of the Hunters
22 Blade, the Vampire Hunter
23 The Immortal Vampire
24 Tablet of Time
25 Ravages of Time
26 Shriek of the Vulture
27 The Final Nightmare

Season Three – The Sins of the Fathers (1996)

28 Doctor Strange
29 Make a Wish
30 Attack of the Octobot
31 Enter the Green Goblin
32 Rocket Racer
33 Framed
34 The Man Without Fear
35 The Ultimate Slayer
36 Tombstone
37 Venom Returns
38 Carnage
39 The Spot
40 Goblin War!
41 Turning Point

Season Four – Partners in Danger (1997)

42 Guilty
43 The Cat
44 The Black Cat
45 The Return of Kraven
46 Partners
47 The Awakening
48 The Vampire Queen
49 The Return of the Green Goblin
50 The Haunting of Mary Jane Watson
51 The Lizard King
52 The Prowler

Season Five (1997 – 1998)

53 The Wedding
54 Six Forgotten Warriors – Part 1
55 Six Forgotten Warriors – Part 2: Unclaimed Legacy
56 Six Forgotten Warriors – Part 3: Secrets of the Six
57 Six Forgotten Warriors – Part 4: The Six Fight Again
58 Six Forgotten Warriors – Part 5: The Price of Heroism
59 The Return of Hydro-Man: Part 1
60 The Return of Hydro-Man: Part 2
61 Secret Wars – Part 1: Arrival
62 Secret Wars – Part 2: The Gauntlet of the Red Skull
63 Secret Wars – Part 3: Doom
64 Spider Wars – Part 1: I Really, Really Hate Clones
65 Spider Wars – Part 2: Farewell, Spider-Man

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Editor/Writer/Comic Book Nerd

Alex Wiggan

Alex is a writer, editor, and blogger specialising in movies, TV, comics, retro toys, and general geekery. He is a championing voice in nerd content, an expert in pop culture, and a trusted movie critic who publishes new reviews on a weekly basis. After graduating with a degree in film & television studies from the University of Derby in the UK, Alex went on to study journalism in Sheffield, before acquiring NCTJ accreditation. Prior to a career in blogging, Alex was a magazine editor, a senior copywriter, a features writer, and a freelancer.

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