| Ultimate Spider-Man | |
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| Also known as |
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| Genre | |
| Based on | |
| Developed by | Marvel Animation |
| Voices of | Drake Bell Dee Bradley Baker Ogie Banks Eric Bauza Greg Cipes Clark Gregg Tom Kenny Matt Lanter Misty Lee Caitlyn Taylor Love Chi McBride Logan Miller Scott Porter J. K. Simmons Tara Strong Milo Ventimiglia Steven Weber |
| Composer | Kevin Manthei |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 104(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Alan Fine Dan Buckley Joe Quesada Jeph Loeb Cort Lane (seasons 3–4) Stephen Wacker (seasons 3–4) |
| Producer | Leanne Moreau (season 4) |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production companies | Film Roman Marvel Animation |
| Original release | |
| Network | Disney XD |
| Release | April 1, 2012 (2012-04-01) – January 7, 2017 (2017-01-07)[1] |
| Related | |
| The Spectacular Spider-Man Marvel's Spider-Man Avengers Assemble Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. Guardians of the Galaxy | |
Ultimate Spider-Man (titledUltimate Spider-Man: Web Warriors for the third season andUltimate Spider-Man vs. the Sinister 6 for its final season) is an Americansuperheroanimated television series broadcast on the cable networkDisney XD, based on theSpider-Man comics published byMarvel Comics. The series featured writers such asBrian Michael Bendis (who also created the comic book seriesof the same name),Paul Dini, andMan of Action (a group consisting ofSteven T. Seagle,Joe Kelly,Joe Casey, andDuncan Rouleau).
It was first announced in summer 2011,[2][3] and debuted alongside the second season ofThe Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes as part of theMarvel Universe programming block on April 1, 2012. In a break from other series, Spider-Man breaks thefourth wall and speaks directly to the audience. It also includes fantasy sequences from Peter's mind.[4]
The series concluded its run on January 7, 2017, with the two-part episode "Graduation Day" with four seasons each consisting of 26 episodes. Reruns continued to air on Disney XD until August 30, 2017.
During the first season, Spider-Man is recruited to work forS.H.I.E.L.D. alongsideNova,White Tiger,Iron Fist, andLuke Cage, with whom he attendsMidtown High School. Corrupt industrialistNorman Osborn targets Spider-Man in hopes of collecting his DNA to create a spider-soldier army. To this end, he usesDoctor Octopus as his pawn, having him send numerous supervillains after Spider-Man and use a sample of Spider-Man's blood to create theVenom symbiote, which bonds with Norman's sonHarry Osborn. In the two-part season finale, Doctor Octopus takes revenge on Norman for his treatment of him and transforms him into theGreen Goblin. In the ensuing battle, the S.H.I.E.L.D.Helicarrier is destroyed.[5]
In the second season, the S.H.I.E.L.D. team moves into Peter's house, as they no longer have a home following the Helicarrier's destruction. In the season premiere, after learning that Spider-Man gained his powers from one of Oscorp's genetically altered spiders, Doctor Octopus creates serums with animal DNA in hopes of re-creating the process. S.H.I.E.L.D. scientist Curt Connors, who lost his right arm due to injuries from the Helicarrier's destruction, uses one of the serums to regrow his arm and becomes theLizard. Later, Doctor Octopus controls the Lizard so that he can join him,Electro,Rhino,Kraven the Hunter, andBeetle as a member of theSinister Six. While the S.H.I.E.L.D. Team defeat five of the six villains, Connors escapes and Spider-Man swears to find and cure him. Later the Sinister Six reappears with Beetle replaced byScorpion. During the season, Spider-Man learns more about his teammates' origins: White Tiger became White Tiger after her fatherHector was killed by Kraven, Nova is an orphan who was raised by theGuardians of the Galaxy, Danny Rand became Iron Fist after training inK'un-L'un and left it to further his training, and Luke Cage received his powers from a version of the Super-Soldier Formula developed by his parents.[6][7] Norman Osborn is cured and becomesIron Patriot, but Doctor Octopus later transforms him back into the Green Goblin.
In the third season, Spider-Man joins theAvengers, but eventually leaves to rejoin S.H.I.E.L.D. In the aftermath, Venom bonds withFlash Thompson to become Agent Venom andNick Fury tasks Spider-Man to recruit other young heroes to form theNew Warriors, consisting ofKa-Zar,Zabu,Amadeus Cho /Iron Spider, andCloak and Dagger. The New Warriors battle theThunderbolts, during which Green Goblin escapes with theSiege Perilous and travels themultiverse to collect DNA from Spider-Man's counterparts. Chasing after him, Spider-Man meets up withSpider-Man 2099,Spider-Girl,Spider-Man Noir,Spider-Ham, Spyder-Knight, andMiles Morales, and works with them to take down Spider-Goblin andElectro. After both are defeated and the alternate Spider-Men return to their homes, the Green Goblin reverts into Norman Osborn and sustains amnesia, making him forget his time as the Green Goblin.[8] Afterwards, Spider-Man and his team begin their education at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy while dealing withArnim Zola. Not long afterwards,Aunt May, Agent Venom, and Iron Spider learn Spider-Man's identity.
In the fourth season, Doctor Octopus allies with Zola andHydra and forms a new iteration of the Sinister Six consisting of Kraven the Hunter,Ultimate Green Goblin, Rhino,Hydro-Man, and Electro. In response, Spider-Man forms a team consisting of Agent Venom, Iron Spider, Miles Morales, andScarlet Spider (Ben Reilly). It is later revealed that Ben is a clone of Spider-Man created by Doctor Octopus, but Spider-Man convinces him to reform.[9]
Later,Crossbones andMorbius experiment with Venom, turning New York's citizens intoCarnage-like monsters. Carnage possessesMary Jane Watson, but Spider-Man and Harry Osborn free her. Unbeknownst to Spider-Man, a fragment of the Carnage symbiote remains inside Mary Jane's body.
Madame Web learns that the destruction of the Siege Perilous shattered the barrier between universes. Spider-Man and Miles Morales travel to alternate realities to collect the fragments of the Siege Perilous and battleWolf Spider, who seeks to reassemble the Siege Perilous to conquer the multiverse. After reassembling the Siege Perilous, Miles moves to the main universe and lets his version ofGwen Stacy replace him.
Spider-Man and Mary Jane later discover a second clone of Spider-Man namedKaine, who tries to feed off them. During this time, Mary Jane learns to control Carnage and becomesSpider-Woman. It is discovered that Doctor Octopus and Arnim Zola created Scarlet Spider as part of Weapon S, a project to create synthezoidSpider-Slayers. Kaine fuses with the synthezoids to become the Ultimate Spider-Slayer, but is defeated by Agent Venom.
In the series finale, the Sinister Six capture Spider-Man and use an antidote to remove his powers. After working with Norman Osborn, Peter regains his powers and defeats the Sinister Six. Spider-Man convinces Doctor Octopus to surrender, after which he and the S.H.I.E.L.D. trainees graduate.
| Season | Title | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | ||||
| 1 | – | 26 | April 1, 2012 (2012-04-01) | October 28, 2012 (2012-10-28) | |
| 2 | – | 26 | January 21, 2013 (2013-01-21) | November 21, 2013 (2013-11-21) | |
| 3 | Web-Warriors | 26 | March 13, 2014 (2014-03-13) | October 24, 2015 (2015-10-24) | |
| 4 | vs. the Sinister 6 | 26 | February 21, 2016 (2016-02-21) | January 7, 2017 (2017-01-07) | |
TheUltimate Spider-Man incarnation of Spider-Man makes guest appearances inAvengers Assemble,Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., and thePhineas and Ferb episode "Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel".[10]
The series is adapted from theUltimate Spider-Man comic book, which was created by writerBrian Michael Bendis. Bendis andPaul Dini served as writers and producers on the show.[49][50] Man of Action (a group consisting ofSteven T. Seagle,Joe Kelly,Joe Casey andDuncan Rouleau), the creators of the animated seriesBen 10 andGenerator Rex, serve as supervising producers on the show.[51] Twenty-six episodes were ordered for the first season. According to Paul Dini, the series features a "redefined" Peter Parker, and a combination of frequent guest stars loosely based on Bendis' comics, and original material, such as the origins of some heroes and villains.[50] ActorJ. K. Simmons reprises his role asJ. Jonah Jameson fromSam Raimi's live-actionSpider-Man film trilogy for the series.[43] Notable voice actors includeAdrian Pasdar asIron Man (returning to the role after previously having voiced him inMadhouse's and Marvel'sIron Man anime),[52][53] andKevin Michael Richardson, who voicesRobbie Robertson andBulldozer.[54]
The series depicts Spider-Man becoming the newest member of S.H.I.E.L.D. under the leadership of Nick Fury, on a team with four other teenage superheroes. Villains such asLiving Laser,Venom, andDoctor Doom were seen in a trailer shown at the 2011San Diego Comic-Con.[55]
Ultimate Spider-Man premiered on April 1, 2012, on Disney XD in the United States, while the pilot episode was released onXbox Live andPlayStation Store on April 2, 2012.[56] In the UK and Ireland, the show premiered onDisney UK and Ireland on May 31, 2013. It premiered in Canada on June 22, 2012, onTeletoon.
Disney XD and Marvel officially announced Season 3 on July 20, 2013, at San Diego Comic-Con.[57] Season 3, retitledUltimate Spider-Man: Web-Warriors, includes Spider-Man joining theAvengers (consisting of the line-up fromAvengers Assemble) and introducing characters such asCloak and Dagger,Amadeus Cho,Ka-Zar, andAgent Venom.[57]
A fourth season,Ultimate Spider-Man vs. the Sinister 6, began broadcasting on February 21, 2016.[9]
Launch parties for the series were held in New York City and Los Angeles on March 31, 2012, the day before the series' broadcast television debut. On hand at the New York City party atMidtown Comics Downtown in Manhattan were Marvel creative officerJoe Quesada, writer/producerJoe Kelly andChris Eliopoulos, who wrote the first issue of the tie-in comic book, while the Los Angeles party at Meltdown Comics in Hollywood was attended by Marvel Head of TelevisionJeph Loeb,Duncan Rouleau,Steven T. Seagle, voice actorsClark Gregg andMisty Lee, and creative consultantPaul Dini, who wrote the series pilot.[58][59][60]
A comic book series that ties in with the show calledUltimate Spider-Man Adventures debuted on April 25, 2012.[61]Ultimate Spider-Man Adventures is an ongoing series and is being released alongsideThe Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Adventures. The comics was written byDan Slott andTy Templeton, while Nuno Plati provided artwork.[62] In 2015, Marvel began releasing a series of free digital comics simply calledUltimate Spider-Man, which can be read on the "Marvel Kids" website.[63]
Additionally, the U.K branch ofPanini Comics released eleven issues in theirUltimate Spider-Man Magazine! that tied into the third season,Ultimate Spider-Man: Web-Warriors.
In the 2014 comic book crossover storyline, "Spider-Verse", the version of Spider-Man from the cartoon teams up with the comics version of Spider-Man ofEarth-616 in recruiting a Spider-Man Army to fight the Inheritors.[64]
The series received mixed reviews. Brian Lowry ofVariety criticized the series, suggesting that the source material was "strained through the juvenile, rapid-fire-joke filter ofFamily Guy", and called the show a "high-profile misfire" that didn't "bode well for Marvel's efforts to straddle the line of catering to kids without dumbing down venerable properties that plenty of adults know and love."[71]
David Sims ofThe A.V. Club gave the pilot a"C" ranking, writing that the first episode "feels rather lame and perfunctory, with wackiness dialed up to 11 in an effort to distract from how fundamentally bland it is."[72] Sim subsequently gave a "C+" to the episode "Doomed"[73] and a "B+" to the episode "Back in Black".[74] Oliver Sava, also ofThe A.V. Club, gave the episode "Venom" a "B", stating that the title of the show should be changed toSynergy Spider-Man, because it goes beyond movie andUltimate continuity to create an entry point for young viewers into the main line of Marvel titles.[75] Sava subsequently gave the episode "Field Trip" an "A−".[76]
Emily Ashby ofCommon Sense Media gave the show a 4 out of 5 stars, noting the abundance of action and humor afforded by the series' premise, and opining that the lessons that Parker learns about growth and responsibility under the guidance of his mentor and friends would at least make lasting impressions on young viewers.[77]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Behind the Voice Actors Awards | Best Male Vocal Performance in a Television Series in a Supporting Role – Action/Drama | Tom Kenny (Doctor Octopus) | Nominated |
| Best Female Vocal Performance in a Television Series in a Supporting Role – Action/Drama | Tara Strong (Mary Jane Watson) | Nominated | ||
| 2014 | Behind the Voice Actors Awards | Best Female Lead Vocal Performance in a Television Series – Action/Drama | Caitlyn Taylor Love (White Tiger) | Nominated |
| 2015 | Behind the Voice Actors Awards | Best Male Vocal Performance in a Television Series in a Supporting Role – Action/Drama | Tom Kenny (Vulture) | Nominated |
| Best Female Vocal Performance in a Television Series in a Supporting Role – Action/Drama | Ashley Eckstein (Dagger) | Nominated | ||
| Best Male Vocal Performance in a Television Series in a Guest Role – Action/Drama | JB Blanc (Titus) | Nominated | ||
| Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA | Best Sound Editing – Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR Animation in Television | Mike Draghi (supervising sound editor), Greg Rubin (sound designer), Marcos Abrom (sound designer), Maciek Malish (supervising foley editor), John Brengman (supervising dialogue editor, supervising adr editor), Maciek Krakówka (foley artist), Tomasz Dukszta (foley artist), Jesse Aruda (sound effects editor) (for the episode "The Spider-Verse: Part 1") | Nominated | |
| 2016 | Behind the Voice Actors Awards | Best Female Vocal Performance in a Television Series in a Supporting Role – Action/Drama | Olivia Holt (Spider-Girl) | Nominated |
| Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA | Best Sound Editing – Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR Animation in Television | Mike Draghi (supervising sound editor), John Brengman (supervising dialogue editor), Maciek Malish (supervising foley editor), Jesse Aruda (sound designer), Marcos Abrom (sound designer), Maciek Krakówka (foley artist), Michael Emter (sound effects editor), Dan Negovan (music editor) (for the episode "Contest of Champions: Part 4") | Nominated |
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