THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (2008 - 2009)

 




















Based on characters appearing in Marvel Comics
Starring: (voices) Josh Keaton, Lacey Chabert, James Arnold Taylor, Daran Norris, Vanessa Marshall, Joshua LeBar, Alanna Ubach, Clancy Brown, Alan Rachins, Thom Adcox-Hernandez, Ed Asner, Dee Bradley Baker, Irene Bedard, Jeff Bennett, Xander Berkeley, Steve Blum, Angela Bryant, Max Burkholder, Robert Costanzo, Nikki Cox, Jim Cummings, Keith David, Grey DeLisle, John DiMaggio, Benjamin Diskin, Charles Duckworth, Robert Englund, Bill Fagerbakke, Miguel Ferrer, Crispin Freeman, Elisa Gabrielli, Brian George, Dorian Harewood, Tricia Helfer, Kelly Hu, Andrew Kishino, Clyde Kusatsu, Phil LaMarr, Stan Lee, Eric Lopez, Jane Lynch, Peter MacNicol, James Remar, Kevin Michael Richardson, Kath Soucie, Deborah Strang, Cree Summer, Danny Trejo, Courtney B. Vance, Eric Vesbit, B.J. Ward, Greg Weisman, Thomas F. Wilson

26 episodes
(TV-Y7 - animated sci-fi/fantasy violence)

PLOT:
High school student Peter Parker tries to juggle his life as the costumed superhero Spider-Man and a regular teenager trying to have the semblance of a social life. 

season 1 - 
As Peter Parker's junior year of high school begins, his superhero ego, Spider-Man, must stop the Vulture from exacting revenge on Norman Osborn for stealing his inventions and defeat the Enforcers, who have been hired by the Big Man of Crime to eliminate Spider-Man. Peter reluctantly attempts to tutor Liz Allan, a member of his school's cheerleading squad, while, as Spider-Man, he must stop Max Dillon who, following an accident at the ESU Labs, has become Electro and threatens Curt Connors to restore him back to normal. Peter and Spider-Man must both learn to face their choices when Connors transforms into the Lizard, putting his family in danger. While Peter takes on the responsibility of helping Aunt May pay the bills, Montana, one of the Enforcers, becomes the Shocker to fulfill his contract with the Big Man, eliminating Spider-Man. As Peter and his best friend Harry Osborn try out for the school's football team, Spider-Man must face recurring convict Flint Marko, who has become the supervillain Sandman after an experiment run by Norman Osborn and Otto Octavius with the Big Man's funding. As Peter struggles to get a date for Midtown High's Fall Formal, Alex O'Hirn, Marko's former partner-in-crime, becomes the Big Man's latest creation, the Rhino, and seeks revenge on Spider-Man for putting him behind bars. Spider-Man finally discovers the Big Man's identity, Tombstone, but is unable to do anything about it due to his public persona of philanthropist L. Thompson Lincoln. While Peter attends Midtown High's Fall Formal with his neighbor Mary Jane Watson as his date, a mysterious new villain called the Green Goblin aims to replace Tombstone as the Big Man and destroy Spider-Man. Peter and Spider-Man learn that their actions have consequences when Otto Octavius becomes the supervillain Doctor Octopus following a lab accident caused by the Green Goblin. Spider-Man must prevent Doc Ock from obtaining an experimental battery pack that can keep his mechanical arms functioning indefinitely. On Halloween night, while Colonel John Jameson struggles to land his damaged space shuttle, Spider-Man has his final battle with the Green Goblin, who has kidnapped Tombstone's second-in-command, Hammerhead, to force the former to surrender to him. Peter faces his biggest challenge yet when he discovers the Goblin's true identity. Spider-Man encounters master thief Black Cat while attempting to stop her from stealing an alien symbiote that attached to John Jameson's space shuttle and was taken to ESU for analysis. The symbiote ends up bonding with Spider-Man, granting him a new black suit with enhanced abilities. Meanwhile, the Chameleon, a master of disguises, impersonates Spider-Man during a crime spree, forcing the real Spider-Man to join forces with Black Cat to stop him. With Electro's help, Doctor Octopus breaks himself, Vulture, Shocker, Sandman and Rhino out of Ryker's Island to quench their mutual revenge on Spider-Man. Even with his new black suit, Spider-Man finds his old enemies, now called the Sinister Six, are more than he can handle. With Aunt May in the hospital and his friendship with Eddie Brock ruined, Peter finally gains enough self-awareness to realize the symbiote is negatively affecting his personality. The struggle between Peter and the symbiote evolves into a war within Peter's own mind, where Peter is aided by the spirit of his late Uncle Ben. As Aunt May is released from the hospital, Eddie Brock, now transformed into Venom after bonding with the symbiote, seeks revenge on Peter by targeting his loved ones, including May and Gwen Stacy, drawing Spider-Man into motion to defeat him. 

season 2 - 
While Peter struggles to find the proper opportunity to talk to Gwen about their first kiss, Spider-Man must face a new supervillain, the self-proclaimed sorcerer Mysterio. Mysterio is ultimately unmasked as Quentin Beck, a special effects expert and former henchman of the Chameleon, though unbeknownst to Spider-Man, Beck was only following the instructions of a criminal mastermind known as the Master Planner. While Peter is conflicted over his choice to be with either Gwen or Liz, Kraven the Hunter comes to New York in search of his ultimate prey: Spider-Man. After being defeated during their first battle, Kraven enlists Professor Miles Warren's help to even the odds by transforming him into the "ultimate hunter", with unforeseen consequences. Near Christmas Day, the Master Planner reconstitutes the Sinister Six with Vulture, Electro, Sandman, Rhino and new members Mysterio and Kraven to destroy Spider-Man once and for all. Meanwhile, Peter finds his wandering eye prevents him from being with Gwen. On New Year's Eve, the Master Planner and the new Sinister Six kidnap Gwen to coerce her father, police captain George Stacy, into giving them high level clearance, allowing the Planner to effectively run the world. Spider-Man, determined to foil the Planner's scheme, takes the fight to his secret lair, where he discovers the villain's true identity and must rescue Gwen. While Peter unexpectedly gets invited to his rival Flash Thompson's birthday party, Spider-Man must face the Sandman once again, who is attempting to pull off his big score by robbing an oil tanker. Peter also witnesses Harry's return from Europe, following the revelation of his identity as the Green Goblin, and begins to fear the possibility of Venom returning. Eddie Brock, re-bonded with the Venom symbiote after following Peter to its hidden location, frames Spider-Man for a crime spree to ruin his reputation. Meanwhile, spores from the symbiote infect John Jameson, giving him superhuman strength. J. Jonah Jameson encourages his son to become a superhero, but because of Venom's actions, John comes to see Spider-Man as a menace and becomes determined to destroy him. Peter's secret identity as Spider-Man has been outed by Venom, leaving Peter and his loved ones vulnerable to his enemies. Spider-Man has his final battle with Venom, where he must find a way to separate Eddie and the symbiote once and for all. Meanwhile, reporter Ned Leeds interviews Peter's acquaintances and Spider-Man's villains to determine whether the two could truly be one and the same. A gang war looms as Silver Sable, Hammerhead and Doctor Octopus vie for a prize that could change the balance of power in the New York underworld. Spider-Man finds himself in the thick of this fray and must rely on the unexpected help of Rhino to defeat them. Peter winds up on a Midtown High police car ride with his schoolmate Sally Avril, who has an intense dislike for him but slowly warms up to him. As Spider-Man, he must once again face off against the Enforcers - Shocker, Fancy Dan and Ox - who have been enhanced with new equipment by the Tinkerer. On Valentine's Day, Peter jeopardizes his relationship with his girlfriend Liz when Tombstone, Doctor Octopus and Silvermane call a summit. But when Hammerhead betrays them all in an attempt to become the new Big Man, the summit erupts into a gang war that only Spider-Man can stop before it escalates further. Determined to be a better boyfriend to Liz, Peter attempts to help her brother Mark as Spider-Man. But when Mark relapses into his gambling addiction and ends up in debt, Green Goblin transforms Mark into Molten Man and blackmails him into fighting Spider-Man, with Liz and Mary Jane becoming caught in the crossfire. Spider-Man volunteers to test the new security system of a prison called the Vault. When the Green Goblin hacks the system and releases all of the inmates, Spider-Man finds himself hunted by some of his greatest enemies and must work with Black Cat and her imprisoned father, Walter Hardy, to contain them. In the process, Spider-Man faces a shocking revelation about Uncle Ben's death. Peter breaks up with Liz to finally be with Gwen, but the latter struggles to end her relationship with Harry. Meanwhile, Spider-Man attempts to solve the mystery of the Green Goblin's identity with Harry's help and has his final battle with the villain, with wide-ranging consequences for both Peter and Spider-Man.

INTRO: