The 5 Best Spider-Man Cartoons Of All Time, Ranked

No Marvel Comics superhero has starred in as many cartoon series as Spider-Man has. Indeed, long before Spider-Man was web-slinging on the silver screen, animated Spider-Men were mainstays of Marvel television.

Many voice actors have slipped on Spider-Man's mask over the years, with the cartoons running the gamut from simple low budget 2-D animation to fully realized 3-D CGI. The storytelling in "Spider-Man" cartoons has similarly varied from classical to experimental. Those in the latter category include 1999's "Spider-Man: Unlimited" (which features Peter Parker stranded on an alien world) and 2012's "Ultimate Spider-Man" (which turned Spidey into a fourth wall-breaking agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.).

There's been so many Spider-Man cartoons that some have even fallen through the cracks of history. For example, the 1981 "Spider-Man" cartoon remains mostly forgotten, completely overshadowed by a different series that debuted that same year: "Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends" (which featured Spidey crimefighting alongside Iceman and Firestar).

When Spider-Man cartoons are good, though, they can be some of the best storytelling that Marvel animation has to offer. (Just look at the form-pushing animated "Spider-Verse" films.) Of the many Spider-Man shows out there, here are the ones that stand above the rest.

The most recent Spider-Man cartoon, "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" (which debuted on Disney+ early in 2025) is off to a promising start with its 10-episode first season. Based largely on the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Tom Holland's Spider-Man, the show lives up to the promise "Spider-Man: Homecoming" made (and which its sequels broke) of following Peter Parker (Hudson Thames) looking out for the little guys of New York City.

The show boasts cel-shaded CGI animation, effectively bringing the comic book art style of the show's lead character designer, Leonardo Romero, into full motion. "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" has also made some big swings in reimagining Spider-Man's history and supporting cast, proving there are still ways to innovate on this often retold story. As always, Peter ends up learning that with great power comes great responsibility, but how he learns this is where the series mixes things up (and is the most fun).

The stand-out character in the show so far is Norman Osborn, voiced by Colman Domingo. A lot of Spider-Man stories feature Norman taking an interest in Peter's intelligence and tenacity (qualities he wants in his own son) and wanting to mentor him. "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man," however, explores Peter taking that offer up as an Oscorp-backed Spider-Man. Norman hasn't gone full megalomanic yet, but there have been hints of a Goblin-shaped fall in his future.

"Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" season 2 is scheduled to debut in 2026. It's hard to fairly judge the show while it's still unfinished, but season 1 has earned confidence for future episodes.

2003's "Spider-Man: The New Animated Series" beat "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" to the punch of being the first CGI animated Spider-Man by several years.

Starring Neil Patrick Harris as Spider-Man, the series was presented as a sequel to the Sam Raimi "Spider-Man" film (before it was, of course, displaced by Raimi's actual sequels). It had the same core cast of Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson (Lisa Loeb), and Harry Osborn (Ian Ziering), with all three designed to look more or less like Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and James Franco. Where the show and movie didn't line up was the tone. The Raimi "Spider-Man" wore its heart on its sleeve and adapted the early Stan Lee/Steve Ditko "Spider-Man" comics of the 1960s, corniness and all. The cartoon opted to be cooler and edgier instead; notice Mary Jane's alt-girl look with a choker and bare midriff.

Running a mere 13 episodes, the show still managed to adapt a handful of classic Spider-Man villains; Michael Clarke Duncan, who played the Kingpin in the 2003 "Daredevil" film, even got to voice Mr. Fisk again in the episode "Royal Scam." It also threw in some original foes, like jetpack-powered mercenaries Pterodax and the swordswoman Shikata.

Those original characters aren't the only thing that sets the show apart. The series' big advantage is that it aired on MTV. To fit with the network's other programming, it was made for an older audience than previous Spider-Man shows. That meant characters could die, there was no airbrushing out the more adult sides of Peter's college life (like drinking and sex), etc. 

A second season of "Spider-Man: The New Animated Series" never came to be, but the first one stands as a fun watch Spidey fans shouldn't overlook.

The original "Spider-Man" cartoon hit the air only five years after the character's comic debut. Like any prototype, the show has some oddities compared to later iterations; Betty Brant (Peg Dixon) is Peter's (Paul Soles) love interest, J. Jonah Jameson (Paul Kligman) is a miser without any softer side, the Green Goblin (Len Carlson) is an actual goblin obsessed with magical artifacts, and so on.

Is "Spider-Man" a well-made show? Not especially. The series never had very impressive animation and by the second season, many episodes were simply recycled footage from past ones or other shows altogether. But despite that, does the series still have a lot of charm? It sure does. 

That aforementioned cheap animation, from sparse backgrounds to limited movement or facial expressions, has made "Spider-Man" into a favorite source of meme makers. The image of two Spider-Men pointing at each other has become especially infamous, even being recreated in a few of the "Spider-Man" movies.

The one thing about "Spider-Man" that is unironically enjoyable is the theme song ("Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can..."), as composed by Paul Francis Webster and Bob Harris. It's a genuine earworm and is not just the anthem of the show, but of Spider-Man's character as a whole to this day.

In 1992, "Batman: The Animated Series" and "X-Men" changed what a superhero cartoon show could be, offering more mature and (in the case of "X-Men") serialized storytelling. The 1994 "Spider-Man" cartoon followed in those series' examples.

Now, watching "Spider-Man" again with a grown man's eyes, it won't hold up or thrill you quite the same as when you were a kid. There's spotty animation, the episodes are paced in a way that often feel like the show's on fast forward, and the voice acting is hammy all around. And yet, if you compare it to the previous "Spider-Man" cartoons, you'll see what a step-up it was.

"Spider-Man" (often unofficially called "Spider-Man: The Animated Series") wove its seasons around story arcs, trusting its young viewers to see how its threads came together. A big part of the appeal of the "Spider-Man" comics is that Peter Parker is an everyman with a big supporting cast. This series was the first one to focus as much on Peter (Christopher Daniel Barnes) as on Spider-Man, with many episodes centered on him pining after Mary Jane (Sarah Ballantine).

The show featured numerous crossovers with other Marvel heroes, offering kids a glimpse into the full scope of its setting. Running for an impressive 65 episodes, "Spider-Man" had an open ending but showrunner John Semper Jr. thinks it ended in a good place. By the time it had wrapped, the show had defined Spider-Man for a new generation, after all.

It had to be this one. This particular Spider-Man cartoon lives up to the promise of its alliterative title, because it truly is spectacular. Unfortunately, "The Spectacular Spider-Man" ran for only two seasons and 26 episodes, but in its all too brief run, it offered the greatest synthesis of the Spider-Man saga before or since.

"The Spectacular Spider-Man" was developed by Greg Weisman, the creator of "Gargoyles" and the future creator of "Young Justice." "Spectacular Spider-Man" has the same hallmarks as his other works, particularly its complex — for children's animation — storytelling (in characterization and structure). Truly, Weisman's cartoons are some of the best examples of how if you trust the intelligence of children, you'll only make them like a show more, not less.

This Spider-Man is the funniest one there's been, thanks to a mix of the slick writing and voice actor Josh Keaton's wisecracking delivery. And yet, the show never sands off Peter's edges either; he's a good guy, of course, but he's got an abrasive edge to him, and he can often fall short even when he tries his best.

The villains are all excellent, with diverse designs and characterization that truly make them feel like a rogues' gallery. The show was also unafraid to let them be evil; Steve Blum's vicious Green Goblin and Peter MacNicol's fiendish Doc Ock are brilliant counter-programming to the more sympathetic live-action adaptations.

"The Spectacular Spider-Man" is not just a great superhero cartoon, either, it's a great teen drama; the high school soap opera is as gripping as the superhero action. Not that the action is anything to sneer at. It's not just the best Spider-Man show that happens to be animated, it's also the best animated one. The fight choreography is phenomenal, emphasizing Spider-Man's quick acrobatic fighting style and how he adapts to the diverse set of enemies he battles.

There are a lot of Spider-Man stories I love, but "The Spectacular Spider-Man" is always going to be my Spider-Man above all else. I know I'm not alone there.