Spider-Man: The New Animated Series

After being bitten by an irradiated spider, teenager Peter Parker wakes up with strange new abilities that bend his body, sharpen his senses, and give him a dangerous agility. He tries to balance school, relationships, and a job while learning to use those powers to help others. By night he dons a mask and fights crime, but his actions draw unwanted attention from law enforcement and the press, putting his private life at risk. The series focuses on Peter learning what it means to act responsibly, and on how one teenager copes when ordinary problems collide with superhuman threats.

Released in 2003, Spider-Man: The New Animated Series was created by Marsha Griffin, Morgan Gendel, and Brian Michael Bendis. The show features Neil Patrick Harris as the voice of Peter Parker, with Lisa Loeb as Mary Jane and Ian Ziering as Harry Osborn.

The series did not win major industry awards, and it wasn’t a big presence during awards season. It did, however, earn attention for taking a slightly different tonal approach to the Spider-Man mythos and for its notable voice cast, which kept it in fan conversations even after it stopped airing.

While it wasn’t the longest-running Spider-Man adaptation, the show left a mark on early 2000s fans. Its contemporary dialogue, emphasis on Peter’s personal struggles, and the choice to cast recognizable actors for the leads made it stand out among animated superhero fare of the time. Fans and commentators have often pointed to it as a distinct, if short-lived, take on a familiar character.

Audiences have given the series a solid user rating, 7.193 out of 10 from 378 votes, indicating generally favorable views among those who watched it. Viewers tend to praise the voice performances and the focus on Peter Parker’s day-to-day dilemmas, while some criticism centers on its brief run and uneven animation style. The show highlights themes of responsibility, identity, and the cost of living a double life.