Ultimate Spider-Man

### Executive Producers

Alan Fine, Dan Buckley, Joe Quesada, Jeph Loeb, Stan Lee, Eric Radomski, Joe Kelly, Joe Casey, Duncan Rouleau, Steven T. Seagle, Cort Lane and Stephen Wacker

### Producers

Joe Kelly, Joe Casey, Duncan Rouleau, Steven T. Seagle, Brian Michael Bendis, Paul Dini and Drake Bell

### Production Companies

Film Roman
 Marvel Animation

### Original Release

April 1, 2012 - January 7, 2017

**Ultimate Spider-Man** is an American television series created by Marvel Animation.

It focuses on Spider-Man who battles evil with a new team of colleagues and training from S.H.I.E.L.D..

The series premiered on Disney XD on April 1, 2012 and aired for four seasons until January 7, 2017.

## Plot

Peter Parker has been Spider-Man for one year. He has saved lives and fought supervillains, but he is still in the process of learning how to be a superhero. Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. offers Peter the chance to train to be a real superhero and become "The Ultimate Spider-Man". However, Peter will first have to learn how to work with a team of four fellow teenage superheroes: Nova, White Tiger, Iron Fist, and Power Man.

## Cast and Characters

* Drake Bell as Peter Parker/Spider-Man / Swarm / Kaine / Spider-Slayer Synthezoids
* Dee Bradley Baker as Dr. Curt Connors/Lizard / Sandman / Carnage / Chitauri Soldier / Venom / Wendigo King / Zzzax
* Ogie Banks as Luke Cage/Power Man / Miles Morales/Kid Arachnid
* Eric Bauza as Amadeus Cho/Iron Spider / Michael Tan / Arcade / Scorpion
* Greg Cipes as Danny Rand/Iron Fish
* Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson
* Tom Kenny as Doctor Octopus / Wizard / Dr. Curt Connors / Vulture / Whirlwind / Aries Soldier / Octobot / Merlin
* Matt Lanter as Harry Osborn/Patrioteer/Anti-Venom / Flash Thompson/Agent Venom / Klaw / Venom
* Misty Lee as Aunt May Parker / Squirrel Girl / Salem's Witch
* Caitlyn Taylor Love as Ava Ayala/White Tiger
* Chi McBride as Nick Fury / Taurus Soldier / Thunderball
* Logan Miller as Sam Alexander/Nova / Young Flash Thompson
* Scott Porter as Ben Reilly/Scarlet Spider / Scarlet Spider Synthezoids
* J. K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson
* Tara Strong as Mary Jane "MJ" Watson/Spider-Woman/Carnage Queen / Thundra / Sandy
* Steven Weber as Norman Osborn/Green Goblin/Iron Patriot/Goblin King / Trapster / Venom / Ultimate Green Goblin

## Episodes

See Also: List of Ultimate Spider-Man Episodes

 2 | 26
 3 | 26
 4 | 26

## Production

The series is adapted from the Ultimate Spider-Man comic book, which was created by writer Brian Michael Bendis. Bendis and Paul Dini served as writers and producers on the show. Man of Action (a group consisting of Steven T. Seagle, Joe Kelly, Joe Casey and Duncan Rouleau), the creators of the animated series Ben 10 and Generator Rex, serve as supervising producers on the show. 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. Actor J. K. Simmons reprises his role as J. Jonah Jameson from Sam Raimi's live-action Spider-Man film trilogy for the series. Notable voice actors include Adrian Pasdar as Iron Man (returning to the role after previously having voiced him in Madhouse's and Marvel's Iron Man anime), and Kevin Michael Richardson, who voices Robbie Robertson and Bulldozer.

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 as Living Laser, Venom and Doctor Doom were seen in a trailer shown at the 2011 San Diego Comic Con.

Ultimate Spider-Man premiered on April 1, 2012, on Disney XD in the United States, while the pilot episode was released on Xbox Live and PlayStation Store on April 2, 2012. In the UK and Ireland, the show premiered on Disney UK and Ireland on May 31, 2013. It premiered in Canada on June 22, 2012, on Teletoon.

Disney XD and Marvel officially announced Season 3 on July 20, 2013, at San Diego Comic Con. Season 3, retitled Ultimate Spider-Man: Web-Warriors, includes Spider-Man joining the Avengers (consisting of the line-up from Avengers Assemble) and introducing characters such as Cloak and Dagger, Amadeus Cho, Ka-Zar and Agent Venom.

A fourth season, retitled Ultimate Spider-Man vs. the Sinister 6, began broadcasting on February 21, 2016.

### Promotions and Tie-ins

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 at Midtown Comics Downtown in Manhattan were Marvel Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada, writer/producer Joe Kelly and Chris 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 Television Jeph Loeb, Duncan Rouleau, Steven T. Seagle, voice actors Clark Gregg and Misty Lee, and Creative Consultant Paul Dini, who wrote the series pilot.

A comic book series that ties in with the show called Ultimate Spider-Man Adventures debuted on April 25, 2012. Ultimate Spider-Man Adventures is an ongoing series and is being released alongside The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Adventures. The comics was written by Dan Slott and Ty Templeton, while Nuno Plati provided artwork. In 2015, Marvel began releasing a series of free digital comics simply called Ultimate Spider-Man, which can be read on the "Marvel Kids" website.

Additionally, the U.K branch of Panini Comics released eleven issues in their Ultimate 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 of Earth-616 in recruiting a Spider-Man Army to fight the Inheritors.

## Reception

### Critical Response

The series received generally positive reviews from audiences and mixed reviews from critics. Brian Lowry of Variety criticized the series, suggesting that the source material was "strained through the juvenile, rapid-fire-joke filter of Family 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."

IGN gave the show an 6 out of 10.

David Sims of The A.V. Club gave the pilot a "C" ranking, writing that the first episode "feels rather lame and perfunctory, with wackiness dialled up to 11 in an effort to distract from how fundamentally bland it is." Sim subsequently gave a "C+" to the episode "Doomed" and a "B+" to the episode "Back in Black." Oliver Sava, also of The A.V. Club, gave the episode "Venom" a "B", stating that the title of the show should be changed to Synergy Spider-Man, because it goes beyond movie and Ultimate continuity to create an entry point for young viewers into the main line of Marvel titles. Sava subsequently gave the episode "Field Trip" an "A−".

Emily Ashby of Common 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.