The Spectacular Spider-Man animated series ran from 2008 to 2009 and was developed by Greg Weisman and Victor Cook.
Following the adventures of Peter Parker as he balanced high school life with his responsibilities as a superhero, the show combined classic Spider-Man storytelling with a modern perspective on the character's relationships, villains, and origin.
Praised for its compelling storytelling, well-developed characters, and eye-catching animation, The Spectacular Spider-Man received praise from critics and fans alike.
Green Goblin, Venom, and Doctor Octopus were among the villains that appeared, and the show was lauded for its faithfulness to the source material, incorporating elements from the original comics in a way that welcomed new and old fans alike. Despite all of that, the series was cancelled after its second season, leaving us with a memorable but limited number of episodes.
Unfortunately, as we first reported on Toonado.com, they've now vanished from streaming.
As we write this, The Spectacular Spider-Man is no longer available to watch on Disney+ in the United States or UK. We have no explanation for the decision. Other Spider-Man animated TV shows and live-action movies remain, so we'd guess this boils down to some sort of licensing issue. Either way, the series is now gone.
Josh Keaton reprised his role as Peter in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, leading to renewed interest in the show. Needless to say, that makes its absence from Disney+ all the more surprising.
Last year, we had the opportunity to sit down with writer Greg Weisman to discuss his work on Catwoman: Hunted. As you might expect, we had to ask the mastermind behind the popular Spider-Man series what it means to him to see the show trending as fans express their love for the show.
"Well, it’s very gratifying that the fans love it," he responded. "We’re getting off-topic here, but it’s not that I wouldn’t want to do it again. Just to clarify, I would love to do it again. I just don’t understand any path to that. I don’t see it. I’d love to be wrong, but I just don’t see it. We loved working on that show. We had a blast, but that’s not what we’re here to talk about [Laughs]."
Unfortunately, the door appears to be closed on The Spectacular Spider-Man, but it's not Weisman's decision, and if it was going to come back, it probably would have by now. A comic book continuation or something along those lines would no doubt be welcomed by fans, but we're not banking on it. Stranger things have happened, though.
We'll be sure to keep you updated on what's happening with The Spectacular Spider-Man as and when we learn more.