Series Retrospective

Spider-Man Unlimited is the loosely connected sequel series to Spider-Man and part of the Marvel Animated Universe. The series aired thirteen episodes starting October 2nd, 1999 and ending March 31st, 2001. It is the fifth series to focus on Spider-Man after Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, and Spider-Man.

The series was created as part of a contracting issue between Marvel Entertainment and Fox Kids in order to continue airing episodes of Spider-Man. When Sony Pictures Entertainment got the film and animation rights for the character, the series faced significant development issues. While fulfilling the contractual obligations, the series went on to become one of the most criticized and poorly received Marvel animated series.

It has the distinction of being the last Marvel series started in the 20th Century to air. While The Avengers: United They Stand premiered after Unlimited, delays in airing caused this series to finish airing after.

Background

Producer Will Meugniot explained that the show was created because both Marvel Entertainment and Fox Kids needed another Spider-Man series to fulfill contractual obligations. If Fox produced another season of a Spider-Man show they could continue airing episodes of Spider-Man for an undisclosed amount of time.

The initial goal was to make an extremely low budget adaptation of the early issues of The Amazing Spider-Man and the show began production with that in mind. The idea was to have Saban Entertainment crudely animate thirteen of the first twenty-six classic comics, a technique known today as Motion Comics and similar to the old The Marvel Super Heroes series. This would have provided the additional season as cheaply as possible.

However, Marvel and Sony Pictures Entertainment made a deal for a live-action film, which included their own series to use the same source as the film. As such, the show was unable to use the early comics or even the classic costume. This series would be able to use Spider-Man/Peter Parker but none of his supporting characters or stories. The producers toyed with Spider-Man 2099 for about a week but realized that Batman Beyond had more or less appropriated that property's territory.

Sony's series became Spider-Man: The New Animated Series.

Still needing a series while Marvel had some characters that needed to be animated, Marvel gave them a list of what they wanted in the series. Elements included on Marvel's "shopping list" include Counter-Earth, the Knights of Wundagore, John Jameson, Deathlok, Venom, and others. Michael Reaves and Meugniot came up with the show's story and the Counter-Earth setting to accommodate Marvel's needs.

Meugniot's initial pitch for this concept was that Spider-Man would arrive on Counter-Earth and look for a way to get home. However, he would find that Uncle Ben had not been killed on this world and the local Spider-Man would not have resisted becoming Venom. Meugniot came up with it over a "long" weekend on February 17th, 1999. He felt this helped to reinforce the Spider-Man legend. Everyone on staff liked this pitch and went into production. However, someone at Marvel freaked out upon hearing this as the producers interpreted the bad reaction to the Clone Saga that there was two Peter Parkers.

The series was then in production without any core story.

The show could not have been a direct continuation of Spider-Man so that Fox could continue airing the previous show's episodes.

Avi Arad banked a lot of the series. He had hoped for several miniseries based on Spider-Man and even had one planned called Spider-Man 2001.

Story

John Jameson, son of J. Jonah Jameson, leaves on a one-man space mission to Counter-Earth. However, both Venom and Carnage board the ship. Contact is lost with Jameson and Spider-Man is blamed by the media and the public. Eventually he is believed to be dead and Peter Parker then travels to Counter-Earth with a whole new suit. Upon arriving Peter finds the High Evolutionary, a human tired of humanity, and bestials, hybrids of humans and animals, are the dominant species. Jameson has teamed up with a revolutionary group of humans who are tired of being second class citizens. Jameson refuses to return to Earth until the High Evolutionary is overthrown. Until Jameson's cause is won Peter must try his best to blend into the society along with defeating bestial versions of Spider-Man's rogue gallery along with Venom and Carnage.

Continuity

While not originally meant as a sequel to Spider-Man, the series did contain several continuity references. Most notably, the premiere episode "Worlds Apart, Part One" used the earlier show's theme song to introduce Spider-Man.

The most obvious example of issues between the series is the origin of Carnage. In Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Baron Mordo and Dormammu return the Venom Symbiote and the Carnage spawn to Earth. When Eddie Brock rebonds with the Venom symbiote fellow prisoner Cletus Kasady is given the Carnage spawn. In Spider-Man Unlimited, Spider-Man didn't separate the symbiote and Brock and Venom was held by S.H.I.E.L.D. along with Kasady, who was later given the Carnage symbiote. There is no mention of Mordo or Dormammu. The symbiotes' powers also seem to be radically changed. They are able to radically alter their body composition, shape, and altering their body's format. Spider-Man notes this in the first episode but there is no explanation.

Also of note, in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Mary Jane Watson, Venom, and Carnage are lost in other dimensions yet there is no mention of these events or their resolutions. The series starts off with Peter Parker and Mary Jane together, implying though not directly stating that Madame Web reunited the two, he revealed his identity, and at least began dating again.

VOICE Cast

Rino Romano - Spider-Man/Peter Parker, Green Goblin/Hector Jones

Michael Donovan - Carnage

Brian Drummond - Venom/Eddie Brock

Christopher Gaze - Daniel Bromley

Ron Halder - Sir Ram

Jennifer Hale - Lady Vermin, Mary Jane Watson

Kimberly Hawthorne - Karen O'Malley

Rhys Huber - Shane Yamada-Jones

Scott McNeil - Vulture

Akiko Morison - Naoko Yamada-Jones

Richard Newman - High Evolutionary, J. Jonah Jameson

John Payne - John Jameson

Tasha Simms - Lady Ursula

David Sobolov - Lord Tyger

Dale Wilson - Machine Men, Electro, X-51

Jim Byrnes - Fire Drake

Garry Chalk - Meugniot

Paul Dobson - The Hunter

Mark Gibbon - Nick Fury

Jennifer Hale previously voiced Spider-Man's love interest Black Cat/Felicia Hardy.

Mr. Meugniot was originally going to be spelled Mineo. It was changed to be named after writer-producer Will Meugniot.

Larry Brody, writer for Spider-Man Unlimited, details the plot synopsis for the second season arc that was pitched to both Fox Kids and Saban Entertainment. This is pulled exactly word for word from his website below. Reading these plans makes me sad that any of this never got to see the light of day.

EPISODES WRITTEN PER FOX’S SEASON 2 FIVE-EPISODE PICK-UP

14. DESTINY UNLEASHED PART 2

With the help of the GOBLIN (and a minor assist from VULTURE) SPIDEY and the REBELS keep the SYNOPTIC from succeeding. When the “smoke clears” the good news is that the HIGH EVOLUTIONARY and SIR RAM have been soundly defeated and the KNIGHTS OF WUNDAGOR scattered. The bad news is that VENOM and CARNAGE, although out of the picture for now, have merged into the awesome villain known as KING CARNAGE!

15. CAT GOT YOUR TONGUE?

SPIDEY and the rest of the inhabitants of Counter-Earth must now deal with the results of what happened last episode: A “Newer World Order.” JAMESON and the rebels work with LORD TYGER to form a just and representative government for Beastials and humans alike, and GOBLIN comes home to NAOKO and SHAYNE. Always able to make the worst of any situation, PETER feels more lost and alone than ever but doesn’t have much time to think about it as he does some good old-fashioned sleuthing to find the culprit behind a series of daring robberies—and discovers that the villain is not one but three BLACK CATS—Beastial Siamese cat sisters who are beautiful, charming—and deadly.

16. NIGHTWALKER

To JAMESON’S dismay, SPIDEY and KAREN grow closer as she becomes the humans’ best liason with LORD TYGER’S government. In Washington D.C., Spidey swings into action when a secret assassin starts taking out the REBELS one by one, with Karen’s turn next. Who is the NIGHTWALKER? An angry Beastial? A former KNIGHT OF WUNDAGOR? Or is it a jealous Jameson? An embittered BROMLEY? Spidey has to find out in order to save Karen’s life!

17. MODEL BEHAVIOR

To cash in on the new social situation, a BEASTIAL MOVIE PRODUCER offers SPIDEY a deal to star in a Human Exploitation Film. PETER’S reluctant—until he discovers that Counter-Earth’s version of MARY JANE is one of the actresses vying to be his co-star. Spidey’s Hollywood adventure turns deadly, however, when he finds out just how this Mary Jane got her good looks…and has to face her “creator,” SCRAMBLE, a Beastial with the power to control—and instantly morph—any living flesh that he touches…or that touches him.

18. SOJOURN

The Synoptic’s powerful new entity, KING CARNAGE, returns. Although torn by true inner conflict (between the human sides of his Venom & Carnage components), he pulls himself together, searching for the Interdimensional Portal that originally brought the High Evolutionary to Counter-Earth, in order to use it to expand the Synoptic. When GOBLIN is injured trying to stop the monster symbiote, SPIDEY swings into action, hoping to use the Portal to return to Earth and the real Mary Jane. In an ironic twist, Spidey does indeed find and use the Portal—but with him is a stowaway—JAMESON. And in a final crisis, it’s JAMESON who ends up on Earth, with Spidey back with the Beastials once more.

OVERALL ARC FOR THE REST OF SEASON 2

19. Thru 24. Spidey will continue to deal with both the issues of Counter-Earth’s new society and various mysteries and super-villains, both human and Beastial as he goes on a last-ditch hunt for the remaining spaceship that may be able to bring him back home. Episodes alternate between New York and his altered relationship with Naoko, Shayne, and Goblin, and his travels around this new planet, where he encounters Lady Ursula (now the head of the Russian black market), Electro (who has set up his own little kingdom not unlike Latveria), the Counter-Earth Panther (while searching through the jungles of Wakanda), the Black Cats, and others. In the end, however, societal concerns come to the fore as, just when things are looking brightest for Beastial-Human relations, the High Evolutionary and Sir Ram return, angrier and more powerful than ever. In a butt-kicking two-part finale, Spidey rises out of the ashes of agonizing defeat and sends both of them packing forever, and—at last!—rockets his way home to those he has missed for so long! FADE OUT?

Ah, if only we had had the chance to produce the already-written episodes and write and produce all the rest!

In other media

Comics

Alongside the animated series, Marvel Comics commissioned a comic to tie in with the series. It would be the second volume of Spider-Man Unlimited as a whole from the company, but the only one of the Unlimited volumes to be based on it. The first two issues were adapted from the first three episodes of the series, with the last three providing their own storyline. In the final issue, Spider-Man meets an escapee from Haven, a Bestial version of Wolverine. After fighting, the two team up and take down a Bestial Chameleon. It is hinted that Wolverine is really Naoko Jones' missing husband (although the cartoon hints that the Goblin is really Naoko's husband). The question was never resolved as poor sales ended the comic's run.

The series was somewhat referred to in the "Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man" issues 13 and 14 from February and March 2000 where Peter Parker is teleported into another dimension ruled by Blastaar while chasing Carnage (who himself was running away from the NYC police) and finds himself in the costume Spider-Man wore in this TV Show, he joins forces with Dusk and remains in this suit until he defeats both villains and transported back to his homeworld with the knocked out Carnage.

A copy of the series' universe, labeled Earth-7831, is massacred by Morlun's brother Daemos during the events of Spider-Verse.

Video Games

There was a Spider-Man Unlimited mobile game, but it had absolutely no relation nor tie-ins with the animated series nor comics of the same name. That was jarring too, especially when the selling point of the game was the appeal of so many alternate versions of Spider-Man being playable in the game. Spider-Man Unlimited from this series never made an appearance in the mobile game, despite the game featuring over 200+ playable Spider-Men from his comics history. 

The Spider-Man Unlimited suit appears as an unlockable costume for Spider-Man in the video game Spider-Man and in its sequel, Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro. 

My thoughts

After the finale of Spider-Man: The Animated Series, many fans like myself were itching for more adventures of our favorite Webswinger and Fox Kids and Saban Entertainment gave us that with Spider-Man Unlimited. The new visual style was a breath of fresh air and gave it that same "edge" that Batman Beyond's art style did for the traditional Batman mythos. Spider-Man 2099 was pretty new in the comics continuity so this wasn't a series based on that, but savvy comic book fans can't deny that Spidey's costume in this series doesn't take a few cues from that design - not that I'm complaining in the least. The Unlimited costume is still one of my all-time favorite Spider-Man costumes, even topping the fan-favorite and beloved Alien Black costume that would later become the Venom symbiote following the Secret Wars event. It makes me sad to this day that we don't see that costume pop up in more video games, especially the recent PlayStation 4 exclusive Spider-Man game when that title seemed to have every single costume Peter Parker has worn to date in it - EXCEPT for the one in this series. 

Rino Romano voices Peter Parker in this series and to this day, I can't unhear him as Spider-Man/Peter Parker in his later works, notably as Bruce Wayne/Batman in The Batman. Spider-Man was a more fitting role for him, but it's ironic that he tends to have a female co-star in these animated series that look the same. Who am I talking about you ask? I'm talking about none other than Dr. Naoko Yamada-Jones, who looks suspiciously like RoboCop's Asian female partner (Lt. Nancy Miner) in RoboCop: Alpha Commando, who are both voiced by Akiko Morison. Naoko looks just like Detective Yin (voiced by Ming-Na Wen) who dresses suspiciously like Gargoyles' Eliza Maza, who ends up having a similar support role in The Batman as that series rolled on. I swear, all of that could NOT have been a coincidence. Every time that I revisit this show, that fact sticks out to me like a sore thumb. At least they have good taste though, I'll say that much. 

Where Batman Beyond sought out to approach the Batman mythos from a futuristic setting with a teenage element much akin to Spider-Man's angst, Spider-Man Unlimited went with a completely new approach with the narrative. Spider-Man tasks himself with rescuing J. Jonah Jameson's son, John (the astronaut), who got stranded on Counter-Earth that is ruled by the High Evolutionary and his genetically enhanced race of Bestials. Humanity is reduced to slaves and poverty on this world while the bestials live in high society. It's a bizarre, yet creative twist on the known Spider-Man mythos, but gives a lot of room to retell some of these stories from new angles. This show definitely took advantage of that with Counter-Earth versions of both the Vulture and Green Goblin, who are both heroes in this planet, while the Counter-Earth versions of Electro and the Hunter (obviously inspired by Kraven the Hunter) were fun new takes on those iconic Spidey villains. Venom and Carnage sport new designs in this series right off the bat in the two-part pilot, which is explained by the two symbiotes gaining new powers before hopping a ride onto Jameson's shuttle to Counter-Earth. Spider-Man failed to stop them, hence why Jameson's shuttle crashed on Counter-Earth. After being hunted relentlessly by people in New York City after J. Johan Jameson's bounty on the Webswinger until Spider-Man was thought to be dead, Peter Parker considers retiring for good, much to the concerns of Mary Jane Watson. 

I should mention that it is a common misconception that this series directly connected to Spider-Man: The Animated Series and I should clarify that it is NOT a sequel to it. Spider-Man TAS' own producer/story editor, John Semper Jr., has stated on his blog and in various interviews several times that this series has absolutely nothing to do with his Spider-Man series that predates this one, despite the same costume and the music used in the first episode - along with some of the same staff on board behind the scenes. So any wishful thinking that these were both connected stories, can be squashed right now unfortunately. In my honest opinion, that's a good thing as it gave this series even more creative freedom to tell this story instead of being handcuffed like how that series (along with X-Men: The Animated Series and Batman: The Animated Series) was during its production. 

We only get to see Mary Jane Watson in the first episode, who it seems that Peter has been living with for quite some time now. Spider-Man TAS alum Jennifer Hale voices her in this episode, when she voiced Felicia Hardy/Black Cat in that series. Hale would go on to voice Lady Vermin of the Knights of Wundagor in the remainder of this series. Peter Parker's resolve to rescue Jameson ultimately wins over, with him scheming to steal the second shuttle to head over to Counter-Earth. Nick Fury (of SHIELD obviously) attempts to stop Spider-Man (who is now sporting a new costume made from nanotechnology "borrowed" from the laboratory of Reed Richards, sporting anti-symbiote technology and other new special gadgetry on par with Batman Beyond's Batsuit).

After arriving on Counter-Earth, he's immediately captured and thrown right into the middle of the ongoing battle between the High Evolutionary, Knights of Wundagore, and his trusted Bestials against the Rebels (led by John Jameson). Counter-Earth's society norms are all upside-down with the Bestials living in high society with the humans living in the slums in poverty. 

The cartoon juggles this dynamic well between the ongoing relations and rifts between humans and Bestials with Spider-Man in the middle as he's neither bestial nor completely human. If all of this wasn't bad enough, Venom and Carnage are behind the scenes, subtly manipulating the High Evolutionary to their own benefit as they look to unleash the "Synoptic" (an army of symbiotes) onto Counter-Earth. 

Every episode kept me interested as I was anxious to see what new twist that Counter-Earth was going to throw out next, whether it was the heroic versions of Vulture and the Green Goblin, or the Bestial version of Electro and other noteworthy Spider-Man foes or beloved Marvel Comics characters. The original characters created for this series weren't slouches either. I thought this cartoon had a great cast from top to bottom in terms of the supporting cast, especially for a Spider-Man oriented cartoon. That's something I consider to be one of the pivotal components of any great Spider-Man cartoon. He's nothing without his support system of friends and associates along with villains that challenge him as he juggles the ups and downs of his personal life. 

It's sad that this series is another in a long line of Spider-Man cartoons where it ended prematurely and never got a proper ending. At least Spider-Man TAS before it got somewhat of an ending and didn't get cancelled before it's main narrative was resolved. Spider-Man Unlimited ends on an unsatisfying cliffhanger that leaves more questions than answers. 

The only saving grace is that the entire series is easily accessible on Disney+ currently for those who want to revisit it, but also for those who want to experience it for the first time. 

Spider-Man Unlimited isn't the best Spider-Man animated series - actually far from it - but I respect the efforts to make it stand out on its own with an unique take upon the established lore at the time while not erasing his past completely. Counter-Earth was a great sandbox to confine Spider-Man in new, interesting ways that he had not explored at the time. And if we're quiet honest, Spider-Man TAS didn't leave much material left on the table to explore when that series had already touched on a lot of beloved Spider-Man stories from his comic book past, so it was a good thing that this series didn't retread familiar territory. 

Given the fact that Sony got the rights to Spider-Man was the main reason why this series ultimately got the ax, it's still disappointing that Fox Kids and Saban Entertainment could not reach some sort of compromise to conclude the narrative here. Spider-Man Unlimited wasn't the only victim in these circumstances as we're going to look at Silver Surfer: The Animated Series at a later date and see that series meet a similar fate around this same time. 

As a fan though? The Unlimited suit remains to be one of my favorite all-time Spider-Man costumes and I'm always disappointed when it doesn't even pop up in video games anymore as an alternate costume for our favorite Wall-Crawler. I understand that there's a not a snowball's chance in hell that Marvel nor Disney will do anything with this story again - if ever, but allow me to pitch a crazy idea at the end of this series retrospective...

Imagine a Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse sequel, where you don't just have Miles and Gwen team up with the same Spider-Men from before, but how about he teams up with Spider-Man 2099 (who was teased the post-credits teaser), Peter Parker from Spider-Man TAS who is still dimension hopping with Madame Web on the search for Mary Jane Watson, Peter Parker from Spider-Man Unlimited who is still struggling to resolve the conflict on Counter-Earth, Peter Parker from MTV's Spider-Man, and finally Peter Parker from Spectacular Spider-Man who is coming to grips with the events of how that series ended. The film could be used as a means to resolve all 4 of those series' cliff-hanger endings and put those stories to bed once and for all. It wouldn't be that much of a stretch if the story centers around Madame Web bringing all of these Spider-folks together much like the end of Spider-Man TAS' story for another "crisis" of sorts.

At the end of the day though, I know that idea is all wishful thinking really. 

Everyone who has had a hand in Spider-Man Unlimited has moved on onto other projects and like I mentioned earlier in this article, it's just another cancelled/incomplete Spider-Man animated series of many that have met the same fate over the years.