Spider-Man Unlimited

For the comic book, see Spider-Man Unlimited (comics). For the unrelated mobile game, see Spider-Man Unlimited (video game).

Spider-Man Unlimited
Genre
Based on
Developed by
Written by
Directed byPatrick Archibald
Voices of
Theme music composer
  • Jeremy Sweet
  • Ian Nickus
Composers
Country of origin
  • United States
  • Canada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producersAvi Arad
Eric S. Rollman
ProducerWill Meugniot
Running time22 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkFox (Fox Kids)
ReleaseOctober 2, 1999 (1999-10-02) –
March 31, 2001 (2001-03-31)

Spider-Man Unlimited is an animated television series produced by Saban Entertainment which features the Marvel comic book superhero Spider-Man. Unlimited premiered in 1999, and though it had fair ratings, it was overshadowed by Pokémon and Digimon and canceled after airing only a few episodes. Fox Kids later resumed airing the show from 1999 to 2001, airing 13 episodes, the last ending on a cliffhanger.

The Spider-Man Unlimited incarnation of Spider-Man appeared in the 2023 film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, where he is depicted as a member of Miguel O'Hara's Spider-Society.

Production

Spider-Man, in a new costume designed by Shannon Denton and Roy Burdine.

Initially, the goal was to do a low-budget adaptation of the first 26 issues of The Amazing Spider-Man comic book, but Sony and Marvel had already engaged in a deal to produce a Spider-Man film, and so Saban was cut from any source and could not use the traditional Spider-Man suit or adapt the early comics. Also, in the original idea, Spider-Man was stranded in a Counter-Earth in which Ben Parker did not die and its version of Peter Parker lacked the moral fortitude to resist becoming Venom. However, Marvel Comics did not like the idea and stated that they would not do a story with two Peter Parkers. Additionally, the show was made after Marvel decided not to move ahead with a show focusing on Spider-Man 2099 following consideration due to Batman Beyond premiering earlier that year and also having a futuristic setting.

Unlike the previous series which used digital ink and paint, the animation on the series was made using traditional cel animation. The characters' designers, including Spider-Man's new outfit, were done by Shannon Denton and Roy Burdine.

Several scripts were written for Season 2, including the conclusion of the cliffhanger, but were never produced.

Plot

While covering the launch of John Jameson's one-man mission to Counter-Earth, Spider-Man attempts to stop Venom and Carnage from boarding the shuttlecraft. Blamed for losing contact with Jameson by J. Jonah Jameson of the Daily Bugle, Spider-Man becomes a target of persecution by the media and the public at large, with a bounty placed on him. After John contacts Earth through a distress signal, Spider-Man borrows nanotechnology from Reed Richards to design a new suit that incorporates built in upgraded webshooters and spider-tracers, stealth technology and anti-symbiote sonic weaponry. Making his way to Counter-Earth after persuading Nick Fury to let him rescue Jameson, Spider-Man learns that Jameson has joined a rebellion against the High Evolutionary, who rules Counter-Earth with the Bestials, artificial humanoid animals of his creation.

With Jameson reluctant to return until all of the Bestials are defeated, Spider-Man elects to remain on Counter-Earth, blending in as best as he can as Peter Parker, taking up residence in the apartment of a doctor, Naoko Yamada-Jones and her son Shane and fighting the High Evolutionary, his Knights of Wundagore, and his Machine Men alongside the rebels as Spider-Man. It is soon discovered that Venom and Carnage are also on Counter-Earth and are following orders from the Synoptic, a hive mind of symbiotes.

Characters

Heroes

  • Peter Parker / Spider-Man (voiced by Rino Romano) – A photographer for the Daily Bugle newspaper who was bitten by a radioactive spider and received spider-like abilities, becoming the superhero known as Spider-Man.
  • Naoko Yamada-Jones (voiced by Akiko Morison) – A doctor on Counter-Earth. After Peter rescues her son Shane from a Machine Man, she allows him to live in her house. She has a dislike for Spider-Man despite his heroics as she is unaware of his identity.
  • Shane Yamada-Jones (voiced by Rhys Huber) – The 10-year-old son of Naoko Yamada and Hector Jones. He looks up to Peter and hates when Peter and Naoko fight as it reminds him of his parents fighting and eventual split. He, like his mother, does not know of Peter's Spider-Man secret.
  • John Jameson / Man-Wolf (voiced by John Payne as John Jameson, Scott McNeil as Man-Wolf) – The leader of a team of rebels who fight against the High Evolutionary, and arrived on Counter-Earth after crash-landing there due to interference from Venom and Carnage, who had stowed aboard his ship. Later in the series, the High Evolutionary experiments on John in an attempt to turn him into a Bestial, giving him the ability to transform into the Man-Wolf.
  • Counter-Earth Rebellion – A group of humans that lead a rebellion against the High Evolutionary's forces.
    • Karen O'Malley (voiced by Kim Hawthorne) – The second-in-command of the Rebellion and John Jameson's love interest. She is the granddaughter of the High Evolutionary, who experimented on her when she was still in the womb, giving her superhuman strength and agility.
    • Daniel Bromely (voiced by Christopher Gaze) – A member of the Rebellion from New York City whose family was taken by the High Evolutionary, with him joining the group to get revenge.
    • Git Hoskins – A mute, mummy-like member with an elastic body. He gained his abilities as a child from experimentation by Sir Ram and developed a grudge against him.
    • X-51 (voiced by Dale Wilson) – An obsolete Machine Man who unexpectedly gained sentience. As a result, it becomes benevolent and protects humans from the High Evolutionary.

Villains

  • High Evolutionary (voiced by Richard Newman) – The main antagonist of the series, a human scientist who believes that greater genetic diversity heightens survival traits. He left Earth for Counter-Earth and created a new society dominated by Bestials.
  • Knights of Wundagore – A group of elite Bestials who serve the High Evolutionary. They consist of the tiger Lord Tyger (voiced by David Sobolov), the sheep Sir Ram (voiced by Ron Halder), the rat Lady Vermin (voiced by Jennifer Hale), and the bear Lady Ursula (voiced by Tasha Simms).
  • Machine Men (voiced by Dale Wilson) – A group of robots that serve as enforcers for the High Evolutionary.
  • Eddie Brock / Venom (voiced by Brian Drummond) – One of the series' main antagonists, by this time, the Venom Symbiote has merged completely with him and he attempts to conquer Counter-Earth alongside Carnage.
  • Cletus Kasady / Carnage (voiced by Michael Donovan) – One of the series' main antagonists, the symbiote is in complete control of Kasady and works well with Venom. They traveled to Counter-Earth to join the Symnoptic, a hive mind of symbiotes.
  • The Hunter (voiced by Paul Dobson) – A mercenary and Kraven the Hunter's Counter-Earth counterpart.
  • Electro (voiced by Dale Wilson) – A Bestial electric eel and the Counter-Earth version of Electro.

Others

  • J. Jonah Jameson (voiced by Richard Newman) – The father of John Jameson who runs the Daily Bugle.
  • Mary Jane Watson (voiced by Jennifer Hale) – At some point, Mary Jane Watson married Peter, and Peter revealed his secret identity as Spider-Man to her. They continued to be a happily married couple and Mary Jane was constantly worried about Peter's life as Spider-Man. When Peter chased Venom and Carnage to Counter-Earth, MJ remained behind on Earth and waited for him.
  • Nick Fury (voiced by Mark Gibbon) – A member of S.H.I.E.L.D.
  • Green Goblin / Hector Jones (voiced by Rino Romano) – The heroic Counter-Earth version of Green Goblin. He is an ally of the Rejects, a group of Bestials whom the High Evolutionary deemed useless and abandoned, and wields a winged backpack rather than a glider.
  • Mr. Meugniot (voiced by Garry Chalk) – The editor of the Daily Byte. He is named after series producer Will Meugniot.
  • Vulture (voiced by Scott McNeil) – The Counter-Earth version of the Vulture, who is a human with Bestial powers. He previously lived in the upper world and aided the Bestials in tormenting humans, but later reformed.

Episodes

No.TitleWritten byOriginal release date
1"Worlds Apart Part One"Story by : Michael Reaves, Will Meugniot
Teleplay by : Michael Reaves		October 2, 1999 (1999-10-02)
When Spider-Man spots his two main enemies Venom and Carnage, hijacking on John Jameson's spaceship on a trip to the mysterious planet Counter-Earth, he fails to stop them and the two symbiote villains go with John to Counter-Earth, where the ship crashes. J. Jonah Jameson and public then blames Spider-Man for John's seeming death. Spider-Man fakes his own death and lies low for half a year until he gets a new nano-tech costume from Reed Richards and gets another ride to Counter-Earth following a distress signal making it to Earth. He has an encounter with the Machine Men and the Knights of Wundagore who managed to capture him.
2"Worlds Apart Part Two"Story by : Michael Reaves, Will Meugniot
Teleplay by : Michael Reaves		October 9, 1999 (1999-10-09)
After escaping from the Knights of Wundagore before he can be experimented on, Spider-Man finds out that John Jameson survived the crash. He has become a member of a rebellion fighting against the forces of the High Evolutionary, a figurehead who hates humans and creates animal-mutant hybrids called the Bestials. Spider-Man then joins the group and moves in with a single mother named Dr. Naoko Yamada-Jones and her son Shane Jones.
3"Where Evil Nests"Story by : Brynne Chandler Reaves, Will Meuginot
Teleplay by : Brynne Chandler Reaves		October 16, 1999 (1999-10-16)
Spider-Man meets the Counter-Earth version of the Green Goblin, a hero who mistakes Spider-Man for a villain. Spider-Man realizes the kidnapper of Dr. Naoko Yamada-Jones is not the Goblin. The two team up to save her and stop a plan by her kidnappers responsible for the green Bio-Mass: Venom and Carnage.
4"Deadly Choices"Story by : Michael Reaves, Will Meugniot
Teleplay by : Steve Perry		December 23, 2000 (2000-12-23)
A member of the rebellion against High Evolutionary named Git Hoskins steals a bomb and threatens to blow up the Counter-Earth New York. The rebellion and the Bestials are forced to team up to get it back before both humans and Bestials are killed by the contagious compound within the bomb as Spider-Man learns Git's history that involved Sir Ram.
5"Steel Cold Heart"Story by : Roger Slifer, Will Meuginot
Teleplay by : Roger Slifer		January 13, 2001 (2001-01-13)
A Machine Man named X-51 (the 51st off the assembly line), refuses to hurt innocent people. So he betrays the High Evolutionary and the Knights and decides to join the rebellion after he was previously saved by Spider-Man.
6"Enter the Hunter!"Story by : Michael Reaves, Roger Slifer
Teleplay by : Diane Duane, Peter Morwood		February 3, 2001 (2001-02-03)
When the High Evolutionary sees that Spider-Man is a bug in his plans, he has his minion, Sir Ram, hire an assassin named the Hunter (Counter-Earth's version of Kraven the Hunter) to kill the hero.
7"Cry Vulture"Larry Brody
Robert Gregory Browne		February 10, 2001 (2001-02-10)
Spider-Man teams up with the Counter-Earth hero version of the Vulture to foil one of Sir Ram's evil plots to transform humans into Bestials and defeat his creation Firedrake.
8"Ill-Met by Moonlight"Robert Gregory Browne
Larry Brody		February 17, 2001 (2001-02-17)
John Jameson turns into Man-Wolf due to the High Evolutionary's experimentation and Spider-Man has to break into the High Evolutionary's power plant to find a cure for him. Here, he confronts an electric eel that is Counter-Earth's Bestial version of Electro.
9"Sustenance"Robert Gregory Browne
Larry Brody		March 3, 2001 (2001-03-03)
The Goblin returns and figures out that Spider-Man is Peter Parker. They are both then kidnapped by Rejects, failed Bestials created by the High Evolutionary led by the butterfly-like Prima and also consisting of the platypus Bestial Alice, the horse Bestial Lester, and a bunch of unnamed Rejects. They attempt to sneak into one of the High Evolutionary's hideouts in Atlantic City so Spider-Man can escape where he pretends to help the Rejects.
10"Matters of the Heart"Mark Hoffmeier
Larry Brody		March 10, 2001 (2001-03-10)
Spider-Man agrees to help Bromley, a member of the rebellion against the High Evolutionary, to find his long-lost brother Gabriel. At the end of the episode after Bromley finds out that Gabriel is loyal to the High Evolutionary, he pushes him into a vat of water. The Bestials inside pull him down.
11"One Is the Loneliest Number"Robert Gregory Browne
Larry Brody		March 17, 2001 (2001-03-17)
Eddie Brock is separated from the Venom symbiote by the Bestials so that it can be used in the experiment of the Texas horned lizard scientist Dr. Borowski. Spider-Man agrees to retrieve it by donning it and then give it back to Brock before he dies while contending with Carnage.
12"Sins of the Fathers"Robert Gregory Browne
Larry Brody		March 24, 2001 (2001-03-24)
Karen O'Malley, a member of the rebellion against the High Evolutionary, is kidnapped by Machine Men of the Evolutionary, so Spider-Man and X-51 teams up to save her. Meanwhile, the High Evolutionary realizes that Karen is his granddaughter.
13"Destiny Unleashed"Robert Gregory Browne
Larry Brody		March 31, 2001 (2001-03-31)
Venom and Carnage reveal why they are on Counter-Earth. They have been working for the Synoptic, whose plan is to team up with the High Evolutionary. When the time is right, they will unleash millions of symbiotes on the planet to finally take over all of all life once and for all. Spider-Man, John Jameson, the rebellion, X-51 and the Goblin all team up to put an end to the High Evolutionary's plans. They appear too late when the plans of Venom and Carnage unfold and the symbiotes are unleashed, ending the series on a cliffhanger.

Release and streaming

In Australia, the series aired on Network Ten's Cheez TV morning cartoon block in August 2001. It ran again on Cheez TV in June–July 2002.

As with the majority of the other Disney-acquired Marvel Comics animated series, Liberation Entertainment UK planned to release this on DVD in 2009. Due to Liberation's bankruptcy, the Marvel licenses were re-acquired by Clear Vision Ltd, who released it on DVD (in Region 2 PAL format) in a two-disk set containing all 13 episodes. It was released on the May 3, 2010. Marvel.com had uploaded all of the series - sponsored by Panasonic - to their website in late 2009, each week another episode was uploaded. All 13 episodes are available on Amazon.com.

In 2019, Disney released all 13 episodes on Disney+ for streaming.

Comics

Comic adaptation

Main article: Spider-Man Unlimited (comics) § 1999 series (vol. 2)

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 which Counter-Earth served as an alternate reality to our own Earth, rather than its own planet, with all of the Fantastic Four exist with the same human appearance and names but with other biographies.

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 Naoko Jones' missing husband. The question was never resolved as poor sales ended the comic's run.

Mainstream continuity

A similar, but separate universe based on Spider-Man Unlimited, labeled Earth-7831, appears in Spider-Verse.

In other media

References

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