The Big Picture

• Animated Spider-Man shines with broad appeal and memorable portrayals, with some versions falling short in depth and uniqueness.
• Spider-Man's animated journey is filled with diverse adaptations, from team leadership to space adventures and dynamic storytelling.
• Voice actors like Paul Soles, Josh Keaton, and Jake Johnson bring depth and authenticity to their portrayals, making the characters iconic.

Spider-Man is at his absolute best when he's animated. Some superheroes just excel in animation, and Spider-Man is one. Alas, it's no easy task to successfully adapt Spider-Man to animation and make it worthwhile. Aside from films, most animated Spider-Man adaptions are aimed at a younger audience, airing on network television and showcasing the Web-Crawler at his goofiest and most relaxed.

What makes a good animated Spider-Man is not only the characterization, portrayal and suits but whether the writers can accomplish making the adaption have broad appeal, just like the character himself. These are the best and most memorable animated versions of Spider-Man, standing out because of their accurate portrayal of the beloved hero. Whether they embrace the story's inherent silliness or inject additional depth into his journey, these animated Spider-Men have heavily contributed to the hero's lore.

10 'Spider-Man' (1981)

Played by Ted Schwartz

1981's Spider-Man was one of the first series that helped found Marvel Productions and is part of the same series/universe as Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends. This iteration of Spider-Man found himself frequently facing off with fan favorite Doctor Doom (Ralph James) due to the exploding success of Star Wars at the time and Doom's resemblance to the iconic movie villain Darth Vader.

As a character, the 1981 version of Spider-Man doesn't bring much to the table besides his punches and kicks.

This iteration of Spider-Man is pretty basic, with nothing much to talk about. The series doesn't really bring anything to the table that allows this version of the web-slinger to stand out among its other variants. His consistent interactions with Doom definitely help his story shine, but as a character, Spider-Man doesn't bring much to the table besides his punches and kicks. What one sees is what one gets when it comes to this take on Peter Parker. It's certainly not bad by any means, but it isn't exceptional either.

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9 'Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends' (1981)

Played by Dan Gilvezan

Despite being in the same universe and running alongside Spider-Man, the hero in red and blue tights is actually voiced by Dan Gilvezan this time around. What sets this iteration of Spider-Man apart from others is his niche supporting cast, Iceman (Frank Welker) and Firestar (Kathy Garver). The trio would form a crime-fighting team, adding some spice to an otherwise traditional formula.

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends was a nice change of pace and ran for three seasons, but the web-crawler's adventures never felt grand enough.

This series was the first time audiences saw Spider-Man as part of a team and introduced them to a version of the hero that was more of a leader and team player. Spider-Man would often take charge of the team and lead other heroes into battle. It served as a great contrast to its sister series, which featured a solo Spider-Man and was closer to the comics, where Spider-Man hadn't really found himself in a story that offered him a true leadership role just yet. Overall, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends was a nice change of pace and ran for three seasons, but it remains somewhat underwhelming, largely because his adventures never felt grand enough.

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8 'Ultimate Spider-Man' (2012)

Played by Drake Bell

What could be considered a modern-day Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Ultimate Spider-Man saw Spider-Man leading a team of young heroes under the command of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nick Fury (Chi McBride). The series and Drake Bell's performance were initially met with heavy criticism, partially due to it taking the place of the critical and fan-favorite series Spectacular Spider-Man.

The character direction for Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man was aimed at a younger audience and resulted in a very cartoony Spider-Man, with Bell giving a loud and what some would call an "obnoxious" performance. Bell and the show eventually found their footing, and his performance mellowed out and improved drastically. It also didn't help that replacing Spectacular Spider-Man caused fans to compare him to the legendary Josh Keaton, who had voiced Spidey in said series.

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7 'Spider-Man' (1967)

Played by Paul Soles

Easily the most iconic Spider-Man series of all time, spawning millions of memes all across the internet, Spider-Man is an interesting case of being the most unserious show of all time but still portraying a fun and accurate Spider-Man. While the costume is far from great, only featuring webbing on Spider-Man's head and gloves, the series is a ton of fun because of Paul Soles.

Soles' portrayal of Spider-Man, which features a more commanding tone, fits the Stan Lee/Steve Ditko era of the comic books very well. This iteration of Spider-Man is to the friendly neighborhood what Adam West's version is to Batman. While he is ironically funny, he's still very competent and quick-witted, as any great Spider-Man should be.

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6 'Spider-Man Unlimited' (1999)

Played by Rino Romano

Spider-Man Unlimited was the loose sequel of Spider-Man: The Animated Series and found the wall-crawler in a scenario he'd never been in before. Pursuing Venom and Carnage as they flee to space, Spider-Man finds himself on a new planet called Counter-Earth and dons a new nanotech suit with a web cape. He'd go on to not only face the symbiotes but beastly versions of his classic villains' gallery.

The Spider-Man portrayed in Spider-Man Unlimited is incredibly unique and allows both Rino Romano and the writers to bring forth a version that can truly stand out among the rest. Romano is overall a great actor who brings great wit and depth into the role as he explores Counter-Earth. The premise is also intriguing and refreshing, bringing something new to the hero's lore. Finally, the new suit for Spidey was excellently designed and a great addition to Spidey's huge closet of suits.

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5 'Spider-Man: The New Animated Series' (2003)

Played by Neil Patrick Harris

While it may not seem like it, aside from the suit, Spider-Man: The New Animated Series is a branched-off timeline and an alternate sequel to Sam Raimi's first Spidey movie. The first and only Spider-Man series to utilize 3D animation, Spider-Man: The New Animated Series looks far different from any fellow animated series, doing a CGI Spider-Man before 2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

Spider-Man: The New Animated Series stands out as a far different portrayal than the rest but was quite appreciated by fans and gained a strong cult following.

Airing on MTV meant that Spider-Man: The New Animated Series took a more mature route with its tone and story, making it closer to young adult/adult animation. Neil Patrick Harris brought a youthful energy to the character, opting for a more chill and laid-back version of the hero. The series ended after one season, with Peter giving up his role as Spider-Man, leaning far into the deeper tone the series portrayed. This Spider-Man stands out as a far different portrayal than the rest but was quite appreciated by fans and gained a strong cult following.

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4 'Spider-Man: The Animated Series' (1994)

Played by Christopher Daniel Barnes

1994 graced fans everywhere with one of the most popular and well-received Spider-Man series of all time. Very well-known for adapting some of the best Spider-Man stories, sometimes even better than the comics, Spider-Man: The Animated Series truly encapsulates the common idea of "Parker Luck." It served the world a Spider-Man who is consistently down on his luck, taking any win he can.

What made this Spider-Man even more compelling was Christopher Daniel Barnes' stellar performance throughout. One of his best-acted scenes has become a meme on the internet, featuring Spider-Man in the black suit following Shocker (Jim Cummings), screaming at him. His voice can go from something so raw, like screaming at Shocker, to something more soothing, like how he sounds when he's talking to Mary Jane (Sara Ballantine). Further aided by the coolest opening theme ever, Spider-Man: The Animated Series is a triumph featuring one of the web-crawler's all-time best depictions.

3 Peter B. Parker

Played by Jake Johnson

Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) entered the Spider-Verse at a time when fans were looking for exactly who he was in Spider-Man media. With a lot of teenage Peter Parker going around, many yearned for an older version who dealt with things like marriage, kids and generally just getting older. Peter B. satisfied this need.

A huge part of Peter's characterization is how tragic he is. When Peter B. comes onto the scene in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, audiences meet a Spider-Man who has been through every hurdle life could throw at him. He's beaten down and worn out, and his arc of finding purpose again and gaining the strength to go home and get Mary Jane back is tear-jerking and heartwarming. Johnson captures the essence of Peter Parker, getting beaten down as far as he can be pushed and finding the strength to get back up again no matter what. Seeing him return in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse with a baby and back with Mary Jane is satisfying, showing his progress as a character and a man.

2 Miles Morales

Played by Shameik Moore

It's no secret that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse took the world by storm. The film currently sits at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Shameik Moore, who plays protagonist Miles Morales, was highly praised for his performance as the young Spider-Man. Moore brings so much youth and life to Miles, balancing it with emotional moments and giving Miles a plethora of depth that makes him a likable and relatable protagonist.

Miles' story sees him trying to find his way in life and discovering his identity. His relationship with his parents (which pretty much every other Spider-Man doesn't have) is heartwarming and provides a huge cornerstone to his character, keeping him grounded. Keeping Miles' story so intimate with his emotions while surrounded by multiversal topics and events just goes to show how great of a character he is. Fun, compelling, and incredibly approachable, Miles might just be a better Spider-Man than Peter.

1 'Spectacular Spider-Man' (2008)

Played by Josh Keaton

Spectacular Spider-Man is arguably the best, most complex animated adaptation and one of the best adaptions of Spider-Man, period. This variant of Spider-Man is a borderline perfect adaption, exploring what he means as a hero. He's got the weight of the world on his shoulders, girl troubles, and money troubles. Aunt May's health concerns him, and his personal life consistently gets in the way of his life as Spider-Man.

Portraying the spandex-clad hero in Spectacular Spider-Man, Josh Keaton is commonly considered the best voice actor to play the character. He performs his lines with such honesty and emotion that his voice gets completely lost in Peter Parker and completely becomes him. There's no denying that Spectacular Spider-Man is the best of the best, and its giant fan base would happily agree as they're constantly clamoring for the show to return for season 3.

NEXT: 10 Actors Who Almost Played Spider-Man