Line #4 Trivia/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries


1	!Trivia tropes for ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries''
2	!!Trivia With Their Own Pages
3	[[index]]
4	* [[WhatCouldHaveBeen/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries What Could Have Been]]
5	[[/index]]
6	----
7	* AscendedFanNickname: Officially just titled "Spider-Man," with the nickname being a nod to ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', the series is referred to by the TAS-inspired title on iTunes.
8	* CreatorsPest:
9	** While the Hobgoblin was popular in both the comics and the show, John Semper ''hated'' the character (both then and now) and only used him because toys were being made based on decisions made by his predecessor.
10	** He also hated the Spider Slayer robots featured in two Season 1 episodes and only included them [[ExecutiveMeddling at Avi Arad's insistence]].
11	* CrossRegionalVoiceActing: Most of the series was recorded in LA, but the X-Men's cameos were recorded in Toronto, where ''WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries'' was recorded.
12	* TheDanza: Peter Mark Richman voiced old-aged Peter Parker/Spider-Man.
13	* DirectedByCastMember: The French dub was directed by Michel Bedetti, who also voiced Jameson, the Kingpin, and Iron Man (the latter being a role reprise from ''WesternAnimation/IronManTheAnimatedSeries'').
14	* ExecutiveMeddling: Boy howdy. To elaborate, a few specific examples:
15	** It's possible the writers weren't allowed to use the words [[NeverSayDie death, die, or kill]]; hence, when Peter found out Uncle Ben had been killed, it was shown as a police officer shaking his head and saying "I'm sorry, kid. The guy was armed." Also, realistic guns were out, so even petty thieves were armed with [[FamilyFriendlyFirearms futuristic lasers]]. Oddly enough, there were a few instances where the word "kill" was used, but these were behind atenuating circumstances (using the word on a different context) or as part of news stories.
16	** A case of executive meddling having an outright odd effect was with Morbius, a vampire. Allegedly, the writers weren't allowed to show him sucking blood through his fangs, so he apparently has fangs for ''no reason'', as he instead drains plasma through suckers in his ''hands''. The suckers were so {{squick}}tastic that they made the character even more [[NightmareFuel creepy]] than if he had just bit people in the neck. Meanwhile, his declarations of "I hunger for PLASMA!" were often {{Narm}}. Interestingly enough, the Swedish translator had him hungering for blood plasma.
17	** In the comics, Carnage is a mass-murdering psychopath, but in the series the writers couldn't have him kill anyone -- instead he sucks out their "essence" through his hands, which is restored to his victims after he was sucked into a portal. In the scene where he acquires the symbiote he attacks some prison guards; he picks one up and makes some knives with his fingers but instead it shows him busting through a wall.
18	** The Punisher had to undergo some censorship. He was purely non-lethal, though this is mentioned in-show as a deliberate thing he's doing as a one-off for his effort in chasing Spider-Man, with it being a "Legit job" for him to do without killing anybody. His origin was also altered to not show the murder of his family on-screen, rather just a visual metaphor.
19	** When the series started, James Cameron's movie was going to feature Sandman and Electro as villains (though with heavy tweaking), so the writing team were told not to use either. However, by the end of the show's run, it looked like the James Cameron movie wasn't going to happen, so the showrunner snuck Electro in as the BigBad of one of the story arcs, and got away with it. Sandman, meanwhile, was replaced entirely by Hydro-Man.
20	** This is why the Sinister Six was changed to the Insidious Six, though the exact reason is unclear.
21	** Despite running for five seasons Spider-Man never actually punched anyone, though he was allowed to kick and throw his enemies. He also couldn't break through glass windows, likely to try and prevent kids from copying what they see him do.
22	* ExiledFromContinuity:
23	** There were originally plans to have Ghost Rider in an episode, but the episode was scrapped due to Ghost Rider having a series planned for Creator/{{UPN}}, which didn't happen. Allegedly, a full script was written, and given out to backers of the showrunner's Website/IndieGoGo for a series he was trying to get off the ground in 2016.
24	** Another UPN-related character embargo happened because of ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibleHulk1996'' airing on that network. Because of this, the Hulk is only mentioned a few times in the series and couldn't be used in the show's ''ComicBook/{{Secret Wars\|1984}}'' adaptation, which replaced him with the Lizard.
25	* FakeAmerican:
26	** Creator/JenniferHale, who voices Black Cat, is Canadian by birth. However, both of her parents were American.
27	** Captain ''America'' is voiced by the very ''Canadian'' Creator/DavidHayter. Yes, ''[[VideoGame/MetalGear that]]'' David Hayter.
28	** Native New Yorker[[note]]This was long before the comics retconned him into being Southern[[/note]] Cletus Kasady is voiced by British actor Scott Cleverdon.
29	* FlipFlopOfGod: When drafting ''ComicBook/SpiderVerse'', writer Dan Slott and editor Nick Lowe decided that ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManUnlimited'' was "logically" the sequel to ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'', and killed off the show's Spider-Man to show how dangerous a threat the Inheritors were. A few years later, the 1990's animated series' Spider-Man cameoed in ''ComicBook/XMen92'' with no explanation whatsoever as to how he was still alive. However, this turned out to be false as both TAS and ''Unlimited'' had already been established to take place in two different realities, Earth-92131 and Earth-751263 respectively, while the designation Slott used, Earth-7831, is a new universe showing a BroadStrokes version of ''Unlimited''.
30	* JewsPlayingNazis: Creator/DavidWarner, who is of Jewish descent, voiced the Nazi villain ComicBook/RedSkull (but only for a cameo--Skull's main voice actor is Earl Boen).
31	* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: The series has never had a full DVD release in the United States. A full DVD set of the series was released in Europe however and the series has streamed on Netflix and other sites. The series is also available in its entirety on iTunes, as well as Disney+.
32	* MarthDebutedInSmashBros: If it wasn't [[Film/{{Blade}} the movie]], most familiar with Blade were first introduced to him in this series.
33	* MissingEpisode: Following the 9/11 attacks, Creator/ABCFamily pulled "Shriek of the Vulture" and "The Final Nightmare" (both of which featured a burning skyscraper) from the rerun schedule. These two episodes concluded the Neogenic Nightmare arc and led into Season 3's "Doctor Strange". It wasn't until the end of ''2007'', though, that this changed. Creator/ToonDisney aired the two episodes as a part of an all-series New Year's Eve/Day marathon. As long as the show has been airing, the two episodes have been rerun regularly ever since.
34	* TheOriginalDarrin:
35	** Within the '90s Marvel cartoons, War Machine fall under this, with the character going back to his first voice on ''WesternAnimation/IronManTheAnimatedSeries'', Creator/JamesAvery.
36	** While TheOtherDarrin within this series, similarly during the "Secret Wars" arc, Storm went from her second ''WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries'' voice actress Alison Sealy-Smith (who voiced the character during the X-Men's guest appearance) to her original voice actress, Iona Morris.
37	* TheOtherDarrin:
38	** Creator/RichardMoll replaced Martin Landau as the Scorpion.
39	** After the deaths of Philip Abbott and Linda Gary, Jack Angel and Julie Bennett replaced them respectively as Nick Fury and Aunt May.
40	** Oliver Muirhead (who'd earlier voiced the Spot) replaced Creator/MalcolmMcDowell as Whistler.
41	** Outside of Creator/QuintonFlynn, the WesternAnimation/{{Fantastic Four\|The Animated Series}} were recast, along with Daredevil and Doctor Doom.
42	** Mysterio--though he had a different voice from his second appearance onward, it was still provided by Gregg Berger.
43	** John Vernon plays Comicbook/DoctorStrange on here while Creator/MauriceLaMarche plays the character in ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibleHulk1996'' (though this is likely because Vernon was the voice of Thunderbolt Ross in the latter series).
44	** In the flashback seen in "The Cat" of John Hardesky finding out the super soldier formula, the Red Skull was voiced by Creator/DavidWarner (though Warner was only credited for voicing Herbert Landen). For the "Six Forgotten Warriors" and "Secret Wars" arcs, he was instead voiced by Earl Boen.
45	** In the Japanese version:
46	*** None of the X-Men characters are reprised by their voice actors from the Japanese version of ''WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries''.
47	*** Iron Man is voiced by Akio Kaito (''WesternAnimation/SpiderManAndHisAmazingFriends'') instead of Masashi Ebara (his voice actor from ''WesternAnimation/IronManTheAnimatedSeries)''.
48	*** Captain America is voiced by Creator/ToruOkawa instead of Creator/WataruTakagi.
49	** In the French dub, with the exception of Michel Bedetti as WesternAnimation/{{Iron Man\|The Animated Series}}, none of the voice actors from the other 90's Marvel cartoons reprised their roles here. Oddly enough, Claude Chantal (the first voice of Storm in ''X-Men: TAS'') and Bernard Tiphaine (the voice of Beast in that same cartoon) were instead given the roles of Madame Web and Doctor Doom respectively.
50	** The Brazilian Portuguese dub had several characters whose voices changed between appearances. Or in the very same episode! And there were cases caused by a few episodes having to be redubbed for the Disney+ release, most notably Aunt May, one of the few with a consistent dubber, but who had died a few years prior.
51	* PlayingAgainstType:
52	** Creator/RobPaulsen, better known for playing lovably snarky wise guys, plays the psychotic StalkerWithACrush villain Hydro-Man.
53	** Creator/HankAzaria usually voices and plays comedic characters, and initially Eddie Brock is no exception. After he becomes Venom, however, he becomes a serious threat who sadistically toys with Spider-Man.
54	* PromotedFanboy: Armando Coria, the Mexican voice actor who voiced Spider-Man in the Mexican dub of the series, is a hardcore fan of Spider-Man since childhood.
55	* RecycledScript: "The Spot" and "Goblin War" come one after another, and they both have the ''exact'' same plot beats. A villain is using a portal device to commit robberies. The Kingpin gets involved somehow. Felicia has a scene where she flirts with Spider-Man despite being engaged, to which he brushes her off, leaving her sad. Harry has a scene where he acts petulant toward Peter about how he "stole" Mary Jane from him. Spider-Man ends up at Crime Central where the Kingpin almost squeezes him to death.
56	* RoleReprise:
57	** Though this was his first time voicing the Green Goblin, Neil Ross had previously voiced Norman Osborn in ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManAndHisAmazingFriends.''
58	** Linda Gary reprised her role as Aunt May from [[WesternAnimation/SpiderMan1981 the 1981 animated series]] (at least until Gary died and was replaced by Julie Bennett).
59	** The three-part adaptation of ''ComicBook/{{Secret Wars\|1984}}'' had Creator/QuintonFlynn reprise his role as the Human Torch from the second season of ''WesternAnimation/FantasticFourTheAnimatedSeries''.
60	** Iona Morris reprised her role from the first season of ''WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries'' as Storm in the "Secret Wars" three-parter. That said, she is not the first actress to play the character in this series, as her replacement in ''X-Men'', Alison Sealy-Smith, voiced Storm during the team's earlier guest appearance in "The Mutant Agenda" and "Mutant's Revenge".
61	** Creator/JamesAvery reprised his role from the first season of ''WesternAnimation/IronManTheAnimatedSeries'' as War Machine, likely because of his successor, Creator/DorianHarewood, voicing Tombstone.
62	** In the Japanese version, many of the characters are reprised by their voice actors from ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManAndHisAmazingFriends''.
63	* ScrewedByTheNetwork: The show was always intended to have 65 episodes [[SixtyFiveEpisodeCartoon as was tradition at the time]], but it was popular enough it could have received more episodes. However, the head of development for Fox Kids disliked Avi Arad, who was the producer for the show. Story Editor and showrunner John Semper has gone on record in saying he ended the show in a way he considered to be definitive enough that it was a satisfying ending, but that if it was renewed for more, there was still room for the story to go further.

Context Trivia / SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries