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• Accidental Aesop - Every time the show hands us a lesson about responsibility and the right thing in conjunction with Peter's keeping his identity secret, it ends up telling us that secret identities are a stupid idea and nothing good can ever come of them. Which is more or less true, if largely inapplicable to our daily lives.
  • Then again, it never said it was talking about identities specifically when it comes to keeping secrets.
  • Well, at the end of Identity Crisis, George Stacy talks to Peter about how Spider-man's secret identity isn't done to hide anything, but to protect the ones he cares about. Note that the rest of the series shows that George Stacy knows Peter is Spidey.
• Broken Base - The art style is a point of debate, as is the presence and/or lack of certain characters, and how they're portrayed. Then there's the New show...
  • Some people were divided on the various Race Lift on the show. Though most enjoyed the diverse cast.

• Draco in Leather Pants - For the first time in his life, Doctor Octopus.
  • Some have also given this treatment to Eddie Brock/Venom.
• Ear Worm: Just try and get the Spectacular Spider-Man song out of your head. We will wait. It even had this effect on Ox, in universe!
• Foe Yay - The entire Symbiote arc. Venom—or more accurately, the symbiote itself—acts as a spurned ex/stalker towards Peter Parker. Eddie Brock doesn't seem to have much issue with this either, judging by all of those unsettling leers aimed at the web-head. Of course that could just be the symbiote's influence, but it's certainly there regardless.
  • The symbiote doesn't seem to have any problem going on about how much it just wants to be with Spider-Man. Spidey even refers to himself (albeit somewhat ironically) as it's "first love" at the end of Nature vs Nurture. Venom seems to hate Spider-Man just as much as it wants him back/to itself.
  • Norman Osborn's obsession with Peter Parker already borders into Ho Yay territory (not that Peter helps matters, Normie-kins indeed...), but Spider-man and the Green Goblin?
  Spider-man: Aim Need Work
  Green Goblin: Well you know what they say, practise makes perfect
  Spider-man: Keep Telling yourself that
• Growing the Beard - The first five episodes are entertaining however episode six abandoned the usual 'two fight' format, going for one big fight with The Rhino instead, and then introduced Tombstone.
  • Season two also introduced much more complicated, long-running plot threads and twists, and generally amped up the quality of the fight scenes, which were already arguably amongst the best of Western Animation as is.
• Ham and Cheese: Mysterio, who milks his sorcerer shtick for all its worth. As Tinkerer mutters, "Actors"
• Hilarious in Hindsight - This little piece from "Nature vs Nurture" is even funnier now, considering who the current Venom in the Comics is.
  Spidey: At least Flash isn't evil. Or at least he isn't possessed by an evil symbiote. Well, as far as I know...
• HSQ: The final episode.
• Magnificent Bastard - Tombstone, Dr. Octopus, and Norman Osborn. Their schemes run rings around every other character in the show.
• Moe: Gwen is so very, very moe.
• Moral Event Horizon - Norman framing Harry solidifies him as an amoral bastard. But injuring Harry's leg to do it demonstrates a casual cruelty and cowardice that erases any hint of redemption. Though manipulating Mark Allan was also up there
• Narm - Eddie Brock, post-Venom, in his moments without the symbiote.
  Eddie: It only loves me for the hate!
• Nightmare Fuel - Curt Connors' transformation into the Lizard, around the time that the good doctor's head implodes.
  • Or just a few episodes later when Flint Marko's head explodes after turning into the Sandman.
  • Should call it the "Spooktacular Spider-man". Guys like Venom, Tombstone, Otto's tentacles...
  • The ending to the eight episode of the first season. There's an already creepy mask, shifting (as usual) to the classic, red web. Too bad that both the shifting and the web themselves rhyme with Uncanny Valley. See for yourself.
• Painful Rhyme - Though at least Spidey seems to be aware of it:
  Twas the night before Halloween, and all through Manhattan,
  Not a creature was stirring, not even Green Gob...lin.
• Paranoia Fuel - Eddie Brock uses this to make Peter reveal the location of the symbiote, allowing him to become Venom once more.
• Tear Jerker - Eddie Brock's final refusal of friendship from Peter.
  Venom: WE'RE NOT BROTHERS!!! Our parents may have died together, but you had your precious Aunt and Uncle. We had no one. We've always been alone... until now.
  • When Peter Parker broke up with Liz Allan, she created a huge scene specifically meant to gain the attention of the crowd, making it look like she was doing the dumping instead. As it turns out, this was actually a way of hiding her pain, because immediately after she "storms off", she is seen hiding behind a corner, crying her eyes out. This version of Liz Allan actually had genuine feelings for Peter. It really shows the strength of the writers when they can pull off emotional scenes even with relatively minor characters from the comics.
  • The ending of "The Uncertainty Principal". Harry is revealed (falsely) to be the Green Goblin and has been drinking the addictive and unstable Goboulon Green. Norman is pissed and demands answers. Harry throws him at a wall and tells him that he only wanted to be the son he wanted. He then keeps switching moods due the prolonged addiction. It was both sad and scary.
    • And we later find out that said father he was ranting at had just got done setting him up as the Green Goblin, which included twisting his leg. Which makes this scene even sadder in hindsight.
  • The fate of John Jameson/Colonel Jupiter. Knowing that this is the same person we saw as a normal man who saved a building from the Green Goblin makes it even worse to see him as a crazed psycho.
  "I miss the power... I need the power... GIVE ME BACK THE POWER!! GIVE IT BACK!!"
  • Made even sadder when you realize who's in the cell next to him, and how their situations are VERY similar. And it's one of the few times we see J J showing anything other than anger or smarmy condescension. The look on his face is heartbreaking.
  • The fate of Mark Allen, aka Molten Man is very similar.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: When John Jameson has difficulty in space and all of Earth is transfixed by it, Randy Robertson is particularly worried and says that John is "like an older brother to him". Given that their fathers (J. Jonah Jameson and Robbie Robertson) work closely together, this relationship makes perfect sense. However, nothing more of it is ever seen or spoken of, even after John is driven insane. It seems like in juggling the Loads and Loads of Characters in this show, the ball was dropped on Randy.
• Too Good to Last: With the exception of some fans who still hate this show for its simplified artstyle or still rather like the 90 show, this is commonly the reaction the fans had when the show got canceled. The fact it was "replaced" by Ultimate Spider-Man probably doesn't help either.
• Unnecessary Makeover - Gwen Stacy.◊
• What an Idiot - Peter Parker, during his relationship with Liz Allan. He doesn't even attempt to hide that he has feelings for Gwen (or doesn't even realize he shouldn't be making it that obvious) even when right in front of Liz.
  • Also, his attitude toward Dr Connor; when Connor became the Lizard, he took picture of himself fighting Lizard, making it look like he (as Peter) had been hiding and chosing to do his photograph job over helping Connor. Now, this could be forgivable as a one-time mistake, but he does it again in Personna, when he takes pictures of his fight with Black Cat over the symbiote, making it look again like he couldn't even bother to call the police. Even worst, Brock actually told him he couldn't take pictures right before precisely because of the trust issue.
• The Woobie - Gwen, Dr. Curt Connors, and Maxwell Dillon (Electro).
  • Otto Octavius was one too, but broke out of it once he became Dr. Octopus, Card-Carrying Villain par excellence.
  • Also Liz Allan at the end of the second season. The poor girl loses her brother AND her boyfriend, one right after the other!
  • The symbiote may be one, as evil and crazy it is.