Last year delivered one hell of a nostalgia dose for those who grew up in the ‘90s watching X-Men: The Animated Series. X-Men ’97 followed up on one of the best animated TV shows of all time to critical acclaim, and fans with a Disney+ subscription can look forward to at least two more seasons. The revival even included a cameo from Spider-Man, specifically the Web-Slinger from Spider-Man: The Animated Series, which also aired on Fox Kids in the ‘90s. Now it’s been announced that this Spider-Man continuity is being revisited in a, frankly, much-needed way given how the original show ended.
Spider-Man: The Animated Series fans will recall that in the final moments of the series finale, Peter Parker was sent by Madame Web to the universe where Mary Jane Watson was trapped… but we never actually saw him find her. While it was nice of the X-Men ’97 episode “Tolerance is Extinction – Part 3” to confirm that Peter and Mary Jane reunited, it’s even better that we’ll spend more time with them following their separation in Spider-Man ’94, a four-issue comic book series being penned by longtime Spider-Man comics writher J.M. DeMatteis and illustrated by Jim Towe.
The only other significant plot detail we have to chew on from the official synopsis is that this limited series will feature the debut of “two of Spider-Man’s greatest villains from the comics” in this universe. Unfortunately, neither of those baddies are identified. However, DeMatteis did have this to say to IGN about Spider-Man ’94:
The 1990s Spider-Man animated series has become a beloved part of Spidey lore—it was the introduction to Peter Parker and his universe for an entire generation—and I’m delighted to be diving back into that universe. We’re treating this as the next season of the show, which means introducing new villains, new challenges, new adventures for Peter—while doing our best to remain true to the creative spirit that John Semper and Company established with the original show.
While there was a part of me that hoped a Spider-Man: The Animated Series TV series revival could happen after X-Men ’97 was so well received, the success of Disney+’s Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man pretty much squashed those hopes. Which is fine, as I enjoyed that show too and it also has two more seasons lined up. So a comic book follow-up series makes for a good consolation prize; just revisiting this continuity in any way is sorely needed considering where Spider-Man: The Animated Series left off almost 30 years ago.
As for who these mystery villains appearing in Spider-Man ’94 are, there’s no shortage of options, especially if we open the floor to members of Spidey’s rogues gallery who were introduced after Spider-Man: The Animated Series went off the air in 1998. Personally, I hope one of them is Sandman, who was unable to appear in the TV show because he was going to be used in James Cameron’s never-made Spider-Man movie. Electro was similarly off-limits for a long time, but was able to be squeezed in before the show ended, albeit not the Max Dillon version.
Spider-Man ’94 #1 will be released digitally and at your local comic book store on September 3. In addition to more seasons of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, other upcoming Spider-Man movies and TV shows to look forward to include Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Prime Video’s Spider-Noir in 2026, and Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse in 2027.
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