As revealed earlier on USA Today, everyone’s favorite comic news site of choice, on August 31st Marvel and Disney XD’s animated series Ultimate Spider-Man returns for its third season with a new subtitle and even newer characters.
Ultimate Spider-Man: Web Warriors will expand the teenage Drake Bell-voiced Spidey’s universe by adding new characters like Ka-Zar, Cloak & Dagger, Agent Venom (Harry Osborn working for the government?) and Amadeus Freakin’ Cho(!!!). The third season of the show will also look to expand Peter Parker’s multiverse by including a storyline similar to the upcoming “Spider-Verse” story in the comics by bringing in alternate Spideys like the female Petra Parker (and her boss J. Joan Jameson), Peter Porker, a CGI Spider-Man 2099 (holy moly) and, most importantly, Miles Morales.
Readers familiar with Multiversity and moreso familiar with our animation column Boomb Tube know that I haven’t really enjoyed Ultimate Spider-Man too much due to its simplistic plots and a sense of humor that tries just a bit too hard at times. Still, it’s a show that got a little better in its second season when it started to either bring in top tier Marvel characters or straight-up go crazy (like when Spider-Man moved to Boston and did nothing but make fun of the town for twenty minutes).
With “Spider-Verse” though, they seem to be diving straight into the latter which is all the better for the series. A “Fiona and Cake” style episode with a genderbent Spider-Man and J. Jonah Jameson? Please. A CGI Spider-Man 2099? I’d pay money for that. Miles “Best Thing to Happen to Spider-Man in Twenty Years” Morales? If the season finale involves the murder of Drake Bell Peter Parker at the hands of Green Goblin so Miles can take his spot I will wear a t-shirt that says “I was completely wrong about Ultimate Spider-Man” to the next funeral I have to attend.
It is interesting to note that this will be the first Marvel animated show made under the supervision of former comics editor Stephen Wacker, who just moved over to Marvel’s animation department. He spoke to USA Today about the importance of Peter Parker (saying that he and Robert Downey Jr. were both the face of what Marvel was currently doing, which is a quote that definitely warrants analysis) and he also mentioned the excitement about the show having a young Spider-Man who still gets himself into trouble, like when Peter puts on Dr. Strange’s coat for himself. Another interesting quote from The Wack Attack that might ignite the hearts and minds of those who didn’t care for the last two seasons of Ultimate Spider-Man?
You’re going to be able to see a straight line from the Ultimate Spider-Man comic to the Miles Morales we see in animation.
#RIPInPeacesPeterParker
All joking aside, Peter Parker, his weird team of amazing friends that includes a teenage Heroes for Hire, and a multiverse worth of Spider-People swing onto Disney XD on August 31st. What do you guys think about this new direction in the show? Feel free to tell us in the comments and sound off on which Spider-People you think might make an appearance. Can we really go two for two on Toei Spider-Man appearances in the year 2014?
