Date of airing: September 9, 1995 (FOX Kids)
From this episode forward, SPIDER-MAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES might become a prime example of how great a show can be when it is not noted to death by the producers, studio, and the network it airs on. John Semper and his writers’ room had free reign starting with this episode, and it is immediately noticeable by having the season begin with a multi-episode story arc that not only introduces new characters and brings back old ones, but also includes a storyline that was essentially just the beginning here, as Peter found out that his DNA is mutating. And with all that, the writers even managed to bring some seriousness into the story. It could almost be that this episode was a bit darker than any episode of the first season. I mean, Aunt May gets “kidnapped” to lead Spider-Man into a trap in which six supervillains were waiting to smash his head in, and he might even end up a different person if the mutation in his body continues. That is already an interesting arc for any other series, but an animated show produced for kids? It looks like Semper wasn’t just writing this show for children any longer, which begs the question if FOX even checked up on how production of the series went, and if they did, what were they thinking about the development of it?
 |
| No head will survive under Kingpin's foot. |
I was wondering if Semper decided to rename the Sinister Six, because he included some members in the supervillain team who were not part of the original lineup. Nevertheless, I kind of like the name “Insidious Six,” although I needed to giggle a little, because Kingpin took his time to give his newly formed anti-Spider-Man team a name, despite the fact that a proper name was not even needed for the story. The only person in the show who was allowed to give names to masked heroes or villains was J. Jonah Jameson, and he called them the “Spider-Man Six” (which, thankfully, was a dumb name). I loved that the team was built out of villains that have appeared throughout the first season of the show, and who were, in fact, allowed to take revenge for Spider-Man foiling their plans to enrich themselves or take over the world. Basically, those villains had some stakes, and they had reasons to play nice with Kingpin for a little bit while waiting for their opportunity to have a little fun time with Spider-Man.
I also loved that every villain was probably thinking as an individual as well, trying to get Spider-Man on their own and not because Kingpin told them to (and is hopefully paying them to do so). Scorpion had a nice idea on how to capture the wallcrawler, but Doctor Octopus pushed him aside and made it his own mission to get to Spider-Man. Maybe some other villains thought it might be best if they would just kill Spider-Man and move on with their lives before Kingpin was planning something else with them. Because it is pretty obvious that Kingpin has other plans for them, and the villains better be thinking twice about working with the big man in the white suit that looks like it is dressing a balloon rather than a person.
The premise of Spider-Man losing his powers was also great. The movies never managed to get into what really happened to Peter when it happened (the second Raimi movie only told that it *was* happening), and if the genetic changes that gave him the powers could have a different effect on him later in his life (like, are those changes repelled later, like a body sometimes fights against newly implanted organs?). The fact that this was the beginning of an ongoing storyline made it even more of an intriguing premise, as it’s something animated TV shows rarely go into, and yet it was about to be part of SPIDER-MAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES. And with the involvement of Curt Connors as Spider-Man’s contact person regarding the science of the DNA changes, the writers even optioned the Lizard as a potential villain in the Insidious Six story arc, should one of the villains decide to act too villainous for Kingpin to handle. Because it’s not like I’m expecting Doc Ock, Shocker, Rhino, Mysterio, Scorpion, and Chameleon to be part of the Insidious Six for the rest of the group’s existence. Spider-Man has more villains in his rogue gallery, waiting to be unpacked and dressed in their suits, and who knows what can be made out of the story if someone like Venom decides to (re-)enter the game, or any other still yet to be established villain (I’m waiting for Sandman and Green Goblin right now).
 |
| Aunt May has been letting herself go lately. |
The episode also never forgot that Peter Parker was also a character in the show, and what would be the only storyline for Peter to be kept busy in the show? That’s right, it’s the women in his life, with Mary Jane still finding a mention (albeit in flashbacks), and Felicia Hardy being a prominent character again, after she was somewhat absent late in the previous season when Peter was hanging more with MJ than with Felicia. Sometimes I do love it when Peter, a guy who is never interested in enjoying the life of an attractive bachelor with super looks and superpowers, gets to deal with two women at the same time. The writers even updated this premise to turn it into a love triangle, now that Michael Morbius is a recurring character, vying for Felicia’s heart and therefore getting Peter’s ire on him at some point.
