Spider-Man Unlimited Episode Seven: Cry Vulture

Cry Vulture

First Aired: February 10th, 2001

Synopsis: When Spider-Man's heading home after a meeting with John Jameson, trying to convince him that the two of them should try and get back to their Earth, he sees a man being kidnapped by some bestials. He tries saving him but is attacked by the Counter-Earth version of the Vulture, who thinks that Spider-Man is working with the kidnappers. The kidnappers get away thanks to the fight but Spider-Man manages to put a spider-tracer on their vehicle before they get away. Returning home, he collapses from his injuries and claims to Naoko that he was attacked when he saw a kidnapping and tried intervening - on describing the man, she recognises him as the person who sweeps the street. Peter immediately changes to Spider-Man and goes after his tracer, but finds that it fell off near a warehouse. Exploring it he finds a package of something called Bestial Beauty, and he looks them up and finds a facility of theirs elsewhere in the city. He gets attacked by guards when he gets closer but is saved by Vulture, who spotted him using the tracer and followed him. 

Spider-Man Unlimited Episode Six: Enter the Hunter!

Enter the Hunter!

First Aired: February 3rd, 2001

Synopsis: Sir Ram is complaining to the High Evolutionary about how popular Spider-Man is, and the High Evolutionary agrees that Spider-Man should be dealt with. Sir Ram shows footage of Spider-Man breaking up a smuggling operation to a man named The Hunter, who agrees to go after Spider-Man. He sprays potions around Central Park which incites a riot, coincidentally as Peter Parker and Naoko Yamada-Jones are nearby. The former switches to Spider-Man to intervene and stop the beastials and humans from ripping each other apart, and gets some unexpected help from Karen, one of the human underground's agents. The Hunter, watching from the shadows, takes note of this. Karen takes Spider-Man back to one of the underground's bases to let him know that he's got a price on his head and that The Hunter is after him. She warns Spider-Man about The Hunter's ferocity and strength, and tells Spider-Man that The Hunter is one of the few humans allowed to live above ground, in a penthouse. Spider-Man heads out and intends to search for The Hunter and is attacked by him before long. Spider-Man is caught in a sticky net by The Hunter, putting him at his mercy.

 

Spider-Man Unlimited Episode Five: Steel Cold Heart

Steel Cold Heart

First Aired: January 13th, 2001

Synopsis: The rebel Bromley is on a mission when he's captured by a machine man. Elsewhere, Peter is at a construction site with Shane when a damaged machine man - serial number X-51 - is found. It's old enough that it's supposed to be dismantled, but it objects and causes chaos at the site. Spider-Man helps contain things, but when Shane is in danger it's X-51 who saves him. Lady Ursula shows up, wanting X-51, and although Spider-Man's willing to fight for him, X-51 surrenders and goes with her. Spider-Man goes after X-51 later with a spider-tracer he put on him but can't get into the laboratory where he is, so teams up with the rebels for help. They manage to get in, but the rebels want X-51 so that they can trade him for Bromley. The rebels and Spider-Man fight Sir Ram, who's examining X-51, and other scientists, and are able to defeat them. They manage to free X-51, but since the rebels are still just planning on trading him away, Spider-Man objects and flees with X-51.

Spider-Man Unlimited Episode Four: Deadly Choices

Deadly Choices

First Aired: December 23rd, 2000

Synopsis: Ten years ago, a child was kidnapped by Sir Ram and experimented on. In the present day, Lady Vermin reports to Sir Ram that a virus in his labs were stolen by one of the human revolutionaries, named Git Hoskins, who unbeknownst to them was the child kidnapped. Meanwhile, at the Daily Byte, Peter's boss is telling him to find pictures of Spider-Man's love interest, since he's got to have one. Git, pursued by Machine Men, runs past the building, prompting Peter to change into Spider-Man to help him. Git gets away but shortly afterwards the Knights of Wundagore show up, wanting to get Git. They explain what's going on with the virus to Spider-Man and then leave, making it clear that they're only not fighting him since they have more important things to do. Peter returns home to Naoko but John Jameson unexpectedly shows up at the door, injured. Peter hides from him, since he might work out he's Spider-Man if he knows that the two of them are on Counter-Earth, and changes to Spider-Man. Meeting up with the revolutionaries, Spider-Man discovers that Git hasn't brought the virus to them, and that in two hours it's going to detonate and infect everyone if the right codes aren't entered.

Spider-Man Unlimited Episode Three: Where Evil Nests

Where Evil Nests

 

First Aired: October 16th, 1999

Synopsis: Peter Parker is getting kicked out of his apartment by Naoko Yamada-Jones since he hasn't paid rent and hasn't got a job, but he says he'll get a job taking photos of Spider-Man. As a result of their fighting Naoko's son Shane runs off since he hates fights and Naoko runs off after him. She gets grabbed by tentacles and taken into the sewers, which Shane sees. When Peter runs into him, he says that she was taken by the green thing. After Peter returns Shane home, he heads out as Spider-Man to find Naoko, and runs into Counter-Earth's version of the Green Goblin who he assumes kidnapped Naoko. They fight for a bit but Machine Men show up and they have to team up to defeat them. During the fight they see Shane head into the sewers, since he has a tracker for his mum and thinks he can find her. After defeating the Machine Men Green Goblin and Spider-Man go into the sewers after Shane and are attacked by a giant green blob, the source of the tentacles which grabbed Naoko.

Spider-Man Unlimited Episode Two: Worlds Apart, Part Two

Worlds Apart, Part Two

First Aired: October 9th, 1999

Synopsis: Spider-Man tries fighting back against Sir Ram, and the High Evolutionary gives him a brief overview of his origin - he showed up to Counter-Earth to escape his planet, but found that there was just as much corruption here and so created the human-animal hybrids, the beastials, since they're not as corrupt as humans. Spider-Man manages to break free of the operating table he's strapped to and escapes from the laboratory, where he finds some humans who say that they're here to save him. They cause an explosion as a distraction and while they get away, the rebels explain to Spider-Man that the High Evolutionary showed up fifty years ago, turned humanity into dregs, and created the bestials, but no one knows why. They manage to escape into the sewers, but are followed by Lady Vermin. Although Lord Tyger wants to join her, the High Evolutionary orders him not to, saying that he's bringing in specialists. At the human base, Spider-Man meets an unexpected face: John Jameson.

 

Spider-Man Unlimited Episode One: Worlds Apart, Part One

Worlds Apart, Part One

First Aired: October 2nd, 1999

Synopsis: John Jameson is giving a press conference explaining the discovery of Counter-Earth, located on the opposite side of the sun, and how he'll be travelling there since it's thought its denizens are hostile to Earth. Peter Parker spots some suspicious people near the rocket John will be using, and after changing to Spider-Man, confronts them and discovers that it's Venom and Carnage. He tries fighting them on the outside of the rocket as it takes off, but they manage to knock him off it. Before he falls they say he won't stop them from reaching Counter-Earth and the Synoptic. Since Spider-Man is seen falling from the rocket, it's assumed that he was up to no good, and he soon becomes a pariah. In spite of this he continues to do good, but when he seemingly dies in a burning building, Peter decides to stop being Spider-Man. Shortly afterwards, a transmission from John Jameson arrives, and says that he thinks creatures on Counter-Earth might be going to destroy Earth.

Spider-Man Unlimited: Before Watching

Going into the 1967 series, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, and Spider-Man: The Animated Series, I had a few basic ideas about what they were about and what to expect. For the first time since the 1981 series, I'm pretty in the dark about what Spider-Man Unlimited will be like beyond the general premise, which...man, I don't want to be negative here, but it's not a great premise for a Spider-Man series. (For those unaware: Spider-Man goes to Counter-Earth and...fights the High Evolutionary's beast men, I think? And some of his rogues' gallery are beast men?) I've mentioned before that I'm not a big fan of Spider-Man dealing with concepts that are too fantastic, and between him travelling to another planet and running into the mutated beast men that are there, that sure doesn't sound like it's up his alley.

What was the idea behind this series, really? Was it decided that beast men would make great toys, and Spider-Man was a good way to get kids to watch the show? Was an Adam Warlock show pitched and then someone decided that Spider-Man would be a better fit for the lead? Was everyone high off their minds on drugs at the time? I can understand how any of these ideas would get pitched, but going so far as to be approved and then actually developed feels like a stretch.

I really don't have a lot to say here since the show is so obscure - and given that I haven't heard a lot about it, I'm guessing that as much as I'd like it to be the case, it's probably not going to be a hidden gem - so let's focus on some positives before I do a quick analysis of the opening. Spider-Man's costume for this looks absolutely rad, and from what little I've seen of it there's a lot of moody lighting here, which is a cool stylistic choice. Spider-Man being on another planet is a pretty unique take on the character, so we might see more of a focus on his scientific side, or even just get some cool concepts while there. It's not all hopeless.