John Semper Jr., who was the primary credited writer on the beloved 1990s television series, Spider-Man: The Animated Series, recently revealed that he would be interested in a revival if Marvel Studios reached out to him.
With X-Men ’97 set to continue the events of X-Men: The Animated Series, which aired back in the ’90s alongside Spider-Man, Semper was asked by a fan if he’d be down for a Spider-Man ’98. “All they have to do is call me. I’m here, and I’d certainly consider doing it,” he replied on Twitter.
Spider-Man: The Animated Series had the first Spider-Verse story
Spider-Man: The Animated Series aired on the Fox Kids Network from 1994 to 1998, running for five seasons and 65 episodes. Similar to X-Men: The Animated Series, Spider-Man became known for its multi-episode story arcs, which was unusual for an animated property at the time. The series finale was also the first Spider-Man project to feature the
The series finale was the first to introduce the concept of the Spider-Man Multiverse, which Semper believes later inspired Dan Slott’s Spider-Verse storyline in the comics. Recently, Sony Pictures Animation has received critical acclaim and commercial success for its animated Spider-Verse movies, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023). A third and final movie, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, is in production.
Interestingly enough, Semper’s comments regarding a possible Spider-Man ’98 came after he used Twitter to leave a statement for Across the Spider-Verse producers Avi Arad, Amy Pascal, Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, and Christina Steinberg after the group was honored with the Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures by the Producers Guild of America.
“Even though you’ve never seen fit to thank me in your credits for creating the Spider-Verse concept – You’re welcome, anyway!” Semper wrote on Twitter while linking to an Animation World Network article about the win.
Spider-Man: The Animated Series is available to stream on Disney+.
