Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends
Series, 1981, The '70s and early '80s, Set in Aunt May's house
Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends is #2 of 16 in release order and #2 of 16 in chronological order in the NBC Saturday Morning Cartoons.
The story
Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends is an American animated television series produced by Marvel Productions starring established Marvel Comics characters Spider-Man and Iceman and an original character, Firestar. As a trio called the Spider-Friends, they fought against various villains.
Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends recap
Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981) teams Peter Parker with two college-age heroes who share Aunt May's house and fight crime as the Spider-Friends. Marvel Productions made it for NBC, with Stan Lee credited as creator and Dennis Marks as producer. Peter (Dan Gilvezan) is Spider-Man; Bobby Drake (Frank Welker) is Iceman, borrowed from the X-Men; and Angelica Jones (Kathy Garver) is Firestar, a fire-powered mutant created for the show after licensing problems ruled out the Human Torch. Aunt May (June Foray) is their landlady and host, and Angelica's Lhasa Apso, Ms. Lion, lives with them. The trio take on villains from across the Marvel comics and meet other Marvel heroes along the way. Dick Tufeld narrates the first season; Stan Lee narrates from season 2, and his narration was later added to the first-season episodes. The show ran three seasons and 24 episodes, 13 in 1981, 3 in 1982 and 8 in 1983, and NBC kept repeating it until 1986. Firestar became popular enough to join the comics in Uncanny X-Men #193 in 1985.
Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends ending explained
Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends ends with "Mission: Save the Guardstar", aired November 5, 1983. S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Buzz Mason hires the Spider-Friends to stop Lightwave, Iceman's half-sister Aurora Dante, who seems to be a traitor attacking the Guardstar satellite, but Mason turns out to be controlling her mind. It is a standalone adventure with no finale. The trio never reunited in a new series, though Firestar went on to a long life in Marvel's comics, including the New Warriors and the Avengers.
Where to watch Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends
Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends is streaming on Disney+ in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.2/10
Where it fits
- Release order: after Land of the Lost, before The Smurfs.
- Chronological order: after Land of the Lost, before The Smurfs.
Cast
- Dan Gilvezan as Spider-Man / Peter Parker (voice)
- Kathy Garver as Firestar / Angelica Jones (voice)
- Frank Welker as Iceman / Bobby Drake (voice)
- Dick Tufeld as Opening announcer (voice)
- Jerry Dexter as (voice)
- Allan Melvin as (voice)
- June Foray as Aunt May Parker (voice)
- George DiCenzo as Cyclops / Scott Summers (voice)
- Janet Waldo as Shanna the She-Devil (voice)
- John Stephenson as (voice)
- William Woodson as Namor the Sub-Mariner (voice)
- Michael Ansara as Hiawatha Smith (voice)
Created by Stan Lee.