Ultimate Spider-Man review

Television Review:

Ultimate Spider-Man

Episode 1 “Great Power”

TV Rating- Y7
Genre: Animation, Action

Interest Level: age 7-12.

Similar Television Shows: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers Prime

Series Information: Ultimate Spider-Man is available on Disney XD as well as Netflix Instant

Bibliographic Information:

Dini, P. (Writer), Eldred, T. (Director) & Soto, A. (Director). (2012). Great Power [Television Series Episode]. In J. Loeb (Executive Producer), Ultimate Spider-Man. 

Plot: Peter Parker is a teenager who leads a secret life as the superhero Spider-Man. He developed superpowers after being bitten by a radioactive spider a year before. He is inexperienced as a superhero and is trying to learn how to be one on his own. He is attacked by a villain called the Trapster and defeats him, but makes a big mess and causes a commotion in the process. Nick Fury, the super spy and director of the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement Logistics Division (S.H.E.I.L.D.) pays him a visit and offers to train him to be a better superhero. Spider-Man says no and heads off to school where he becomes Peter Parker. The Trapster put a tracking device on Spider-Man before he was captured and his is traced to his school by a group of villains called the Frightful Four. They demand to know where Spider-Man is and begin attacking the students. Peter turns back into Spider-Man and fights the villains off, but his friend Harry gets hurt in the process. Peter feels responsible for his friend getting hurt and decides to go to the S.H.I.E.L.D. to begin superhero training. The episode ends with Nick Fury welcoming him and wishing him luck in surviving the training.

Review: This fun and action-packed show is told from the point of view of a superhero that is also a normal teenager dealing with many of the same issues and daily struggles as many other teenagers. His friendship with Harry and Mary Jane (MJ) are a central part of his life, as is his relationship with his Aunt May. His Uncle Ben’s death also played a huge role in his life, particularly after his uncle taught him the important lesson that with great power comes great responsibility. Peter briefly hints at having a romantic connect with MJ when he shares that they started going steady when they were twelve, and then remembers them kissing and exclaiming “Ew! Yuck!” Peter sometimes struggles to fit in at school and is often shoved into lockers by the school bully Flash Thompson. Peter’s normal teenage life and his newly developing superhero life make him a likeable character and one to which tweens can relate. Ultimate Spider-Man is definitely a show tweens will enjoy!