On Jan. 31, 1998, audiences tuned in to watch the season 5 finale of Spider-Man: The Animated Series. In typical heroic fashion, Peter Parker defeated the big bad and was last seen preparing to reunite with Mary Jane Watson after being separated due to clone and multiversal shenanigans. That was supposed to be resolved in season 6, but the show never returned. For nearly three decades, fans have been waiting to find out if Peter and Mary Jane reunite. That wait is finally about to be over.
John Semper, the original writer behind Spider-Man: The Animated Series, has announced that he will continue where season 5 left off in a new comic special. Spider-Man ’94 Annual #1 will be released on Dec. 9, with Semper writing and Alessio Cammardella providing the art. Last year, Marvel released the five-issue series Spider-Man ’94 (without the involvement of Semper), which followed the continued adventures of Peter and Mary Jane but avoided directly showing how the two finally reunited. The couple also appear briefly in X-Men ’97 season 1. Semper’s upcoming Annual will take place between the season 5 finale and the start of Spider-Man ’94.
Talking to CBR, Semper discussed the effect the cliffhanger had on fans, saying he “didn’t realize what kind of trauma it was going to cause for millions of children across the world that I didn’t give them closure.” That is where the upcoming Annual comes in: “This is me giving them that closure.” Over the years, Semper has revealed some ideas for what the original sixth season would have looked like. Some possibilities include the appearance of Ghost Rider and time-travel to the 19th century when Jack the Ripper would be revealed as Carnage. Spider-Man ’94 Annual won’t cover all these ideas. For Semper, this is about wrapping up Peter and Mary Jane’s story.
Could Spider-Man: The Animated Series ever return?
Some fans may be disappointed that the long-awaited return to Spider-Man: The Animated Series is happening in a comic rather than a true revival of the show. Recently, Marvel and Disney have had great success with X-Men ’97, a continuation of the original X-Men cartoon. That show just finished its second season and two more seasons are already confirmed.
Still, it seems unlikely that Marvel and Disney will give Spider-Man: The Animated Series the same treatment, considering the show’s big cliffhanger is about to be wrapped up in a comic. A revival could also complicate prospects for Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, the current series starring Spider-Man, which is set to premiere its second season early next year.