If you grew up in the ‘90s and liked superhero stories, then chances are you watched X-Men: The Animated Series and/or Spider-Man: The Animated Series, which both aired on the Fox Kids programming block and are among the best animated TV shows of all time. The former show has now been revived as X-Men ’97 and met with critical acclaim, which has subsequently led to calls for the latter show to be revived as Spider-Man ’98, another exclusive offering for Disney+ subscribers. Now Christopher Daniel Barnes, who voiced Peter Parker in the ‘90s Spider-Man series, has responded to this support from fans.
What Christopher Daniels Barnes Said About Spider-Man ’98
As laid out in the below statement Barnes shared on X (formerly known as Twitter), while he welcomes so many people wanting Spider-Man ’98 to happen (including our own Erik Swann), no on has been in touch with him about such a project being added to the slate of upcoming Marvel TV shows, but he’s hopeful that will eventually change. In his words:
Hey everyone! I just wanted to say thanks for all of the positivity and support surrounding the idea of a “Spider-Man 98” revival! I’d obviously love to participate in such an awesome venture! Unfortunately I haven’t been contacted by anyone regarding this possibility and I also currently have no connection to the “X-Men 97” show 😕. But hey let’s remember Stan Lee and remain “True Believers”! Maybe I’ll get that magical phone call, have to sign an NDA, and then go weirdly silent on the issue! Here’s hoping!!!🤞🏻
Considering how successful X-Men ’97 has been and is already guaranteed to return for at least two more seasons, it’s hard to believe no one at Marvel Studios Animation is at least considering greenlighting Spider-Man ’98. More than two and a half decades after finishing, Spider-Man: The Animated Series remains one of the most popular small screen adaptations of the Web-Slinger, and like X-Men: The Animated Series, it’s also already on Disney+. Since Marvel Studios has the rights to make animated Spider-Man shows that run roughly a half hour each episodes, it surely wouldn’t be difficult to move forward with Spider-Man ’98 if there’s enough interest in it.
There’s also no reason why Christopher Daniel Barnes could reprise Peter Parker in Spider-Man ’98 considering all the talent from X-Men: The Animated Series who returned for X-Men ’97, whether they’re reprising their original characters or have been shifted into new roles. It’s worth mentioning that although Spider-Man: The Animated Series ended a long time ago, Barnes has remained tied to the Spidey property through the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series and video games like Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions and Spider-Man: Edge of Time. Still, clearly a sizable amount of people are ready for his main version of Peter to return.
There’s Already Been Set-Up For This Spider-Man’s Return
Warning: SPOILERS for the X-Men ’97 episode “Tolerance is Extinction – Part 1” are ahead!
Christopher Daniel Barnes sharing his thoughts on Spider-Man ’98 come after his version of Spider-Man made a silent cameo in the X-Men ’97 episode “Tolerance is Extinction – Part 1.” Peter Parker was swinging around New York City when he witnessed all the power being knocked out by the electromagnetic wave Magneto unleashed from the Arctic. In X-Men ’97’s debut episode, there was also a reference to both Spider-Man and Peter, as well as Eddie Brock, a.k.a. Venom, on the front page of a Daily Bugle newspaper. So with the stage set, it would ideally be easy enough to spin Spider-Man ’98 out of X-Men ’97 to once again expand this shared continuity.
If any official word trickles in on adding Spider-Man ’98, we’ll let you know. For now, there are two episodes left of X-Men ’97 Season 1 to hit the 2024 TV schedule, and on the Spidey front, there’s still the theatrical movie Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse set to arrive at a yet-to-be-announced date.