Search - Spider-Man - Daredevil Vs. Spider-Man (Animated Series) on DVD

Jennifer C. from SYCAMORE, IL
Reviewed on 4/18/2011...

I don't know much about the spiderman series or anything...but my 3 year old LOVES spiderman and this dvd. He watches it over and over. Of course the girl has accentuated curves and it seems flirtatious at times, but he's too young to notice, i think.

Bad Title But Good DVD!

Ervin Griffin | Bluefield, WV | 06/11/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This features my favorite Marvel Team Up ever! Whenever Stan Lee and Co. used to put together Spider-Man with Daredevil in the comics, it was always entertaining and exciting. Even the bad stories were still good with these two! This animated version is no exception as these two team up after a brief misunderstanding to take on the Kingpin (a major DD foe as well as Spider-Man) and his goons!The extra episode with FF and Daredevil was also entertaining. A slight lighter DD in that one but no less intrigiging. A good addition to the other Spider-Man DVD's out there!By the way, I agree with the previous reviewer. It should've been called Spider-Man: Enter Daredevil."

There was some righteous web-swinging in the 1990s, even on

H. Bala | Carson - hey, we have an IKEA store! - CA USA | 11/02/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's hard for me to pick out a favorite, from all the animated Spidey TV shows. Basically, I've always just been too busy being thankful that the wallcrawler's on the small screen, in the first place. This dvd here, DAREDEVIL VS. SPIDER-MAN, is from the terrific 1990s Spider-Man cartoon. And while I've been in the recent habit of slamming dvd releases containing paltry sums of episodes, I'm just glad these suckers are made available at all in dvd. Because who the eff knows when we'll get full season releases on this series? Me, I'm hunkering down for a looong wait.

Spidey is an icon, and his fans won't suffer too many years elapsing without his being on TV or, nowadays, in a feature film. This particular cartoon incarnation ran from 1994 to 1998 for 65 episodes, and, even at its final stages, it was still well received enough to garner its own sequel series in 1999, the very short lived (and inferior) SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED, which placed Spidey on Counterearth.

Back to the 1994 series: Most of the classic Spider-Man elements are here. From his everyday sadsack life to his familiar supporting cast, from his rogues' gallery (excepting Sandman) to his sense of humor and bad guy baiting. And in this one, Peter is still attending college at Empire State U, even as he continues to shoot photos for the Daily Bugle.

The four episodes in DAREDEVIL VS. SPIDER-MAN are pulled from Season 3's "Sins of the Fathers" story arc (Chapters VI - IX). Daredevil, by the way, appears in only the first two of these episodes ("Framed" and "The Man Without Fear"). When Peter Parker is hired by the Kingpin and then framed and arrested for a federal crime, blind attorney Matt Murdock's services are mysteriously engaged in Peter's defense. But when his civilian identity proves inadequate, Murdock dons the more action-friendly guise of Daredevil. Then comes the inevitable misunderstanding and skirmish between superheroes, followed by the teaming up, and ends with Parker exonerated and the Kingpin walking away unscathed.

One quibble I have is that I don't buy the actor voicing Matt Murdock/Daredevil. For whatever reason, I just don't think Daredevil's voice is that deep.

The third episode, "The Ultimate Slayer," revolves around Alistair Smythe and his unwilling transformation into a half-cyborg Spider Slayer, thanks to the Kingpin. Blaming Norman Osbourne for his father's death, Smythe targets him for revenge. Meanwhile, Peter learns that Harry and Mary Jane are engaged.

In "Tombstone," with the Daily Bugle about to publish an expose on Alicia Silvermane and her crime syndicate, the supertough, superstrong albino Tombstone is hired to put pressure on Bugle editor Robbie Robertson. And, surprisingly, these two share a past.

And, throughout all this, the mystical Madame Web occasionally steps in with some obscure, befuddling advice for Spidey, no doubt her way of prepping him for the cosmic events in the final season.

Compared to today's standards, the animation here is more clumsy, not to mention that the occasional use of CG in cityscape sequences tends to clash with the 2D stuff. Also, the wallcrawler is at times depicted as too bulky a figure. However, the quality of the storytelling and the nice continuity make up for whatever the visuals may lack. Because of the restrictions placed on the series by the Fox network, it's still an action packed series, but not as dynamic as it could've been. One of the funnier, more offbeat restrictions prevents Spidey from harming pigeons whenever he landed on a roof. Also, FOX had prohibited the inclusion of genuine firearms, so the bad guys and even the law enforcers made do with laser guns. It's a bit jarring, and initially had me thinking that this Spidey was set in the near future.

For what it is, this dvd actually comes thru with decent special features: optional Stan Lee intros to each of the featured four episodes; a bonus episode ("King Pinned") from the 1966 Spidey cartoon; another bonus episode ("And a Blind Man Shall Lead Them"), from the 1990s Fantastic Four cartoon guest-starring Daredevil, in which the FF lose their super powers; and Stan Lee's Soapbox, as Stan reflects long and nostalgically about Daredevil (around 18 minutes).

Some trivia for fans of the show: Starting with the second year, the episodes in each season began to be linked in a single, season-long, over-arcing storyline. So, for example, the individual episode titles of Season 2 all fell under the "Neogenic Nightmare" banner. Season 3, under "The Sins of the Fathers" banner. Season 4, under "Partners in Danger." And Season 5, "Forgotten Warriors." I understand that the network heads were utterly ticked off at head writer John Semper, whose idea it was to insert long-running storylines.

Most of the dvds available about this series seem to focus on Season 3, which is the "Sins of the Fathers" story arc. Chapters II-V of it are collected in Spider-Man - The Ultimate Villain Showdown (Animated Series). Chapters X & XI are in Spider-Man - The Venom Saga (Animated Series) (along with Season 1's 3-part "The Alien Costume" story). Chapters XII-XIV are found in Spider-Man - The Return of the Green Goblin (Animated Series) (with the first chapter of Season 4's "Partners in Danger" arc). The only episode missing is part one of "Sins of the Fathers" (the one with Dr. Strange) and one can only wonder why it's not included.

Personally, I'm waiting on the dvd release of the last season, which features the "Six Forgotten Warriors" saga, the 3-part "Secret Wars" (based on the Secret Wars comic book maxi-series) and the 2-part series finale "Spider-Wars," as, in another reality, Peter and five other Spideys must go up against Spider-Carnage.

It's gonna be a long wait, it looks like."

Seeing Red

H. Bala | 05/17/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you love Marvel Comics superheros,this DVD is a must!In different adventures Spider-Man and the Fantastic 4 team up with Daredevil.In the Spider-Man deries,Peter Parker is accused of a crime he didn't commit.His attorney is Matt Murdock-Daredevil's alter ego!The "versus"part doesn't last long.Soon the team up to catch the Kingpin.Calling this DVD action-packed is an understatement!I like it because it has great Marvel heros and villains,storylines that keep you on the edge of you seat,and it shows blind people can see in ways we can't."