Spider-Man: The Animated Series Episode Reviews

The Mutant's Revenge
Review by Stu, Media by James Harvey

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Episode #18 - The Mutant Agenda
Original Airdate: October 7th, 1995

Wolverine catches up with Spider-Man, who is hot on the trail of the missing Hank McCoy. Later Hobgoblin steals the mutant technology that Dr. Herbert Landon had prepared for the Kingpin. Spider-Man and Wolverine follow him and discover Beast's location as well as the plot to destroy all mutant-kind; the two team up and rescue Beast from becoming the first test subject of Landon's plot. But when Landon accidentally falls victim to his own experiment he is changed into a giant monster that feeds on electrical energy.

Credits:
Story By: John Semper and J.M Dematties
Written By: Micheal Edens
Music Composed By: Shuki Levy and Kussa Mahchi
Animation Services By: Toyko Movie Shinsha (TMS)
Guest Starring: Christopher Daniel Barnes as Spider-Man/Peter Parker, Cal Dodd as Wolverine, Alyson Court as Jubilee, Alison Sealy-Smith as Storm, Lenore Zann as Rogue, Norm Spencer as Cyclops, Chris Potter as Gambit, Catherine Disher as Jean Grey, Cedric Smith as Professor Xavier, George Buza as Beast, David Warner as Herbert Landon, Mark Hamill as The Hobgoblin, Roscoe Lee Browne as Kingpin, Maxwell Caulfield as Alistair Smthye, Laurie O'Brien as Genevieve and Brian Keith as Uncle Ben

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Review: Picking up from where part one ended, we have Spidey and Wolverine fighting in the alley, and Hobgoblin gleefully watching them. Given how there was a strict policy against violence in Spider-Man: The Animated Series (thank you, BS&p), some of the fight scenes in the earlier episodes weren't too bad, but by the time season four started, most of the fights were nothing more than a waste of time in some episodes.

The story quickly moved into Spider-Man/Wolverine team up mode, which was actually one of the better team ups the show produced. The chemistry was there, as was the unease and distrust. My favourite X-Man and Spidey together in one episode, who would have thought it possible? Whilst the rest of them X-Men, besides Beast, don't really do a whole lot in this episode, I don't really care, because the Wolverine/Spider-Man stuff was pure gold. Especially the "you sure showed him/shut up you puny little geek!" line.


It's worth pointing out that Fox Kids decided to bring all of the X-Men voice actors from Canada over to L.A. to record their voices, to their credit. Which was great because X-Men: The Animated Series' cast was definitive. Like how Cal Dodd is Wolverine, just like how Kevin Conroy is Batman, you know? Several people have had the role since, but it's still his by divine right, which is something, especially as one of the newer Wolverines includes the incredibly talented Mark Hamill. None of the other, non-Australian (Canadian? what's the difference?!) have been too bad in the role, but Dodd owns it. This man is Wolverine's voice.

As for the climax, Landon turning into the monster creature thing was a little too weird for me, especially as he became too much like King Kong. It didn't ruin the story, I just felt that the only animated team up in this continuity between Spider-Man and The X-Men should've had a better villain and this seemed slapped together. Still, it's definitely one of Spidey's best team ups, and a great episode for fans of either show.

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