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ABSTRACT: This thesis sets out to identify the workings of media franchising by analysing the animated series Ultimate Spider-Man as a case study. By questioning the change in representation of Spider-Man in this animated series and comparing it to other depictions of Spider- Man in popular culture, this thesis shows that industrial goals and relations are at the heart of differences in representation. By conducting both a textual analysis as an industrial analysis, this thesis combines the findings from those analyses to find that the reimagination of the character Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man is founded on a desire to base the character on material, gain value from the larger Universe and to address a younger audience. These industrial goals are conflicting and challenge the historical and cultural functionalities of the Spider-Man. This thesis confirms the value of media franchising, as focussing on industrial relations contributes to our understanding of the production of culture.

Amazing Isn’t Good Enough

Spider-Man’s Shifting Representation As a Negotiated Part of a Franchise

Yuri Voesenek 3468976 Master Thesis Film- en televisiewetenschap

7-10-2016

Yuri Voesenek 3468976

I would like to thank the following individuals for their contribution on this thesis,

Sonja de Leeuw, for supervising this thesis and for her guidance the last couple of months. It has been an interesting and awarding process.

Dan Hassler-Forest, for his time and our conversation about possible strategies concerning this thesis. Additionally, his advice to take the work of Derek Johnson as a central starting point proved particularly valuable.

My friends, in particular Erwin Noz, Fabian Gomes Monteiro, Niels van den Heuvel and Bob van Eijkeren for their critical look on this work and for functioning as sparring partners in conversations that led to this thesis.

Manon Mulders, for keeping me focused and at the same time providing me with the hard needed distractions from this project.

My parents, Lily van Baast and Jan Voesenek, for their trust.

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Table of Contents 1. The Reimagination of Spider-Man the Superhero...... 4 1.1. The Rise and Fall of Marvel and Its Spider-Man...... 4 1.2. The Case Study: Ultimate Spider-Man...... 6 1.3. Why ? ...... 7 2. The Theoretical Web...... 9 2.1. Media Franchising...... 9 2.2. Transmedia Storytelling...... 10 2.3. Intermediality, Intertextuality and Transmediality...... 12 2.4. The Functionality of the Superhero: Why Changes Matter...... 12 3. Method...... 13 3.1. Textual Analysis...... 13 3.2. Industrial Text Analysis...... 15 4. Textual Analysis of the Representation of Spider-Man in Popular Culture...... 16 4.1. Ultimate Spider-Man’s Narrative Structure...... 17 4.1.1. Causality...... 17 4.1.2. Time...... 18 4.1.3. Plot Development...... 19 4.1.4. Narration...... 21 4.1.5. Other...... 21 4.2. The Differences in Representation...... 22 5. Analysis of the Industrial Practice of Franchising...... 23 5.1. Situating Ultimate Spider-Man...... 24 5.2. An Uncoherent Web of Industrial Goals...... 25 5.3. Discontinuity of Ultimate Spider-Man: the of Industrial Relations...... 28 5.4. Differences based on Relations in the Industry...... 29 6. The Challenged Historical and Cultural Functionality of the Superhero Spider-Man...... 31 7. Conclusion...... 31 Literature...... 35 Other Works Consulted...... 36 Websites...... 36 Appendix...... 40 A The Licensing of Marvel Characters in Film ...... 40 B The Marvel Cinematic Universe...... 41 C Spider-Man the Outcast...... 42

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D The Intertextuality of the MCU...... 43 E First Issue of ...... 44 F Ultimate Spider-Man: Plot Segmentation (2012-2016)...... 45 G The Amazing Spider-Man: Plot Segmentation...... 53 H Spider-Man: Plot Segmentation (2002)...... 56 I Captain America: : Plot Segmentation (2016)...... 59 J Spider-Man (TAS): Plot Segmentation (1994-1998)...... 60 K Transmedial Links: Different Representations of ...... 63 L Transmedial Links: Movie Reference (2008)...... 64

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1. The Reimagination of Spider-Man the Superhero. In the last few decades, Spider-Man has had numerous reincarnations in popular culture. One of the world’s most recognizable and celebrated superheroes has been caught on and off screen in a multitude of appearances. In major movie pictures, Spider-Man has been rebooted twice in the last fifteen years. In 2002, he was portrayed by in Spider-Man, a movie that spawned the sequels Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3. In 2012, Andrew Garfield crawled in the skin of the friendly neighbourhood spider in the movies The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel The Amazing Spider-Man 2. The next reboot is planned to appear in June 2017, with Tom Holland reprising his role as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War, but this time in -alone movie Spider-Man: Homecoming.1 The superhero also appeared in several animated series, games and other media, all based on his ongoing adventures in comics.2 This constant reproduction and reimagination of the character presents an interesting case in the use of franchising in and across different media. It also raises questions about how media consumers should make sense of the franchised product that is Spider-Man. Especially in this ever- expanding web of different representations.

1.1. The Rise and Fall of Marvel and Its Spider-Man. Before zooming in on the franchising of the character Spider-Man and its academic functionality, I believe it is important to give a brief historical background on the character and on its ownership during the years. For knowing who and what is responsible for the changes in the representation of Spider-Man will give insight in the strategies involving the production and reproduction of culture across different media. Spider-Man was created in 1962 by Marvel artists and and first appeared in the Marvel #15. The issue was a bestseller and it resulted in Spider-Man’s own ongoing series under the name The Amazing Spider-Man in 1963. The character got ‘extended’ across other media such as a live action television series as soon as 1967, but it wasn’t until the mid-‘90s that the conditions for Marvel to expand the franchise across media were profitable. In 1994, most notably driven by the especially successful animated television adaptations of Spider-Man and The X-Men, only 37.3 percent of Marvel’s revenue came from printed work.3 Marvel’s desire to engage in media franchising lead to a re- structuration of its corporate hierarchy. However, this structure wasn’t able to withstand a drastic drop in comic book sales and its subsequent effects on franchised links; the company

1 Brent McKnight, “Spider-Man Officially Hires Tom Holland And A Director, ” Cinemablend, last modified September 2015, accessed September, 16, 2016, http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Spider-Man- Officially-Hires-Tom-Holland-Director-72189.html. 2 Among other appearances across media, Spider-Man appeared in the animated series of Spider-Man, The Spectacular Spider-Man and in the videogames Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 1 & 2. 3 Tom Flinn, “Random Notes from Marvel’s Annual Report,” Internal Correspondence: The Newsmagazine for Specialty Retailing, June 1994: 37.

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imploded and filed for bankruptcy in late 1996. As Derek Johnson explains in his book Media Franchising: “Amid a desire for corporate self-reliance, Marvel negotiated the meaningful promises made by synergistic notions of franchising, and at least in part as a result for that struggle, it went under.”4 Marvel restructured once again, this time without a desire to exclusively franchise its products. By noticing their true potential in intellectual property and their desire to regain financial success, Marvel began to license its products.5 This resulted in a dispersion of rights for Marvel-characters such as Spider-Man. This dispersion was, to make things even more complicated, also fragmented across different media, leading to a situation wherein one company could have the rights for a character in the movie industry, another for the gaming industry and yet another could have the rights to manufacture toys based on the character. Marvel eventually gained enough resources from licensing to, once again, reschedule their company strategies. , a division of Marvel that was formed after the bankruptcy, acquired a financing deal and started making movies based on their own characters. Because they hadn’t the rights to make movies about characters they had licensed in the previous years, they were restricted to making movies with characters they still fully owned. The first movie released by Marvel Studios, Iron Man, in 2008, was also the release of the so called Marvel Cinematic Universe, a universe which shares the same characters and allows for a high intensity of intertextuality and references across movies. Marvel profited more from Iron Man than from the licensing of the last sixteen Marvel character-based movies combined.6 Following this success, – the parent company of both and Marvel Studios – was bought for a staggering 4 billion by Disney in 2009.7 The Marvel Cinematic Universe was by that time fully operative with titles like , Captain America, and The already out or in (pre-)production. Disney reassured that the Cinematic Universe would keep expanding in the way Marvel Studios had designed it. At the moment of writing it consists of a total of fourteen movies.8

4 For a more detailed work on the rise and fall of the Marvel company in its pursuit of media franchising, I recommend the second chapter of Johnson’s book. Derek Johnson, Media Franchising: Creative License and Collaboration in the Culture Industries, (: New York University Press, 2013), 92. 5 For film, the rights for Marvel characters were dispersed among several movie studios. See Appendix A. 6 Lauren Schuker, “Marvel Looks to Break Through,” The Wall Street Journal, last modified May 13, 2008, accessed February 11, 2016, http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB121331233893169713. 7 George Szalai and Paul Bond, “Disney to buy Marvel for $4 billion,” – Heat Vison, last modified October 31, 2009, accessed January 5, 2016, http://reporter.blogs.com/heat_vision_development/2009/08/disney-to-buy-marvel-for-4-billion.html. 8 At the moment, it also includes five television/ series and five ‘one-shot’ short movies. For a complete overview see Appendix B. Rodney Twelftry, “The Marvel Cinematic Universe: How Big Can It Get?,” Fernby Films, last modified

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1.2. The Case Study: Ultimate Spider-Man. In 2012, Disney launched the animated series Ultimate Spider-Man on .9 The show portrays Spider-Man as a member of S.H.I.E.L.D.: a high-tech national intelligence organization. The image of Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man differs on more than one account from other depictions of Spider-Man as a somewhat geeky loner.10 In the series, he now leads a team of teenage superheroes as part of a S.H.I.E.L.D. division led by Nick Fury. The series tries to find a balance between standing on its own as a show and collecting meaning and value out of the transmedial depictions of Spider-Man and associate heroes of the Marvel (Cinematic) Universe. The definition of this Spider-Man, thus, exists of elements from both a Spider-Man that makes sense on his own and a Spider-Man that allows for transmedial and intertextual links.11 Ultimate Spider-Man provides an unique case for looking at media franchising. Although it is not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it is part of an overlapping , sharing its web of nodes: e.g. characters, villains and world problems. The production of the series Ultimate Spider-Man started just after the merger with Disney, which caused an ongoing series based on Spider-Man, Spectacular Spider-Man, to be cancelled.12 From its it was in a perfect place to be ‘set up’ in the ‘metafranchise’ of the Marvel Universe. Derek Johnson offers a way of viewing this franchised product as an elaborated construct of negotiation. In his terms, it is too narrow-minded to explain the differences and changes in the representation of Spider-Man solely as the result of the ideology of the conglomerate in charge; Disney.13 He suggests that the franchised reproduction of culture – that is Ultimate Spider-Man – has to be conceived “as a dynamic site where power, meaning and value collide”.14 Within this site, it is necessary to look at the changes in representation in the light of changing production and economic relations. When writing about the Marvel takeover, Johnson rightfully notes that, although Marvel was filed for bankruptcy a mere ten years earlier, “this purchase price spoke to the value of its intellectual properties and the success with which Marvel had reworked franchising logistics to extend production across film, video games and

August 12, 2015, accessed October 6, 2016, http://www.fernbyfilms.com/2015/08/12/the-marvel- cinematic-universe-how-big-can-it-get/. 9 Caleb Goelner, “Marvel Releases ‘Ultimate Spider-Man’ Animated Series Promo Image,” ComicsAlliance, last modified April 4, 2011, accessed September 14, 2016, http://comicsalliance.com/marvel-releases- new-ultimate-spider-man-animated-series-promo/. 10 The team of superheroes, for example, also attend his high school, making Peter Parker less of a social outcast than he is in the original comic books. For contrast, see image in Appendix C. 11 In fact, this particular series draws heavily on its structure and depictions, explained in chapter four and five. For an approximate view on the intertextuality of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, see Appendix D. 12 David Pepose, “Ultimate Spider-Man: The Animated Series. Disney XD 2011,” Newsrama – Comics, last modified April 13, 2010, accessed October 13, 2016, http://www.newsarama.com/5075-ultimate-spider- man-the-animated-series-disney-xd-2011.html 13 For a thorough reconstruction about the rise of Marvel after bankruptcy and the founding of Marvel Studios, see: Derek Johnson, “Cinematic : Marvel Studios and the Trade Stories of Industrial Convergence,” Cinema Journal 52, no. 1 (2012): 1-24. 14 Johnson, Media Franchising, 65.

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other media.”15 He, however, also discusses the negative aspects of the takeover when talking about the possible changes in industrial relations concerning media franchising, by noticing that “this sale complicated the production relations from which that value was generated, absorbing Marvel into a conglomerated network that would seek to leverage and exchange intellectual property resources in new ways.”16 Johnson was right to speculate, so it seems. Marvel, under Disney, has had to find different ways of using the intellectual properties they had received, as some of their old industrial partners now saw them as a part of a rivalling conglomerate. Some ongoing series were cancelled because of this and production relations regarding other media were also broken, like the expiration of ’s master gaming license in 2012.17 But it also formed new relations, with Marvel Studios teaming up with ABC Television to create the live- action series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in 2012 and in 2015. Marvel also collaborated with webstreaming service Netflix, to form live-action series like and, more recently, . In 2015, Netflix announced to release a new Marvel-based Netflix show every six months.18 More important for the franchising of Spider-Man is Marvel’s deal with Pictures to simultaneously make use of the character, embedding it within the Marvel Cinematic Universe whilst still being property of . These new power and industrial relations must be taken into account when looking at the case study.

1.3. Why Spidey? But why look at Spider-Man at all? Why not or other popular superheroes like ? Matthew Todd Shaeffer argues that Spider-Man is a qualified object of study on multiple grounds. Because Spider-Man is a fictional hero in an alternate ‘real’ world, living in , instead of Gotham or Metropolis, it makes him a more relatable hero.19 Shaeffer suggests that “by placing Peter Parker in New York City and filling the comics full of real world landmarks, Marvel Comics facilitated a greater sense of realism for its readers”.20 Furthermore, his world and the stories are influenced by ‘real world’ events, which makes identification with this hero easier. During the years, ‘real world’ events like civil right protests, Watergate, the

15 Johnson, Media Franchising, 102-103. 16 Ibid. 17 John Guadiosi, “Marvel Exec Discusses ‘Avengers’, ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ Video Games,” Hollywood Reporter, last modified March 5, 2012, accessed November 19, 2016, http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/marvel-games-avengers-amazing-spider-man-gdc-tq- jefferson-296842. 18 Eliana Dockterman, “Marvel Will Release A New Netflix Show Every 6 Months,” Time – Entertainment, last modified July 28, 2015, accessed October 14, 2016, http://time.com/3975704/marvel-netflix-6- months/ 19 Matthew Todd Shaeffer, “With Great Power and Great Responsibility: The Representation of America’s Social Anxieties and Historical Events in The Amazing Spider-Man, 1962-1979” (Master thesis, North Carolina State University, 2014), 2. 20 Shaeffer, “With Great Power and Great Responsibility,” 2.

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Vietnam War and the War on Drugs have found their way into The Amazing Spider-Man comics.21 This possibility for identification is further amplified by the role Peter Parker fulfils in his adventures. As the flagship of the so called Marvel-approach, where ‘superheroes struggle with real problems’, Peter Parker struggles in everyday life, trying to combine being a superhero with taking care of his aunt, his romances, studying and his daily life of being a geeky outsider. The historical and cultural functionality of the character Spider-Man consists of this possibility for identification, but also surpasses it. Shaeffer overrides this notion by describing Spider-Man as a metaphor for the United States of America: “Spider-Man is a combination of America’s idealized cowboy values, Cold War anxieties, and America’s Cold War belief in technological and intellectual superiority.”22 Shaeffer concludes his historical and cultural comparison of Spider- Man by comparing Peter Parker’s failing attempts to be the perfect superhero – making wrong choices, hurting some while saving others, leaving people he loves – with America’s foreign policy. He suggests that, in terms of moral judgement: “Spider-Man resembles the reluctant and ‘moral’ interventionism of post-World War II and Cold War America.”23 This conclusion resonates with psychologist Sharon Packer’s approach to the story of superhero Spider-Man which, according to her, “also acts as a powerful pro-war metaphor and political statement. It speaks out against American isolationism and advocates on behalf of interventionism”.24 Historically, Spider-Man can be engaged as a cultural reflection of contemporary struggles within American society. As the character moved from comic book to other media, these functionalities persists, albeit it in different forms and on different matters. The character – and its success – are based on these values, functionalities and the character’s high potentiality for identification. But these historical and cultural functions of Spider-Man are challenged in Ultimate Spider-Man, through a difference in representation which is most likely driven by a desire to further establish the overlapping ‘metafranchise’ of the Marvel Universe.

This study sets out to identify the changing representation of Spider-Man in the animated series Ultimate Spider-Man by laying bare the underlying forces of complex cultural, social and economic negotiation the character must endure because it is a part of a franchise. It will do so by combining a textual analysis on the representation of Spider-Man across different media and an industrial analysis on production and cultural factors that play a role in media franchising, by studying industrial deep texts. In doing so, it will try to explain if changes in representation are

21 Ibid., 46. 22 Shaeffer, “With Great Power and Great Responsibility,” 169. 23 Ibid., 170. 24 Sharon Packer, Superheroes and Superegoes: Analyzing the Minds Behind , (Santa Barbara: Praeger, 2010), 65.

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problematic in terms of the historical and cultural functions of the superhero. The main research will therefore be divided in multiple subquestions.

Main research question: In which way is the superhero Spider-Man reimagined in Ultimate Spider-Man in the context of media franchising?

1. In which way does the representation of Spider-Man in the animated series Ultimate Spider-Man differ from other depictions in popular culture?

2. In which way is the reimagination of the character Spider-Man a result of the industrial (re)production of culture?

3. What do these changes in representation mean for the historical and cultural functions of the superhero Spider-Man?

2. The Theoretical Web.

2.1. Media Franchising. Studying franchising is stepping foot on dangerous grounds, for ‘franchising’ itself has been used to describe multiple phenomena in the academic field of both media- and production studies. This is why this thesis will use Derek Johnson’s approach to media franchising. He underlines that the ambiguous use of the term ‘franchising’ over the years has led to a somewhat vague connotation of the concept of franchising.25 For Johnson, franchising isn’t a synonym for different products of corporate conglomerations but rather a way of viewing cultural production as a field of negotiation where social, economic and cultural differences come to play a part and where the resulting product consists of concessions from those differences, ultimately defined by relations in power. Furthermore, these economic and cultural relations are never strictly bound, they shift and change and are, as Johnson puts it, “constantly in a state of reimagination”.26 Although he rejects an universal definition of franchising, Johnson does offer the following approach:

While at the most broad level, we might start by conceiving of franchising as an economic system for exchanging cultural resources across a network of industrial relations, we also have to recognize it as a shifting set of structures, relations and imaginative frames

25 Johnson, Media Franchising, 33. 26 Ibid, 65.

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for organizing and making sense of the industrial exchange and reproduction of culture.27

So, while media franchising also concerns the products of industrial production, like the case study, it cannot be separated from the industrial, economic and social relations that produce and reproduce this culture. It should therefore be understood as more than just branding across different media.

2.2. Transmedia Storytelling. Johnson’s ideas about industrial production and reproduction of culture which transcends media-specific attributes can by no means be seen without taking the work of Henry Jenkins in account. In his book on convergence culture, he suggests that our society is now living in a convergence culture. According to Jenkins it “represents a cultural shift as consumers are encouraged to seek out new information and make connections among dispersed media content”.28 This of ‘scattered meaning making’ is fully in line with Johnson’s approach. Jenkins has also paved the way for a closer look on franchising – as a concept – with his theorization on transmedia storytelling:

A transmedia story unfolds across multiple media platforms, with each new text making a distinctive and valuable contribution to the whole. In the ideal form of transmedia storytelling, each medium does what it does best – so that a story might be introduced in a film, expanded through television, […]. Each franchise entry needs to be self-contained so you don’t need to have seen the film to enjoy the game, and vice versa. Any given product is a point of entry into the franchise as a whole. Reading across the media sustains a depth of experience that motivates more consumption.29

While relating franchising and franchises to transmedia storytelling, Jenkins offers a starting point from which franchising can be explained in relation to other industrial forces in the production of culture across media. In line with Johnson, he directly links franchising with production across media. He, however, does not take full account of the shifting relations and social factors that play a part in media franchising. In contrast to Johnson, Jenkins approaches franchises as a mere product of industrial practices. In the way Jenkins looks at transmedia storytelling, franchising could be seen as an overlapping practice of which transmedia storytelling could be one of the options to achieve a form a franchising. This most ideally envisioned structure of a narratively collaborated, multimediated structure where every medium plays its part, could be seen as a possible form of media franchising. The relation

27 Johnson, Media Franchising, 65. 28 Henry Jenkins, Convergence Culture (New York: New York University Press, 2006), 3. 29 Jenkins, Convergence Culture, 95-96.

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between the concepts becomes clear: if, according to Jenkins, “transmedia storytelling represents a process where integral elements of a fiction get dispersed systematically across multiple delivery channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience”, franchising represents the shifting social and industrial relations that make this dispersion possible.30 Claire Parody builds on the work of Jenkins, and fills a significant void in the academic discourse by noting that “very few transmedia fictional projects stand in their entirety as examples of ‘pure’ transmedia storytelling” by definitions given by Jenkins, or many others who tried to refine the definition.31 They rather share a world that consists of multiple combined texts across different media. Exactly the kind of shared world that is the Marvel Universe, and in lesser sense, the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Parody suggests the theorization of a “broader category of multi-platform fictional practice, of which transmedia storytelling (…) may be understood as a splinter...”.32 She offers the term transmedia franchising as a sort of parent practice to transmedia storytelling:

(…) transmedia storytelling is one specific logic of inter-textuality and cross-platform movement, namely narrative or diegetic extension, where transmedia franchising may involve many. Here, however, I wish to go further and theorise transmedia franchising as an art of multiplicity. That is, I wish to bring out that multiplicity is not only an important concept for understanding the make-up and configuration of the textual archives the practice produces, it is also a key principle of the fictional operations and imaginations at play in them.”33

In the second part of this quote, Parody illustrates a key characteristic of media franchising by zooming in on multiplicity. This multiplicity isn’t only a necessity for successful franchising of a product of culture, it is also the lifeline for the created imaginative world. As is the case in the franchising of the Marvel Universe, this multiplicity is the one thing that keeps it together. As for the first part of the quote, Parody too, seems to overlook the principles of constantly changing relations in the industrial world of the production of culture. Furthermore, the term transmedia franchising is almost a pleonasm. There are very few examples to give where franchising doesn’t involve multiple media.

30 Henry Jenkins, “Transmedia Storytelling 101,” Confessions of an Aca-Fan. The Official Weblog of Henry Jenkins, last modified March 22, 2007, accessed September 21, 2016, http://henryjenkins.org/2007/03/transmedia_storytelling_101.html. 31 Claire Parody, “A Theory of the Transmedia Franchise Character” (PhD diss., University of Liverpool, 2011): 27. 32 Parody, “A Theory of the Transmedia Franchise Character,” 27. 33 Ibid., 91-92.

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2.3. Intermediality, Intertextuality and Transmediality. Franchising does not necessarily need to work across media. Economic and social relations can also be based on a more narrow definition of intermediality as defined by Irina Rajewsky, for example if a movie spawns a videogame.34 This is, however, a less frequent form of franchising as – in general – the use of multiple media for one ‘shared’ product of culture isn’t required. Rather, different media will share the same complex fictional worlds, including characters, more in line with Jenkins ideas about properties of transmedial storytelling.35 This transfer of the use of characters or stories across media isn’t a practice conceived in the digital age. As mentioned earlier, live action shows based on Spider-Man appeared as soon as 1967. Jenkins even dares to relate this practice back to the start of modern day civilisation, with depictions of Jesus appearing in different media: books, stained-glass windows, psalms and other church related services.36 Next to forms of transmediality and intermediality, media franchising also leaves room for intertextuality, as the character in one movie could also appear in another. The same goes for the use of characters in different animated series. As is the case in this study, an appearance of another character could strengthen the individual series while, at the same time, enforcing the ‘metafranchise’ of the Marvel Universe. By mirroring Albert Moran’s approach to formats, Johnson explains that “the point of theorizing the franchise lies not in defining the phenomenon, but in creating an opening to see the collision of contexts and cultures of production brought together in the course of navigating its economic and creative possibilities”.37 This means that a licensor, owning intellectual property, and a licensee, using that property, may not have the same goals. They do, however, produce a cultural product which is the result of negotiation. This in-depth focus on the boundaries of what media franchising is, is meant to identify and narrow down the elements media franchising consists of, in the hopes of receiving more clarity about the forces that drive it and what possible consequences it could have.

2.4. The Functionality of the Superhero: Why Changes Matter. While media franchising could explain the differences in representation of Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man, this leaves the issue of the consequences of these possible changes. Why should or could the reimagination of a superhero matter? Bradford W. Wright voices the social importance of superheroes in popular culture in the preface of his book by stating that “they had helped me to perceive reality in terms that I could

34 Irina O. Rajewsky, “Intermediality, Intertextuality, and Remediation: A Literary Perspective on Intermediality,” History and Theory of the Arts, Literature and Technologies 6 (2005): 51. 35 Jenkins, “Transmedia Storytelling 101,” Confessions of an Aca-Fan. 36 Jenkins, Convergence Culture, 119. 37 Johnson, Media Franchising, 66.

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understand and accept”.38 Wright approaches superheroes as a potential cultural reflection of society, similar to Shaeffer’s approach to the character Spider-Man. From the moment of their conception, superheroes were mostly used as a guideline for morality, but the rhetorical function of the comic book gradually evolved from indoctrination of youth to the commentary of society.39 William W. Savage Jr., in his book on the relations of comic books and America, argues that “the comic book emerged as discrete medium of American cultural expression early in the 1930s”.40 Comic books developed from ‘funnies’ in the newspaper to a specific medium. This could not have happened without the catalyst Superman, which comics proved so successful that the medium was deemed worthy to invest in. According to Savage, the medium found value as a cultural expression of morality in the Second World War, which gave flight to the medium of comic books. In many occasions used as propaganda, comics delivered a range of war-driven content and heroes.41 But after the war the medium of comic books kept on bringing current affairs into the storylines, providing society with a moral commentary by “adapting to a new social-cultural climate with a radically different psychological construct”.42 The medium continued to fulfil this role as a cultural expression of society, driving further away from propaganda and moral guidelines as it matured and found itself dispersed in different genres like graphic novels. The change in representation – and therefore the change in reception – of the character will influence the functionality of the superhero. Differences in representation will, most notably, influence the possibility for identification. This thesis will conclude if primary functions of Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man have been compromised by the changing representation.

3. Method.

3.1. Textual Analysis. To answer the research questions, a textual analysis of the case study: Ultimate Spider-Man will be conducted. The case study will be related to other depictions of Spider-Man in popular culture. The textual analysis of the case study comprises the first ten episodes of the first season. Here, the series is trying to establish itself both as a standalone series and as a supporting

38 Bradford W. Wright, Comic Book Nation: The transformation of Youth Culture in America (Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press, 2001), Preface (i). 39 Andrew A Ehritz, “From Indoctrination to Heteroglossia: The Changing Rhetorical Function of the Comic Book Superhero.” (Master thesis, Miami University, 2006), 14. 40 William W. Savage Jr., Comic Books and America, 1945-1954 (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1990), 5. 41 One of the most prominent examples is the cover of the first issue of Captain America, in 1941. Here, Captain America punches Hitler in the . See image in Appendix E. 42 William W. Savage Jr., Comic Books and America, 13.

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element in the Marvel Universe. The analysis will focus exclusively on narrative structure and character development as explained in the work of Bordwell and Thompson.43 In their approach on narrative forms, they include an analysis on a number of categories, being; Plot & Story, Cause & Effect, the use of Narration and the use of Space and Time. In addition, extra strategies regarding the study of narrative structures in series are summarized in the work of Allrath and Gymnich.44 The narrative structure, more than stylization or other cinematographic aspects, will be able to define in which way the character is constructed as a ‘negotiated’ part of a franchise and how it blends into the ‘metafranchise’ of the Marvel Universe. By focusing on narrative structures within storylines and – more general – in the world he inhibits, Spider-Man’s representation can be positioned and defined. Narrative elements concerning Spider-Man’s relationships with others or his reasons for fighting crime give insight in the way Spider-Man is positioned in Ultimate Spider-Man and in other representations in popular media. By narrowing down the analysis to these elements, there will be no need to construct an in-depth, frame by frame, analysis of every depiction of Spider-Man. Instead, it offers a more general way from which to notice the most important differences (and similarities) in the representation of Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man and other depictions of Spider-Man in popular culture. Comparisons will be made with different depictions of Spider-Man across three different media. Firstly, the original Spider-Man from the comic books. Three early comic books should be sufficient to pinpoint the change in representation from the original comic book Spider-Man with the Spider-Man from Ultimate Spider-Man. Secondly, comparisons will be made with blockbuster movies. These will consist of 1: Spider-Man, directed by . Chosen as an example of a franchised product that is less engaged in intertextual and transmedial links because it is not part of a bigger ‘metafranchise’. 2: Captain America: Civil War. Here – after a much awaited deal with Sony – Spider-Man first appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.45 This depiction of Spider-Man is part of the same, Disney owned, franchise. Lastly a connection will be made with an older animated series about Spider-Man: Spider-Man, running from 1994- 1998. These series, too, isn’t a part of an overlapping ‘metafranchise’. The first three episodes should prove sufficient to notice any differences in intertextual and transmedial references that the two Spider-Men undertake. The different representations of Spider-Man in comics, movies and animated series will

43 The analysis will be held in line with the third chapter: Narrative as a Formal System. David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson, Film Art: An Introduction (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010), 78-117. 44 Gaby Allrath and Marion Gymnich, Narrative Strategies in Television Series (Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005), 1-43. 45 Marc Graser and Brent Lang, “Spider-Man: How Sony, Marvel, Will Benefit from Unique Deal (Exclusive),”Variety Film¸ last edited February 10, 2015, accessed September 22, 2016, http://variety.com/2015/film/news/details-spider-man-appear-in-sony-and-marvel-movies- 1201429039/.

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be analysed and compared with the case study by a focus on narrative elements that define the position and development of Spider-Man. These elements – as described by Bordwell and Thompson – will follow out of a plot segmentation constructed for every object of analyzation. This will deliver an appropriate view on how the representation of Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man differs from other depictions of Spider-Man in popular culture.

3.2. Industrial Text Analysis. The second part of study within this thesis will be held in line with production studies. Derek Johnson offers a way of studying “the networked production relations of media franchising along both their structural and subjective dimensions” by suggesting different sources of information.46 These suggestions will comprise the structure of this chapter of the thesis. The analysable information, mostly in the form of online texts, can be seen as something John Caldwell coins deep industrial texts: highly self-reflexive texts that are both from and about the industry.47 Caldwell rightfully distinguishes relations on the level of industry in the production of culture. According to Johnson: “Caldwell recognizes (…) the multiple production communities labouring under the sign of a franchise, contrary to assumptions about the industrial homogeneity behind such monolithic brands.”48 The crucial elements that define the workings of media franchising that are overlooked by both Jenkins and Parody, are being taken into account by Caldwell in his method on studying ‘the industry’ behind the production of culture. These self-reflexive texts come in different forms and usually need to be examined in relation to other sources. First and foremost, information will be obtained by analysing deep texts which include online secondary interviews – interviews given in an industrial context, like in webmagazines concerning comic book adaptations in film – and articles about the series or the social actors in the production of the series, like voice actors, animators or producers. These ‘agents of cultural production’ and their information about the case study Ultimate Spider-Man can be found on websites about the industrial production of culture, like Collider, Screenrant, Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter, and will be studied until saturation. These sources will be the starting point of the industrial part of the study in this thesis. Additional information will be obtained through more formal sources like online newspaper articles, press releases and business agreements concerning the animated series. These deep industrial texts are paramount for creating a blueprint of the cultural, social and economic relations that play a part in the case study and they will, equally important, give a clue on how the relations in power are organized.

46 Johnson, Media Franchising, 17. 47 John Thornton Caldwell, Production Culture: Industrial Reflexivity and Critical Practice in Film and Television, (Durham: Duke University Press, 2008), 384. 48 Johnson, Media Franchising, 15.

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Because of the inability to directly interview people working in the industrial site of cultural production, by both restrictions in time and access, I will instead focus on these online, written industrial texts. Although these secondary interviews are subjective, sometimes even written as promotion for the object of analyzation, this is an unavoidable flaw of this method, as it is the only way of getting information about the workings of the industrial site of the production and reproduction of culture. When studying social relations within industrial culture, subjectivity within the research is inevitable. By relating the textual and industrial sources with the case study, I should be able to identify the negotiated, ‘franchised’ causes which led to the representation of Spider-Man as constructed in Ultimate Spider-Man. In doing so, I will be able to conclude if this representation compromises the essential historical and social functions of the superhero Spider-Man.

4. Textual Analysis of the Representation of Spider-Man in Popular Culture.

Analysis of narrative structures concerning the character Spider-Man in multiple media will lay bare the differences in representation. It will give the reimagination of the character Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man a describable form. The following analysis will focus on a number of elements that, together, define the narrative structure of the superhero story in popular culture. Plot segmentations of different narratives concerning the character Spider-Man across media will make these elements distinguishable. As explained in the methodology, the textual analysis will revolve around the Spider-Man from Ultimate Spider-Man. This representation will subsequently be related to 1: the ‘base’ Spider-Man from early comic books (1962-), 2: Spider- Man representations in blockbuster movies like Spider-Man (2002) and Captain America: Civil War (2016) and finally, 3: the representation of Spider-Man in Spider-Man, the animated series (1994). To understand how the representation of Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man differs from other depictions, several questions must be addressed. For instance, how does this representation act different? Does the Spider-Man from Ultimate Spider-Man approach people and problems in another way? Does his development differ and does he take in a different place in his world? Any concluding reasons for these changes will not follow out of the current analysis, instead, a closer look at possible reasons for these differences will be taken in chapter five. The different depictions will undergo the same general analyzation strategy. This global, general way of looking at plot structure and character development will open the doors to transmedial comparisons. The objects of analyzation will undergo plot segmentations, which are

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visualized in the appendix.49 The textual analysis will refer to the appendix frequently.50 From these plot segmentations the following narrative elements will be distinguishable: causality, the use of time and space, plot development and the use of narration. The structure of this analysis will be as following: firstly, the case study will be analysed in terms of each element of narrative structure. Secondly, the ‘base’ Spider-Man from the comic books, the Spider-Man from blockbuster movies and the Spider-Man from an earlier animated series will be related on every element. In addition, extra differences found in narrative structures will be discussed in this part of the chapter. Finally, the most important differences in the representation of Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man and Spider-Man in other depictions will be summarized and addressed in an orderly manner.

4.1. Ultimate Spider-Man’s Narrative Structure. Ultimate Spider-Man uses a narrative form in a style that is comparable to the Classical Hollywood Cinema. It is something Bordwell and Thompson describe as the dominant mode; a mode based on ‘the assumptions that the action will spring primarily from individual characters as causal agents’.51 Ultimate Spider-Man revolves around Peter Parker/Spider-Man but it relies heavily on other characters and transmedial connections, as this analysis will show. The following sections will present the differences in representation of Spider-Man between the case study and other depictions of Spider-Man in popular culture, based on narrative elements.

4.1.1. Causality. Ultimate Spider-Man’s causality isn’t based solely on Spider-Man. There are other characters that events to happen. Because Spider-Man is acting on behalf of a S.H.I.E.L.D.-division consisting of a team of superheroes, he is not always the one controlling the direction in the stories. In episode five, The attacks Spider-Man in order to get to Iron Man (F5-6f), in episode seven, the Hulk interferes with an interview Spider-Man is giving to Mary Jane (F7- 1c), and in episode nine, Danny Rand/ activates an ancient runestone, summoning an ice giant from a different world (F9-1c). The characters that cause ‘something’ to happen are not restricted to just one or two individuals. Spider-Man indisputably fulfils the main causal role as the series main character, but causality in Ultimate Spider-Man takes on different forms as well. Villains in the form of Doctor Octavius and provide season-long adversaries to

49 These analyses will be based on the narrative structure analysis by Bordwell and Thompson. The systematic plot segmentation can be found in the appendix. For the case study see appendix F, for comics appendix G, for the movie Spider-Man see appendix H, for the movie Captain America: Civil War see appendix I and for the animated series Spider-Man see appendix J. 50 The referral (F1-1a) is to be read as following: The capital letter refers to the appendix, the following number refers to the episode or the specific comic book, the number after the hyphen is the number of the specific scene and the last letter represents the sub-scene as fragmented in the plot segmentation. (F1-1a) consequentially stands for Ultimate Spider-Man episode one, scene one, sub-scene a. 51 Bordwell and Thompson, Film Art, 103.

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Spider-Man. They are not defeated in a single episode and their schemes linger longer than episodic story arcs. In episodes one, two, four, six and eight these villains play a role as a supervising factor. A factor that in episode four even leads to the birth of a new villain: , as Doctor Octavius modifies a Spider-Man blood sample (F4-3c). As these examples show, there are multiple sources in Ultimate Spider-Man that cause events to happen. This differs to a certain degree with Spider-Man in other depictions. In comic books, like Spider-Man’s in Amazing Fantasy #15, Spider-Man is the only leading cause for events to happen. There are examples where he is dragged in action because of an evil scheme from a villainous person (G3-3c, G3-5b), but he is almost never a bystander who gets caught in the action, in contrast with the Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man, for instance when Spider- Man finds his body switched with in episode ten (F10-4c). The involvement of Spider- Man in comic book representations takes place out of free will. The same goes for the blockbuster Spider-Man from Spider-Man (2002), he is never a bystander. The only moment he seems to act this way is the moment he finds his shot down. This moment, however, functions as his main source of motivation for a life of fighting crime (H-10a). The causal relations in this film are somewhat more variable, as the full length film takes its time to explain what drives certain characters. Because of this, causal roles, here, are also given to Mary Jane, Harry and Norman Osborn. The Spider-Man from the film Captain America: Civil War (2016) shows more resemblance to the Spider-Man from Ultimate Spider-Man. Here, Spider-Man is a character that is dragged in a larger problem. Where being a part of S.H.I.E.L.D. is remarkably comparable to being a part of a team of superheroes that consists of Iron Man, Vision, Black Panther and Black Widow (I-2c). The causality here lies not with Spider-Man as he is not the protagonist of the film and is instead a supporting character. This leaves the causality in Spider- Man; the animated series (1994-1998). This depiction of Spider-Man follows the causal patterns from the comic books closely. Spider-Man is the main source of causal material for the narrative. Sometimes people close to Spider-Man cause events to happen, but once again, Spider-Man almost always has an active role in the narrative and seldom is a bystander.

4.1.2. Time. The use of time and space in Ultimate Spider-Man is consistent to that of the Classic Hollywood Cinema. Periods of time that are uninteresting for the development of the plot are omitted. The narrative is usually presented in a chronological matter. There are a few scenes – especially in the first episode – that represent a time in the past, or a character reminiscent of a past event (F1-3b, F1-5a, F1-5c). Other times a flashback is given to update the viewer on accounts that took place prior to the current episode (F2-4b), in some cases flashbacks are used to provide background information important to the narrative (F6-3c, F9-3d). Customarily used in television series, Ultimate Spider-Man also makes frequent use of ellipses, time between

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episodes can vary from days to weeks to months and the same applies to time within episodes, whereas the narrative sometimes skips a substantial amount of time to proceed with the plot. The use of time and space in Ultimate Spider-Man is quite comparable to the other depictions of Spider-Man in popular culture. Comic books follow the same logic of omitting time. The main difference here is the use of ‘situating text boxes’ in the corner of panels to provide the reader with extra information regarding the current time and space. These differences can easily be explained as characteristics inherent to the medium. Narratively speaking there are little differences in the use of time and space. Like Ultimate Spider-Man, here too, there is a frequent use of cutaways to indicate a new scene taking place in a different location, many of which do not require additional information via text boxes. Logically, time and space in blockbuster productions also follow the pattern of the Classical Hollywood Cinema. Occasionally, there is an additional flashback to provide the viewer extra information, but generally events are ordered in a chronological manner. Spider-Man; the animated series, too, follows this same logic.

4.1.3. Plot Development. There are several ways that plot development in Ultimate Spider-Man relies on the viewer for making connections and taking certain aspects of motivation for granted. The most frequently used narrative build-up in Ultimate Spider-Man requires the viewer to assume and comprehend the motivation of the protagonist and the most important other characters. So when Spider-Man and his team enter S.H.I.E.L.D.-aircrafts after a discussion on the number one of the most wanted list of S.H.I.E.L.D., the viewer can make sense that the next step will be flying to (F3-3b). The motivation for Spider-Man to prove himself to , the rest of the team and director Fury, is enough to form a logical narrative. Personal problems and conflicts lead to narrative progress. As time is usually presented chronologically, plot development, in general, is based upon motivation of either Spider-Man, his allies or his adversaries. The bickering between Nova and Spider-Man that forms the narrative in episode three, ultimately needs to be addressed to give the viewer a form of closure. This relief of narrative expectations – closure – is once again, in line with Classical Hollywood Cinema. Often based on motivation, each episode has a form of closure towards . In this particular example, a ‘team-talk’ given by Spider- Man incites Nova to sacrifice himself for the team by flying in a laser beam to stop Doctor Doom (F3-5c). These elements of closure are usually episodically, leaving room for season-long motivational development for both Spider-Man and his adversaries. For example, Norman Osborn’s goal to capture or destroy Spider-Man is not met in any episode, but it does form a seasonal narrative motivation. The lack of definite closure for this example is understandable as a characteristic of narrative form in TV series.52 Although these umbrella forms of motivation

52 Allrath and Gymnich, Narrative Strategies in Television Series, 3.

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exist in the series, every episode has some sort of closure, be it defeating an enemy (F4-4k, F5- 7e, F6-5k, F7-5i, F8-7l, F9-6e), agreeing to a deal (F1-6e, F2-7d), or switching back to the right body and mind (F10-5a). Plot development is dependent on narrative-specific motivation and is therefore difficult to compare across medial story arcs. However, motivation is given by certain characters and because of certain character traits. These characters and traits will allow comparison. As explained in the causality section, the Spider-Man in comic books is the main source of causal effects. His motivation takes up a large account of the progression of the narrative, in contrast to a substantial amount of narrative progress that is the result of the motivation of others in Ultimate Spider-Man. As is the case when Mary Jane sets out to film a rampaging Hulk (F7-1c) or when Thor takes the team to to battle (F9-3e). Again, the only depiction that is seemingly parallel on not centring fully on Spider-Man’s motivation, is the Spider-Man from the blockbuster film Captain America: Civil War. Because the main characters here are Captain America and Iron Man, Spider-Man’s motivation does not account for a large segment of plot development. Another difference in reasons for plot development is the attitude of Spider-Man, which differs from comic books and other depictions. In Ultimate Spider-Man, Spider-Man bickers with teammates which causes narrative progress (F3-3a), is clumsy, arrogant and hard-headed in his use of a new armour (F5-6b) and his rich social life leaves isolated and easily susceptible for Venom (F8-6c). The Spider-Man from The Amazing Spider-Man comic book series aspires to be the perfect hero, but fails when not being able to balance his personal life with his life as a superhero. This version constantly tries to do the right thing, but by doing so, others get hurt in the progress. Instead of being clumsy, hard-headed or arrogant, this Spider-Man rather is a frequent recipient of bad luck. As is the case when Spider-Man sets out to save J. Jonah Jameson’s son from an unguidable capsule (G2-4e), just to find out that after saving John, he is the one blamed for the malfunctioning capsule, resulting in a reward for his capture (G2-5c). The representation in the film Spider-Man follows a similar pattern of a character trying to be the best superhero he can be. Here he is also more of a social outcast, being picked on by groups (H-1a) instead of just a singular person in the form of (F1-5d). The animated series Spider-Man shows another difference that resonates with the other depictions excluding the representation in Ultimate Spider-Man, concerning the intelligence of Peter Parker. Here, he assists doctor Connors in a groundbreaking DNA experiment (J1-6d), contrasting the goofy, even dumb Peter Parker from Ultimate Spider-Man. Contrastingly, here, when contemplating the anatomy of the organism Venom, the series deems it necessary to stop time and explicitly articulate that Peter is, in fact, a ‘science geek’ (F4-4g), possibly because of his conflicting attitude and behaviour.

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4.1.4. Narration. Peter Parker, in both his role as high school student and as Spider-Man, regularly breaks the fourth wall by updating the viewer on current affairs, backgrounds on characters or to deliver a pun or other sort of joke (F1-1a, F1-1c, F3-1a, F4-3b, F9-1b), which is not a characteristic of Spider-Man in its history as a comic book character.53 The breaking of the fourth wall is neither something new in cinema nor in comic books. Within Marvel properties, this awareness of being part of a story is a skill usually attributed to the anti-hero . The use of breaking the fourth wall, stopping time to explain the viewer what is happening, gives the character Spider- Man a certain authority, as it is both part of and above the narrative. This omnipotence of the character complicates the possibility for identification, as this Spider-Man has different ways of processing his thoughts in the world by even stopping time. The implementation of this form of narration can also be explained positively, as studies confirm audiences prefer the breaking of the fourth in comedies as opposed to comedies that do not use this method of narration.54 In addition to breaking the fourth wall, Ultimate Spider-Man uses more conventional methods of narration, by complementing the visuals with regular voiceovers of the protagonist and the use of voicing thoughts. The difference here is restricted to the breaking of the fourth wall by the character Spider-Man. In his adventures in comics this does not happen. He does voice his thoughts – sometimes out loud as a regular text balloon and sometimes as thoughts via a ‘dotted’ thought balloon – and in some occasions his thoughts are interpreted or outspoken by a narrating entity (G1-10). In the film Spider-Man the main protagonist narrates the beginning and ending of the movie, closely resembling a character that is lifted above the narrative. This particular use of narration however, can be filed under cinematographic stylizations, as it is not irregular for a film to start and end using this method. Additionally, time does not stop and the character is not visible on screen and hence makes no direct contact with the spectator. The more conventional methods of narration, like the voicing of thoughts, are also applied in this representation of Spider-Man. Spider-Man; the animated series, in spite of using the same medium of television, does not break the fourth wall. As mentioned earlier, this representation of Spider-Man is closely based on the source material of the comic books and therefore uses only the general methods of narration.

4.1.5. Other. While the decision to compare the animated series Ultimate Spider-Man with the comic book series of The Amazing Spider-Man in this thesis is based on the possibility of noting differences

53 Michael R. Lavin, “A Librarian’s Guide to Marvel Comics,” Serial Review 24, No. 2 (1998): 52-54. 54 Philip J. Auter and Donald . Davis, “When Characters Speak Directly to Viewers: Breaking the Fourth Wall in Television,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 68, no. 1-2 (1991): 165-171.

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with the ‘base’ or ‘original’ Spider-Man depiction, it must be noted that the Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man is partially based on the more recent eponymous comic book series. In this comic book series, Peter Parker is younger and has frequent interaction with other, more recent, superheroes. The reimagined version of Spider-Man from the animated Ultimate Spider-Man series, and to a larger extend his world, are not fully incorporated from the eponymous comic book titles. For example, the targeted audience differs to a large degree; an issue that will be addressed in the next chapter. On top of that, the animated series Ultimate Spider-Man does not only base its main character and its world on the comic book world, but also on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While the appearance of other franchises in Spider-Man’s world takes place as soon as the first edition of The Amazing Spider-Man comics back in 1962, these transmedial links are inherently different, as they refer explicitly to the Cinematic Universe instead of certain characters. In the animated series Ultimate Spider-Man, the series-long depiction of Nick Fury is based on Samuel L. Jackson’s portrayal of the character.55 Hereby gaining value and recognition out of the immensely successful filmic world. These transmedial links can also be narratively connected, as is the case when Spider-Man explains that Tony Stark once escaped captivity by building the first version of his Iron Man suit (F5-3b). This is a direct animated copy of a scene of the 2008 live- action film Iron Man.56 These examples show that the representation of Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man ‘leans’ on the metafranchise of the Marvel (Cinematic) Universe in both a narrative and a representational way.

4.2. The Differences in Representation. Generally, the animated series Ultimate Spider-Man uses a narrative form describable as the Classic Hollywood Cinema. The series revolves around the protagonist Peter Parker/Spider-Man and has a chronological use of time and space, not regarding the occasional flashback. It bases its plot development around motivation, addresses this by implementing forms of closure and the series uses generally accepted forms of narration like voiceovers. In the use of some narrative elements, Ultimate Spider-Man differs from both the Classical Hollywood Cinema as other media products that regard Spider-Man. Firstly, the causality in the series is attributed to a multitude of characters, where other cultural productions of Spider-Man only attribute causal roles to the main protagonist and a select group of other characters. Causal roles in Ultimate Spider-Man take on many forms. This focus on a multitude of characters leads to additional differences in plot development. Like many films

55 See appendix K. Earlier depictions of Nick Fury are based on a totally different appearance of the character. At one point, the character has even been portrayed by David Hasselhoff in the 1998 film Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. 56 See appendix L. Considering the timeframe for this thesis, the movie Iron Man was not segmented in the appendix.

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within the Classical Hollywood Cinema narrative form, plot development in Ultimate Spider-Man is often based on the personal motivation of the characters involved. Because there are many characters in Ultimate Spider-Man that force events to happen, Spider-Man is ever more a bystander in a series that carries his name. On top of that, character traits that distinct the Ultimate Spider-Man Spider-Man from other depictions, like his arrogance and hard-headedness, form a substantial part of the narrative in the series. A difference that could compromise the functionality of the superhero Spider-Man is the series’ use of the breaking of the fourth wall. In doing so, the character Spider-Man lifts himself above the story. With the protagonist now holding some sort of authority, this influences the possibility to identify with the character. It redefines attributes of the character Spider-Man in unprecedented ways, increasingly drifting away from the historical essence of the superhero. Lastly, the series gain additional value out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sometimes this happens only representational, basing characters on depictions from the corresponding films. Other times, these transmedial links fulfil a narrative function. These transmedial links enrich the series while, at the same time, undermine the exploration of character depth of the main protagonist.

5. Analysis of the Industrial Practice of Franchising.

As explained in the methodological section, this chapter will analyse industrial relations, communication and goals, forming the production of the case study, by means of studying deep industrial texts. While looking at the reimagination of the character Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man, this chapter analyses the industrial causes for the differences found in chapter four. It will do so by focusing on texts made for and made by the industry of cultural production. Sources in the form of webmagazines like Collider, Newsarama and Variety provide information by interviewing social agents active in the industry of cultural production. These online webmagazines feature interviews with producers, writers and voice actors that will contribute to an understanding of the industrial relations that constructed Ultimate Spider-Man. These comparable webmagazines will be studied until saturation, from the moment of the announcement of the production of the series in late 2011 until the cancellation of the series in October 2016. Regarding the timeframe for this thesis and the lack of possibilities to directly interview individuals connected to the case study, all analysable texts are found online. Firstly, this chapter will situate the origin of the series based on industrial relations. After that, initial goals implored by different actors on the industrial ladder of cultural production will guide the analysis through the differences in representation found in the previous chapter. These deep texts from which representational changes in the appearance of

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Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man can be explained will be held in context of industrial relations and corresponding relations in power. In doing so, this analysis will give insight in how industrial relations – and negotiations and expectations from those relations – form a representation of Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man.

5.1. Situating Ultimate Spider-Man. Before looking at the industrial factors that made Ultimate Spider-Man the show that it is – with its own representation of Spider-Man – I’ll first look at how it came to be. For a clash of industrial forces are at the heart of the forming of Ultimate Spider-Man, as this first look at industrial relations will show. As mentioned before in this thesis, Ultimate Spider-Man began in 2012, after the Marvel- Disney merger. At the time of the merger, another animated series about Spider-Man, The Spectacular Spider-Man, was already running, receiving public and critical acclaim. IMDb rated the series an average of 8.1 out of 10 – contrasting the 7.2 review for Ultimate Spider-Man.57 The series was cancelled after the second season, leaving fans puzzled. Unfortunate circumstances proved for impossible industrial relations. Or as fans would call the situation: a bad case of ‘Peter Parker luck’. Greg Weisman, supervising producer on the series, explains the cancellation of Spectacular Spider-Man on his personal forum AskGreg: “Marvel DIDN’T cancel it. It’s all very complicated, and we were certainly the recipients of bad corporate luck, but no single company cancelled the series. We just wound up with a situation where no single company could proceed with it.”58 Weisman explains that in exchange for Sony to keep hold on their Spider-Man license for live action films, the animated rights for the character were reverted to Marvel. This was a direct consequence for Sony Pictures for failing to live up to earlier license agreements with Marvel when a deadline for the movie Spider-Man 4 was not met. Director Sam Raimi pulled out of the production for the movie after differences in opinion about the strength of the .59 The following ‘production gap’ – in which Sony Pictures did not produce Spider-Man movies – violated the license agreement, which resulted in a renegotiation of Spider-Man licenses, reverting the animation rights back to Marvel, and a reboot of Spider-Man on the big screen: Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man, starring Andrew Garfield. But because the design, storyline

57 “The Spectacular Spider-Man,” IMDb, accessed October 13, 2016, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0976192/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt. “Ultimate Spider-Man,” IMDb, accessed October 13, 2016, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1722512/?ref_=nv_sr_1. 58 Greg Weisman, “Michael J. Eilen Writes…,” Ask Greg, last modified February 9, 2012, accessed October 13, 2016, http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=14223. 59 Finke and Mike Fleming Jr., “Exclusive: ‘Spider-Man 4’ Scrapped; Sam Raimi & Tobey Maguire & Cast Out; Franchise Reboot for 2012,” Deadline – Hollywood, last modified January 11, 2010, accessed October 14, 2016, http://deadline.com/2010/01/urgent-spider-man-4-scrapped-as-is-raimi-and-cast- out-franchise-reboot-planned-21993/.

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and other properties of Spectacular Spider-Man were all owned by Sony, Disney’s Marvel could not continue the series unless it licensed it back from Sony. Weisman explains: “You can imagine how unlikely THAT scenario was. Marvel finally gets the rights back to do an animated version of their marquee character, and they have to pay Sony to do it instead of just starting from scratch. That was never going to happen.”60 Instead, Marvel created a new series, one in which they were free to form their own version of Spider-Man. A version that could be easily imbedded in their metafranchise of the Marvel Universe.

5.2. An Uncoherent Web of Industrial Goals. From the moment the animated series Ultimate Spider-Man was announced, expectations were high. This was mainly based on the persons – a vast amount of successful individuals in the animation industry and within the Marvel company – assigned to contribute to the series. As executive producer for Ultimate Spider-Man and head of , explains in an interview with Collider that the construction of the creative team separates Ultimate Spider- Man from other cultural productions based on the character Spider-Man: “up until this point, any of the animated series that had been done, a lot of people don’t realize it, but they weren’t done by Marvel for Marvel”.61 Although acting as a subsidiary under the wing of Disney, this argument holds its ground. As explained in the previous section, this production was, from the moment of its conception, fully in the hands of Marvel. Deplorable in a way seemed right. This mirage of consensus on an industrial level, however, does not mean there is no level of negotiation in the production of the series. Neither does it mean that a product that is produced by a ‘rightful’ owner that consists of individuals that are familiar with the franchise, has decennia-long experience, and that uses an iconic character in an iconic world, is automatically successful. As it turned out, the reception for Ultimate Spider-Man was lukewarm, not fulfilling the initial anticipation of a ‘Marvel-series produced by Marvel’. The high expectations based on the fact that specific individuals with authority and experience in the industry were assigned to this project, proved hard to meet. When looking at industrial relations, the failure of Ultimate Spider- Man to fully live up to these expectations can be explained. From an industrial level, several goals sprung to life with the creation of Ultimate Spider- Man. The series subsequently seems to struggle between three different and contradicting goals. Firstly, the series tries to gain value by putting in source material. It bases Ultimate Spider-Man’s Spider-Man on the representation of the eponymous comic book title, an alternative comic book

60 Greg Weisman, “Michael J. Eilen Writes…,” Ask Greg. 61 Christina Radish, “Executive Producers Jeph Loeb and talk Disney XD Series ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, THE AVENGERS: EARTH’S MIGHTIEST HEROES and More,” Collider, last modified March 12, 2012, accessed November 17, 2016, http://collider.com/jeph-loeb-joe-quesada-ultimate-spider-man- interview/.

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series to The Amazing Spider-Man. Here, Spider-Man is younger and the storyline is ‘all about weaving together decades of Spidey continuity in a more coherent way,’ as is explained by Rob Leane, author for Den of Geek, a webmagazine specialized in reviews of comic books, among others.62 Secondly, the series tries to immerse itself within the Marvel Universe. This seems to parallel the Ultimate Spider-Man comic book series depiction, as Spider-Man is even more a part of a superhero world than he is in the Amazing Spider-Man comic book series. When looking closer, this immersion is taken to such a level that it conflicts with the first goal of basing the character on the Ultimate Spider-Man comic books depiction. The character in the animated series almost immediately leads a group of superheroes, is a direct part of S.H.I.E.L.D., and shows several other traits that divert from the comic book series, but are instead implemented to further immerse the viewer in the Marvel Universe. Joe Quesada, of Marvel Entertainment, in an interview with Newsarama, explains that there were initial goals, like the team aspect, altering the representation in Ultimate Spider-Man: “That was part of the challenge that was given to us before we even started. [Marvel executive vice president] challenged us [Quesada and Loeb] to do a different kind of Spider-Man story; a Spider-Man story that involved Peter and Spider-Man, as far as a team aspect, and get tech involved (…)”63 Ultimate Spider-Man has alternatively been dubbed as the start of the so called ‘ Universe’ paralleling the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the gained value taken out of the Cinematic Universe, as explained in the previous chapter, sets aside this parallel universe explanation. This discrepancy makes transmedial connections extra confusing, as, for example, the Luke Cage from Ultimate Spider-Man is a young teenager, whilst the Luke Cage from the Netflix series Jessica Jones and Luke Cage – portrayed by – is an adult. This Luke Cage engages in sexual relations and is preoccupied with darker aspects of life, making the character entirely different from the Luke Cage in Ultimate Spider-Man.64 Confusingly, Agent – a character from the Cinematic Universe – makes his appearance in Ultimate Spider-Man as the principle of the high school Peter attends. Coulson’s voice actor is Clark Gregg, the same actor who portrays the character in the Cinematic Universe. In an interview with Collider he addresses the difference between the two Coulsons: “I can’t imagine a live-action film where he’s Principle

62 Rob Leane, “How Will Ultimate Spider-Man Influence the New Marvel Movie,” Denofgeek, last modified November 15, 2015, accessed November 16, 2016, http://www.denofgeek.com/us/books-comics/spider- man/250507/how-will-ultimate-spider-man-influence-the-new-marvel-movie. 63 Albert Ching, “Quesada and Loeb Attempt the ‘ULTIMATE’ Animated SPIDER-MAN,” Newsarama, last modified March 20, 2012, accessed November 17, 2016, http://www.newsarama.com/9254-quesada- loeb-attempt-the-ultimate-animated-spider-man.html. 64 The same applies for the character Danny Rand in the upcoming Netflix series: Iron Fist.

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Coulson (…). It just feels sillier than that.”65 So, the same character, voiced by the same actor, visually based on the Cinematic Universe representation – precisely like Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury – fulfils a role so different, that the actor in question cannot imagine it. Additionally, character traits of Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man discussed in chapter four that do not parallel other depictions of Spider-Man in popular culture are hindering the possibility for identification. Joe Quesada, in an interview with Collider, states the following: “(…) the reason that he [Spider-Man] is so universally loved and so iconic, after all these years, is because you see him as a character you aspire to be.”66 Quesada directly follows this up with the next contradicting statement: “I [the viewer] could be Spider-Man. (…) He’s so much like me”.67 Here, there are two different Spider-Men Quesada refers to. The first statement refers to the iconic and historical essence of Spider-Man – as a character you aspire to, a character you would like to be. Something that is based on his drive to do the right thing even when everything and everyone is working against him. A motivation and of character that is more recognizably present in the other depictions of Spider-Man discussed in chapter four. The second statement refers to the Spider-Man from the animated Ultimate Spider-Man series. This goofier, more flawed character acts less as a superhero and is in that perspective a relatable character. This discrepancy in referrals reflects the difference between aspiring to be someone and recognizing yourself in someone, which are two different matters. Finally and perhaps most counter effectively, the series tries to fit in the Disney-slot. As being a part of the Marvel-block on Disney XD, together with the animated series Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the series addresses a young audience and is sculpted to support – or at least not to refute – Disney values. Fitting in with the Disney demographic unlocks the possibility to promote other properties of the Marvel Universe, when introduced in Ultimate Spider-Man, to a new audience. Considering benefits on a higher industrial level, Disney also flourishes when a completely different audience is introduced to the Marvel franchises, a strategy that is exemplified by an unconventional intertextual connection concerning Ultimate Spider-Man. In season three, episode 21, the animated series crosses over with the live-action tween sitcom Jessie – a Hannah -like program. The episode marks the first between a Marvel property and a Disney Channel live-action series.68 This result of decision making on an industrial level resonates with the age the series is aiming for. A crossover like this introduces

65 Christina Radish, “Clark Gregg Talks Disney XD Series ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN and Viewing a Recent Cut of THE AVENGERS,” Collider, last modified March 28, 2012, accessed November 18, 2016, http://collider.com/clark-gregg-ultimate-spider-man-interview/. 66 Radish, “Executive Producers Jeph Loeb and Joe Quesada talk Disney XD Series ULTIMATE SPIDER- MAN, THE AVENGERS: EARTH’S MIGHTIEST HEROES and More,” Collider. 67 Ibid. 68 Linda Ge, “‘Jessie’ Stars Get Animated for ‘Ultimate Spider-Man’ Crossover (Exclusive Photo’s),” The Wrap, last modified October 9, 2014, accessed November 17, 2016, http://www.thewrap.com/jessie-cast- gets-animated-for-ultimate-spider-man-crossover-exclusive-photos/.

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young girls to Ultimate Spider-Man and, vice versa, introduces young boys to a sitcom like Jessie. More aspects of Ultimate Spider-Man, like the lack of romance in the plot of the series, can likely be attributed to the targeted demographic of younger boys. Consulting producer , who also wrote a vast amount of issues for the Ultimate Spider-Man comic books, worked on the tenth episode of the first season of the animated Ultimate Spider-Man series, titled: Freaky. This particular episode is – unlike the majority of the series – almost entirely based on comic book lore. A source Bendis actively contributed to. When addressing the critique of being overly focused on younger viewers, neglecting a ‘truthful’ retelling of the comic book depiction, Bendis states: “I don’t know what to say – you know, you’re watching Disney XD. It’s not on Showtime. (…) It’s for kids. We’re thinking of them while we write it.”69 When ‘translating’ the source material to appease a younger audience, some of the essence of both the story as the character Spider-Man ends up lost in the void. While it may very well meet with the initial industrial goal of reaching and inspiring a younger audience, it may, equally likely, cause a dissolving of the functionality of the superhero Spider-Man, as the character loses an important part of its relatability. Ultimate Spider-Man, then, risks using the character Spider-Man solely as an , a highly recognizable superhero stripped from his historical and social functionality and success.

5.3. Discontinuity of Ultimate Spider-Man: the Vicious Circle of Industrial Relations. From an industrial point of view, it seems contradictory that the animated series Spectacular Spider-Man, preceding Ultimate Spider-Man, received more fan- and critical acclaim. The former lacking both the of the immense Disney audience as the fundamentals of the production, it being a ‘Marvel for Marvel’ production. Not even the expertise from Hollywood producers, storywriters that previously worked on other Spider-Man properties – like Bendis – nor the contribution of other industrial Marvel-magnates like Alan Fine, Jeph Loeb or Joe Quesada lifted Ultimate Spider-Man to a truly top-level animated series. Even the contribution of Man of Action – a creative studio and writers collective with numerous successful animated series to its name – and , who worked on one of the world’s most highly acclaimed animated series, Batman: The Animated Series, could not lift the series to a higher level. For comparison: Dini’s Batman: The Animated Series, ranks number six on the IMDb list for highest rated animation TV series, with an average score of 9.0.70 Although hardly considerable a failure, the 180th place for

69 Albert Ching, “Bendis to ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN Viewers: ‘It’s For Kids’,” Newsarama, last modified June 14, 2012, accessed November 17, 2016, http://www.newsarama.com/9670-bendis-to-ultimate- spider-man-viewers-it-s-for-kids.html. 70 “Highest Rated Animation TV Series/TV Mini-Series With At Least 5000 Votes,” IMDb, accessed November 16, 2016,

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Ultimate Spider-Man is somewhat modest considering the economical and industrial investments in the series.71 In early October 2016, the cancellation of Ultimate Spider-Man was announced in a Disney press release. Although the series ‘had reached 51 million total views across the United States’ and ‘was among Disney XD’s top 5 animated series in key targeted boy demographics’, Disney deemed it in their interest to reboot the franchise once again.72 They immediately announced a replacing animated series based on Spider-Man, titled: Marvel’s Spider-Man, which will premiere in 2017.73 Not much information has been given on the exact reasons for the cancellation nor about the content of the upcoming Marvel’s Spider-Man. However, Cort Lane, senior vice president of Marvel Animation and Family Entertainment, has stated: “The simple title reflects to a back-to-basics approach.”74 The new animated series will focus on a teenager that is still figuring out his transformation and his road to become a superhero. Although this description could also be applied to the animated Ultimate Spider-Man series, it is very likely that the new series will try to tie-in with the upcoming film Spider-Man: Homecoming. As for now, no further industrial information about this is available, given the recentness of the cancellation. But when taking in account the effort that is put in Ultimate Spider-Man and the potential of a connection with an upcoming film, it seems a safe that changing industrial relations are at the heart of the cancellation of Ultimate Spider-Man. The future will provide answers, but this might just become another example of the workings of media franchising, where changing industrial relations lead to renewed negotiations and the consequential reproduction of culture.

5.4. Differences based on Relations in the Industry. Ultimate Spider-Man represents the first animation series made and produced by Marvel. Or, as Loeb describes it, the first ‘Marvel for Marvel’ production. The freedom to base the character Spider-Man and his world on multiple sources seems to result in a Frankenstein-like representation of the superhero. The implementation of material from the Ultimate Spider-Man comic book series, the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the addition of new characteristics

http://www.imdb.com/search/title?genres=animation&title_type=tv_series,mini_series&num_votes=500 0,&pf_rd_m=A2FGELUUNOQJNL&pf_rd_p=2295992002&pf_rd_r=18V29NSPSG93TTZRKDPS&pf_rd_s=righ t-6&pf_rd_t=15506&pf_rd_i=toptv&sort=user_rating,desc&page=4&ref_=adv_nxt. 71 “Highest Rated Animation TV Series/TV Mini-Series With At Least 5000 Votes,” IMDb. 72 John Ventura, “Disney XD’s Ultimate Spider-Man Bids Goodbye With ‘Graduation Day’; New Spider-Man Title Set for 2017,” Parent Herald, last modified October 11, 2016, accessed November 19, 2016, http://www.parentherald.com/articles/72752/20161011/disney-xd-s-ultimate-spider-man-bids- goodbye-with-graduation-day-new-spider-man-title-set-for-2017.htm. 73 “Ultimate Spider-Man Cancelled By Disney XD – No Season 5,” RenewCancelTV, last modified October 8, 2016, accessed November 19, 2016, http://renewcanceltv.com/ultimate-spider-man-cancelled-by-disney- xd-no-season-5/. 74 “Ultimate Spider-Man Cancelled By Disney XD – No Season 5,” RenewCancelTV.

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originating from industrial goals, result in a character that has been greatly differentiated from its original depictions. As this analysis has shown, some of those implementations are the result of a desire to gain value from other cultural products based on Spider-Man, like the addition of the character Agent Coulson, gaining value out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Changes in representation can also be explained when looking at the targeted audience. The unprecedented crossover episode which included the cast from Jessie exemplifies the industrial goal of reaching new audiences. This focus on a specific demographic subsequently leads to a censored use of source material, omitting certain characteristics from the character Spider-Man and his motivational cues, like romances. Needless to say, this influences the relatability of the character. Goals from an industrial point of view, like the inclusion of a team aspect, or the increased use of ‘tech’, need to be addressed in the production of the series. As Loeb confirms, this team aspect is something ‘they need to work with’, paving the way for an inclusion of additional characters. This increased inclusion of nodes in the ever expanding system of the Marvel Universe redefines the character Spider-Man as a Marvel Universe tour guide, introducing every appearing character to a young audience. This promotes other Marvel properties, as viewers are cued to invest their interest in other characters from the Marvel Universe, other products from Marvel, like live-action movies through transmedial references and even other Disney properties by means of crossover episodes. The correspondence concerning relatability with the character has completely shifted by the industrial goals for the animated series and the use of source material for the protagonist. Derek Johnson addresses this issue as following:

It is not direct interaction that defines the industrial communities engaged in and to some degree constituted by media franchising, but instead the communicative exchange and use of shared cultural resources.75

The manner of how value is taken out of the Marvel Universe and implemented in Ultimate Spider-Man gives insight in the negotiations made on an industrial level. Conflicting goals retraceable by statements in deep industrial texts, like transmedial links made by the series while addressing a different audience, enlighten the steps taken to come to a representation of Spider-Man which is, eventually, based on shared cultural resources. The conflicting reasons to take different values out of existing sources eventually lead to a representation that has lost a significant degree of its relatability and several character traits that made it historically successful. It seems that the series ended in the same way it began. A shift in industrial relations

75 Johnson, Media Franchising, 16.

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calls for new negotiations and the re-evaluation of cultural production, leading to the reproduction of culture. As Derek Johnson rightfully noted, media franchising is based on a constantly shifting set of industrial relations.

6. The Challenged Historical and Cultural Functionality of the Superhero Spider-Man.

The changes in representation presented in chapter four and the reasons for those changes discussed in chapter five, together lead to an understanding of the elements that challenge the historical and cultural functionalities of the superhero Spider-Man. Little is left of the ‘realness’ surrounding the character Spider-Man and his world. Ultimate Spider-Man still uses New York as its base location, but that is as far as the comparisons go. There are no ‘real world events’ represented in the series, mainly because of the targeted demographic. This results in omitting an important functionality of the character and its history, as it no longer functions as a mirror of society. It no longer addresses issues or problems in the real world, making it impossible for a younger audience to ‘perceive the world in terms they can understand’ – paraphrasing Bradford W. Wright’s words on the social functionality of superheroes. Additionally, the possibilities for identification have been altered by the representation of Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man. The Spider-Man from the animated Ultimate Spider-Man series has different character traits and lacks some of the motives compared to other depictions of Spider-Man. This different attitude changes the relatability of the character, shifting it from a character to aspire to, a character that tries to be a superhero, to a character that is recognisable as a flawed being. One could say the functionality of Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man takes a step back to represent a form of propaganda, not unlike the superheroes in the late 1930s. This time it is not propaganda for war or interventionism, it is propaganda for the Marvel Universe and the Disney empire.

7. Conclusion.

Derek Johnson’s approach to media franchising has become the focal point of this thesis. The case study Ultimate Spider-Man has served as an example of the workings of industrial relations in the production of culture. Johnson’s ideas on media franchising follow directly out of Jenkins’ work on transmedia storytelling. The main difference between the two concepts is the approach

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of franchising as more than just a product of culture. To rather see it as a set of industrial values and relations that are constantly in motion. The conducted research concerning the case study contributes to an understanding of the workings of cultural production by approaching it in terms of media franchising. This thesis set out to answer the question: In which way is the superhero Spider-Man reimagined in Ultimate Spider-Man in the context of media franchising? It has done so by combining a textual analysis with an industrial analysis. The results from those analyses led to an understanding of industrial reasons for changes in the representation of Spider-Man in the animated series Ultimate Spider-Man. It additionally led to a number of elements in Ultimate Spider-Man that challenged the historical and cultural functionalities of the superhero Spider- Man. Following the textual analysis, the representation of Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man differs on multiple accounts from other depictions of Spider-Man in popular culture. By means of plot segmentations conducted for several products of culture that concerned Spider-Man, being comic books, Hollywood film productions and an older animated series based on Spider-Man, differences were distinguishable for a number of narrative elements. Firstly, causality in Ultimate Spider-Man differs from other products regarding Spider-Man, as a multitude of characters in Ultimate Spider-Man is attributed with causal roles, contrasting the limited causal roles for characters in other depictions, where Spider-Man is often the only character causing events to happen. This multiplicity of characters leads to the second difference regarding plot development. Often based on motivation, the narrative in Ultimate Spider-Man revolves not only around Spider-Man, but also focuses on the motives of other characters from the Marvel Universe. This difference leads to an increasing number of times that Spider-Man is a bystander in his own animated series. Thirdly, character traits that distinct the Spider-Man from Ultimate Spider-Man from other depictions have narrative consequences. His stubbornness, for example, gets him in situations he would otherwise not be in. A fourth difference is based on a form of narration, as the protagonist from Ultimate Spider-Man regularly breaks the fourth wall to address the audience. This places the character both in and out of the narrative, as the awareness of being part of a story gives the character a certain form of authority. This duality further alienates the character from the audience as it complicates the possibilities for identification with Spider-Man. Lastly, the series gains additional value out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, mirroring some of the characters in Ultimate Spider-Man to characters from the Cinematic Universe. The conducted industrial analysis explains these changes in representation by focusing on industrial goals and relations. As the first ‘Marvel for Marvel’ production, the series was free to be set up as a part of the larger Marvel Universe. In addition of gaining value from the Marvel

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Universe, Ultimate Spider-Man also bases its representation of Spider-Man on the eponymous comic book titles and it additionally bases other characters on representations from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. These transmedial connections strengthen the familiarity of the series, but also cause certain elements of the series to conflict. Some characters are represented in the Marvel Universe in multiple, contrasting ways. Character traits of Spider-Man from these different sources contradict too, resulting in problems concerning the relatability of the character. Another industrial goal that causes contradiction and a difference in representation is the targeted audience. The focus on a specific demographic group inherently censors elements of source material aimed at a more adult audience. The series is broadcast on Disney XD and therefore ‘translates’ the source material to a younger audience. This also means that certain character traits and motives for Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man are omitted¸ influencing the possibilities for identification once again. Other decisions caused by industrial relations, like the inclusion of a group aspect or the increased use of tech, ultimately need to be addressed in the production of the animated series. The inclusion of extra characters paves the way for even more connections with the Marvel Universe. These industrial goals directly redefine the character Spider-Man as an introducing entity in an expanding system of franchises and transmedial connections. As a result of this and other mentioned differences in representation, the character Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man no longer fulfils his original historical and cultural functionality. As the character is no longer a character to aspire to, but has instead become a recognisable person. Spider-Man and his world no longer function as a mirror for society, but as propaganda for the Marvel Universe and the Disney empire. To a certain degree, script- and storywriters are free in their own interpretation of the character. Deviations in representation resulting from those interpretations of agents working in the industrial production of culture are merely a logical step in the system of cultural production. This can be seen as a fine example of the reproduction of culture, where the question of whether deviations from the original text are a good or a bad thing is irrelevant, as the quality of the product is ultimately defined as good or bad. A series based on Spider-Man is conceived successful and profitable or it is not. The same goes for movies or video games based on the character. This freedom of interpretation of the source, that is a part of the industrial production of culture, becomes problematical when the representation is no longer a deviation but becomes an alternate depiction, stripped from its original functionality. The great danger for a character like Spider-Man is it being end up as an empty iconic vessel to connect and introduce nodes in a complex, immensely large and ever expanding system.

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Reflectively, more results concerning the difference in representation of Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man could have been found if the study included the Ultimate Spider-Man comic book titles and more films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, increasing the possibilities to make transmedial connections. Unfortunately, the timeframe for this thesis wouldn’t allow such detailed analysis. Combining a textual analysis with an industrial analysis has proved to be a fruitful endeavour to understand the mechanisms in media franchising. As Disney is taking another new turn in their approach to franchising Spider-Man, it would be interesting to see how they represent the character in the following animated series Marvel’s Spider-Man. A study of this animated series and how it makes connections to the Marvel (Cinematic) Universe – and especially the upcoming movie Spider-Man: Homecoming – would be an excellent case study for further studying media franchising. As this thesis has shown, media franchising proves a valuable source of study. The case study shows that industrial relations are at the base of narrative elements in products of culture. Social actors, working in the industrial production, negotiate on these elements and eventually form the cultural product. This work affirms Johnson’s ideology of addressing industrial relations when studying products of culture, as it contributes to our understanding of the industry. Ultimately, this thesis has tried to prove that studying media franchising is a valuable way of understanding the culture of production and the reproduction of culture.

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McKnight, Brent. “Spider-Man Officially Hires Tom Holland And A Director.” Cinemablend. Last modified September 2015. Accessed September 16, 2016. http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Spider-Man-Officially-Hires-Tom-Holland-Director- 72189.html.

Pepose, David. “Ultimate Spider-Man: The Animated Series. Disney XD 2011.” Newsrama – Comics. Last modified April 13, 2010. Accessed October 13, 2016. http://www.newsarama.com/5075-ultimate-spider-man-the-animated-series-disney-xd- 2011.html.

Radish, Christina. “Clark Gregg Talks Disney XD Series ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN and Viewing a Recent Cut of THE AVENGERS.” Collider. Last modified March 28, 2012. Accessed November 18, 2016. http://collider.com/clark-gregg-ultimate-spider-man-interview/.

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Radish, Christina. “Executive Producers Jeph Loeb and Joe Quesada talk Disney XD Series ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, THE AVENGERS: EARTH’S MIGHTIEST HEROES and More.” Collider. Last modified March 12, 2012. Accessed November 17, 2016. http://collider.com/jeph-loeb-joe- quesada-ultimate-spider-man-interview/.

Schuker, Lauren. “Marvel Looks to Break Through.” The Wall Street Journal. Last modified May 13, 2008. Accessed February 11, 2016. http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB121331233893169713.

Szalai, George, and Paul Bond. “Disney to buy Marvel for $4 billion.” The Hollywood Reporter – Heat Vison. Last modified October 31, 2009. Accessed January 5, 2016. http://reporter.blogs.com/heat_vision_development/2009/08/disney-to-buy-marvel-for-4- billion.html.

Twelftry, Rodney. “The Marvel Cinematic Universe: How Big Can It Get?” Fernby Films. Last modified August 12, 2015. Accessed October 6, 2016. http://www.fernbyfilms.com/2015/08/12/the-marvel-cinematic-universe-how-big-can-it-get/.

Ventura, John. “Disney XD’s Ultimate Spider-Man Bids Goodbye With ‘Graduation Day’; New Spider-Man Title Set for 2017.” Parent Herald. Last modified October 11, 2016. Accessed November 19, 2016. http://www.parentherald.com/articles/72752/20161011/disney-xd-s- ultimate-spider-man-bids-goodbye-with-graduation-day-new-spider-man-title-set-for- 2017.htm.

Weisman, Greg. “Michael J. Eilen Writes…” Ask Greg. Last modified February 9, 2012. Accessed October 13, 2016. http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=14223.

“Captain America Comics Vol 1 1.” Marvel Database. Accessed October 13, 2016. http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Captain_America_Comics_Vol_1_1.

“Highest Rated Animation TV Series/TV Mini-Series With At Least 5000 Votes.” IMDb. Accessed November 16, 2016. http://www.imdb.com/search/title?genres=animation&title_type=tv_series,mini_series&num_v otes=5000,&pf_rd_m=A2FGELUUNOQJNL&pf_rd_p=2295992002&pf_rd_r=18V29NSPSG93TTZR KDPS&pf_rd_s=right- 6&pf_rd_t=15506&pf_rd_i=toptv&sort=user_rating,desc&page=4&ref_=adv_nxt.

“The Spectacular Spider-Man.” IMDb. Accessed October 13, 2016. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0976192/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt

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“Ultimate Spider-Man.” IMDb. Accessed October 13, 2016. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1722512/?ref_=nv_sr_1

“Ultimate Spider-Man Cancelled By Disney XD – No Season 5.” RenewCancelTV. Last modified October 8, 2016. Accessed November 19, 2016. http://renewcanceltv.com/ultimate-spider-man- cancelled-by-disney-xd-no-season-5/.

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Appendix.

A The Licensing of Marvel Characters in Film

The dispersion of licenses for the movie rights of Marvel characters. Note: As of 2015, Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures have negotiated a deal about the shared use of the character Spider-Man.

Source: http://comicsalliance.com/marvel-character-film-rights-infographic/

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B The Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The movies and series that make up the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in order of appearance. Missing from this image are the so called ‘Marvel One-Shots’: short movies connecting or referencing to other movies in this picture. The items ranging from Iron Fist until The Avengers : Wars, Part II (excluding ) are yet to appear.

Source: http://www.fernbyfilms.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/marvel-cinematic-universe-poster.jpg

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C Spider-Man the Outcast.

First page of Amazing Fantasy #15, introducing Spider-Man. August 1962.

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D The Intertextuality of the MCU.

The complex network of intertextuality and cross-references in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Source: http://www.christiantate.co.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/CTATE_MCU.jpg

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E First Issue of Captain America.

Captain America smacks down Hitler on the cover of the first issue of Captain America. March 1941.

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F Ultimate Spider-Man: Plot Segmentation (2012-2016).

Episode 1 – Great Power

1. New York: a. Spider-Man introduces himself. b. Spider-Man battles . c. Spider-Man explains his Spider-Senses. 2. Credit Title 3. New York: a. Nick Fury approaches Spider-Man. Flashback b. Peter Parker describes his upbringing. 4. Osborn Headquarters: Norman Osborn and Doctor Octavius hold a meeting. 5. Midtown High: Flashback a. Peter describes growing up with Mary Jane. b. MJ and Peter discuss J. Jonah Jameson. Flashback c. Peter becomes friends with Harry Osborn. d. Flash Thompson bullies Peter. e. The school gets attacked by the . f. Octavius Hideout: Dr. Octavius and Norman Osborn discuss the battle. g. Spider-Man battles the Frightful Four. h. Harry gets carried away by Norman. 6. New York: a. Jameson orders for Spider-Man’s prosecution. b. Peter’s Home: Peter arrives home to . c. Hospital: Peter visits Harry. d. Peter’s Home: Peter forgets to bring the cake. e. Spider-Man visits the S.H.I.E.L.D. . E. End credits

Episode 2 – Great Responsibility

1. S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier: a. Spider-Man battles robots to become a part of S.H.I.E.L.D. b. Fury, Power-Man, Iron Fist, and Nova watch Spider-Man fight. 2. Credit Title 3. New York: a. Spider-Man activates his parachute. b. Norman Osborn and Dr. Octavius plan to find Spider-Man. 4. Hospital: a. Peter visits Harry. Flashback b. Harry gets injured during a fight with the Frightful Four. 5. Midtown High: MJ talks to Peter about taking pictures of Spider-Man. 6. S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier: a. Spider-Man gets introduced to S.H.I.E.L.D. and Dr. Connors. b. Spider-Man rides the Spider-Bike. c. New York: Spider-Man gets saved from an accident by the superhero

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team. d. Spider-Man turns down Fury’s offer. 7. New York: a. Spider-Man gets ambushed by the Frightful Four. b. The team helps Spider-Man defeat the Frightful Four. c. Norman Osborn consults Dr. Octavius. d. S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier: Spider-Man agrees to Fury’s offer. e. Midtown High: Spider-Man meets his new teammates at school. E. End credits

Episode 3 – Doomed

1. Midtown High: 4th wall update a. Peter gives an update on the series. b. Peter attends detention with Principle Coulson. c. S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier: The team has a training. 2. Credit Title 3. S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier: a. Spider-Man and Nova bicker among themselves during training. b. The team looks for S.H.I.E.L.D.’s most wanted criminals. 4. : a. The team arrives at Doctor Doom’s country. b. The team battles robots and Doctor Doom. c. The team goes back to the helicarrier with Doctor Doom captive. 5. S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier: a. The team present Doom to Fury. b. Doom reveals himself as a robot duplicate which splits up in smaller robots that attack the helicarrier. c. The team works together to stop Doom from reaching the power core. d. The team apologizes to Fury. E. End credits

Episode 4 – Venom

1. New York: a. Subway: Spider-Man is chased by a robot on his Spider-cycle. b. Spider-Man goes to school. c. A mini-robot has obtained blood from Spider-Man. 2. Credit Title 3. Midtown High: a. Harry sneaks Peter inside school after he is late. 4th wall update b. Peter explains his difficulties with secretly being part of a team. c. Dr. Octavius hideout: Dr. Octavius discusses the blood sample with Norman Osborn. d. Peter struggles with his friend Harry feeling left out because of his team. 4. Osborn’s Home: a. Harry talks with his father about Peter.

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b. Peter and the team arrive at Harry’s party. c. Dr. Octavius Hideout: The modulated sample has escaped. d. Venom arrives and binds to Flash Thompson. e. The team battles Venom. f. Venom binds to Nova. g. Spider-Man and the team battle Venom. h. Venom binds to Power-Man. i. Venom binds to Iron Fist. j. Venom binds to Spider-Man. k. The team battles and defeats Venom. 5. Dr. Octavius Hideout: Norman Osborn praises Octavius for the work on the sample. 6. Osborn’s Home: Harry and Peter make up while Harry finds a part of Venom. E. End credits

Episode 5 – Flight of the

1. New York: a. Spider-Man is being chased by The Living Laser. b. Agent Coulson explains who Arthur Parks is. c. Iron Man appears in front of the team. 2. Credit Title 3. New York: a. Spider-Man is awestruck by Iron Man. Flashback b. Iron Man escapes from captivity. c. Spider-Man approaches the discussing Iron Man and Fury. 4. : a. Spider-Man visits Tony Stark and his inventions. b. Tony Stark offers a Spider-Armor to Spider-Man. 5. S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier: a. The team starts training without Spider-Man. b. Spider-Man arrives in his new armor. c. The team discusses the new armor. d. Fury sends the team excluding Spider-Man to battle The Living Laser 6. New York: a. Spider-Man fails to control his armor against The Living Laser. b. The team excludes Spider-Man for ineffectively using the armor. c. The Living Laser highjacks the armor with Peter inside of it. d. Iron Man and Fury debate about The Living Laser. e. Iron Spider attacks Iron Man. f. The Living Laser takes over Iron Man’s suit with Tony Stark inside of it. g. S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier: The team make up with Spider-Man and set out to battle The Living Laser. 7. Stark Industries: a. The team arrives at Stark Industries. b. The team battles Iron Man. c. Iron Spider finds a way to regain Tony Stark’s consciousness.

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d. Tony Stark kicks The Living Laser out of his Iron Man suit. e. Iron Man leads The Living Laster to a trap activated by Iron Spider. 8. S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier: a. Peter apologizes to the team. b. Peter tries on a new improved version of the Iron Spider suit. E. End credits.

Episode 6 – Why I Hate the Gym

1. New York: a. Spider-Man is chasing Batroc the Leaper across buildings. b. Dr. Octavius Hideout: Octavius hires to apprehend Spider- Man. c. White Tiger tells Spider-Man to head back to base. d. White Tiger and Spider-Man defeat Batroc the Leaper. e. Taskmaster analyses Spider-Man and comes up with a plan. 2. Credit Title 3. Midtown High: a. Peter arrives late at Midtown High. b. Peter discusses Spider-Man with Harry, MJ and Flash Thompson. Flashback c. Football Field: The gym teacher has an accident caused by Taskmaster. d. Principle Coulson presents Mr. Jaeger as a substitute teacher. e. Gym: The class plays dodgeball. f. Mr. Jaeger looks for finalists for a sporting event. g. Eva Ayala feels discriminated for not being one of the finalists. h. Taskmaster ambushes Coulson in his office. 4. Aunt May’s: Peter is woken from a dream by Eva Ayala’s telephone call. 5. Midtown High: a. Spider-Man and White Tiger enter the school premises. b. Spider-Man rescues the trapped janitor. c. Spider-Man and White Tiger find Coulson who explains Taskmaster’s involvement. d. Danny saves Flash and Harry and then battles Taskmaster. e. Taskmaster confronts Harry and Flash. f. Spider-Man confronts Taskmaster. g. White Tiger strikes Taskmaster, revealing him to be Mr. Jaeger. h. Spider-Man and White Tiger battle Taskmaster. i. Taskmaster offers Spider-Man a deal. j. Spider-Man comes up with a plan. k. Gym: Spider-Man and White Tiger battle Taskmaster in the dark while switching battle moves. l. Taskmaster escapes leaving his Mr. Jaeger mask. 6. Dr. Octavius Hideout: Taskmaster informs Octavius that Spider-Man isn’t a Midtown High student. 7. Midtown High: Flash, Harry, Eva, Danny, Peter and Coulson discuss the events. E. End credits

Episode 7 – Exclusive

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1. New York: a. Midtown High: Mary Jane practices her reporting skills. b. MJ interviews Spider-Man. c. MJ catches the arrival of the Hulk on camera. 2. Credit Title 3. New York: a. Spider-Man saves MJ falling of a building. b. MJ films Hulk destroying Midtown. c. Spider-Man saves people under attack by Hulk. d. The Hulk warns Spider-Man not to get in his way. e. Spider-Man tries to stop the Hulk. f. Spider-Man realizes Hulk is fighting ‘Energy Man’ by looking at MJ’s footage. g. Spider-Man tries to explain to police forces that they’re attacking the wrong target. h. MJ reports the attack on Spider-Man and Hulk from the scene. i. Spider-Man calls for backup by contacting Fury. j. Spider-Man splashes the energy monster with water while Hulk fights it. k. The monster disappears in a subway station. 4. New York Subway: a. Spider-Man is attacked by the energy monster. b. Hulk arrives and helps Spider-Man. c. MJ films the spectacle from above. 5. New York: a. Spider-Man and Hulk resurface. b. S.H.I.E.L.D. forces arrive and try to apprehend Hulk. c. Spider-Man tries to intervene. d. Hulk catches the malfunctioning helicarrier while Spider-Man saves a falling MJ. e. The energy monster feeds on energy from the helicarrier and the city. f. Spider-Man explains his plan to director Fury. g. Spider-Man feeds power to the energy monster. h. MJ sacrifices her camera battery for the final blow. i. The monster overloads and is defeated. j. Aftermath; Spider-Man and Hulk find MJ in the rubble. k. Spider-Man hands the memory card of the camera over to MJ. 6. MJ’s home: a. Peter and MJ discuss MJ’s footage. b. MJ receives a new camera from Jameson by mail. E. End credits

Episode 8 – Back in Black

1. New York: a. Aunt May’s: Peter has the flu. b. A dragon robot attacks New York and is defeated by Venom. c. Aunt May’s: Peter watches television footage of Venom

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2. Credit Title 3. New York: a. New Yorkers rally behind the new superhero. b. Midtown High: Flash replaces his Spider-Man posters for Venom. 4. S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier: a. The team and Fury discuss the new hero. b. Daydream sequence: Peter imagines the hero is from outer space. c. Spider-Man explains to the team the hero is Venom. 5. New York: a. Another dragon robot attacks New York and gets defeated by Venom. b. Spider-Man confronts Venom. c. Spider-Man and Venom bicker. d. Octavius hideout: Octavius notes similarities between Venom and the hero. 6. Midtown High: a. Peter gets picked on by Sam for his meeting with Venom. b. Harry meets Peter. c. Harry shows Peter he is Venom by activating his suit through his watch. d. New York: sequence on how Peter struggles with his suit. e. Harry tells Peter he fully controls Venom. Flashback f. Norman tells Harry: “with great power comes great reward”. g. Harry gets angry when Peter tries to warn him on the dangers. 7. New York: a. tower: Norman does not give his son the time to tell him something important. b. Venom roams New York. c. Fury addresses Spider-Man on withholding information for him. d. Daydream sequence: Peter imagines what the consequences are if he would reveal his secret identity. e. Spider-Man is attacked by a dragon robot. f. Venom defeats the robot. g. Spider-Man confronts Venom on his dangerous behavior. h. Spider-Man and Venom battle. i. Venom takes full control of Harry. j. Oscorp tower: Venom delivers Spider-Man to Norman Osborn. k. Spider-Man and Venom battle across New York. l. Spider-Man electrifies Venom and releases Harry from its grip. m. Harry pays his regrets by destroying his watch. n. Spider-Man backs out from telling Harry his secret identity. 8. Dr. Octavius hideout: Octavius withholds information about Venom from Norman. 9. S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier: a. Peter discusses Venom with Fury. b. Harry’s bedroom: a piece of Venom crawls out of Harry’s ear. c. A healthy Peter approaches a flu-infected team. E. End credits

Episode 9 – Field Trip

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1. New York Museum: a. Principle Coulson leads a school field trip. 4th wall b. Peter explains why he doesn’t like fieldtrips. c. Danny activates an Asgardian runestone, summoning a frost giant. 2. Credit Title 3. New York Museum: a. Coulson orders the team to fight the frost giant. b. Thor arrives on the scene and defeats the frost giant. c. Thor touches an amulet and gets turned into a frog. Flashback d. School bus: Coulson lectures about Loki. e. The team and Thor travel to Asgard to lift the spell. 4. Asgard: a. The team and Thor are ambushed by frost giants. b. Loki sits on the throne with the team captive. c. The team escapes and frees Thor. d. Thor teleports the team to safety. e. Wilderness: Spider-Man suggest to come up with a plan. 5. Master dwarf’s Forgery: Thor apologizes to the master dwarf for his arrogance. 6. Asgard: a. Thor arrives in front of Loki. b. The team appears with brand new weapons. Flashback c. Master dwarf’s Forgery: Master dwarf gives each member of the team a weapon that matches his/her abilities. d. The team battle Loki and the frost giants. e. Loki falls in Spider-Man’s trap and returns Thor to his normal self. 7. New York Museum: Thor teleports the team back to the museum. E. End credits

Episode 10 – Freaky

1. Times Square: a. Spider-Man arrives at a burning Times Square. b. is mind controlling people to rob a store. c. Wolverine appears on the scene and is angry at Spider-Man. 2. Credit Title 3. Times Square: a. Wolverine threatens Spider-Man to make the crowd act normal again. b. Wolverine is attacked by the rioting crowd. c. Spider-Man and Wolverine stop Mesmero. d. Nick Fury arrives on the scene, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents take Mesmero. e. Wolverine and Spider-Man have a clash of character. 4. Midtown High: a. Peter argues with the team about homework. b. Peter falls asleep in class. c. Motel room: Peter wakes up in the body of Wolverine. d. Wolverine wakes up in the body of Peter. e. Peter calls Wolverine to explain the situation.

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f. Motel room: enters Wolverine’s room. g. Peter and Sabretooth battle. h. Wolverine acts weird around Peter’s friends. i. Peter catches up with Wolverine in front of school. j. Sabretooth attacks Peter and Wolverine. k. Daydream sequence: Peter imagines he’s part of a . l. Wolverine takes on the costume after Peter insist on it. m. Peter and Wolverine battle Sabretooth. 5. S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier: a. Mesmero is pressured by Peter to change bodies back. b. Spider-Man and Wolverine say goodbye. E. End credits

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G The Amazing Spider-Man: Plot Segmentation.

1. Amazing Fantasy #15 – Spider-Man August 1962

1. Cover Page: Midtown High’s professional wallflower. 2. New York: a. Parker’s Residence: Uncle Ben wakes Peter. b. Midtown High: Peter is being praised by his teacher. c. Midtown High: Peter is excluded socially. 3. Radio-active laboratory: a. Peter makes his way to a science exhibit on radio activity. b. A spider gets caught in the radio-active beam. c. Peter gets bitten by the dying spider. 4. New York: Peter discovers his new . 5. Wrestling arena: a. Peter notices a hundred dollar reward for wrestling Hogan. b. Parker’s Residence: Peter puts on some old clothes and a mask. c. Peter wrestles Crusher Hogan d. A manager approaches Peter for an appearance on T.V. 6. Parker Residence: Peter develops a web-shooting-device and a new costume. 7. Television studio: a. Spider-Man appears on T.V. b. Spider-Man lets a thief escape the studio. 8. New York: a. Parker’s Residence: Peter receives a microscope from Uncle Ben and Aunt May. b. Television Studio: Spider-Man makes appearances on T.V. c. Parker’s Residence: Peter gets told that Uncle Ben has been murdered. 9. Acme Warehouse: a. Spider-Man makes his way to the warehouse were the murderer is held up. b. Spider-Man confronts the murderer. c. Spider-Man discovers that the murderer is the thief that he let escape in the television studio. d. Spider-Man leaves the murderer behind in a web for the police. 10. New York: Spider-Man leaves in grief, learning that with great power comes great responsibility.

2. The Amazing Spider-Man #1 March 1963

1. Cover Page: Spider-Man is perceived as a public menace. 2. Aunt May’s: a. Peter throws away his suit because uncle Ben is dead. Flashback b. Peter reminds his past adventure. c. Aunt May won’t let Peter stop his study to get a job. d. Daydream sequence: Peter thinks about robbing. e. Peter sets up a performance to raise money instead.

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3. New York: a. Midtown High: Peter is excluded socially for not going to the performance. b. Spider-Man performs for an audience. c. Spider-Man gets paid with a check. d. Spider-Man can’t cash in the check at the bank. e. A man writes an article about Spider-Man. f. Spider-Man gets told there will be no more performances. g. Peter is denied an extra job. h. Peter sees Aunt May pawning her jewelry. 4. Space blast off center: a. Peter watches at the blast off site. b. J. Jonah Jameson tells his son he is proud of him. c. The capsule with John Jameson in it becomes uncontrollable. d. Ground control tries to come up with a plan to stop the capsule. e. Peter dresses up like Spider-Man to save John. f. Spider-Man tells ground control he will attach the missing component to the capsule. g. Spider-Man commandeers a plane to follow the capsule. h. Spider-Man shoots his webbing to the capsule. i. Spider-Man attaches the missing part to the capsule. j. Spider-Man clears the premises after the capsule successfully lands. 5. Aunt May’s: a. Peter reads the newspaper to find out J. Jonah Jameson holds Spider-Man responsible for the malfunctioning capsule. b. New York: Peter sees that the people fear Spider-Man. c. A reward is out for the capture of Spider-Man. d. Peter contemplates how he can shift the public opinion.

3. The Amazing Spider-Man #14 – The Grotesque Adventure of the Green July 1964

1. Cover Page: Spider-Man battles the 2. USA, basement laboratory: a. The Green Goblin finishes his flying broomstick. b. Motel room: The Green Goblin strikes a deal with The . c. Movie studio: The Green Goblin approaches a film producer with a plan. 3. New York: a. Midtown High: Flash and Peter argue about Liz. b. Peter hears a radio report about a green figure and checks it out. c. Green Goblin tells Spider-Man to visit B.J. Cosmos the film producer. d. Spider-Man signs a contract to star in a movie in exchange for $50,000. 4. The : a. J. Jonah Jameson sends Peter to the filming area. b. Betty is worried that Peter sees something in Liz from school. c. Aunt May’s: Peter discusses the trip with Aunt May.

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5. Film studios desert: a. Spider-Man arrives on set. b. The Green Goblin and The Enforcers suggest a rehearsal of the fight. c. Spider-Man understands it is a trap and fight his opponents. d. Spider-Man uses tumbleweed and sand to escape. e. New York: Aunt May, Liz and Betty think about Peter. f. The Green Goblin sees Spider-Man escape to a cave. 6. The Cave: a. The Green Goblin and The Enforcers trap Spider-Man in the cave. b. Spider-Man battles his opponents in the cave. c. The fighting startles the hiding Hulk, who attacks. d. The Hulk fights Spider-Man. e. Spider-Man uses Hulk to create an exit. 7. Film studios desert: a. Spider-Man attacks the escaping Green Goblin. b. Spider-Man falls and stays underwater to stay out of Hulk’s way. c. Spider-Man sees the Hulk go back into the cave and decides to save The Enforcers. d. Spider-Man sees an army helicopter arrive and leaves The Enforcers. 8. Film studio suit office: a. B.J. Cosmos is angry and wants The Hulk to star in his next movie. b. B.J. Cosmos explains Spider-Man will not get his money. c. Peter takes the bus back to New York to save some money for his aunt. 9. New York, Green Goblin’s hideout: The Green Goblin reflects on his plan. 10. New York: Peter arrives back in New York and senses that the Green Goblin is there too.

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H Spider-Man: Plot Segmentation (2002).

C. Credit title 1. Columbia University: a. Peter is late for the bus. b. Peter’s class is on a field trip to Columbia University. c. Harry Osborn gets dropped off by Norman Osborn. d. Harry introduces Peter to Norman. e. The class attend a spider exhibition. f. Peter gets bitten by a spider whilst taking pictures of Mary Jane. 2. Oscorp: a. Scientists present the glider. b. The board of directors want to see the human performance enhancement. c. A military general threatens to give the funding to Oscorp’s rivalling company, Quest. 3. Parker’s Residence: a. Uncle Ben and Aunt May discuss jobs. b. Peter arrives and goes to his room, sick. 4. Oscorp: Norman tests the human performance enhancement on himself. 5. Parker’s Residence: a. Peter wakes up late and discovers his new powers. b. Peter follows MJ to school and misses his bus. 6. Osborn’s Residence: Harry finds Norman on the floor. 7. Midtown High: a. Peter discovers his new powers. b. Flash Thompson fights Peter. c. Peter flees school and discovers his climbing and web-shooting skills. 8. Parker’s Residence: a. Peter arrives late and talks to MJ outside the front door. b. Peter wants to enter a wrestling and comes up with a costume. c. Osborn’s Residence: Norman is showing weird behavior. d. New York: Uncle Ben drops off Peter. 9. Wrestling Arena: a. Bone Saw defeats an opponent. b. Spider-Man battles Bone Saw. c. Peter gets scammed. d. Peter lets a thief escape. 10. New York: a. Peter finds a dying Uncle Ben. b. Spider-Man tracks down the thief. c. Abandoned warehouse: Spider-Man confronts the thief. d. Peter recognizes the thief. e. The thief trips and falls out of the building. f. Parker’s Residence: Peter arrives home to Aunt May. 11. Quest: The Goblin attacks an exoskeleton demonstration. 12. Midtown High: Graduation; Harry tells Peter they’re going to be roommates.

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13. Parker’s Residence: Peter and Aunt May talk about Uncle Ben. 14. New York: a. Montage; Spider-Man stops crime in New York City. b. Daily Bugle: J. Jonah Jameson does not trust Spider-Man. c. Moondance Diner: Peter runs into a working MJ. d. Harry and Peter’s place: Norman visits Harry and Peter. e. Peter sets up a camera while fighting crime as Spider-Man. f. Daily Bugle: Peter sells his pictures to Jameson. g. Daily Bugle: 15. Oscorp: Norman is baffled as the board of directors wants to sell Oscorp to Quest. 16. Unity Festival, Times Square: a. Peter takes pictures at the festival. b. The Green Goblin attacks and kills the Oscorp board of directors. c. is in danger. d. Spider-Man saves a child from a collapsing building. e. The Green Goblin fights officers and Spider-Man. f. Spider-Man destroys the glider and saves a falling MJ. g. Spider-Man swings around New York with MJ and leaves her safe. 17. Harry and Peter’s place: Harry apologizes to Peter for dating MJ and not telling him. 18. Osborn’s Residence: Norman Osborn hears voices in his head and discovers he is the Green Goblin. 19. New York: a. Daily Bugle: Jameson is attacked by the Green Goblin. b. Daily Bugle: Spider-Man is abducted by the Green Goblin. c. The Green Goblin offers Spider-Man a deal. d. Peter talks to MJ about her career. e. MJ is cornered by crooks. f. Spider-Man battles the crooks. g. MJ kisses Spider-Man. 20. New York: a. Spider-Man enters a burning building to save a baby. b. Spider-Man re-enters the building to find the Green Goblin. c. Spider-Man and the Green Goblin fight. 21. Harry and Peter’s place: a. Norman attends the Thanksgiving dinner with Harry, MJ and Aunt May. b. Peter arrives late with an excuse after hiding in his room. c. Norman recognizes Peter’s cut and leaves. d. Norman and Harry argue about MJ. 22. Osborn’s Residence: a. Norman/The Green Goblin plans to attack Peter. b. Aunt May’s: The Green Goblin attacks Aunt May. c. Hospital: Peter realizes the Green Goblin has discovered his secret identity. d. Hospital: MJ visits Aunt May and tells Peter she loves Spider-Man. e. Harry tells Norman that MJ and Peter love each other.

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f. Hospital: Aunt May tells Peter to confess his feelings to MJ. g. Peter phones MJ to warn her, but the Green Goblin answers. 23. New York: a. The Green Goblin attacks children in a cart near a bridge. b. The Green Goblin makes Spider-Man choose between MJ and the children. c. Spider-Man tries to save both. d. Spider-Man tells MJ to climb down onto the cable cart. e. The Green Goblin attacks Spider-Man. f. The crowd on the bridge attack the Green Goblin. g. Spider-Man drops the cable cart with MJ on a boat. h. The Green Goblin takes Spider-Man to an abandoned place. i. The Green Goblin fights Spider-Man. j. The Green Goblin exposes himself to be Norman Osborn. k. Spider-Man avoids Norman’s trap, killing Norman. 24. Osborn’s Residence: Spider-Man delivers Norman’s body to Harry. 25. Cemetery: a. Peter condolences Harry. b. Peter is torn between his actions and their repercussions. c. Peter rejects MJ’s declaration of love. 26. New York: Spider-Man roams New York City.

E. End credits.

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I Captain America: Civil War: Plot Segmentation (2016).

1. , New York* a. Peter arrives home to find Tony Stark with aunt May. b. Tony wants Peter to join his side and offers to upgrade him. 2. Leipzig, Germany, International airpoirt: a. Iron Man and stop Captain America. b. Black Panther and Black Widow arrive at the scene. c. Spider-Man arrives and takes Captain America’s . d. frees Captain America while -Man recovers his shield from Spider-Man. e. Ant-Man battles Black Widow, Captain America battles Black Panther and Spider-Man battles The Winter Soldier and . f. Iron Man goes after and Hawkeye. g. Airport Hall: Spider-Man battles The Winter Soldier and Falcon. h. Captain America escapes from Black Panther and attacks War Machine with the help of Ant-Man. i. ‘Team Cap’ tries to reach an aircraft to escape but is stopped by Vision. j. An all-out battle between the two sides takes place. k. Black Widow and Hawkeye hold back in battling each other. l. The Winter Soldier tells Black Panther he didn’t kill his father. m. Spider-Man battles Captain America. n. Hawkeye shoots Ant-Man in Iron Man’s suit to sabotage it. o. Spider-Man battles Captain America and loses to him. p. Ant-Man is in Iron Man’s suit and pulls plugs. q. The Winter Soldier and Iron Man plan their escape. r. Ant-Man supersizes to create a diversion. s. The Winter Soldier and Iron Man escape to the aircraft while Team Iron Man attacks Ant-Man. t. Vision destroys a building to block The Winter Soldier and Iron Man from reaching the aircraft but Scarlet Witch helps them reach it. u. Black Widow is waiting at the aircraft and helps The Winter Soldier and Iron Man escape by stopping a pursuing Black Panther. v. Spider-Man stops Ant-Man by strapping his legs together. w. Iron Man checks on a defeated Spider-Man and tells him he’s done. x. War Machine pursues the aircraft by air. y. Vision hits War Machine instead of Falcon, War Machine crashes hard. z. Iron Man and Falcon arrive too late to catch War Machine. 3. After credits: Spider-Man examines a gadget from Tony and explains his bruises to Aunt May.

* The analysis is restricted to the scenes where Spider-Man plays a part in the storyline.

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J Spider-Man (TAS): Plot Segmentation (1994-1998).

Episode 1 – Night of the

1. New York: a. Spider-Man roams New York City. b. Subway: two maintenance workers are attacked. c. Spider-Man stops the dangerously driving escaped worker. 2. Credit Title 3. New York: Spider-Man rescues the escaped worker. 4. Daily Bugle: Mr. Robertson wants Peter Parker to take pictures of The Lizard. 5. Aunt May’s: Peter decides he will use the bonus for Aunt May’s bills. 6. New York: a. Subway: Spider-Man finds a large footprint. b. University: Peter walks into . c. Debra is attacked by The Lizard. Flashback d. Peter assists Dr. Connors DNA recombinator tests on a mouse. e. Connors’ Residence: Spider-Man saves when The Lizard attacks him. Flashback f. Margaret Connors tells Spider-Man about the DNA test Connors did on himself. g. Eddie Brock eavesdrops on the conversation. h. Margaret Connors is kidnapped by The Lizard. 7. New York sewers: a. Spider-Man follows The Lizard down the sewers. b. Spider-Man finds the subway worker. c. The Lizard reveals his plans to his wife while Spider-Man is listening. d. Spider-Man and The Lizard battle. e. Spider-Man and The Lizard battle underwater for the recombinator. f. Spider-Man surfaces with Dr. Connors. 8. Connors’ Residence: Eddie Brock takes J. Jonah Jameson to confront Dr. Connors. 9. New York: a. Aunt May’s: Peter presents the thousand dollar bonus to Aunt May. b. Spider-Man roams New York City. E. End Credits

Episode 2 – The Spider-Slayers

C. Credit title 1. New York: Flying devices follow and attack Spider-Man. 2. Oscorp laboratory: a. Norman Osborn is displeased that the spider-seekers did not capture Spider-Man. b. Smythe Sr. presents the Spider-Slayer to Norman. 3. Daily Bugle: a. Felicia Hardy and J. Jonah Jameson discuss a charity ball. b. Mr. Robertson calls in Peter Parker to take pictures at the ball.

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4. Oscorp laboratory: a. Eddie Brock visits the presentation of the ‘Black Widow’ Spider-Slayer. b. Smythe Sr. explains to his son that he will receive a high-tech hoverchair when his plan works out. 5. Chrysler building: Norman discusses the plans with the . 6. Oscorp: a new group of seekers set out to track Spider-Man. 7. Daily Bugle: a. Harry Osborn, Flash and Felicia discuss the ball. b. Felicia sees Peter has taken his Aunt May to the ball and asks him for a dance. c. Flash Thompson dresses up like Spider-Man to impress Felicia. d. Oscorp laboratory: Norman Osborn and Eddie Brock watch The spider-seekers locate Flash Thompson. e. Felicia kisses Peter after the dance. f. ‘Spider-Man’ confronts Peter about his photographs. g. The Spider Slayer arrives. h. Peter brings his Aunt to safety and then comes back as Spider-Man. i. Oscorp laboratory: Norman locates ‘Spider-Man’ on screen. j. The Spider Slayer abducts ‘Spider-Man’. k. J. Jonah Jameson assesses the to his building and watches tv. l. Oscorp laboratory: Eddie Brock unmasks Spider-Man. m. The real Spider-Man appears in front of Jameson. n. Oscorp laboratory: Mercenary troops come in to take ‘Spider-Man’. o. Spider-Man goes to rescue Thompson. 8. Oscorp laboratory: a. New York: Spider-Man travels to Oscorp. b. Spider-Man attacks the mercenaries. c. Spencer Smythe discovers Norman made deals with the Kingpin. d. A mercenary starts up the ‘Black Widow’. e. Spider-Man battles the mercenaries, ‘Black Widow’ and spider-seekers. f. A fire breaks out in the laboratory. g. Spider-Man fights the ‘Black Widow’ and drops it in a barrel of acid. h. Outside: Norman, Eddie and Alistair Smythe see the laboratory explode with Spencer Smythe still in it. 9. Daily Bugle: a. Jameson fires Eddie Brock. b. Felicia scolds Flash and Peter. c. Peter and Aunt May get reunited. 10. Oscorp Laboratory: The Kingpin approaches a grieving Alistair Smythe. E. End credits

Episode 3 – The Return of the Spider-Slayers

C. Credit title 1. New York: a. Peter talks to Aunt May on the phone about a blind date. b. Spider-Man is attacked by the ‘Black Widow’ Spider-Slayer.

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c. Another Spider-Slayer attacks Spider-Man. d. Chrysler building: The Kingpin is displeased that Spider-Man is still alive. e. Spider-Man saves a woman and a dog from the Spider-Slayers. f. Spider-Man is captured and abducted. 2. Chrysler building: a. The Spider-Slayers deliver Spider-Man to Alistair Smythe. b. Alistair Smythe invites Jameson for his unmasking. c. Alistair captures Jameson instead and plants a bomb. 3. New York: a. Spider-Man, Jameson and the bomb are dropped on a building. b. Spider-Man tracks down the Spider-Slayers with Jameson and the bomb attached to him. c. Harry disturbs Flash and Felicia, who are next attacked. d. Spider-Man uses the lasers on the ‘Black Widow’ to cut himself free. e. Jameson and Flash escapes while Spider-Man hooks the ‘Black Widow on a crane. f. Jameson warns Eddie Brock and Norman Osborn by phone. 4. Newspaper building: a. Eddie Brock gets attacked while applying for a job. b. Outside: Spider-Man electrocutes the Spider-Slayer. c. Eddie Brock gets fired. 5. Chrysler building: The ‘’ Spider-Slayer leaves for battle. 6. Oscorp: a. The ‘Scorpion’ destroys the defenses of Oscorp. b. Chrysler building: Smythe re-activates the two other Spider-Slayers. c. The three Spider-Slayers connect to form one giant robot. d. Oscorp’s defenses are defeated. e. Norman tries to escape the premises. f. Spider-Man uses laboratory machinery to get rid of the bomb. g. Spider-Man follows the giant robot. h. Brooklyn Bridge: Spider-Man saves Norman Osborn out of his car. i. Brooklyn Bridge: Spider-Man fights the robot. j. Brooklyn Bridge: Spider-Man attaches the bomb to the robot. 7. Chrysler building: Kingpin tells Alistair he works for him until he kills Spider-Man. 8. New York: Spider-Man is displeased for never getting a reward for his efforts. 9. Aunt May’s: a. Peter is fixing his costume. b. Mary Jane Watson appears on the front door for a blind date.

E. End credits.

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K Transmedial Links: Different Representations of Nick Fury.

Nick Fury (r) in Spider-Man: the animated series (1995)

Nick Fury as portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. First appearance in 2008.

Nick Fury (r) in Ultimate Spider-Man (2012).

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L Transmedial Links: Movie Reference Iron Man (2008).

Tony Stark builds his first Iron Man suit in captivity in a cave. Iron Man (2008).

The same scene is summarized and visualized in episode five of the first season of Ultimate Spider-Man (2012).

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