FlashBack Saturday Morning: Six Forgotten Warriors Part 1

The concept is the same, but I got hooked on the arc so the article shall be different. Welcome back to Flashback Saturday morning, where we take a look at show’s from yesteryear. Thanks to the kind folks over at DisneyXD and a Tweep for giving me the head’s up, I caught the first two episodes of the Spider-Man TAS arc, The Six Forgotten Warriors. Being the first 2 parts of a 6-part story, I had to track down the final 4 episodes. For some reason, Marvel, Fox, Disney or whoever else is involved has yet to release the series on DVD so I found most of the episodes on Youtube.

The first episode, Six Forgotten Warriors, serves primarily as a set-up for the entire arc and the catalyst of the second episode. In this episode, we learn about Peter’s parents potentially being traitors. So Peter somehow convinces JJJ to allow him to go to Russia so that he can clear his parents’ name.

I understand the set-up, but how close does J. Jonah Jameson think Spider-man and Peter Parker are that Spider-man not only shared his vacation plans, but also his plan to take over the world? I know Jameson has quite a bit of a temper, but he isn’t a dumb man. Just weird that he would fall for that.

Also, and this is something we can get use to with this show, are some of the changes made from the comics or due to censorship. The most bizarre to me, anyhow, is changing the name of the “Sinister Six” into the “Insidious Six” Does “sinister” really sound that evil? Insidious really doesn’t tell me anything, oh sure as an adult I can look up the word now, and it still makes little sense. It would be like renaming the Legion of Doom to Legion of Naysayers. The whole point of an evil organization/team-up is to be EVIL so they should sound EVIL and MENACING.

Then again, this group doesn't look menacing.

The rest of the episode serves as set-up for elements that will come to play throughout the arc including the Kingpin, Red Skull and S.H.I.E.L.D. All in all, I think its an fine intro to the arc as a whole, but does very little on its own.

The second episode in the arc is titled, Unclaimed Legacy, this mostly deals with Peter’s time in Russia and clearing his parents’ name. We are introduced to a bit more players in the saga including Silver Sable and the family that aided Peter’s parents and more. Of course before Peter can get any resolution The Chameleon who has been disguising himself snatches away the evidence he needs and lures Spider-man into a trap with the Sinister Six (Yes, I’m using that name not the other one).

Spider-man meets the Six or 3.

Before long however, Spider-man, The Six and the Kingpin are all captured by someone pretending to be the Red Skull, who steals whatever the Kingpin is after. Of course, his plan is discovered, he sneaks off while blowing up his base. The heroes and villains escape only to find they are at a nuclear reactor (don’t you hate when that happens?) so they both decide its better to part than fight.

The episode concludes with Peter and Robbie returning to the States, Peter is happy to find out that his parents weren’t traitors but he still needs the physical proof. Jameson isn’t too thrilled that Robbie and Peter returned without proof of Spider-man’s attack, but never really bought up again.

So that is the first two episodes of the Six Forgotten Warriors arc. It is a solid build-up and does dangle a few carrots in our face while still giving us early resolutions. I would be amidst if didn’t mention the censorship this show underwent. When you are a child, its easy to miss/forgive, but as you get older, the fact that Spiderman never throws or lands a punch just gets weird. And it really comes to a head in a later episode in this saga, which I will touch on then.

As a child, I would have enjoyed this, and as an adult I find it to be good fun. Though, I think there are better Spider-man cartoons out there, doesn’t make this one bad. I’d check it out, a good story to tell and some nice action.