| "Survival of the Fittest" | |
|---|---|
| The Spectacular Spider-Man episode | |
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Spectacular_Spider_Man_pilot.jpg) Spider-Man fights the Vulture. Vulture was designed namely after his original comic book appearance. Slight alterations were made in color and texture.[1][2] | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1 |
| Directed by | Victor Cook |
| Written by | Greg Weisman |
| Production code | S1E01[3] |
| Original air date | March 8, 2008 |
"Survival of the Fittest" is the pilot episode of the animated television series The Spectacular Spider-Man, which is based on the comic book character Spider-Man, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. The episode was written and directed by the series developers, Greg Weisman and Victor Cook. In the episode, Spider-Man (Josh Keaton) faces the evil Vulture (Robert Englund) as he begins his junior year in high school.
Sony Entertainment originally conceived The Spectacular Spider-Man as a series of four DVDs, and asked Weisman and Cook to develop it. The central idea was to follow Spider-Man in his younger years in the comics; Weisman and Cook wanted to incorporate the styles of the early comic publications by Lee and Ditko. Reviewers have cited other influences in the themes, such as the live action film series and the Ultimate Spider-Man continuity.
"Survival of the Fittest" originally aired on March 8, 2008, on the Kids' WB block on The CW. It had previously been shown to a large audience at the 2008 WonderCon. The episode was the highest rated program of the Kids WB! 2007-2008 combined with the second episode "Interactions" and alone received a Nielsen rating of 1.2/3. It was well received by critics, IGN calling it "a Spider-Man story that feels like classic Spider-Man, and that's a good thing."