Ep 1. Night of the Lizard

Night of the Lizard is the very first episode of the Spider-Man (1994) animated series, which was created by Marvel and aired from 1994 to 1998. The show followed the story of Peter Parker, a high school student who gains spider-like abilities after being bitten by a radioactive spider. In this episode, we are introduced to Peter Parker, his best friend Harry Osborn, his love interest Mary Jane Watson, and his aunt and uncle, May and Ben Parker.

The episode begins with Peter running late for a date with Mary Jane while juggling his photographic gig at the Daily Bugle for J. Jonah Jameson. Along the way, we see the first glimpse of Peter's web-slinging abilities as he uses them to get to his date with Mary Jane. We also see the first interactions between Peter and Jameson, which sets up the dynamic between the two characters for the rest of the show.

After the date, Peter returns home to find that his Aunt May and Uncle Ben are worried about the recent attacks by a giant lizard on the city. These attacks have been theorized to be caused by a genetics professor, Dr. Curt Connors, who has been experimenting with lizard DNA. Peter decides to investigate and, as Spider-Man, stakes out Dr. Connors' lab. This leads to an epic battle between Spider-Man and the Lizard, who is revealed to be Dr. Connors himself.

The animation in this episode is top-notch for its time, pulling off some fantastic action scenes. The fight between Spider-Man and the Lizard is particularly well-done, with both characters showing off their strengths and weaknesses. The voice acting is also on point, with Christopher Daniel Barnes portraying Peter Parker/Spider-Man and John Semper Jr. leading the writing team.

Overall, Night of the Lizard is a fantastic first episode for the series. It introduces us to the main characters and sets up the main villain for Season 1 while being an exciting and action-packed adventure. If you're a fan of Spider-Man or superhero animation, this episode is definitely worth a watch.