Classic 90s TV Episode of the Week: Spider-Man's 'Venom Returns' and 'Carnage'

Another Throwback Thursday (#tbt) means it's time for another edition of MStars' "Classic 90s TV Episode of the Week." We're mixing things up a bit this week and presenting you with a cartoon: the classic 1990s Spider-Man series.

Admittedly, this show holds a special place for me because it was my absolute favorite cartoon as a child. I spent my Saturday mornings watching my favorite superhero swing all over New York City and taking on nearly every villain from the comics up to that point. The sheer cast of characters in this show was immense, but it didn't stop at the Spidey world alone.

That's why I picked the two-part "Venom Returns" and "Carnage" for this installment. In just two short episodes, we got Spidey, Venom, Carnage, Iron Man, War Machine, Baron Mordo, Dormammu and more. That's multiple Marvel comics' worth of heroes and villains all packed into one cartoon.

The plot starts when the Venom symbiote, which Spider-Man had sent to outer space earlier in the series, returns to Earth to re-bond with Eddie Brock. Dormammu, a fire creature from another dimension, commands Venom to steal a device from Tony Stark that would allow him to come to Earth and consume souls. War Machine teams with Spider-Man to fight him off, but Carnage then appears and they escape.

Venom abandons the other villains, while Carnage goes to gather life forces so Dormammu can enter Earth. He kidnaps Dr. Ashley Kafka, with whom Eddie Brock had fallen in love, so Venom reluctantly teams with Spider-Man and Iron Man to stop the villains and save her. In the end, Venom and Carnage get sucked into a portal and Dormammu's plan is foiled.

These were two action-packed episodes that kept me and other fans thrilled during the show's initial run in the 90s. Oh, who am I kidding? I'll watch these episodes on Netflix right now.