This Is the One 'Spider-Man and Friends' Episode You Won't Find on Disney+

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In all, 24 episodes aired, spanning three seasons, and all but one are available to stream on Disney+. That episode is "The Quest of the Red Skull."

The episode sees Peter noticing something is awry at Professor Hiawatha Smith's (Michael Ansara) home. He quickly switches into his Spider-Man gear to investigate and comes across two of the Red Skull's (Peter Cullen) thugs. They are looking for the "Scorpio Engraving," a map to a hidden stash of Nazi secret, experimental weapons. Spidey is gassed before he can stop the pair, and they make off with the engraving. Firestar and Iceman arrive to see to their friend, but when Professor Smith arrives home, a fight ensues until the truth is revealed. The four join forces to stop the Red Skull, and journey to an African jungle, where the Red Skull has found the weaponry. The Red Skull captures the Spider-Friends and straps them to rockets, aimed at an unspecified country in an effort to start World War III. Thankfully, Smith frees Firestar, who is then able to release Spider-Man and Iceman. They steer the missiles back from whence they had come, but can only speculate if the Red Skull survived.

There's no official reason given for the episode's absence on the streaming service (NBC also pulled the episode from syndication), but it isn't hard to figure out. Nazi imagery, primarily swastikas, is prevalent throughout the episode, with one especially large swastika being used as the X that marks the spot the Red Skull is searching for. Allusions to the Nazi party and the Red Skull's association with it are specified outright. Shouts of "Heil, Hitler!" can be heard intermittently, and good ol' Adolf Hitler himself can be seen in an on-screen projection.

There is another reason why the episode is controversial, which doesn't get the same play: cultural representation. Specifically, a Native American character: Professor Hiawatha Smith, as mentioned above. In many ways, the character is a positive depiction of Native Americans. Smith is a college professor at ESU, keeps the traditions and rituals of his ancestors alive, and is a skilled fighter who can communicate with and command almost all animals. Creator Dennis Marks stated in an interview that Smith was his Indiana Jones. But the name "Hiawatha" is cringe-inducing at best, racist at its worst. Then there's the dialogue for Smith. Speaking to a python, Smith says, “Great Python, hear the Indian gods who respect all life! Crush the metal bar that holds me! Crush it, Great Python, crush it!” Better yet, holding his ear down to the ground and saying, "They have been here, the earthworms are restless.” It's painfully stereotypical, with a "dated" descriptor the kindest that can be said of it.