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{{InfoboxLost
{{InfoboxLost
|title=<center>The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (Josh Keaton Audio)</center>
|title=<center>The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (Josh Keaton audio)</center>
|image=Avengers_EMH_Spidey.jpg
|image=Avengers_EMH_Spidey.jpg
|imagecaption=Still from "Along Came a Spider", the first of Spider-Man's three re-dubbed guest appearances.
|imagecaption=Still from "Along Came a Spider", the first of Spider-Man's three re-dubbed guest appearances.
|status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Lost'''</span>
|status=<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''</span>
}}
}}
 
The animated series ''The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes'' (which ran from 2010-2012) had famous Marvel Comics hero Spider-Man guest-star in four episodes: #39 ("Along Came a Spider"), #44 ("Yellowjacket"), #49 ("New Avengers") and #52 ("Avengers Assemble", also the official series finale).  Before they premiered, a rumor arose that Josh Keaton recorded '''the voice of Spider-Man'''.  He previously voiced the character in the ''The Spectacular Spider-Man ''(2008-2009) animated series and five Marvel-themed video games.  However, ''EMH'' viewers ended up hearing someone else in the role.
The animated series ''The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes'' (2010-2012) had famous Marvel Comics hero Spider-Man guest-star in four episodes: #39 ("Along Came a Spider"), #44 ("Yellowjacket"), #49 ("New Avengers") and #52 ("Avengers Assemble", also the official series finale).  Before they premiered, a rumour arose that Josh Keaton recorded the voice of Spidey.  He previously voiced this character in the cartoon ''The Spectacular Spider-Man ''(2008-2009) and five Marvel-themed video games.


==Origin==
==Origin==
As became the case for several episodes of ''Earth's Mightiest Heroes'', these four aired in Australia first, instead of America.  "Along Came a Spider" received this treatment on June 6, 2012.  Viewers heard not Josh Keaton, but rather, Drake Bell.  Prior to this, Bell had only voiced Spider-Man in the animated series ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' (2012-2017), which made its American premiere only two months earlier.  Some viewers thought he gave a decent performance, while others felt disappointed not to hear Keaton instead.
As became the case for several episodes of ''Earth's Mightiest Heroes'', these four aired in Australia first, instead of America.  "Along Came a Spider" received this treatment on June 6, 2012.  Viewers didn't hear Josh Keaton, but Drake Bell instead.  Prior to this, Bell had only voiced Spider-Man in the animated series ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' (2012-2017), which made its American premiere only two months earlier.  Some viewers thought he gave a decent performance, while others felt disappointed not to hear Keaton instead.


A screenshot posted on the Facebook Group "Keep 'The Spectacular Spider-Man' Alive!" confirmed that Drake Bell's name appeared in the episode's'' ''end credits.  Josh Keaton found the screencap on Facebook, and commented, "''Wow so they redubbed my audio. I recorded a few Avengers eps as Spider-Man and was looking forward to seeing them. Typical Parker luck I guess.''"  
A screenshot posted on the Facebook Group "Keep 'The Spectacular Spider-Man' Alive!" confirmed that Drake Bell's name appeared in the episode's'' ''end credits.  Josh Keaton found the screencap on Facebook, and commented, "''Wow so they redubbed my audio. I recorded a few Avengers eps as Spider-Man and was looking forward to seeing them. Typical Parker luck I guess.''"  


With the earlier rumours confirmed, Marvel fans quickly developed an interest to watch ''The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes'' with Josh Keaton as Spider-Man.  One fansite, Marvel Animation Age, tried to promote hashtag activism as a means of convincing Marvel/Disney to release the undubbed versions of the episodes.  This would involve Tweeting either "#JoshKeatonIsSpiderMan", or "#DrakeBellIsNotSpiderMan".  However, neither hashtag became very popular.  As controversy over the dubbing arose, Josh Keaton posted on Tumblr that this is marked far from the first time one of his vocal performances became replaced, and that Drake Bell didn't deserve Marvel fans' scorn-he dubbed Spidey's guest spots for money, not out of spite.
==The Hunt Begins==
With the earlier rumors confirmed, Marvel fans quickly developed an interest to watch ''The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes'' with Josh Keaton as Spider-Man.  One fansite, Marvel Animation Age, tried to promote hashtag activism as a means of convincing Marvel/Disney to release the undubbed versions of the episodes.  This would involve Tweeting either "#JoshKeatonIsSpiderMan", or "#DrakeBellIsNotSpiderMan".  However, neither hashtag became very popular.  As controversy over the dubbing arose, Josh Keaton posted on Tumblr that this marked far from the first time one of his vocal performances became replaced, and that Drake Bell didn't deserve Marvel fans' scorn--he dubbed Spidey's guest spots for money, not out of spite.


==Existence==
==Marvel's Responses==
When the rest of Spider-Man's guest appearances made their TV debuts, they still contained Drake Bell's vocals, instead of Josh Keaton's.  "Yellowjacket" provided an exception, but only because Spidey had no lines, meaning viewers heard neither Bell nor Keaton.  This also remained the case when the episodes finally made their American premieres, starting on July 22, 2012.  The North American home video releases of ''The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes'' do not include an option to replace Drake Bell with Josh Keaton.


When the rest of Spider-Man's guest appearances made their TV debuts, they still contained Drake Bell's vocals, instead of Josh Keaton's.  "Yellowjacket" provided an exception, but only because Spidey had no lines.  This also remained the case when the episodes finally made their American premieres, starting on July 22, 2012.  The North American home video releases of ''The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes'' do not include an option to replace Drake Bell with Josh Keaton. The writer of Spidey's speaking guest spots, Christopher Yost, has not commented on the voice actor switch, as far as this author knows.
When asked why Marvel dubbed over Josh Keaton, Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada explained that children watching ''The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes'' immediately after ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' might have become confused by Spider-Man sounding different in each show. The asker of the question proceeded to point out that some of the Avengers had made guest appearances on ''USM'', but not with the same voice actors from ''EMH''.  Quesada gave no explanation as to why Iron Man's or Thor's voice changing would seem any less jarring to those children.


When asked why Marvel dubbed over Josh Keaton, Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada explained that children are watching ''The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes'' immediately after ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' might have become confused by Spider-Man sounding different in each showThe asker of the question proceeded to point out that some of the Avengers had made guest appearances on ''USM'', but not with the same voice actors from ''EMH''.  Quesada gave no explanation as to why Iron Man's or Thor's voice changing would seem any less jarring to those children.
==Cold Trails==
Two of Josh Keaton's fellow ''Spectacular Spider-Man ''cast members, Daran Norris and Grey DeLisle, can still be heard in the dubbed-over version of "Along Came a Spider".  DeLisle reprised her role of Betty Brant, while Norris voiced J. Jonah Jameson and a policemanHowever, his performance of Jameson became replaced by one courtesy of JK Simmons, who portrayed Jameson in both animation (''Ultimate Spider-Man'') and live-action (Sam Raimi's ''Spider-Man ''movies)DeLisle's recordings remained intact because Betty Brant had yet to appear in ''Ultimate Spider-Man'', saving Marvel the trouble of worrying that she would sound too different in between shows.


Two of Josh Keaton's fellow ''Spectacular Spider-Man ''cast members, Daran Norris and Grey DeLisle, can still be heard in the dubbed-over version of "Along Came a Spider". DeLisle reprised her role of Betty Brant, while Norris voiced J. Jonah Jameson and a policeman.  However, his performance of Jameson became replaced by one courtesy of JK Simmons, who portrayed Jameson in both animation (''Ultimate Spider-Man'') and live-action (Sam Raimi's ''Spider-Man ''movies)DeLisle's recordings remained intact because Betty Brant had yet to appear in ''Ultimate Spider-Man'', saving Marvel the trouble of worrying that she would sound too different in between shows.
One post from Marvel Animation Age's forum suggests that at least one other English-speaking country aired ''The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes'' with Josh Keaton's voice intact, but this hasn't become verified yet.
 
==Aftermath==
The dubbing, and Marvel's refusal to inform Josh Keaton about it before televising the episodes, might have created the impression that they would never work together again. However, they eventually demonstrated otherwise: in 2016, Marvel cast Keaton to voice Ant-Man II in their cartoons, starting in 2017.
 
Meanwhile, Drake Bell voiced Spider-Man in animation for the longest time of any Spidey VA yet, but did not come back after Marvel greenlit the "back to basics" ''Marvel's Spider-Man'' animated series, which began airing in 2017This show has Robbie Daymond voicing Spidey, while Josh Keaton plays some supporting roles, such as Norman Osborn.


One post from Marvel Animation Age's forum suggests that at least one other English-speaking country aired ''The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes ''with Josh Keaton's voice intact, but this hasn't become verified yet.
The head writer of ''The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes'', Christopher Yost, continued writing for Marvel after the show ended, penning such projects as the live-action movie ''Thor: Ragnarok''.  When asked in November 2018 to release Josh Keaton's recordings for Spidey's guest spots, which Yost wrote, Yost replied, "''I don't even know who's in charge over there.  But even if I did, they're a pretty forward looking group''". Indeed, when Disney+ made ''The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes'' available to stream and download one year later, it still had Drake Bell as the only option.


==External Links==
==External Links==
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/174295922428/permalink/10150997934232429/?comment_id=10150998107267429&offset=0&total_comments=55 "Keep 'The Spectacular Spider-Man' Alive!" reveals the replacement of Josh Keaton]
*[https://www.facebook.com/groups/174295922428/permalink/10150997934232429/?comment_id=10150998107267429&offset=0&total_comments=55 "Keep 'The Spectacular Spider-Man' Alive!" reveals the replacement of Josh Keaton.]
* [http://marvel.toonzone.net/avengersemh/reviews/39spider/ Marvel Animation Age reviews the re-dubbed version of "Along Came a Spider"]
*[http://marvel.toonzone.net/avengersemh/reviews/39spider/ Marvel Animation Age reviews the re-dubbed version of "Along Came a Spider".]
* [http://joshkeaton.tumblr.com/post/24347366798/some-thoughts-on-that-whole-avengers-emh-dubbing-thing Josh Keaton addresses his fans]
*[http://joshkeaton.tumblr.com/post/24347366798/some-thoughts-on-that-whole-avengers-emh-dubbing-thing Josh Keaton addresses his fans.]
* [http://gizmodo.com/why-did-you-guys-dub-over-josh-keaton-in-avengers-earth-474078521 Joe Quesada tries to justify the re-dubbing]
*[http://gizmodo.com/why-did-you-guys-dub-over-josh-keaton-in-avengers-earth-474078521 Joe Quesada tries to justify the re-dubbing.]
* [http://www.toonzone.net/forums/threads/the-spectacular-spider-man-news-discussion-thread-part-10-spoilers.4960511/page-20#post-76565021 A hint of the Keaton audio surfacing overseas]
*[http://www.toonzone.net/forums/threads/the-spectacular-spider-man-news-discussion-thread-part-10-spoilers.4960511/page-20#post-76565021 A hint of the Keaton audio surfacing overseas.]
*[https://twitter.com/yost/status/1062973134989492224 Christopher Yost doubts an un-dubbed release.]


[[Category:Lost audio|Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (Lost Josh Keaton Audio)]]
[[Category:Lost audio|Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes]]
[[Category:Lost TV|Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (Lost Josh Keaton Audio)]]
[[Category:Lost TV|Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes]]
[[Category:Completely lost media|Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes]]

Revision as of 15:25, 7 May 2020

Avengers EMH Spidey.jpg

Still from "Along Came a Spider", the first of Spider-Man's three re-dubbed guest appearances.

Status: Lost

The animated series The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (which ran from 2010-2012) had famous Marvel Comics hero Spider-Man guest-star in four episodes: #39 ("Along Came a Spider"), #44 ("Yellowjacket"), #49 ("New Avengers") and #52 ("Avengers Assemble", also the official series finale). Before they premiered, a rumor arose that Josh Keaton recorded the voice of Spider-Man. He previously voiced the character in the The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008-2009) animated series and five Marvel-themed video games. However, EMH viewers ended up hearing someone else in the role.

Origin

As became the case for several episodes of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, these four aired in Australia first, instead of America. "Along Came a Spider" received this treatment on June 6, 2012. Viewers didn't hear Josh Keaton, but Drake Bell instead. Prior to this, Bell had only voiced Spider-Man in the animated series Ultimate Spider-Man (2012-2017), which made its American premiere only two months earlier. Some viewers thought he gave a decent performance, while others felt disappointed not to hear Keaton instead.

A screenshot posted on the Facebook Group "Keep 'The Spectacular Spider-Man' Alive!" confirmed that Drake Bell's name appeared in the episode's end credits. Josh Keaton found the screencap on Facebook, and commented, "Wow so they redubbed my audio. I recorded a few Avengers eps as Spider-Man and was looking forward to seeing them. Typical Parker luck I guess."

The Hunt Begins

With the earlier rumors confirmed, Marvel fans quickly developed an interest to watch The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes with Josh Keaton as Spider-Man. One fansite, Marvel Animation Age, tried to promote hashtag activism as a means of convincing Marvel/Disney to release the undubbed versions of the episodes. This would involve Tweeting either "#JoshKeatonIsSpiderMan", or "#DrakeBellIsNotSpiderMan". However, neither hashtag became very popular. As controversy over the dubbing arose, Josh Keaton posted on Tumblr that this marked far from the first time one of his vocal performances became replaced, and that Drake Bell didn't deserve Marvel fans' scorn--he dubbed Spidey's guest spots for money, not out of spite.

Marvel's Responses

When the rest of Spider-Man's guest appearances made their TV debuts, they still contained Drake Bell's vocals, instead of Josh Keaton's. "Yellowjacket" provided an exception, but only because Spidey had no lines, meaning viewers heard neither Bell nor Keaton. This also remained the case when the episodes finally made their American premieres, starting on July 22, 2012. The North American home video releases of The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes do not include an option to replace Drake Bell with Josh Keaton.

When asked why Marvel dubbed over Josh Keaton, Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada explained that children watching The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes immediately after Ultimate Spider-Man might have become confused by Spider-Man sounding different in each show. The asker of the question proceeded to point out that some of the Avengers had made guest appearances on USM, but not with the same voice actors from EMH. Quesada gave no explanation as to why Iron Man's or Thor's voice changing would seem any less jarring to those children.

Cold Trails

Two of Josh Keaton's fellow Spectacular Spider-Man cast members, Daran Norris and Grey DeLisle, can still be heard in the dubbed-over version of "Along Came a Spider". DeLisle reprised her role of Betty Brant, while Norris voiced J. Jonah Jameson and a policeman. However, his performance of Jameson became replaced by one courtesy of JK Simmons, who portrayed Jameson in both animation (Ultimate Spider-Man) and live-action (Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movies). DeLisle's recordings remained intact because Betty Brant had yet to appear in Ultimate Spider-Man, saving Marvel the trouble of worrying that she would sound too different in between shows.

One post from Marvel Animation Age's forum suggests that at least one other English-speaking country aired The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes with Josh Keaton's voice intact, but this hasn't become verified yet.

Aftermath

The dubbing, and Marvel's refusal to inform Josh Keaton about it before televising the episodes, might have created the impression that they would never work together again. However, they eventually demonstrated otherwise: in 2016, Marvel cast Keaton to voice Ant-Man II in their cartoons, starting in 2017.

Meanwhile, Drake Bell voiced Spider-Man in animation for the longest time of any Spidey VA yet, but did not come back after Marvel greenlit the "back to basics" Marvel's Spider-Man animated series, which began airing in 2017. This show has Robbie Daymond voicing Spidey, while Josh Keaton plays some supporting roles, such as Norman Osborn.

The head writer of The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Christopher Yost, continued writing for Marvel after the show ended, penning such projects as the live-action movie Thor: Ragnarok. When asked in November 2018 to release Josh Keaton's recordings for Spidey's guest spots, which Yost wrote, Yost replied, "I don't even know who's in charge over there. But even if I did, they're a pretty forward looking group". Indeed, when Disney+ made The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes available to stream and download one year later, it still had Drake Bell as the only option.

External Links