 " 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 . 
