Spoilers ahead if you haven't already watched the first season of Stretch Armstrong and The Flex Fighters on Netflix.

This March, fans everywhere will be marking the 10th anniversary of the debut of The Spectacular Spider-Man, widely believed to be the best animated Spider-Man series ever made. In celebration of that fact, I was able to chat with the show's Supervising Producer/Supervising Director/Series Developer Victor Cook about the series' legacy and how his experience developing it has influenced other projects in his career.

Before The Spectacular Spider-Man, Cook was a storyboard artist for beloved 80s and 90s animated series like The Smurfs, Darkwing Duck and Gargoyles before moving on to produce and direct Disney series like 101 Dalmatians and Lilo & Stitch, alongside directing action-focused animated projects like Hellboy and, in 2010, Dante's Inferno. Since Spider-Man, Cook has directed and produced Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated as well as a number of Scooby-Doo! video shorts and series, making his filmography quite the diverse and eclectic one. His new Netflix series Stretch Armstrong and The Flex Fighters, a unique reimagining of a novelty brand, is but the latest of his creations. To find out how his experience bringing those many projects to life have influenced Stretch Armstrong, see what Cook had to say below:

Now that we're coming up on the 10th anniversary of The Spectacular Spider-Man's debut, how did the experience of making that show compare to creating Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters?

Vic Cook: Wow, did 10 years really just flash by like that?

The main difference making The Spectacular Spider-Man over a decade ago, was that when Greg Weisman and I developed our take, Spidey was already a long time iconic character with a rich history, decades of story in comics, animation and the Sam Raimi directed movies. We had a lot of eras from many media to choose from to modify and conflate to an interpretation we wanted to do. At that time, none of the animated series had ever taken place during Peter’s high school years and the movies quickly had Peter graduate to College. So we decided to do an updated, modern version of the early Lee/Ditko years and explore Peter as a high school student just after he became Spider-Man.

We wanted Peter Parker’s personal troubles to be as important as Spider-Man’s challenges. We included other characters created long after those early Ditko Lee years, such as Gwen Stacy and Venom for example. We changed ethnicities of many characters, to reflect modern Manhattan and in story, tied together the existence of Spider-Man as the reason why super villains are being created. We brought early Ditko visuals to the screen for the first time,  webs under the arms, Spidey spotlight, symbolic half-Spidey mask over Peter’s face, squiggly lines over the head for Spidey sense and symbolic Spidey webs in the sky at the end of episodes. Visually, Sean Galloway’s designs were more stylized and simplified rather than comic book illustration style, the animation was more squash and stretch rather than “realistic.” Villains and costumes were stylized takes on the classic designs.

Other than the name and the abilIty to stretch, Stretch Armstrong and The Flex Fighters was not based on pre-existing storylines.  There weren’t any. We were able to create our own lore.

The Flex Fighters are brand new, and other than Stretch Monster, our rogues gallery never existed before, the look and costumes were free to be completely original. "Incredibly fun" is what both shows have in common as well as great casts and crews!

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Image via Netflix, Hasbro

How did the opportunity to adapt Hasbro's "Stretch Armstrong" brand come about?

Cook: Hasbro owns the property and has been wanting to bring it back in a modern way since before I came aboard.

How did you join the project and how did it find its way to Netflix? Cook: Hasbro Studios asked me to come aboard as Executive Producer and Supervising Director and help develop "Stretch Armstrong" into an animated series. I had nostalgic memories of the original Stretch as an iconic toy, but not as an iconic character, so I became very intrigued when told this would be an opportunity to create something different. This was going to be an opportunity to reimagine Stretch as a modern original character in a brand new super hero universe. The only elements that needed to be kept was the name Stretch Armstrong and the ability to stretch. I was hooked. What got me equally excited was the opportunity to reinterpret the stretching powers. Thinking of Stretch as a human bungee cord that has to snap back to normal became the key to choreographing Stretch! Head Writers and my fellow Executive Producers Kevin Burke and Chris “Doc" Wyatt were brought in and we got to work creating a new superhero universe. We pitched it to Netflix and here we are. How did your experience on shows as varied as 101 Dalmatians to The Spectacular Spider-Man to Scooby-Doo help to shape Stretch Armstrong and The Flex Fighters and make it stand apart from the crowd? Cook: I couldn’t have planned my career this way in advance, but I have been fortunate to have alternated between toony and action shows as a Director and Producer. Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Hellboy Animated and Mickey Mouse Club House are some of the shows I directed before I went on to the Spectacular Spider-Man. Working on different styles and genres inspired me to combine some of those elements into Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters. For example, the line art art of our backgrounds is very much action adventure style, with realistic perspective, but we painted it in a colorful and stylized way rather than realistic rendered.
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Image via Netflix, Hasbro

What sources of inspiration served as a sort of template for Stretch as a coming-of-age superhero story in a detailed city full of civilians, heroes, and villains?

Cook: My experience on Spectacular may have influenced the type of kinetic action I wanted to do on Stretch, but not how we wanted to develop Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters. After all, there are many shows with teenagers with superpowers that have been around: Smallville, The X-Men, Teen Titans as well as Ditko and Lee’s original Spider-Man. And there are also many adult superhero shows as well. For the story we wanted to tell, it was more interesting for us to make them teenagers. We wanted to play the dynamic of these three friends experiencing this strangeness and heroes' journey together. Being a Netflix series was the biggest influence on the way we told the story, that each episode would connect to another for an overall season long story arc. We created it to be binged.

So how did Stretch go from a solo, kinda goofy stretchy toy to becoming a series about a superhero team of high school students augmented by technology?  

Cook: Teenagers are at a time of their life [when they're] trying to figure out who they are and their place in the world. Adding superpowers to the mix adds to the drama and comedy that comes with being an adolescent. We wanted to feature a trio of friends, each with a distinct personality gaining these superpowers to show the hero team dynamic from three different points of view. Technology is now a part of kids and teens' lives today more than it has ever been before, and we wanted it to play a part in The Flex Fighter’s origin and their world. Jake, Nathan and Ricardo are exposed to Flexarium from a chemical accident at Rook Unlimited. Rook is the scientific genius that rebuilt the boarded-up, dying Charter City into the vibrant, high-tech, futuristic metropolis it is today. Every facet of life in Charter City, including the heroes' super suits are all high tech because of Rook.

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Image via Netflix, Hasbro

What was it about this version that felt right? 

Cook: Intriguing story, fun action and characters we care about in a super team that play off each other with their powers and banter. Relatable real-world teenage problems combined with over the top superhero crises!  Stretching power reinterpreted like a kinetic human bungee sling shot! Compelling and strong females such as Dr. C. and Riya Dashti with their intriguing back story.

Diversity presented as normal and not what defines a character's personality.  We are very proud to have added a bit of reality to this fictional world by including people of varied ethnicities as seen in Jake Armstrong, Nathan Park, Ricardo Perez, Riya Dashti, Erika Violette, Malcome Kane and Mr. Savic.

Awesome bad guys! Supervillains such as Stretch Monster, Multi-Farious, Circuit Stream, Quick Charge, The Freak Sisters, Smoke Stack and The TechMen are featured in their own standalone episodes that also connect to a bigger overall story. The Directors, board artists and I had a blast choreographing the Flex Fighters versus the superpowers of our rogues gallery [and] a city not so futuristic to be beyond us, but a place we could imagine real in just a decade or so.

I love that the title team are also kids with their own social issues, parental problems, and their own disagreements; how did you find the balance between character development and action?

Cook: It is organic to the story to have that balance. These three guys have school and their own personal problems to deal with as well as this super hero responsibility that they share. They're teenagers, for them asking a girl for a date takes as much courage as fighting a giant rock monster.

Season 1 had some pretty big reveals by the end: What was the process like in crafting the arc for Rook to be revealed as Stretch Monster? 

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Image via Netflix, Hasbro

Cook: That reveal is also about Jake learning to look beyond the surface. Over the episodes, Jake realizes that although his dad is tough and demanding, he is not a bad guy. He learns a similar but opposite lesson about the cool, charming and easy-going Rook. Being a Netflix show, it was great that we had multiple episodes to build to it.

And how did the idea to reveal that Blindstrike was actually Riya come about?

Cook: Early in the development process, Hasbro Studio Exec Michael Vogel suggested the idea that Riya is Blindstrike. We wanted a female hero on the show with powers derived from the same chemical as Stretch, Wingspan and Omni-Mass, having Blindstrike's armor and weapons also made of Flexarium made her abilities unique! In our story, Blindstrike is assumed to be male as the armor is designed to disguise her identity completely.

Is she definitely on the Flex Fighters' Team now, or might there be some more conflict among them?

Cook: At the end of season one, we see The Flex Fighters realize Blindstrike is also a good guy and they have a common foe. But our heroes also know from season one that Blindstrike operates quite differently than them.

Even the best idea needs a talented cast to pull it off; how did you assemble such a solid group of leads and supporting characters?

Cook: My fellow Executive Producers and I brainstormed with the execs at Hasbro and Netflix. We knew who we wanted and It was very easy for all of us to agree on the amazing cast needed to bring these characters to life.

We have a stellar roster of actors: Scott Menville as Jake Armstrong aka Stretch, Steven Yuen as Nathan Park aka WingSpan, Ogie Banks as Ricardo Perez aka Omni-Mass, Felicia Day as Erika, Kate Mulgrew as Dr C, Wil Weaton as Rook, Keith David as Kane, Nazneen Contractor as Riya.

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Image via Netflix, Hasbro

In reoccurring roles we have: Josh Keaton as Gabe, Walter Koenig as Mr Savic, Gary Cole as Jake’s dad, Sab Shimono as Nathan’s Grandpa, Kelly Hu as Miya, Will Friedle as Reynolds, Tia Carrere as Santos, Andrew Kishino as a seemingly ordinary citizen and Phil Lamar as Ricardo’s dad.

As villains we have: The late Miguel Ferrer as Stretch Monster, Jon Heder as Multifarious, James Arnold Taylor as Circuit Stream, Grey DeLisle Griffin as both of the Freak Sisters, Clancy Brown as Smoke Stack,  Henry Rollins as Micky Simmons, Vanessa Marshal as Madam Tousant, Eric Bauza as Murakami, Yvette Nicole Brown as QuickCharge, Wayne Knight & Troy Baker as Brick & Mortar, Luke Arnold and Ian Hopps as the Tech Men.

Stretch started as a toy and became an animated series, but there are now new toys based on the new series as well. How cool is it getting to see the project come full circle?

Cook: Full circle with evolution! The original was an iconic, novelty toy, but never a show. However, it was the genesis for us to develop our new reimagining. It is pretty cool to see this brand new superhero universe with Stretch Armstrong and The Flex Fighters animated show.  And it is super cool to see the new toys based on the TV series.

Thanks to the genius Hasbro toy designers lead by Sondra Wiener, it is especially cool to see the toys work like the heroes' powers. In the TV series, Stretch’s powers are like a bungee cord or rubber band: he stretches by something else pulling and elongating him, like gravity or centrifugal force, which means he always snaps back into shape.  He cannot hold a stretched out pose à la other existing well-known stretchy super heroes. The Stretch action figure works the same: you pull to elongate him long, but when you let go of one end he snaps back into shape, like flinging a rubber band. The toy motorcycle for the Flex Fighters is like a modern version of the old balsa wood airplane powered by rubber bands. You put the Stretch action figure in the motorcycle, the front limbs hold the handle bars, the back end of figure sets in the seat, the two ends of the motorcycle ratchet apart elongating the figure like a bungee cord or rubber band. The tension of the figure snapping back into shape brings the two ends of the motorcycle together which also causes the wheels to turn, powering the vehicle to roll along fast! Super cool!

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Image via Netflix, Hasbro

How many of the toys have you collected?

Cook: So far I have the action figures of Stretch, Omni-Mass, Wingspan, Blindstrike, Quick Charge  and Stretch Monster. I want them all!

How has the response been from both audiences and Netflix execs? 

Cook: The reviews from the viewers on Netflix are positive! The fans on Twitter also reach out to us and let us to know they adore the show and their kids can’t wait for another season. The Netflix execs tell us they love the series, they have been avid collaborators, supporters and fans of the show at every step.

Any word on a Season 2? 

Cook: At this point, all I can say is MORE episodes do exist! [And as] already mentioned by Netflix, we have a Interactive "Choose Your Own Adventure” type of episode of Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters coming out in 2018. It is super cool and we are excited for everyone to watch it!

Hypothetically, where would you like the team to go in a second season? 

Cook: Stretch, Wingspan and Omni-Mass' circumstances have changed drastically at the end of the first season. The season ends with our heroes still determined to fight on against all odds. I am on the edge of my seat about what could come next!  We have a superhero saga we would like to continue and many more stories we would love to keep telling.

Season 1 of Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters is available to stream on Netflix now!

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Image via Netflix, Hasbro
stretch-armstrong-netflix-series-vic-cook-interview
Image via Netflix, Hasbro
stretch-armstrong-netflix-series-vic-cook-interview
Image via Netflix, Hasbro