Based on the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man, it was originally built for Islands of Adventure's grand opening in 1999.

After boarding a vehicle known as the "Scoop", they learn that the Sinister Syndicate has captured the Statue of Liberty with an anti-gravity gun.

[6] Guests are shown a video in which the company's good reputation is touted and a new high tech news-gathering vehicle, the "Scoop", is introduced.

[13][14] After donning night vision goggles (3D glasses), the "cub reporters" get in the Scoop and leave the loading docks to a Manhattan[15] back alley where they encounter Spider-Man.

[17][18] Barely missing a trash truck driven by a Stan Lee cameo, the guests enter a warehouse where the Sinister Syndicate are holding the Statue of Liberty hostage.

Following this, Doctor Octopus busts through a brick wall and grabs the Scoop's front bumper, preparing to attack with a fiery claw.

[16] In the ride's climax, Doctor Octopus lifts the Scoop up to a simulated height of 400 feet (120 m) using the anti-gravity cannon.

As the vehicle pulls into the unloading station, Spider-Man thanks the guests for their help and sends them back to the Daily Bugle, where he has rigged the anti-gravity cannon to lift Jameson up to the ceiling in his office.

[16] Guests unload while a modern rendition of the classic Spider-Man theme song plays and a voiceover of Stan Lee instructs the riders on exiting properly.

Additionally in the refurbished version of the attraction, Stan Lee voices the Ride Announcer and makes several cameo appearances.

[15] The result was a prototype ride system combining a track-mounted motion base vehicle with 3D projections and other special effects,[15] with the aim of immersing guests in a comic book world.

[22] Moving away from a standard Omnimover transport system where vehicles simply rotate on a horizontal axis, they designed their own EMV capable of six degrees of freedom – heave, sway, surge, yaw, pitch, and roll.

[5] The system was invented by Universal Creative employees Philip Hettema, William Mason, and Gary Goddard.

[35] Thierry Coup, who has since worked on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and Transformers: The Ride – 3D,[36] was the director and production designer.

[39] In addition to the ride's motion base and 3D projections, special effects including fog machines, fire, wind, heat, mist, strobe lights, and water spray are also employed throughout it.

Vice president of design and creative development Mark Woodbury stated that they "would not have been able to tell this particular story if it weren't for the technical tools".

[23][41] Howard Shapiro of The Philadelphia Inquirer said it was "bound to become one of the all-time attractions of theme parks anywhere", and described its climax as the "most amazing effect".

[43] Arthur Levine of About.com gave it 5 stars, describing it as "an incredibly sophisticated attraction" that "blurs the line between virtual and reality so well that you'll emerge slack-jawed and awestruck".

[26] Brady MacDonald of the Los Angeles Times rated it his second favorite in the world, after Disneyland's Indiana Jones Adventure.

It has since placed second in that category, after fellow Islands of Adventure attraction Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey took the top spot in 2011.