It’s no secret that Marvel Studios’ new “Marvel Animation” brand has had a rocky start. The label began with What If…? in 2021, a venture that delivered some fantastic episodes but ultimately fell short of its full potential, ending in a rather disastrously bad third season this past December. The only other title released under the brand thus far is X-Men ‘97, a series that revived the classic X-Men characters from the ’90s with roaring success. Not only was X-Men ’97 critically acclaimed and nominated for an Emmy, but it also became one of the most-watched Disney+ originals of 2024. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is next up from Marvel Animation, and it’s got a lot to live up to.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is Marvel Animation’s first attempt at a completely new universe, not connected to any previous movies or TV shows… for the most part. When the Disney+ original series was first announced, it was pitched as an animated prequel showcasing Peter Parker’s origin story before the events of Captain America: Civil War. However, that all changed after it was revealed at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 that the show would follow a whole new version of Peter separate from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel Television executive Brad Winderbaum recently explained the reasoning behind the change, saying the MCU foundations gave the story far too many limitations.
Straying away from the “Sacred Timeline” allowed head writer Jeff Trammell and his team to explore the titular hero with practically unlimited resources. But, as it turns out, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is surprisingly connected to the MCU in a number of ways. The whole show is somewhat based on the unsaid premise of “What If Peter Parker Didn’t Go To School At Midtown High?” which may feel like a strange jumping-off point, but that question means new supporting characters and no sign of Mary Jane or Ned Leeds. Instead, we’re introduced to a different timeline where Peter Parker is surrounded by new friends and enemies, and a familiar replacement for Tony Stark/Iron Man.
Head writer Jeff Trammell gets to have his cake and eat it with Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, as he’s free from the shackles of what Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has already done in the franchise. While some fans may get bored with another “Peter Parker in his early teens” storyline, the writing team on this series manages to add enough unique distinction from the MCU to make this feel like a totally fresh take on the famous web crawler. The biggest difference in this interpretation is the introduction of Norman Osborn, voiced by Colman Domingo (Sing Sing, Rustin), who serves the same purple as Tony Stark does for Spider-Man in the MCU. However, Norman is no Tony.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man brilliantly explores how Peter Parker may change or act differently in various situations when having someone like Norman Osborn as his mentor. Norman is more willing to bend the rules to get what he wants. This first season gives a slow build-up for Norman’s storyline that will leave fans excited for the next two confirmed seasons, when this character is bound to become the iconic supervillain we all know. It’s no surprise how fantastic this version of Norman Osborn is when he is voiced by the incredibly talented Colman Domingo, who elevates the entire series with his own interpretation of the character while mixing in a voice that sounds similar to Willem Dafoe‘s Green Goblin.
Hudson Thames returns as the voice of Spider-Man after previously stepping in to voice the character in the Marvel Zombies episode of What If…? Head Writer Jeff Trammell never pulls his punches by throwing this version of Peter through the wringer, whether emotionally with the recent loss of Uncle Ben or physically with the fight scenes that get surprisingly violent. Throughout the series, Peter struggles to get himself back up as Spider-Man after being knocked down repeatedly. The writing team is certainly aware that their target audience will mainly be older children and teens, but similar to beloved shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man never treads lightly on hitting hard with the emotional beats.
The supporting cast of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is not necessarily filled with familiar friends and foes. By the show’s end, though, audiences will come to love them all; this is especially true for Lonnie Lincoln (Eugene Byrd). Originally the villain Tombstone in the comics, the writing team reinterprets the character as one of Peter’s classmates, serving as the high school jock of sorts. The series never falls into the average tropes of making him the school bully. Instead, we get a much more kind and nuanced interpretation of Lonnie, who ends up falling into the wrong cracks of society and will have viewers consistently worried that he will end up turning into his comic book counterpart.
Harry Osborn does have a recurring appearance in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Yet, his presence is rather limited in scope and is a disappointing portrayal that you would hope becomes more of a well-developed character in future seasons. Alternatively, Nico Monrou (Grace Song) is presented as Peter’s best friend in this series. While she may be undeveloped like Harry, the writing team makes her interesting enough to keep you invested in her personal story going forward. Not to mention, her relationship with Peter is so well-handled by the writers, but, sadly, her own personal character arc is only mentioned in passing in this first season.
The 3D animation style for Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man has gained a lot of criticism online. When watching the show, though, the animation direction is clearly a stylistic choice rather than a budgetary reason, like Prime Video’s Invincible. Jeff Trammell and his team had a clear goal: to make the animation look like you’re watching a comic come to life. As seen in these first 10 episodes, Marvel Animation slightly succeeds at that. The animation is never as lifeless as you might expect, it’s actually quite thrilling. But the show never leans enough into the stylized format. There is simply not enough invention with the comic-inspired concept, and the visuals almost get too uncanny in some parts of the series.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is what Marvel fans have wanted for the character in TV animation for years: a linear series that explores Peter Parker with emotionally mature themes and extravagant action sequences. Season one puts the series onto a solid start to reach the incredible heights of shows like The Spectacular Spider-Man, as long as fans give it time to grow over the next few seasons. There are certainly some visible growing pains with this show, whether with the animation or some of the writing. Yet, the heights it already manages to reach in season one are truly promising, and it’s well worth getting on board the train now before it leaves the station without you.
The first two episodes of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man premiere on Disney+ on January 29!
Created by Jeff Trammell.
Based on Spider-Man Marvel Comics by Spider-Man by Stan Lee & Steve Ditko.
Written by Jeff Trammell.
Executive Producers: Jeff Trammell, Brad Winderbaum, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, & Dana Vasquez-Eberhardt.
Supervising Director: Mel Zwyer.
Main Voice Cast: Hudson Thames, Colman Domingo, Eugene Byrd, Grace Song, Zeno Robinson, Hugh Dancy, Charlie Cox, Kari Wahlgren, Paul F. Tompkins, Vincent D’Onofrio, Cathy Ang, & Ettore “Big E” Ewen.
Composers: Leo Birenberg & Zach Robinson.
Production Companies: Marvel Studios Animation.
Episode Count: 10 (Season One).
