by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
Spider-Man has been in the pop culture lexicon for as long as I can remember. I read the comic as a kid, watched multiple television shows, and saw every movie the first chance I could get. Sony’s stewardship of Spider-Man has yielded mixed results, but thankfully, Marvel and Disney are swooping in to bring continuity, a clear vision, and people who care about the property. If Marvel Animation could succeed with X-Men ‘97, I hoped that Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man could follow suit.
The series follows (surprise, surprise) Peter Parker (voiced by Hudson Thames) as he adjusts to becoming Spider-Man. Along the way, Peter begins to see the toll that being Spider-Man has on his family, school, and friends, all while under Norman Osbourne’s (Colman Domingo) tutelage.
If that seems vague, you’ve seen this story done to death for the last 25 years. Making the story feel fresh with that in mind was probably the show’s biggest challenge. I was concerned during the first episode, because it would have annoyed me if this were another situation like Batman, where we see Uncle Ben die the same way we’ve seen it for decades. At some point, studios will have to realize that Spider-Man’s origin story is so ubiquitous that everyone should know it by now. Instead, this series subverts expectations in ways I was on board with.
I must give Marvel Animation credit for how Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man looks. The series is stunning, reminding me of a moving comic book. If the goal was to capture the spirit of the older Amazing Spider-Man run of comics, or even the cartoon of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends from the 1980s, mission accomplished. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man balances the traditional Spider-Man comic with some new modern sensibilities. I don’t always agree with, or like, how much of the MCU’s influence is over the series, but it does its best to be a Spider-Man-centric story.
The series still captures the themes and messages that have made Spider-Man one of today’s most endearing characters. With Peter still young and starting as the Web-Slinger, the story revolves around Spider-Man’s struggle to balance personal life and heroism. School is hardly ever a problem since Peter is brilliant, but with his internship at Oscorp, he runs into issues balancing the needs of his boss versus his personal life.
The key differences from what we’ve seen before are Spider-Man’s origin story and how the timeless “with great power comes great responsibility” line gets integrated. Depending on how much you value these words of wisdom, the message behind them in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man could be too drastic of a change. For me, it’s a welcome inclusion, incorporating a new version and getting to the point in a vastly different way. Spider-Man in this series is still discovering how powerful of a superhero he is, and how much mercy he should give people who have harmed him. Peter is young; not everyone who’s a hero has this stuff figured out yet. The way he’s nurtured matters here, and it was a great choice to keep the story fresh for people who have seen this origin story countless times.
In reality, this series feels a little more like an extended series run of What If…? I’m not mad at this decision, and would have enjoyed What If…? It would be better if Spider-Man were more of a serialized story, instead of one-off episodes that may or may not impact an overarching narrative. Decisions cascading in different directions and how the consequences are dealt with are essential for the show. If this is a direction they plan to go, where this is not your traditional Spider-Man story, bring it on!
But I’m torn on how certain characters’ inclusions are handled. Spider-Man has a deep bench of villains and side characters that have not yet had time to shine. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man leans into this by including a few characters we haven’t seen either very often, or at all,. Characters like Lonnie Lincoln (Eugene Byrd), Amadeus Cho (Aleks Le), and Pearl Pangan (Cathy Ang) are used in fun ways. I’m particularly looking forward to seeing what happens with Lonnie in the coming seasons. Several characters have their race or gender swapped, which is a nice shakeup the typical cast. The only real issue is when MCU characters show up, but I also had a similar problem with X-Men ‘97.
Marvel Animation is producing outstanding (and consistent) television, and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is an excellent addition to the group. Thematically and tonally, the series continues to showcase why Spider-Man is such an endearing character. Marvel Studios’ fingerprints hamper the story a little, but enough changes are made to keep the series from getting stale. I’m excited for this version of Spider-Man for years to come.
Rating: Liked It
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is currently streaming on Disney+
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