Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is a new animated show coming to Disney+. The series will regale audiences with an alternate telling of the MCU Spider-Man. A prominent difference is Norman Osborn will be Peter Parker’s mentor instead of Tony Stark. There should be other changes alongside this one, though it’s currently unclear what they’ll be. Scheduled for release in 2024, the premiere date of this cartoon has recently changed.
Source of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man stems from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. More precisely, it diverts from the canon story of Peter Parker, also known as Spider-Man. The young superhero first appeared in Captain America: Civil War, being recruited by Tony Stark. He has since been under the tutelage of the veteran Avenger. Spider-Man: Homecoming highlighted this as Peter worked to take down the Vulture. The two shared a father-son or nephew-uncle relationship until Tony died in Avengers: Endgame.
Nevertheless, the MCU Peter Parker has experienced incredible adventures throughout his heroic journey. He’s stopped a black market arms ring and exposed an unstable megalomaniac. He also teamed up with two versions of himself and defeated their foes. MCU Peter even became a member of the Avengers while encountering Thanos. Of course, he’s often joined by his Aunt May, best friend Ned, and girlfriend M.J. It’ll be interesting to see if these aspects change in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.
Swinging Into The New Show
Similar to Marvel’s What If . . . ?, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man explores an alternate MCU reality. It delves into the possibility of Norman Osborn being Peter’s mentor instead of Tony Stark. Other than that, little’s known about the show’s overall plot. Brad Winderbaum, Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation at Marvel Studios, presented a little insight. He explained the show would return to Peter’s high school years and focus on comedy. A ‘First Look’ video on the Marvel Entertainment channel on YouTube displayed this aspect.
The cast of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man includes Hudson Thames, reprising Spider-Man from What If . . . ? Joining Thames will be Hugh Dancy as Otto Octavius and Eugene Byrd as Lonnie Lincoln. Colman Domingo will voice Norman Osborn, and Zeno Robinson will do the same for Harry. Grace Song and Kari Wahlgren will take the roles of Nico Minoru and Aunt May, respectively. Another confirmed cast member will be Charlie Cox, reprising his role as Matt Murdock.
The Possibilities Are Endless
Since Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is in an alternate reality, anything can happen. Certain MCU events will change, but many other possibilities can transpire. One of the most feasible is Norman Osborn becoming his iconic alter-ego, the Green Goblin. The same could occur with Octavius and Lincoln taking up their villain mantles. Curt Conners is a confirmed character, meaning the Lizard could appear. With Scorpion and Rhino set to arrive, the Sinister Six could debut.
The most standout change in Peter’s story is he doesn’t meet Tony Stark. This aspect means he doesn’t battle against Captain America’s team in the Civil War movie. Peter, in turn, won’t contend with the Vulture and stop the black market arms operation. The Spider-Man: Homecoming events will be pushed aside and replaced with something else. However, Iron Man is confirmed to appear in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. This inclusion means canon MCU incidents might occur, though which ones remain are unknown.
A Change in Premiere Plans
The original plan was for Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man to premiere this year. But recently, the new official and revised release date was announced at D23 Brazil. The Marvel panel revealed it to be the last week of January next year. No officials have revealed the reason for the date change, but it shouldn’t matter. The premiere is over two months away, which isn’t a very long time in hindsight. Fans will be able to witness Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man in no time.
Final Thoughts
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man has the potential to be a massive success. It’s always fun to explore alternate realities of the Marvel multiverse. The changes confirmed for this cartoon should create some intriguing stories. Even though the release date changed, it simply adds to the anticipation. The reveal of the premiere also adds a sense of calm from knowing it’s coming. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will debut on Disney+ on January 29, 2025.
