Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man | A Surprisingly Fresh Twist on the Formula

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is yet another entry into the Spider-Man franchise, though it’s a surprisingly fresh take on a familiar hero.

Familiar may be an understatement though. After all, over the past two decades, we’ve seen numerous Spider-Man stories, ranging from various live-action movies to animated titles and even games. Given how many Spider-Man stories have been released, we were initially skeptical about Your Friendly Neighborhood.

That’s not only because we’ve lost track of how many “new” Spidey stories have been released over the years, but also due to the trailers which, while interesting, looked rather stiff. Of course, we weren’t turned off by the trailers as we were still curious about the show given its visuals which look straight out of the Ditko and Romita era. On the flip side, many fans were far from impressed by what was shown.

Ahead of the show’s premiere, we watched the entire first season of the series. While we weren’t sure at first, we were surprised by how much we enjoyed it.

It’s Not Exactly an MCU Project, But That’s a Good Thing

Given that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has delved into the Multiverse over the past few years, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is technically part of the MCU, in the same way that the Fox Marvel universe is part of it.

When the concept for the series started, it was originally going to be an animated series that followed the Tom Holland Spider-Man of the MCU. This soon changed as the creators found the MCU connection to be too limiting, especially when it comes to who can or can’t appear.

Because of this original premise, many story elements of the series seem straight out of the MCU. For starters, Daredevil appears voiced by Charlie Cox (who will also return in an upcoming Disney+ series). The show also mentions the Sokovia Accords, with certain events like Captain America and Iron Man’s conflict also being mentioned.

Despite these connections, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’s story takes place in its own universe, meaning you can treat it as its own thing. This might be a bit of a disappointment to some big MCU fans given that the lack of crossover means there’s less of a reason to watch the series, especially considering the wealth of standalone Spider-Man stories that have been released over the years.

On the flip side, the fact that it happens in its own universe gives it plenty of freedom to feature plenty of characters and add lots of interesting twists to the formula to give the series a unique identity.

We won’t spoil everyone who appears in the show, but we guarantee that Marvel fans will be delighted by their appearances. It also helps that many of the characters here are so far underrepresented in MCU projects. Meanwhile, many of the popular characters here come with new spins to their characterization which should be a delight for long-time fans.

While appearances from various Marvel characters are great for fans, it can backfire as this can be seen as just empty fanservice. Thankfully, that’s not the case here as the characters aren’t used just for “oh it’s x hero” fanservice moments as pretty much every main member of the cast has a part to play in the story.

It also helps that even with the sheer number of notable characters here, the story is still surprisingly grounded, giving it more of a Saturday morning cartoon feel instead of the Earth-shattering scale of other MCU projects.

Like a Great Saturday Morning Cartoon

As we’ve said above, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man offers a fresh spin on Peter Parker’s story. This is partly thanks to the interesting cast that the show surrounds Peter with.

For starters, his best friend in this version of the story is Nico Minoru (of the Runaways) while his crush is Pearl Pangan (aka Wave, Marvel’s Filipino superhero). What’s more, Peter also becomes friends with Lonnie Lincoln – yes, that’s Tombstone – though this time, he’s a star high school quarterback instead of a crime boss. Note that these characters (especially Lonnie Lincoln) are quite different from their original comic counterparts, though the show does have big hints about what’s in store for them in the future.

Perhaps the biggest twist here though is Peter’s mentor. While the MCU paired Peter up with Tony Stark, in this series, his “man in the chair” is Norman Osborn. Soon after, Peter also meets Harry Osborn who is a suave social media influencer in this version. What is similar is that Peter and Harry become friends as the show progresses.

The cast is a big part of what makes this series so entertaining and engaging. It helps a lot that the show is written so that all of the main characters have key roles to play in the series’ events. Of course, not all storylines are perfect, with Lonnie Lincoln’s story, in particular, being good despite the events developing a bit too fast in our opinion.

If you ask us though, the highlight is no doubt Norman Osborn and Peter Parker’s relationship. In the story, Osborn isn’t exactly a villain, though he clearly has a ruthless streak. This dynamic between the two is a major driving force of the story, and it makes the show well worth watching even for Marvel fans who might think there are already too many Spider-Man stories.

It also helps that Parker and Osborn’s dynamic, along with the web of people in Parker’s life help reinforce the main theme of any Spider-Man story – responsibility. This is something that every version of Spider-Man grapples with, and this series is no exception. In that sense, this show is true to the Spider-Man story while still adding enough twists to give it a unique edge.

When it comes to the story, this series definitely shines. Meanwhile, animation isn’t exactly the show’s strongest suit. Don’t worry though, even if the animation can look stiff at times, it shouldn’t detract from the overall experience. In fact, we can say that the staff over at Polygon Pictures did a pretty nice job all things considered, with the Ditko/Romita era Spider-Man-style giving it some extra visual flair.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Final Verdict

While its art style makes it look straight out of the 60s, this is very much a modern take on Peter Parker’s story that features a wide cast of Marvel characters that make for a unique take on a familiar story, all while staying true to who Spider-Man is.

Even though there’s no shortage of Spider-Man stories, this new Disney+ animated series stands out thanks to its fresh spin on the well-worn formula, enough that we highly recommend it to any and every Marvel fan looking for something new to watch.

Sure, the stakes may not be the highest, nor is it required viewing for the next big MCU project, but it has enough heart and action to make for an entertaining watch. And yes, while the show’s animation can be stiff at times, its story, art style, and characters more than make up for this.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’s first two episodes are out now on Disney+, with more episodes to be released this February.