Marvel's new animated variant of Peter Parker in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, one who has a very different journey to Tom Holland's live-action wall-crawler. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man's Peter Parker hasn't ed the Avengers, but the MCU's superhero team has still been seen in the new animated series.
Several notable MCU heroes have been referenced in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, including Doctor Strange, Iron Man and Captain America. Episode 4, "Hitting the Big Time," took this one step further, as the Avengers' airport battle and the establishment of the Sokovia Accords from 2016's Captain America: Civil War was directly referenced. Since Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man's timeline is heading on a similar trajectory to the MCU's main continuity, more major events from the MCU could be seen in the animated series' episodes and future seasons.
10 The Vulture Could Emerge While Avengers Tower Is Sold
The Vulture Tried To Steal Avengers Tech In 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming
In the MCU's timeline, the events of 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming unfolded only weeks after Civil War, which means the Vulture could be the next big bad that Peter Parker faces in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Homecoming saw Michael Keaton's Adrian Toomes work out Spider-Man's secret identity and make an attempt to steal technology from the Avengers during the selling of Avengers Tower. Even without Spider-Man's attachment to the Avengers, this storyline could still be explored in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.
Michael Keaton's Adrian Toomes curiously moved into Sony's Spider-Man Universe in 2022's Morbius, and this has never actually been explained on-screen. There have been calls for Marvel Studios to retcon this storyline, particularly after the ending of the SSU following Kraven the Hunter.
Presumably, the Battle of New York happened in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man just as it did in the MCU's Phase 1, which means Adrian Toomes' vendetta against Tony Stark and the Avengers would have also begun the same. Four years later (not eight), Toomes could be operating as the Vulture, and without Spider-Man's involvement, he may be successful in stealing tech from the Avengers. This could birth an even more powerful Vulture in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, which is a dangerous prospect for the young Peter Parker.
9 Thanos Snaps His Fingers
Thanos Snapped His Fingers In 2018's Avengers: Infinity War
Between Spider-Man: Homecoming and Avengers: Infinity War, there wasn't really a major Earth-bound event that Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man could easily focus on. This suggests that the next world-changing event that could be seen in the series is the arrival of the Mad Titan, Thanos, equipped with the six Infinity Stones. It would be amazing to see Thanos' snap depicted in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, especially since this could lead to Peter Parker's own demise at the Mad Titan's hands, just like in the live-action MCU.
I Still Can't Believe Marvel Almost Robbed Us Of Tom Holland's Spider-Man Death Scene In Avengers: Infinity War
Audiences had a tough time recovering from Spider-Man's death in Avengers: Infinity War, but he was almost replaced with a different character.
While this moment could form a fantastic final scene for Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man season 1, re-adapting Avengers: Infinity War's story would also see Spider-Man assume a very different role. Instead of fighting Cull Obsidian and Ebony Maw alongside Iron Man and Doctor Strange, he perhaps wouldn't the fight in New York, and therefore wouldn't travel into space. Spider-Man could find himself completely left out of the Infinity War storyline, which would make his sudden death even more shocking.
8 The Avengers Reverse The Snap & Fight During The Battle Of Earth
The Avengers Won The Battle Of Earth In 2019's Avengers: Endgame
Since he doesn't have any affiliation with the Avengers, and perhaps wouldn't in their fight against Thanos across the cosmos, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man's Peter Parker also wouldn't the Battle of Earth when the Avengers reverse the snap. If Peter Parker meets his demise, however, this major MCU event will also need to be depicted to bring him back and allow Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man to continue. Peter Parker would be experiencing these world-changing events from the outside, however.
This would also mean that Tony Stark's sacrifice, if the Battle of Earth still ends that way, would have little emotional impact on Peter Parker as it does in the MCU's main timeline. Spider-Man becomes a more put-together, independent and hardened hero in the wake of Iron Man's death in live-action, but not experiencing this loss would have a very different effect on Peter Parker in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. This would be seriously interesting to see explored in the animated series, further diverting this Spider-Man from his MCU counterpart.
7 Sam Wilson Becomes Captain America & Saves GRC
Sam Wilson Became Captain America In 2021's The Falcon & The Winter Soldier
In the wake of the five-year-long Blip in Avengers: Endgame and the deaths of Iron Man and Black Widow, and the retirement of Steve Rogers as Captain America, the landscape of the MCU changed dramatically. 2021's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier saw former-fugitive Sam Wilson assume the role of Captain America, making his grand debut as the Star-Spangled-Man when saving the Global Repatriation Council from the Flag Smashers. This event is certainly big enough to be seen in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.
Sam Wilson makes his feature film debut as Captain America in Captain America: Brave New World, which pits him against the Leader, the Red Hulk and Sidewinder and the Serpent Society.
Referencing Sam Wilson's evolution in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man would further cement him as the MCU's new Captain America, helping to quell unnecessary criticisms aimed at this storyline. Sam Wilson becoming Captain America wouldn't have much impact on the narrative of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, especially if Spider-Man continues to have no association with the Avengers. However, Sam Wilson becoming Cap is a great milestone moment that would help to remind audiences that the animated series takes place in an alternate reality in the MCU's multiverse.
6 Mysterio Attacks Europe
Mysterio Attacked Europe In 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home
Even though Spider-Man: Far From Home was released prior to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Spider-Man's battle against Quentin Beck's Mysterio actually happened months after Sam Wilson became Captain America in the MCU's official timeline. Despite Peter Parker not being associated with the other superheroes of Earth in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, he could still come face-to-face with Mysterio. It's likely his school will still have a trip to Europe, so his class could find itself at the center of Mysterio's Elemental attacks.
A Big MCU Spider-Man Villain Plot Hole Has Finally Been Addressed 4 Years Later
Marvel Studios has confirmed the designation for the MCU, dubbing it "616", and has finally cleared up confusion concerning one Spider-Man villain.
In fact, having Peter Parker operate as Spider-Man secretly in Europe in a fight against Mysterio and his Elementals would be a great way to introduce this version of the wall-crawler to other heroes, including Nick Fury and Maria Hill. Mysterio is one of Spider-Man's most iconic and recognizable villains in Marvel Comics and in the MCU, so it would be great to see him recreated for Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Peter Parker must get involved in this fight, or else Mysterio's attacks could end in tragedy for countless innocent people.
5 The Celestial Tiamut Emerges From The Ocean
The Celestial Tiamut Emerged In 2021's Eternals
Thankfully, Captain America: Brave New World addresses this monumental event from 2021's Eternals, which had seemingly gone unnoticed in the MCU for a number of years. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man can do the same. Spider-Man had nothing to do with the emergence of the Celestial Tiamut or his demise in Eternals, so Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man's Peter Parker likely wouldn't either. However, Parker could see this event unfold in news reports, further cementing Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man as an adjacent reality to the MCU's 616-Universe.
Captain America: Brave New World reveals that the Celestial Tiamut's body is now a source of adamantium in the MCU, which sets up key X-Men-centric storylines for the franchise's future.
The Eternals recently played a key role in What If...? season 3, episode 2, "What If... Agatha Went to Hollywood?," so it would be great to see them return, albeit briefly, in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. The Eternals haven't been seen in live-action since their 2021 debut, so it's good that their story is being developed in Marvel's animated projects, and could continue to be if Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man addresses their existence. Hopefully the Eternals are successful in stopping the emergence in this new universe, too.
4 T’Challa es Away & Shuri Becomes The Black Panther
Shuri Became The New Black Panther In 2022's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
A photo of Norman Osborn with the Wakandan King T'Chaka hangs in the Oscorp building, implying that T'Challa also exists in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man's universe. It's possible T'Challa's Black Panther was involved in the Avengers' Civil War, which was seen in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man episode 4, but his appearance in the series could ultimately lead to his tragic demise. In the MCU, in response to the sudden ing of the late Chadwick Boseman, T'Challa succumbed to a mysterious illness in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and the same could occur in the animated series.
T'Challa's MCU Project |
Year |
Role |
|---|---|---|
Captain America: Civil War |
2016 |
Main Cast (Debut) |
Black Panther |
2018 |
Lead |
Avengers: Infinity War |
2018 |
Main Cast |
Avengers: Endgame |
2019 |
ing Cast |
What If...? Season 1 |
2021 |
Voice in 4 Episodes (Posthumous) |
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever |
2022 |
Archive Footage Cameo (Posthumous) |
T'Challa's ing in the MCU began a chain of events that culminated in his sister, Letitia Wright's Shuri, becoming the MCU's new Black Panther. This same story could unfold in the background of Marvel's animated Spider-Man show, especially since the Wakandan Asha has already debuted in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Shuri's Black Panther hasn't appeared since 2022's Wakanda Forever, so it would be great to see her return to the MCU, even if only in a multiversal animated series.
3 The Skrull Rebellion Begins Its Secret Invasion
The Skrull Rebellion Began In 2023's Secret Invasion
2023's Secret Invasion became one of the MCU's lowest-rated and most-criticized projects following its release, as it failed to capture the story of the iconic Marvel Comics event, and featured some confusing and controversial moments. Now, however, Marvel Studios has the perfect opportunity to redeem the Secret Invasion storyline, as Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man could explore a more comic-accurate Skrull invasion. This could be even more dramatic as Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man has debuted Colman Domingo as Norman Osborn, who plays a huge role in Marvel Comics' Secret Invasion.
Why Norman Osborn Isn't In The MCU's Spider-Man Movies Despite His MCU Debut
Norman Osborn just made his MCU debut in Your Friendly Neighborhood, despite not being in any of Marvel Studios and Sony's Spider-Man movies.
Norman Osborn ends the Skrulls' invasion of Earth in Marvel Comics by killing the Skrull Queen Veranke, which leads to him being placed in charge of SHIELD's replacement organization, HAMMER, giving him the influence to form the sinister Cabal. It's easy to imagine the charismatic Norman Osborn in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man pulling off this feat and shifting into this position of great power. It would also be great to see a full-on Skrull invasion of Earth in the animated series, helping to move on from the mistakes of the live-action Secret Invasion series.
2 Dar-Benn Almost Steals Earth’s Sun
Dar-Benn Attacked Earth In 2023's The Marvels
In the wake of Secret Invasion's disappointing performance and 2023's WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, The Marvels also didn't fare so well, despite being a fun sequel for Brie Larson's Captain Marvel and her new superhero team. Even though The Marvels didn't perform very well, it still included some hugely important events that could change the MCU forever. Monica Rambeau found herself stuck in another reality, and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man could reference the events leading up to this moment, including Dar-Benn's attack on the Earth's sun.
Monica Rambeau still hasn't been seen since becoming trapped in another reality in The Marvels.
Zawe Ashton's Kree villain, Dar-Benn, sought to harvest resources from planets close to Carol Danvers' heart in The Marvels, hoping to bring life back to the Kree homeworld of Hala, which Danvers had inadvertently wrecked by destroying the Supreme Intelligence. After stealing the atmosphere from Tarnax and the water from Aladna, Dar-Benn travels to Earth to siphon the energy from the sun to restart Hala's own star. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man could explore the impact this event had on the ground, and perhaps tease Spider-Man's jump from animation to a live-action universe.
1 Kingpin Becomes Mayor Of New York City
Wilson Fisk Becomes Mayor Of New York City In 2025's Daredevil: Born Again
While this event technically hasn't yet taken place in the MCU, 2025's Daredevil: Born Again series is expected to mark Wilson Fisk's rise to power as the new Mayor of New York City, so Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man could also explore this storyline. Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk had the idea to become Mayor at the end of 2024's Echo, and Born Again will develop this story, perhaps setting up an adaptation of Marvel Comics' Devil's Reign. This storyline would also impact Spider-Man, so it would be perfect for Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, too.
In Marvel Comics' Devil's Reign event, Mayor Wilson Fisk outlawed vigilantism in New York City, affecting the superhero careers of the the likes of Daredevil, Captain America, the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man. As well as being Daredevil's archenemy in Marvel Comics, Kingpin is also an iconic Spider-Man villain, so it would be fantastic to see him appear in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and see him elected into a position of huge power and influence. This would present some huge problems for the animated Spider-Man, just as it will for the live-action MCU.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
- Release Date
- January 29, 2025
- Network
- Disney+
- Writers
- Charlie Neuner
Cast
Hudson ThamesPeter Parker / Spider-Man (voice)
May Parker (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
- Franchise(s)
- Spider-Man
- Creator(s)
- Jeff Trammell
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