Most superhero and comic book fans are familiar with Spider-Man’s origin story, but they may be surprised to find some changes in the web-slinger’s new animated series. Marvel kicks off 2025 with Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man on Disney+, revealing Peter Parker’s early days as Spider-Man before he was recruited by Tony Stark in Captain America: Civil War. We’re talking homemade Spider-Man costume and everything. While you may think you know everything there is to know about Spider-Man’s origin, the Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man prequel comic manages to toss in some unexpected curveballs. WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1. Continue reading at your own risk!
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Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1 comes from the creative team of Christos Gage, Eric Gapstur, Jim Campbell, and VC’s Joe Caramagna. We drop in sometime after an attack at Midtown High, which leaves huge craters on different parts of the building. The first change we can mention is Nico Minoru of the Runaways is one of Peter’s classmates at Midtown High. They introduce themselves to each other outside the facility. She’s never been associated as a Spider-Man supporting character, but that all changes in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. However, the biggest change comes in how Peter gains his Spider-Man abilities.
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Instead of being bitten by a radioactive spider while on a high school field trip, Peter Parker gets his spider bite standing outside Midtown High. The spider biting Peter also gets a sound effect, with a “CHOMP” displaying on the page. That must be one hungry spider. Next, Peter gets dizzy and then passes out on the pavement, with Aunt May and Nico coming to his side to check on him. This raises so many questions not only about Peter, but about the spider itself.
Where did the spider that bites Spider-Man come from?
We know Spider-Man gets his powers after being bitten by a radioactive spider, and that it typically happens at a science fair, which explains how a regular spider is imbued with radioactivity. But we get none of this backstory in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1. The spider just shows up on Peter’s neck and bites him. Where did it come from? Who experimented on it? It brings back memories of the spider that bit Miles Morales in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe version of Spider-Man may be less inclined to worry about the specifics of the spider, putting the focus more on Peter Parker and his journey to becoming Spider-Man. We get a lot of that in this issue when Peter and Nico sneak into Midtown High to investigate who is behind a gas explosion.
A classic Spider-Man villain makes his MCU debut
Nico Minoru discovers the fire at Midtown High was set deliberately, and believes it’s all tied to a real estate conglomerate that wants to buy the land the school is on. She traces the owner back to the brother-in-law of Silvio Manfredi, aka the Spider-Man villain and mob boss Silvermane. Peter and Nico wind up running into some of Silvermane’s henchmen inside Midtown High when they try to cover up any evidence that would implicate them.
Peter and Nico split up, with Peter using his Spider-Man abilities to escape Silvermane’s men. Peter uses his agility to leap over them and his strength to rip part of the wall off and use it as a shield to guard against bullets. He ends the night sticking to a wall in a spider pose. Later, Silvermane says he is going to call in some more Spider-Man villains to help him take out the wall-crawler: The Enforcers.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man debuts January 29, 2025 on Disney+.
