Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man premiered with its first two episodes yesterday on Disney+, marking the first Marvel release of 2025, and also the first of three Marvel Animation titles for the year. It has been five years since the last Spider-Man series aired, and it wasn’t to the fans’ liking. There are some doubts with the noise of a new show finally dropping, but showrunner Jeff Trammell drops all worries with this first episode.
‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’ Offers A Bright New Style
To set itself apart, this show has taken a look that’s different from the many adaptations we’ve seen in the past. It harbours a cel-shaded style that takes inspiration from the Ditko era of comics. This establishes the setting of the show and fits into its appearance of a comic book, which it does an excellent job of doing from just the opening moments of this episode.
The animation is also 3D, similar to series such as What If…? but thankfully, thanks to the artistic and distinctive overall look of the show, it fails to look as uncanny as Marvel Animation’s previous attempts. It can take some getting used to, but quickly you adjust to this vibrant, eye-catching world that’s very much got a life of its own.
It’s able to find a way during the action sequences to make every magic spell, web thwip, punch, or kick truly feel animated. It’s that use of the panelling again that allows for interesting movements, such as Doctor Strange (Robin Atkin Downes) dropping the symbiotic alien (Kellen Groff) through a portal and the audience getting to see him fall through the other side simultaneously.
To continue the commitment, the intro to the show also plays out like a comic book with its comic price tags, which showcase various Spider-Man outfits that may or may not appear in the show. It also continues with the panel as it shows a scene of Peter Parker (Hudson Thames) learning how to climb for the first time. Text boxes are plastered throughout, highlighting the creators behind the show/each episode. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man has a very clear identity, and it’s noticeable within the first ten minutes.
‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’ And Friends
We all know how the story for the Sacred Timeline’s Spider-Man goes, but this one is drastically different from the get-go. Due to an incident with Doctor Strange and a symbiote alien, Midtown High is now closed and under reconstruction. This takes him to a new school, Rockford T. Bales High School. Beforehand, he had just met Nico Minoru (Grace Song), a character known for being with the team Runaways. This first episode doesn’t delve into that side of the character, but it’s likely the show will lean into this in the near future.
She also doesn’t work as a replacement for Ned, who’s no longer a character or a part of Peter’s life. She very much feels like an alternate version of the character. Nico is humorous and overall a great addition to Peter’s cast of characters, as she feels like Peter’s guide to progressing as a character. Alongside her is Pearl Pangan (Cathy Ang), Peter’s crush in this season; Lonnie Lincoln (Eugene Byrd), Pearl’s boyfriend (sorry, Peter); and famously known in the comics as Spider-Man’s notorious villain, Tombstone.
It feels refreshing watching a Peter Parker in high school and not having to see him deal with the constant bully on his back. We see it in every iteration of the character, and while it may seem like this is the role Lonnie will play. It’s the complete opposite. He’s a character that respects Parker’s work ethic and just overall as a person. We see on his journey home that all he wants to feel is loved and not feared, as he puts on acts to seem like he lives a happy life, parents pulling their children away from him after giving him one look, and the police following him simply based on his appearance.
This type of exploration with a character such as Lonnie wasn’t expected within the first episode, but it’s a pleasant one. It shows the writer and showrunner care for these characters that are a part of this world.
It’s Called ‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’ For A Reason
Peter Parker, Spider-Man. Amazing or Spectacular, just not yet. He’s got to earn that, and currently he’s still learning the ropes. The way the writers have written him in action sequences brings back memories to the days of The Batman. With these characters failing to do simple tasks that they’re so well known for. It once again shows that these writers are all about showcasing the progress and development of these characters, not only for this season but for the life duration of the show.
The show is called Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and that’s exactly what it feels like. From saving Harry Osborn (Zeno Robinson) to returning stolen money to a pizza place. It doesn’t stop there, as we get to see the kindness that radiates from Spider-Man as he offers these criminals, who haven’t been dealt the best hand in life, a second chance.
To end off the episode, we get a scene that’s recreated almost 1:1 from Captain America: Civil War, except for one slight change. Instead of Tony Stark waiting at Parker’s house by Aunt May’s (Kari Wahlgren) side, we have Norman Osborn, the head of Oscorp, waiting instead. This will lead to a very different Peter Parker than the one everyone’s used to from the Sacred Timeline, and it’ll be fun to see how this dynamic will evolve over the course of the season.
‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’ Episode 1: “Amazing Fantasy” – Final Thoughts
It’s early to say, but Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Episode 1, “Amazing Fantasy,” is a great start to what might be the greatest Spider-Man animated show we’ve gotten in over a decade. It’s a slow start for the episode, but all that time it takes to introduce the viewers to its characters and world is greatly used. If the show manages to keep this up, fans can expect to have their new favourite iteration of Spider-Man.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Episodes 1-2 are now streaming on Disney+. Check out a trailer below:
