‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man‘ is swinging into action with the highly anticipated animated series that is set to bring a fresh yet familiar take on everyone’s favourite web-slinger.
The series which debuted on Wednesday, Jan 29, draws some clear parallels with the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe, particularly with Tom Holland’s portrayal as Peter Parker. In an exclusive conversation with ETimes, showrunners Jeff Trammell and Mel Zwyer delved into the inspirations behind the series, its connection to past Spider-Man adaptations, and how it carves its own identity within the vast Spidey legacy.
‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’ which is already shaping up to be one of the most faithful adaptations of the web-slinger yet, with a style that brings the classic comic book experience to life. When asked about their key influences, Mel acknowledged the importance of drawing from all facets of Spider-Man’s history. “I would say just everything Spider-Man that came before us, right? Not just comics, but movies, cartoons, games, toys—everything Spider-Man we all embraced. When it comes to the comics, I would say Silver Age comics, the ‘60s and ‘70s—the origins of the look—that was kind of like our guiding point in terms of storytelling.”
Jeff Trammell echoed this sentiment while pointing to more modern influences. “Like Mel mentioned, everything that came before it, but especially for me, the ‘90s Spider-Man series and Spectacular Spider-Man from the 2010s—those are series that I love. So those are definitely things that I was borrowing from, as well as various films and comics.”
The series takes off in a rather familiar, yet intriguing setting – post the events of ‘Captain America: Civil War’. Considering that the film served as a launchpad for Spidey in the MCU, it’s not hard to think why the team would use this narrative as its foundation. Trammell explained the decision behind this choice and how it aligns Peter Parker with Tom Holland’s version over other actors who played the role like Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire. Jeff says, “I think, picking up where we pick up, we’re kind of similar to Tom Holland’s portrayal when he joins the MCU. That’s the big event at the moment. So even just picking up there and deviating onto our own path while still showing that these are things happening in the world does a great job of tying us to the greater MCU. But we don’t need to have Captain America show up every other episode or something. It allows us to have our setting, our backdrop of a world, but still focus on the story we’re telling with our characters.”
Besides reimagining iconic characters, the show also gives a new spin to some famous dialogues. Expressing his excitement about bringing classic interactions to life in a fresh new setting, Trammell tells us, “Oh man, I think being just a fan of those characters, it’s always exciting to write a scene with Norman and Peter having a conversation, or viewing how Harry and Peter interact together—those are always going to be such cool things to do. So I wanted to make sure that each one of those moments feels special and unique.”
If you thought you saw every Spider-Man costume there was in ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’, let us tell you, you’ve not. This new series features the web-slinger in some rather vintage and comic-book-accurate suits. Sharing their thoughts about incorporating the same into their story, Jeff, says, “In terms of the costumes, I really love the inspiration that we used for what becomes the Oscorp suit. Seeing that was really cool for me.”
Mel Zwyer also shared his enthusiasm for costume design, particularly the black suit. “Yeah, I really like the black suit. Unfortunately, it didn’t make an appearance, but I don’t know—maybe in the future, hopefully one day. Just a new take on the homemade suit was a fun part to explore, and then, of course, we ended up with the classic red and blue.”
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man follows Peter Parker’s journey as he navigates his dual life as a high school student and superhero. It features a talented voice cast, including Hudson Thames as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Colman Domingo as Norman Osborn, Eugene Byrd as Lonnie Lincoln, Grace Song as Nico Minoru, Zeno Robinson as Harry Osborn, and Kari Wahlgren as Aunt May.
The series which premiered on Disney+ Hotstar with the first two episodes releasing simultaneously will have its subsequent episodes scheduled for weekly releases every Wednesday. The finale of the 10-part series will air on February 19.
