Marvel Just Changed Spider-Man’s Origin Story in the Best Way Possible

[[{“value”:”

In the premiere of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, fans are seeing new dimensions to Hudson Thames’ Peter Parker. Though he’s still a bumbling nerd, this may well be the most insecure version of the wall-crawler yet. This is understandable, however, as he has only just received his powers.

A lot stems from Peter’s rebooted origin story, which is changed in a major way in the Disney+ series. In the process, Marvel makes his hero’s journey better by layering it with unpredictability as it deviates from the norm. The darkness in previous stories is also replaced with light-hearted joy.

What Is Peter Parker’s Main Origin?

Peter Got Bitten By a Radioactive Spider and Gained Powers

In almost all Spider-Man stories, Peter gets bitten by a radioactive arachnid. It’s been seen in his classic origin stories, and even alternate realities that mutate him more. The various video games and Sony movies followed the same path, too, whether it be with Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield or Tom Holland. It’s the staple of any Spider-Man, to the point that Miles Morales has a similar origin.

Spider-Man Comic Details

Peter would hone his craft, build a suit and become a vigilante. Unfortunately, he made errors with robbers, taking them lightly. It led to Uncle Ben’s death and Peter understanding that with great power comes great responsibility. He’d want to honor Ben, or whichever family member, friend or lover he lost, according to his respective reality. He used his brain to make his suit and society better.

Most of the time, Peter’s journey was rooted in science. He’d experiment on himself, learn more about his abilities and try to be a better hero, whether it’s with the suit or his actual physiology. That’s what led him to join teams like the Avengers and The Fantastic Four. All he wanted to do was be the best Spider-Man he could be.

What Is Spider-Man’s Origin in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man?

Peter’s Spider Comes From a Mysterious Realm

In the first episode of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Peter is at school when a portal opens up. The classic version of Doctor Strange fights a symbiote-covered being. The sorcerer gets help from a normal, human Peter and rustles the creature up. But as the mage heads home through a portal, it closes and snips a hanging spider loose from that other reality. It lands on Peter and bites him as he talks to Your Friendly Neighborhood’s Nico Minoru. He passes out, which leads to a time-jump.

Peter then debuts a proto-suit, reinterpreting what Holland had in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s very much homemade, with gas tanks propelling his webbing. At first glance, it feels more scientific. More would have been known had the series shown how Peter went home, adapted, found himself clinging to ceilings, and used his genius to make the webs. There isn’t even much shown about him designing the suit, which is a mystery later episodes can tackle.

A prequel comic is detailing bits and pieces of this arc, but there is no telling what will be kept in this show’s continuity. It’s a breath of fresh air, however, as many adaptations covered this. Some fans said it makes no sense rehashing the same origin story. That’s why James Gunn isn’t up for that with Batman in the DCU, as too much retreading can get stale. By teasing and omitting key junctures in this series, the intrigue keeps building for future episodes of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man to reveal the full truth of Peter’s history, before and after the bite.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Freshens Uncle Ben’s Connection

Peter’s Origin Isn’t Defined By Uncle Ben’s Death

A big change the animated series from Jeff Trammell makes is that Uncle Ben dies before Peter gets powers. This means Peter wouldn’t feel guilty or burdened by his powers. He often saw the abilities as a curse, thinking had he not been bitten, Uncle Ben wouldn’t have died. That often had him tempting fate, to the point he tried to save May with a sinister deal with Mephisto in Civil War. It erased his identity from people’s minds and his marriage to May Jane.

At its core, Peter Parker’s journey as Spider-Man goes back to how he felt he hurt people with his powers. He thought being a superhero and unmasking was what got May shot. No matter what, he’d always feel a heavy weight regarding these talents. But by scrubbing that emotional distress and untethering Ben from the bite, this show’s Peter can embrace the powers more.

Peter will likely have fun and see the symbol of Spider-Man as a gift. It has nothing to do with Ben’s death, freeing him up to make Ben proud without pain. It speaks to a healthier legacy away from grief and trauma. A dynasty bereft of guilt could only serve to create a more heroic and inspirational Spider-Man. He’s not saving lives because he has to or due to some debt; he does it because he wants to, all with a smile on his face.

That’s the kind of cheer that’ll make his humor more genuine, rather than denial and deflection to hide his agony. This way, the bite and costume are his salve, meant to heal his heart rather than stain it in his journey of self-discovery. This narrative path allows Peter to become his own hero away from Ben’s death.

Peter’s Spider-Bite Could Be Linked to Morlun or Madame Web

Rather than hinge on science, the show could pivot to magic. The MCU used a spell to erase Peter’s identity, but that doesn’t mean his future lies with mystical stories on the big screen, even with hints Ned could be a mage. Instead, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man can work in these elements that Marvel Studios may not tackle.

The alternate universe spider could belong to Madame Web. After Sony’s Spider-Man Universe tanked and Madame Web got panned, she could appear like she did in Spider-Man: The Animated Series in the 1990s. Madame Web could have plotted to find a pawn to tie into the “great web of life and destiny” she always speaks of. Peter might be the warrior she chooses to hop through various dimensions and realities. Secondly, the magical aspect of Morlun could end up factoring in.

As a psychic vampire, Morlun learned through Ezekiel Sims of totems, which are heroes that animals bonded with. Peter was one. Morlun was part of the Inheritors, who are villains that wanted this power, so they hunted vessels down across the Spider-Verse. It created great wars, as seen in books like Spider-Man: The Other. Sims had a similar arc in the Madame Web movie, but fans felt this was better suited to Morlun, who hasn’t been a big player in shows or movies. This is a chance for Marvel to finally plug the intimidating villain in and seek the spider and the power that chose Peter.

This opens the door to Loomworld (Morlun’s home), his kin, the Master Weaver and the evil godlike being, Shathra. They all made the Spider-Geddon and End of the Spider-Verse arcs interesting, as Spider-People were hunted for their power. In fact, both Morlun and Madame Web’s arcs can coincide like they did in the source material, giving fans a non-grounded spectacle that the animation medium will thrive on.

Peter as a mystical hero would certainly be left-field, but for diehard fans of lore, such a direction would feel right up his alley. Ultimately, it would allow the cartoon to take unconventional swings, and surprise fans with a stunning spin that does have roots in the lore of the Spider-Verse.

The first two episodes of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man are now streaming on Disney+. New episodes debut on Wednesdays.

“}]] Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man reinterprets Peter Parker’s origin story, and makes it more nuanced by not emphasizing his grief.  Read More