Lost in Translation 478 – Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2025)

Lost in Translation has covered *Spider-Man* adaptations before, including Into the Spider-verse. Stan Lee and Steve Ditko created the character in 1962 for Amazing Fantasy #15, where Peter Parker, aka the Amazing Spider-Man, struck a chord with readers. Unlike the big three over at Marvel’s Distinguished Competition, Peter had problems that the readers could identify with. “Weird Al” Yankovic’s “Ode to a Superhero” sums up Peter quite well, including the problems he runs into being Spider-Man.

Some memorable members of Spider-Man’s rogues gallery have a personal connection to either Peter or Spidey. Norman Osborne, aka the Green Goblin, is the father to Peter’s friend Harry; Harry later becomes the Green Goblin himself. His mentor, Dr. Curt Connors, becomes the Lizard. Peter’s empathy makes fighting them difficult, with the goal being redemption instead of punishment. While Spider-Man is popular with readers, in universe, the character isn’t as beloved. The editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson, does what he can to tarnish Spider’s reputation, with the help of his new photographer, Peter Parker. Spider-Man’s popularity with readers has turned him into the signifier that a new character properly belongs in the Marvel Universe; he has appeared in several early comics of The Avengers, Cloak & Dagger, and Dazzler to cement the idea that the comics are in the main continuity.

Spider-Man’s origins have been steady since the character’s first appearance. A spider that had been doused in radiation bit Peter, giving him strength and agility proportional to a spider’s. Peter took the opportunity to cash in on his new abilities, creating a costume and trying to break into wrestling. However, when he showed up for his first match, he let the armed robber escape, saying it wasn’t his problem. The robber later fatally shoots Peter’s Uncle Ben, enforcing the lesson, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

Since his creation, Spider-Man has been in film, on TV, and on stage. His first television appearance was in 1967 with the Spider-Man cartoon. The cartoon does cover Spider-Man’s origin and introduces his rogues gallery of the time, including Doctor Otto Octavius, aka Doctor Octopus; the Scorpion, Mac Gargan; the Green Goblin; Sandman; Vulture; Electro; and Mysterio. The animation was reused for budget reasons, but still had new animation where needed. While not quite to the level of Fleischer Studios’ Superman, the different mediums – cinema versus television – have different requirements. Television needs episodes weekly. With the limited budget, the ‘67 *Spider-Man* reused art from another work made by the studio, Krantz Studio, Rocket Robin Hood.

Animation has changed since 1967. Animation has gotten smoother, and, today, digitized. Traditional cel animation takes time, even when corners are cut and animation is reused. Digital animation can still be labour intensive, but the animation can be smoother, even if animation reuse can be done. What digital animation can do is be more consistent with colours and appearances. Where in traditional animation, the opening sequence can be noticeable better than actual episode, digital animation maintains the quality over the entire episode.

Enter Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man in 2025, a 3-D cel-shaded animated series on Disney+. The series follows fifteen year old Peter Parker as he starts at a new school, one for the brightest students of the city. However, as he’s arriving, a portal opens and a creature falls out of it, followed by Dr. Strange. Despite not having his powers yet, Peter distracts the creature when it goes after his new friend, Nico Minoru, giving Strange the opportunity to send the creature back through the portal. When the portal closes, a spider falls through and bites Peter.

Now that he has the strength and agility proportional of a spider, Peter takes his chemistry knowledge to work out web fluid and starts patrolling his neighbourhood, stopping crime while still trying to navigate school and home. His exploits as Spider-Man gets the notice of Norman Osborne, owner of Oscorp. Osborne sets up several internships to bring in his top suspects of who Spider-Man could be, including Peter, Amadeus Cho, Jeanne Foucault, and Asha.

Outside of Peter’s notice, Doctor Otto Octavius is behind the equipping of criminals with high-tech gear. One of Osborne’s goals is to figure out the source of the gear, though not necessarily to bring the source to justice. Peter is on the periphery of the plots, but gets involved in several ways. He accidentally outs himself as Spider-Man to Osborne, getting a new suit out of it. His friend, Lonnie Lincoln, gets involved with the 110^th Street Gang, a target of the Octavius-backed Scorpions gang. The leader of the Scorpions, Mac Gargan, gets armour and a mechanized scorpion’s tail from Doc Ock.

The series is set apart from the regular Marvel Comics continuity and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Peter’s Uncle Ben has already passed away when the series starts. Peter still lives with his Aunt May, who is noticeably younger than her portrayal in the comics, but closer to her appearances in the Marvel movies, especially *Into the Spider-Verse*. Peter, however, is still the same Peter, awkward, unsure of himself. He still gets his powers from a spider bite, and still creates his own web fluid.

The animation pulls from both classic *Spider-Man* comics and from *Into the Spider-Verse*. Steve Ditko’s version of Peter is clearly on screen. The action sequences are like watching an animated comic book, similar to Into the Spider-verse. The opening theme song, “Neighbor Like Me” by The Math Club featuring Relaye and Melo Makes Music, samples and integrates elements from the 1967 cartoon, another call back to Spider-Man’s comic and cartoon origins. The animation is clean, making it easy to follow the action. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is a good introduction to the character.

For the audience who is more informed about the character, the first season sets up several possible storylines. In the comics, Lonnie Lincoln becomes Tombstone; the series introduces that storyline mid-season. Daredevil, voiced by Charlie Cox, makes an an appearance, investigating the high-tech gear used by criminals and the goals of Oscorp. Nico Minoru first appeared in *Runaways* #1, as part of a team of superpowered teenagers trying to stop their supervillain parents. Dr. Carla Connors, a scientist working at Oscorp with a missing arm, is a gender-flip of Dr. Curt Connors who became the Lizard. The presence of Daredevil plus the street gangs brings the possibility of the Kingpin appearing. The alien Dr. Strange fights at the beginning looks very like the Venom symbiote from the comics. All this just scratches the surface of potential plot lines; there are more characters that could be introduced, like Frank Castle/The Punisher, Kraven the Hunter, and J. Jonah Jameson.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man takes the Spider-mythos and puts it into a setting that has had time to grow. Spider-Man is no longer the lone hero in New York City, with Marvel Comics creating new characters and titles to flesh out the setting, but is the new hero in a world that has superheroes and supervillains already existing with new ones being created as time passes. The series takes some liberties with Peter’s background, moves a few characters around for the sake of the plot, but it stays true to Peter’s powers and personality. That said, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man works as an adaptation, using the expectations of the audience familiar with the characters to spin a new storyline while still keeping the feel of the comics, movies, and even previous cartoons.