Spider-man : Freshmen Year new series d+

[Frontier]

I find it very strange how they keep on advertising it as a prequel to MCU Spidey when it very obviously is not. And since it’s not, why couldn’t we have finally gotten a show with adult Spidey for a change? I think the character designs all look great but why try to emulate and retread ground with the MCU when we could have something original? Batman never has this problem of only having his adaptations take place in his early years, but Spidey has been stuck with this issue for the past decade. I was understanding of the Freshman year aspect when this was understood as a prequel, but now that it very obviously can’t be canon, I don’t understand why we keep going back to Highschool. I am happy they have more creative freedom from not being strictly connected to the MCU, but then why keep on retreading the same years every single Spidey adaptation of the last decade has done??

Admittedly, though, there are a lot of adaptions set in like Year Two or following a really back-to-basics Batman.

I'm so happy it's not tethering itself to the MCU. Obviously it's taking some inspiration in where it diverges with Osborn being the central role in his life, but that's what makes it so appealing to me as a good hook for a 'modern teenage Spidey.' That makes more sense for his corner of the world and invites many interesting opportunities to unfold down the line. Leo Romero's art direction is superb, I'd been hoping for a retro tinged Spidey cartoon for ages. This looks like it will celebrate the roots stylistically but also blend it with some modern sensibilities for audiences like with how a lot of the designs have a bit of practicality mixed in. They also said the golden words that they are big Spectacular fans and took inspiration from it. Doctor Strange looks very Ditko-esque, even the one pose he's doing on his model sheet is from a pinup. It's gonna be great to see Daredevil in a cartoon again. All the wider Marvel connections seem to make sense here so far, like it's things that don't feel too far fetched or feel appropriate bumping into Spidey.

And it's Norman, so we know Peter is inevitably going to beat him up once he goes Goblin.

I feel like they're gonna be getting to do the full highschool years given that they also announced a season 2 called Sophomore Year. After this I'd like to see a cartoon where he's in college again, sure, but it's nice we're getting a proper classic solo Spidey cartoon again at all. Especially after the last decade of kinda mediocre cartoons that always felt lacking in one department or another. It's nice they're giving it an interesting spin with the Osborn connection, too. That's a good twist on the classic formula while also playing on the big mainstream MCU perception for folks.

That's what I'm worried about, though, because it seems like it's going to be the same thing as the last two cartoons where Peter is going to high school with a bunch of other superpowered or exceptional teens he'll inevitably team-up with. Although I guess this could be like the 2017 show but with a bigger budget.

I also just find it weird how little of his actual supporting cast other than the Osborns and Aunt May we've seen. Like, no Flash, Jonah, MJ, Felicia, etc. Like, we're possibly getting Cindy Moon over any of them? Just feels weird.

[Crazyspideyfan]

Esposito would be a fantastic Norman, I wonder how he would be as Gobby though. He would be a much more accurate sinister and cunning Norman, I’ve never heard Esposito do much voice work though, hopefully he can pull off a great Goblin because I actually really like the idea of him as Norman.

[Triniking1234]

Someone needs to tell Feige and the others that being a multiversal story doesn't mean you can tell people it "takes place in the MCU".

[Frontier]

Apparently the football player is Lonnie Lincoln, so I wonder if they're going to use him in place of Flash as the jock that bullies Peter...which also begs the question how he ends up turned into an albino monster.
(Also, if he's a teen, I guess that means no Janice Beetle).

[Mercwmouth12]

But we can still have the Beetle as there has been several before her like the original Abner

[CrimsonEchidna]

I find it very strange how they keep on advertising it as a prequel to MCU Spidey when it very obviously is not. And since it’s not, why couldn’t we have finally gotten a show with adult Spidey for a change? I think the character designs all look great but why try to emulate and retread ground with the MCU when we could have something original? Batman never has this problem of only having his adaptations take place in his early years, but Spidey has been stuck with this issue for the past decade. I was understanding of the Freshman year aspect when this was understood as a prequel, but now that it very obviously can’t be canon, I don’t understand why we keep going back to Highschool. I am happy they have more creative freedom from not being strictly connected to the MCU, but then why keep on retreading the same years every single Spidey adaptation of the last decade has done??

They want to have their cake and eat it too. They're trying to play up it having a connection to the MCU even though plain as day it's already contradicting aspects that were already established for Peter. Like Peter not even knowing who Norman Osborn was, or that Vulture was the first ever villain Peter personally fought.

As others have said, this is clearly an alternate Universe and that is what will ultimately get revealed at some point in the show itself.

[Kaitou D. Kid]

I just don't understand this decision. They're clearly open to doing a show with no direct connection to the MCU, because they're doing X-Men '97. And they know Spider-Man doesn't need an MCU connection to sell. Why not just do your own show?

It feels like they started on this as a prequel, realized there wasn't much they could do, but by then it was too late so now they're trying to have their cake and eat it too.

[Spidey_62]

I just don't understand this decision. They're clearly open to doing a show with no direct connection to the MCU, because they're doing X-Men '97. And they know Spider-Man doesn't need an MCU connection to sell. Why not just do your own show?

It feels like they started on this as a prequel, realized there wasn't much they could do, but by then it was too late so now they're trying to have their cake and eat it too.

Yeah it's a bit strange but I think it's similar of a situation to the MTV Spidey show, maybe a reverse of that actually, where they were doing their own thing but when the Spidey movie was a huge success they retooled the show to 'fit' more into that template. People like riding on the big thing for synergy even if they know they're not exactly the same thing.

[Frontier]

I guess one benefit of not being set in the MCU is they don't need Tom Holland and Spider-Man might actually quip in this show .

[Alan2099]

I just don't understand this decision. They're clearly open to doing a show with no direct connection to the MCU, because they're doing X-Men '97. And they know Spider-Man doesn't need an MCU connection to sell. Why not just do your own show?

It feels like they started on this as a prequel, realized there wasn't much they could do, but by then it was too late so now they're trying to have their cake and eat it too.

This is pretty much what they did when they started the Ultimateverse line of comics as well. They originally hyped it up as being part of the same universe as the X-men and Spider-man movies. It very quickly became apparent that wasn't true.

[Vordan]

I just don't understand this decision. They're clearly open to doing a show with no direct connection to the MCU, because they're doing X-Men '97. And they know Spider-Man doesn't need an MCU connection to sell. Why not just do your own show?

It feels like they started on this as a prequel, realized there wasn't much they could do, but by then it was too late so now they're trying to have their cake and eat it too.

Can’t have a “Spider-Man” cartoon when Peter doesn’t even become Spidey “for real” until NWH. That’s why at first I was totally uninterested because they wouldn’t have been able to do a damn thing. Glad someone there seems to have come to their senses and realized it’s better for a show like this to be it’s own entity.

[Spidey_62]

Can’t have a “Spider-Man” cartoon when Peter doesn’t even become Spidey “for real” until NWH. That’s why at first I was totally uninterested because they wouldn’t have been able to do a damn thing. Glad someone there seems to have come to their senses and realized it’s better for a show like this to be it’s own entity.

Right, I was expressing my sadness when it was first announced seeing that Leonardo Romero would be the lead character designer and being under the impression that we'd be seeing him just do the Homecoming sweatpants suit instead of a proper Spidey design. People told me they would be fine with a cartoon with gorgeous retro inspired design where the classic Spidey suit never showed up in it and I was left somewhat flabbergasted.

[Vordan]

Right, I was expressing my sadness when it was first announced seeing that Leonardo Romero would be the lead character designer and being under the impression that we'd be seeing him just do the Homecoming sweatpants suit instead of a proper Spidey design. People told me they would be fine with a cartoon with gorgeous retro inspired design where the classic Spidey suit never showed up in it and I was left somewhat flabbergasted.

They were lying through their teeth. A Spider-Man show where you couldn’t have any of the A-List Rogues because those have to be saved for the movies? No MJ, Gwen, or Harry? People would have been complaining before long.

[Kaitou D. Kid]

Can’t have a “Spider-Man” cartoon when Peter doesn’t even become Spidey “for real” until NWH. That’s why at first I was totally uninterested because they wouldn’t have been able to do a damn thing. Glad someone there seems to have come to their senses and realized it’s better for a show like this to be it’s own entity.

I will say that I'll take this over an actual prequel. Like you pointed out, NWH's framing means this wouldn't have even been a Spider-Man show. Not really.

I'm at least kinda excited for it because there is more they can do and we might get a Spider-Man that acts like Spider-Man.

[Digifiend]

Someone needs to tell Feige and the others that being a multiversal story doesn't mean you can tell people it "takes place in the MCU".

Anyone got Iman Vellani's number? The Ms. Marvel actress has already had an argument with Feige once, about the MCU being Earth-616. She of course insisted it is not despite being called such in Doctor Strange 2, as handbooks call the MCU's main universe Earth-199999.