Spider-Man has been one of the biggest superhero names for decades, and his newest Disney+ series shows his heroic start at the beginning of high school. The animated series has him facing some of his most iconic villains from the comic books and teaming up with other Marvel heroes. It’s different from what viewers have seen of Spider-Man in the MCU, but it shows a Peter Parker who’s young enough for these events to maybe have taken place before the MCU films. However, there is a solid answer to whether or not Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man takes place in the MCU.
No, ‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’ Is Not MCU Canon
Most of the Marvel-themed shows on Disney+ have been part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A few, like What If…?, have taken place in alternate timelines that parallel what happens with the MCU, while others like X-Men ’97 have nothing to do with the Marvel films at all. Although Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man shares a few connections to the MCU, it’s set in an alternate timeline from the films.
Hudson Thames voices Spider-Man in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, rather than Tom Holland, who plays the character in the MCU. While Thames did fill in for Holland’s version of the character on an episode of What If…?, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man‘s animators have given Thames’s Peter Parker a unique look, further distancing the show from the MCU.
Just because Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is detached from the MCU doesn’t rule out the fact that the show could still impact future Marvel projects. MCU films in the past decade have been using the multiverse to introduce characters and objects from non-MCU films and shows. With the next Tom Holland Spider-Man film being rumored to focus on the multiverse and the next Spider-Verse film going through production, there’s a chance Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man could play into either film.
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The Show Was Originally Intended for the MCU
Although Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is not set in the MCU, there were plans to make it part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The series was intended to be a prequel showing the origins of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. However, production did not start off well for the show with this framing. In an interview with Brandon Davis for Phase Hero, producer Brad Winderbaum explained why the show is not connected to the MCU.
“It started out as, ‘OK, it’s Spider-Man’s freshman year. He’s going to be a freshman. Can we get away with this being entirely in the MCU?’ And very early on in the development process, we realized how locked in that actually made us. We couldn’t really use his rogues’ gallery. We couldn’t really use these aspects of origin. It was not fun, honestly.”
Winderbaum said the show needed room to breathe and act on its own without being held down by what has already happened in the MCU. With the change, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is able to focus more on Spider-Man’s rise as a superhero and a high-schooler.
The series also gets the chance to bring classic Spider-Man characters from the comics who haven’t had a chance to appear in the MCU before. Instead of showing Peter Parker’s relationship with genius billionaire Tony Stark, as seen in the MCU movies, the show can develop Peter’s classic relationship with Norman Osborne, who eventually becomes the supervillain Green Goblin.
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‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’ Has Some Exciting MCU Connections
Despite not being in the MCU, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man still connects to other Marvel projects in interesting ways. Charlie Cox’s Daredevil and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin appear as animated versions of respective characters, even though this is a different timeline. No Way Home also showed Spider-Man’s relationship with the magical Dr. Strange, and he makes an appearance in the show as well, though he’s not voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch.
Tony Stark doesn’t have a major role in the show, but his presence is still felt. In Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man’s first time in the MCU, there’s a scene where Peter Parker walks into his apartment while talking to Aunt May, before she introduces him to Stark. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man has a nearly identical scene, only Aunt May introduces Peter to Norman Osborne. Iron Man’s also set to make an appearance at some point, according to a promotional image for the show.
Villainous scientists who were seen from other timelines in No Way Home get their own versions in the show. Peter Parker works alongside Dr. Otto Octavious, who later becomes his foe, as well as Carla Connors, a gender-swapped version of the Lizard. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man even has the villain the Scorpion, a character teased in the post-credit scene of Spider-Man: Homecoming, who was never seen again in the MCU. Spider-Man also gets a few of his suits from the comics, including his white Future Foundation suit.
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