WARNING: Minor spoilers ahead
EVERYTIME I'D ask my friends who their favorite superhero is, one word comes to mind...Spider-Man. (I have to mention his name as if I'm Jonah Jameson)
There's no denying that the web-slinger is one of the most popular superheroes in the scene especially when looking at his impact in pop culture.
His backstory is relatable since Peter Parker struggles to balance his life as a crime fighter and a student, plus he is oftentimes viewed as an outcast, being targetted by bullies.
In addition, there have been numerous mediums that have offered their take on the web-slinger, with Sam Raimi's films being the most popular of them all, while the renditions from Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland's performances have also brought life to Marvel's most iconic superhero.
But that's where the problem lies. Since Spider-Man is almost everywhere in pop culture, I wondered whether Disney+'s series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man could offer something refreshing especially since the series tackles the web-slinger's origins.
A unique take on Spider-Man
Everyone knows Spider-Man's backstory, he enters a science lab and gets bitten by a radioactive spider which eventually gave him powers.
So one may expect that Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man would follow the same route right? Well Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider, but there is a twist.
Instead of him entering a lab, Parker had to witness a clash between a mystical being and an extraterrestrial threat and eventually a random spider appeared and bit Parker.
And afterwards one may expect Parker to experiment on his abilities similar to what we see in the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield movies right?
Well he did experiment on his abilities, but in a different perspective, and overall the direction of this series really brought a unique and refreshing take on the Spider-Man narrative.
It didn't follow the cliche routes on Spider-Man's backstory, which gave the series its own identity. Plus the uniqueness in the narrative didn't seem to cause a lot of problems since the overall story was crafted well.
The series offered a different perspective as it explored an alternate storyline in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Instead of Tony Stark aka Iron Man mentoring Parker, it's now Norman Osborn taking over the helm, which actually added more flavor to Spider-Man's origin story.
Defying traditional Spider-Man tropes
Norman Osborn's depiction in the series was something that I really appreciated, as it strays away from his usual villainous image. Normally fans have been accustomed to see Osborn's darker side where he donned the Green Goblin apparel and terrorize the citizens of New York City or even better the Avengers.
But Osborn in this series seems like a man with good intentions, as seen with his passion of helping Parker reach his full potential.
Like Stark, Osborn made numerous attempts to improve Parker's Spider-Man suit, plus he really had a golden heart to value Parker's life at all costs, to the point where he even became overprotective.
However when Osborn said the line, "With great power, comes great respect," this statement left me stunned.
For one it referenced the cliche Spider-Man saying that we normally hear a lot, but what really made this scene impressive was that it subtly hinted on Osborn's darker side, which will further be explored. This ultimately made me love Osborn's character in the series as he is depicted as a good-natured individual, with a shadow lurking from behind.
And while Osborn has taken centerstage in defying the usual Spider-Man tropes, there are others that are also worth highlighting.
Previous iterations would see Parker getting bullied a lot by his schoolmates, but the series offered a refreshing take of the web-slinger being a favorite in the school community, to the point where he even made friends with the school's football jocks.
But the most important element I noticed was how Parker dealt with the student-superhero life. Like in previous versions, Parker struggled to balance his life, but the series went deeper with the angle on 'what it means to be a hero.'
Paying tribute to Spider-Man across different mediums
Besides the narratives, I really appreciated how the series paid tribute to Spider-Man's pop culture phenomenon.
The introduction theme is already enough to leave an impression as the 1967 cartoon theme was used, however they mixed the classic intro song with a modern rap verse which really blew me away.
Plus they even made animations involving Spider-Man's iconic appearances in the comic books.
Even some of the scenes paid homage to Spider-Man's film appearances as there are subtle references to that iconic kissing scene with Mary Jane on Sam Raimi's Spider-Man, and that time when Spider-Man used all of his strength to stop a stampeding train.
There are even references to Spidey's most iconic outfits, which could bring a ton of smiles to our faces.
CONCLUSION
If you're a huge fan of Spider-Man, this series is a must watch because everything from the beginning all the way to the end screams SPIDER-MAN!
However if you aren't a diehard fan or if you're new to the Spider-Man universe, this series is still a kicker especially when dissecting the entire series.
An intriguing story, the top notched animations and voice-over acting, and a musical playlist that would unleash the inner superhero in you, are enough to leave an impression, and one could argue that the series was done with great power and responsibility.
Even the involvement of the MCU is likewise a welcome addition as the introduction of other beloved Marvel characters weren't forced into the equation, and the idea of placing Spider-Man outside the lens of the Avengers elevated the web-slinger's story as we got to reflect more on his journey as a superhero.
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