Spoiler Warning: This is a mostly spoiler-free review. But if you want to go into the series completely blind, we suggest reading only after seeing at least up to Episode 4. 

Spidey is back with a new animated series on Disney+ with Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man or YFNSM as it’s being referred to now in some spaces of the world wide web. 

Once again, we were granted the opportunity to watch the series in full ahead of the official release of all the episodes. Here, we’ll share with you what we think on this new spin on our favorite webhead. 

A ‘What If’ series

Although the actual What If series has officially ended with Season 3 that was released at the end of 2024, YFNSM is very much still a What If story. The premise of the entire show asks, What if Peter Parker was mentored by Norman Osborn instead of Tony Stark/Iron Man? 

It’s also very much (albeit loosely) connected to the main MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) timeline. You’ll see plenty of hints that this particular Peter is very much parallel to the MCU Pete played by Tom Holland. The show references events that took place in the film Captain America: Civil War which is where MCU Spider-Man was first introduced.

Expect to see some familiar scenes remixed as well as some familiar faces but in slightly different circumstances. 

But the What If of it all may not have begun with Peter meeting Norman. In the MCU, we were never shown how Peter got the Spider bite and who he was with when it happened. 

That’s not the case in this series and how it happens in YFNSM will surely have the heads of theory-crafters spinning. 

Another origin story?

Admittedly, yours truly wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea of another Spidey origin story. Many of us know how it goes, what happens, and how certain events influence and shape Peter to be the kind of hero that Spider-Man is. 

However, the series handles this surprisingly well. It again goes back to the main premise of Norman Osborn taking the place of Tony Stark as Pete’s mentor. We can already see naysayers saying how it’ll be another Spidey story with Pete having a mentor as a crutch. 

But that’s exactly what the entire series explores. The whole narrative also justifies why this is an origin story with Pete starting off as a teenager. His thought processes as well as the decision he makes reflect that of a teenager that’s just trying to find his way. 

The same is true with some of the other characters present in this version of Spidey. 

See you in class!

Stream the two-episode premiere of Marvel Animation’s #YourFriendlyNeighborhoodSpiderMan January 29 only on @DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/LbC5yH7w1d

— Spider-Man (@SpiderMan) January 24, 2025

Spidey’s got new company 

Pearl Pangan talks to Peter Parker with Nico Minoru in the background

You’ve likely already seen some of them but Pete isn’t surrounded by the usual cast of characters here. Sure, there’s Harry Osborn but even his role is slightly different here. Taking the best friend spot instead of Harry or Ned is Nico Minoru. 

Some Marvel fans will recognize her as the superhero Sister Grimm. This particular character has appeared in the MCU-adjacent TV series Runaways. Curiously joining her as part of the school peers ensemble is Pear Pangan. In the comic books, Pearl is the Filipina superhero called Wave. 

Pete also goes to school with a drastically de-aged Lonnie Lincoln AKA Tombstone – a known Spidey villain. Additionally, he interns at Oscorp with a couple more characters that Marvel enthusiasts should be familiar with – Amadeus Cho and Jeanne Foucault. 

There are more familiar characters that will appear throughout the series. Some of them will be readily familiar while others will certainly have the Internet talking.

Art style and animation

As of writing, I couldn’t find any official information as to which animation studio worked on YFNSM. A trailer indicates it’s from the same studio that brought us X-Men 97 but that doesn’t really confirm the details of the actual animation studio. With Disney and Spider-Man social accounts blasting trailers ahead of the show’s premiere, there’s already been a lot of talk about the  show’s “animation.” 

Many observers often confuse art style and animation. Art Style pertains to the overall look and design of the show. Meanwhile, animation is straight up about the movement and rendering of the said art style. 

The art style of YFNSM follows the concept of a comic-book-come-to-life. But even comic books, even those of Spider-Man, differ greatly in terms of art style. The look of YFNSM feels like a different take on the original comic books that Stan Lee and Steve Ditko came out with.

The art style lends nicely to CGI animation. As someone who’s played his fair share of cel-shaded games, it seems some concepts of that style and animation were applied here. The animation, we feel, is your standard fare. Some scenes and moments will seem more stiff than others. But trust that when it needs to, it truly kicks it up a notch.

Mostly, we’d describe the overall approach as “refreshing.” We’ve never seen Spider-Man animated quite like this. It is objectively not terrible. But I understand how, subjectively, this may not be everyone’s cup of tea. 

We also strongly recommend you watch the opening and ending credits for each episode. The show does a good job of paying homage to iconic Spider-Man covers and panels as well as set the mood of each episode.

Is YFNSM worth the watch? 

One hundred percent. Even if you’re not a Spider-Man fan, there’s plenty here that people will enjoy. At the heart of it, YFNSM, is a well-told coming-of-age story. It has enough heart without being corny. It imparts lessons without being overly serious. And lastly, it adequately balances high tension scenes with moments of levity. All of which are ingredients to a good Spidey story. 

If you’re a Spider-Man fan, you’ll likely enjoy the many easter eggs as well as the fresh takes on certain characters and the established lore of our favorite wall-crawler. And if you’re a fan of Marvel at large, there’s also plenty here for you to enjoy. 

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will have your head spinning from the Spider-bite in the first episode. You’re then taken for a ride as if you’re swinging across New York like Spidey himself. And to cap things off, it ends on a dizzying sequence that will surely throw you for a loop.