Marvel Heroes From Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man That Deserve A Spin-Off

Summary

• Character-driven storytelling opens new possibilities for Marvel’s underutilized heroes in animation.
• The Hulk is a character that can explore the duality of the two personas while providing monster-of-the-week fun.
• Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man planted the seeds for characters like Daredevil and Doctor Strange to have their own shows.

Fans have expressed an incredible amount of love for Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, leading to the confirmation of Season 2 and the greenlighting of Season 3. Since the series is set in a universe where superheroes are already a part of the world, Marvel Animation could leverage it to launch a new animated Marvel universe.

There are many classic and newer heroes out there, with some teased or guest-starring in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. With Disney+ opening more possibilities for character-driven storytelling, it’s time to shine the spotlight on some of Marvel’s most intriguing, yet underutilized characters, since Spider-Man has been the star of over a dozen animated shows.

8

The Incredible Hulk

Duality Can Be Explored With Banner And Hulk

• Real Name: Bruce Banner
• First Appearance: The Incredible Hulk Vol. 1 #1

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is celebrated for balancing character development with the exciting exploits of its villains and heroes. An ideal Marvel hero for such a style would be The Incredible Hulk. Every episode could dive into the psychology of Bruce Banner and Hulk as they learn to work together as a Marvel version of Jekyll and Hyde.

General Thaddeus Ross was introduced as a minor character in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, which could be the perfect springboard for a Hulk series. Hulk, like Spider-Man, has a large roster of villains, such as the Red Hulk, Abomination, Absorbing Man, and the Wendigo, thus providing the character with enough potential content for multiple seasons.

7

Iron Man

Tony Stark Can Have A Deserved Comeback On Disney+

• Real Name: Anthony “Tony” Edward Stark
• First Appearance: Tales Of Suspense #39

Over the years, especially after the start of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Tony Stark, aka. Iron Man, has gone from a B-list hero to an A-lister who brought everyone to tears in the films. Now that there is no Iron Man in the movies, Marvel Animation could revive the character in the Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man universe after he made a surprise appearance to arrest Otto Octavius.

Doing a new version of Iron Man could allow for new dynamics and more villains who never got a chance to be in the movies. It also would be the first time in over fifteen years that Iron Man has ever gotten a series, with the last attempt being the often-overlooked Iron Man: Armored Adventures.

6

Captain Marvel

Show Carol Danvers’ Adventures Through The Galaxy

• Real Name: Carol Danvers
• First Appearance: Marvel Super-Heroes Vol. 1 #13

Exploring and protecting the universe from intergalactic despots and other threats is a full-time job for Captain Marvel, the strongest Avenger in the galaxy. As a result, an animated series would be perfect for showing the many worlds, cultures, and villains that she encounters trying to be a hero for planets that don’t have any Avengers to protect them.

With her pet alien cat named Goose at her side, the series would blend action, comedy, drama, and sci-fi, which has been explored in several Marvel games and movies. Being in space, Captain Marvel herself could also be a springboard character, allowing her to meet other cosmic Marvel characters, such as Thor, Silver Surfer, and the Guardians Of The Galaxy.

5

Captain America

Being A Man Out Of Time Makes For A Unique Perspective

• Real Name: Steve Rogers
• First Appearance: Captain America Comics #1

Between the confirmation of the Civil War event taking place during Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and Spider-Man being a fan of the character, Captain America has the potential to be in Marvel Animation’s future. Captain America has always been part of a team like the Avengers, but the character has yet to star in his own Marvel animated series.

A series about Captain America could focus on the hero as he adjusts to the modern age, defending the people, and going on missions around the globe. Another option for a B-plot could be following Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, and the rest of the Howling Commandos during World War 2, with relevance to the stories happening in the modern day.

4

Spider-Man 2099

Other Spider-People Deserve Their Own Shows

• Real Name: Miguel O’Hara
• First Appearance: Spider-Man 2099 Vol. 1 #1

There is no denying that Spider-Man always has mass appeal, but Peter Parker is not the only Spider-Person worthy of attention. Spider-Man 2099, also known as Miguel O’Hara, would present different storylines about corrupt corporations, but also different visuals as he defends a cyberpunk future version of New York City with many bizarre versions of Spider-Man villains.

The inclusion of a Spider-Man 2099 in the same style and continuity as Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man also sets up potential crossover episodes. Different Spider-Man video games feature Peter Parker and Miguel O’Hara working together via time travel, which could be the plot of a crossover episode of the two Spider-Man shows.

3

The Runaways

Nico Minoru Is The Obvious Start To The Young Adult Superhero Team

• Characters: Sister Grimm, Princess Powerful, Karolina Dean, Victor Mancha, Talkback, Old Lace
• First Appearance: Runaways Vol. 1 #1

The inclusion of Nico Minoru in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man not only allowed for a different friendship dynamic for Peter Parker, but it potentially set her up for The Runaways. The first season revealed that she has a magic amulet that allows her to communicate with her mother. In the comics, Nico is a powerful witch who co-leads a team of heroes trying to escape their villainous parents.

The Runaways could be introduced in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man as a secondary plot for a season, thus leading to a spin-off series. With a diverse set of powers and personalities, The Runaways are all children of a villainous organization known as The Pride. It’s the perfect concept to teach kids and adults that family is not always about blood, but about those who love and support each other.

2

Daredevil

The Seeds For More Daredevil Were Planted

• Real Name: Matthew “Matt” Murdock
• First Appearance: Daredevil Vol. 1 #1

Daredevil already has his dark and gritty live-action MCU series with Daredevil: Born Again, which follows the Netflix series, but Charlie Cox has become a fan of his own character. He stole the spotlight in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man as a more lighthearted and quippy version of Daredevil, akin to how the character is portrayed in the comics.

Vigilante characters like Spider-Man and Batman always attract attention and, since the live-action series had legions of fans begging for its return, they would likely attend an animated series starring Charlie Cox as well. Especially since a series could introduce more outlandish Daredevil villains like Mister Fear, Eel, Ikari, and Taskmaster, in particular, as Daredevil is working with Finesse, his daughter.

1

Doctor Strange

Robin Atkin Downes Stole The Show In His Episodes

• Real Name: Stephen Strange
• First Appearance: Strange Tales #110

After appearing in the first and final episodes of Season 1, Doctor Strange became a highlight of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Robin Atkin Downes gave a memorable performance, feeling like a solid middle-ground between the comic and the movie versions of Doctor Strange.

An animated series could be the logical next step because the character has risen in popularity over the years. It could allow for new mystical threats every episode, whether it’s something in the Sanctum Sanctorum or in the many alternate dimensions that Strange visits. Add in beloved characters like Wong and Baron Mordo, and it could lead to a unique series focusing on the mystical side of Marvel.