Spider-Man has been a valued member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever since his arrival in 2016's Captain America: Civil War. The character, portrayed by Tom Holland, appeared in many notable MCU crossovers, such as Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and just recently, the Multiverse-sized epic, Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Despite his many memorable appearances, one of the lingering mysteries about the MCU’s Spider-Man is his origin story. However, this will all change due to the arrival of an animated Disney+ series called Spider-Man: Freshman Year, a show that will tackle the first year of Peter Parker as the famed web-slinger.
Now, new details about the upcoming MCU series have been revealed during this year's San Diego Comic-Con.
Peter Parker Receives Animated MCU Treatment
During the studio's panel at San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Studios officially confirmed that Spider-Man: Freshman Year will start streaming on Disney+ in 2024.
Comicbook's Brandon Davis also shared the first looks at the design of Peter Parker and his Spider-Man suit that will be featured in the series:
Here's a closer look at Peter's homemade suit in the series:
Marvel Studios unveiled the animated lineup of Parker's friends in the series, which includes Harry Osborn, Amadeus Cho, and Nico Minuro from the Runaways:
As for the show's villains, some iconic foes of the web-slinger will be featured, such as Doctor Octopus, Rhino, and Scorpion:
Doctor Strange will also appear, but it is unknown if this is the same version from the mainstream MCU:
Charlie Cox will also return to reprise his role as Daredevil in Spider-Man: Freshman Year:
Aside from the homemade suit, Peter will also wear different super suits as the season progresses:
Also revealed was the design for Norman Osborn, who is said to be a mentor in the series akin to Tony Stark:
Not only will Peter come face to face with Osborn, but so will Spider-Man:
Is Spider-Man's Disney+ Series MCU Canon?
When Spider-Man: Freshman Year was first announced during Disney+ Day, it was marketed as canon to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, this latest list of updates appears to confirm that the upcoming web-slinging series will not connect to the larger MCU. Instead, it is expected to be part of the Multiverse.
There is tons of evidence as to why Freshman Year is not canon to the MCU. For starters, Avengers: Infinity War established that Doctor Strange and Spider-Man first met in space, and the Sorcerer's appearance in the series would negate that. In addition, the presence of Harry Osborn and Doctor Octopus also doesn't line up with Peter Parker's latest adventure in Spider-Man: No Way Home, considering that the young hero didn't reference them upon meeting their Multiversal selves in the threequel.
The absence of Jacob Batalon's Ned and Zendaya's MJ also adds to the confusion, further cementing that Freshman Year is not in any way connected to Tom Holland's MCU hero. It is likely that the question of it being canon or not will be addressed in the months leading to the show's premiere in 2024.
Despite seemingly not being canon to the MCU, the arrival of Freshman Year still offers a fresh batch of stories centered around everyone's favorite neighborhood hero.
