One villain's origin story finally paid off in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Episode 5 after he earned his daunting name at the end of the episode.
So far, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man has spent a lot of time getting viewers acquainted with this version of Peter Parker. Other characters such as Harry and Norman Osborn have also played a major role, and the show even hid other important future superheroes.
However, Lonnie Lincoln (who some already knew would grow into one of Spider-Man's biggest foes) has also received his fair share of attention. At the end of the most recent episode, fans finally got to hear the name that will strike fear into the hearts of many.
How Lonnie Became Tombstone in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
Fans have got to see Lonnie make some difficult decisions in previous episodes of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Unlike his comic counterpart, the animated series version of Lonnie didn't necessarily choose a life of crime for his own sake, but rather to protect his brother.
Lonnie is also a gifted student and the captain of the high school football team (where he is also the star quarterback), making his villainous turn even more tragic.
In Episode 5, Lonnie wanted nothing more than to get on with his normal life. He even finally returned to football practice, but didn't get a chance to make it onto the field before Big Don (the leader of the 110th Street gang that Lonnie is now a part of) called, saying that Lonnie needed to get to the hideout.
The Scorpions gang was attempting to take some territory away from the 110th, so Big Don needed all of the muscle he could get. He basically gave Lonnie no choice, as he sent two other gang members to the football field to take Lonnie away if he didn't come willingly.
When Lonnie and the others arrived, both the 110th and the Scorpions were already in a standoff. A fight quickly broke out, and, shortly after, Lonnie saw that Gargan (the leader of the Scorpion crew) was about to stab Big Don in the back with a knife.
Lonnie tackled Gargan, causing the knife to be stabbed into Lonnie's arm. It appeared as though Gargan was going to finish off Lonnie for good, but the Scorpions left since the police were arriving.
Later on in the 110th's hideout, Big Don brought Lonnie in (who he calls Superstar), admitting that he proved where his loyalties were and naming him an official member of the 110th.
Lonnie told Big Don that he just had one request – to not be called Superstar anymore.
Just before the credits began to roll, Big Don stated that they should call Lonnie "Tombstone," cementing him as someone who will grow into the iconic Spider-Man villain and teasing his future in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, which has already been greenlit for more at least a few seasons.
Who Is Tombstone?
In the comics, Tombstone was driven to anger and villainy due to the way he was perceived as a child. Unfortunately, everyone looked at him differently due to having albinism, meaning that he had no pigment in his skin.
To try to make up for his physical appearance, Tombstone became extremely muscular and ended up bullying many children in his school, causing him to earn his nickname.
As the years went on, he eventually got involved with the mob and with Spider-Man, his biggest enemy. He also faced off against other superheroes such as Daredevil and Moon Knight, but he is best known for his battles against the web-slinger.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (which already set a Marvel Studios record) is not the first time Tombstone has been featured on-screen. Many fans will remember the muscle man often standing directly beside Kingpin in Into the Spider-Verse as one version that has had a prominent on-screen role.
In that movie, he was the one to shoot and kill Doctor Octopus. He could also be seen fighting some of the Spider-Men in some scenes. At the end of the movie, Tombstone is arrested alongside Kingpin.
Tombstone was also featured in both Marvel's Spider-Man games. He had a more prominent role in the first installment (where his origin story was revealed) but also appeared in Spider-Man 2 (read about every character who dies in that game here) as a worker at Coney Island.
In Marvel's Spider-Man, it was revealed that he gained his powers through Alchemax chemicals and was in league with Martin Li. He even had his own quest line in that original game, but was ultimately sent to prison.
However, after he was released from prison in Spider-Man 2, Kraven targeted Tombstone. Harry (with Venom) and Peter were able to save them though, and it seemed like he was on good terms with Peter.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is streaming on Disney+, and new episodes premiere every Wednesday.
