Freshman Year is Basically a Spider-Man Season of What If

The upcoming Spider-Man: Freshman Year cartoon was shrouded in a point of secrecy since its preliminary reveal final yr, however final weekend at San Diego Comic-Con, extra data on the present got here to gentle. Initially, it appeared like the cartoon would inform the story of MCU Peter Parker in his early days of heroism, however now the precise plot of the present is…fascinating, to say the least.

Freshman Year takes place earlier than 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, however with a noticeable key distinction. Rather than coming dwelling to his residence to see Tony Stark in his dwelling, it’s none apart from Norman Osborn who’s chatting up his Aunt May when he walks by the door. And very like how assembly Tony thrust Peter right into a highlight bigger than the child wanted, Peter having Norman as his mentor “sends his life in an unexpected trajectory that collides him with many unexpected characters in the Marvel universe,” based on Marvel’s streaming head Brad Winterbaum.

The massive hook of the brand new present is, “What If…Norman Osborn was Peter Parker’s surrogate dad?,” and that places Pete on a collision course with characters that the MCU hasn’t staked a agency declare on but. The SDCC footage confirmed Peter’s allies, from Norman’s son Harry to Amadeus Cho and Nico Minoru. Cho exhibiting up right here isn’t too shocking: earlier than he wound up as a member of the Hulk household, Disney’s Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon portrayed Cho as a scientific rival to Peter, and ultimately took on the Iron Spider mantle. Minoru, greatest related to the teenager group the Runaways, has no actual connection to Spidey, however the two heroes are included within the roster for 2K’s upcoming Marvel technique recreation, Midnight Suns.

Marvel’s placing a giant deal with the multiverse—each for Spidey particularly and the MCU usually—however it’s a thriller how Freshman Year suits into the bigger scheme of the Multiverse Saga. Having a number of universes get fleshed out forward of 2025’s Avengers: Secret Wars seemingly streamlining every thing actually isn’t a foul factor. But whether or not this new Spider-Man cartoon will do greater than fill the checkbox of being one other Spidey present and lead-in to a bigger MCU movie must wait till the primary season of Spider-Man: Freshman Year hits Disney+ in 2024.

[through ComicBook]

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