Discover 9 Hidden Easter Eggs in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man You Never Noticed!

Head’s up! This write-up discloses plot points from the first two episodes of ‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man‘, titled “Amazing Fantasy” and “The Parker Luck”. If you haven’t watched these yet, beware of potential spoilers. Marvel Animation’s latest series has debuted on Disney+, unfolding a unique take on the Marvel Cinematic Universe where 15-year-old Peter Parker (Hudson Thames), instead of Tony Stark, receives guidance from Norman Osborn at Oscorp who hasn’t yet become the Green Goblin.

After the tragic spider bite that bestowed extraordinary abilities on the youngster, an event triggered by the meeting of a symbiotic alien (Kellen Goff) and sorcerer Doctor Strange (Robin Atkin Downes), the narrative resumes as we approach the pivotal moments preceding the 2016 Marvel Studios film Captain America: Civil War. In this instance, Iron Man enlists the greenhorn superhero during a dispute among the Avengers.

In these initial episodes of “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man”, although it’s not an exact replica of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are clear connections: The hero dons vintage, Steve Ditko-inspired red and gold armor reminiscent of Iron Man, and Avengers Tower dominates the skyline in Peter’s Queens neighborhood. Here, we delve into a few less apparent references to the broader Spider-Verse.

Amazing Fantasy

Apart from the initial episode’s title being a reference to Spider-Man’s debut in Marvel Comics’ 1962 issue of Amazing Fantasy #15, penned by co-creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, it’s worth noting that the comic Peter was reading before dozing off was actually Amazing Adult Fantasy #14. This particular issue marked the second last of Marvel’s anthology series, which was later renamed Amazing Fantasy for its final issue. Although this series was eventually discontinued, the character that gained remarkable popularity from it went on to headline his own comic book series: The Amazing Spider-Man.

Civil War

The opening scene features several tributes to “Captain America: Civil War”. When Spider-Man, in his self-made suit, prevents a runaway van from colliding with a bus filled with civilians, this mirrors a remarkable act that was recorded on video and later shown to Peter Parker (Tom Holland) by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) during their initial encounter in his apartment in Queens.

In the concluding scene of the initial episode, they depict a scene similar to Peter’s arrival in Civil War, even incorporating the track “Left Hand Free” by alt-J. However, instead of Tony Stark’s flashy vehicle, it is Norman Osborn’s billionaire industrialist car that’s parked outside, as he converses with Peter’s Aunt May (played by Kari Wahlgren).

Spider-Suits

In Peter’s sketchbook filled with various designs for Spider-Man masks, the artwork style is reminiscent of two specific artists: John Romita Sr., who took over as the regular artist on Amazing Spider-Man from issue #39 in 1966, marking the first time Green Goblin was unmasked as Norman Osborn; and Mark Bagley, another artist for Amazing Spider-Man, whose larger, bug-eyed lenses and rounder head are characteristic of the Ultimate Spider-Man series from the 2000s.

The opening credits sequence, modeled after a comic book style, is accompanied by “Neighbor Like Me” by The Math Club (featuring Relaye and Melo Makes Music), a remix of the theme song from the iconic 1967 Spider-Man cartoon series. This sequence also pays tribute to some alternate Spider-Man costumes that have been used over the years.

In the comics of 1972’s “Amazing Spider-Man” issues #113-116, Spider-Man momentarily sported a maskless appearance. During a heated battle, Doctor Octopus managed to unmask him, forcing Spider-Man to wear a makeshift mask in place of his usual one without lenses, as he didn’t have his regular mask on hand.

Among the additional outfits displayed, there’s the “Big Time” stealth suit featuring a large, green spider on the chest (from Amazing Spider-Man #648-654), a design reminiscent of Steve Ditko’s narrow-eyed Spider-Man mask, a possible tribute to the Electro-Proof suit, which seems reinforced for electric villain resistance, the original Scarlet Spider costume that Ben Reilly, a clone, donned in 1994’s Web of Spider-Man #118, and lastly, the identities of Prodigy, Hornet, and Dusk, which Spider-Man adopted temporarily during his Identity Crisis saga involving Norman Osborn, appearing in issues of Spider-Man, Amazing Spider-Man, Sensational Spider-Man, and Spectacular Spider-Man.

Pop Culture References

During Stevie Sherman’s live stream of the thug attacking Spider-Man, comments about his homemade costume were less than flattering. One comment read, “Kick his ass, Sea-Bass!”, a quote from the comedy film Dumb and Dumber. Another comment was, “You got beat up by a guy wearing hockey pads? Laugh out loud,” possibly referencing Batman’s line in The Dark Knight. A user promoting their channel was Screwball, a live-streaming villain known for parkour who made his debut in Amazing Spider-Man #559.

Peter’s Classmates

Instead of going to the technology-focused Midtown High School, Peter and his friend Nico Minoru (Grace Song) find themselves at Rockford T. Bales High School, which emphasizes sports. Coincidentally, they both develop feelings for Pearl Pangan (Cathy Ang), a girl from Peter’s building who used to babysit him when he was younger and is three years older than him. Unfortunately for them, Pearl is dating Lonnie Lincoln (Eugene Byrd), the star quarterback and captain of the football team, making him Peter’s lab partner at school.

In the comic books, Nico is part of the Runaways – a group of youngsters who are children of a villainous organization based in Los Angeles called the Pride. Tina Minoru’s daughter, Nico employs blood magic and the enchanted Staff of One to cast spells. Instead of being Peter Parker’s classmate who later became the Daily Bugle editor Robbie Robertson, Lonnie’s comic character had a criminal past as the Harlem-based gangster known as “Tombstone,” before encountering a chemical substance that hardened his skin like stone.

As for Pearl, she has a superhero persona in Marvel comics. This character, introduced in 2019, is Wave – a Filipino water-manipulating superhero who teams up with heroes such as Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel and Cindy Moon/Silk as part of the Agents of Atlas.

The Oscorp Think Tank

During Peter’s internship at Oscorp, he works alongside characters straight out of the Spider-Man comics and beyond the Marvel Universe. Among his fellow interns are Asha (Erica Luttrell), Amadeus Cho (Aleks Le), and Jeanne Foucault (Anjali Kuanpaneni). Their diverse assignments are overseen by Dr. Bentley Wittman (Paul F. Tompkins) and Dr. Carla Connors (Zehra Fazal), who work at Oscorp.

In the comic books, Asha hails from Wakanda and studied at its School for Unconventional Learning; she possesses the ability to manipulate light to vanish on command. Finesse, who attends the Avengers Academy, is a prodigy capable of swiftly mastering skills, languages, and other abilities. Brawn, on the other hand, is a genius who employed gamma energy to transform into a Hulk-like hero with immense strength.

Dr. Carla Connors serves as the female counterpart to Dr. Curt Connors, an amputee who assumes the role of Spider-Man’s adversary, the Lizard, after delving into reptilian molecular biology and synthesizing a serum to regenerate her lost limb. Wittman is predominantly an adversary for the Human Torch and the Fantastic Four, earning the title “The Wizard” due to his scientific accomplishments that seemed otherworldly. As head of the Frightful Four, the Wizard wields a collection of weapons such as power gauntlets and anti-gravity discs.

Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Movies

1. In the scene where Wittman instructs Asha to meet “the head of Aerospace Technologies,” this is a nod to the 2002 film, Spider-Man. In this movie, Quest Aerospace serves as the main competitor to Norman Osborn’s (Willem Dafoe) Oscorp Industries for a U.S. military contract.

2. Prior to swinging home (and discovering a discarded DVD player in a dumpster), Spider-Man apprehends a thief who had robbed a pizzeria. Upon returning the stolen money, a sign with “Pizza Time” written on it is clearly visible in the restaurant’s window. This phrase has become well-known (and frequently used in memes) from the 2004 movie, Spider-Man 2, where Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) briefly worked as a pizza delivery guy before being let go.

Roxxon Oil

After discovering that Peter opted for an internship at Oscorp to gain access to cutting-edge tech and advanced robotics, the anti-corporate Nico warns her friend, “If you work a secondary job at Roxxon Energy, I’m planning a heart-to-heart talk.” The Roxxon Corporation is a significant entity in both the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and Marvel Comics, appearing or referenced in series ranging from Iron Man to Agent Carter, Daredevil, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and Echo. In the comics, Roxxon Oil Company’s (later Roxxon Energy Corp.) unethical activities have resulted in the creation of Iron Man’s foe Sunturion and Spider-Man’s villain Will O’ the Wisp. Lately, the company has been under the control of Thor’s adversaries Dario Agger, alias the Minotaur, and Asgardian Amora the Enchantress.

Crusher Hogan

The initial scenes present a covert battle between Peter Parker, disguised, and Joseph “Crusher” Hogan, who first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15 as the wrestler that attracted Peter’s interest because he saw an opportunity to demonstrate his strength and earn money by lasting three minutes against Hogan. In issue #2 of Marvel’s prequel comic book, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, written by Christos Gage and illustrated by Eric Gapstur, this fight is detailed, culminating in the web-covered hero emerging victorious over the former heavyweight champion in a backyard wrestling competition. Later in episode 2, Crusher makes a brief appearance on TV shortly after Peter meets Dr. Connors.

I’m thrilled to share that the initial two adventures of my beloved series, “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man,” are now available for streaming on Disney+! Each week, new episodes will be released every Wednesday, taking us all the way up to February 19th. Can’t wait to swing into more action together!

2025-01-29 15:11