Unveiling W.E.B.: The Surprising New Faces in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man!

Attention: The following discussion reveals key plot points from the finale of Marvel’s Disney+ animated series ‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man‘. In this series, we follow Peter Parker (Hudson Thames), a bright student who takes an internship at Oscorp alongside other gifted interns. Towards the end of the first season, it was revealed that Peter’s mentor, Norman Osborn (Colman Domingo), had been using their work to build Project Monolith – a device that opened a wormhole in spacetime, leading to Peter being bitten by a genetically-enhanced spider.

As a film enthusiast, I can no longer put my trust in Oscorp or its enigmatic figurehead, Norman Osborn. Therefore, I’ve decided to cut ties with my previous role as the Oscorp-sponsored Spider-Man. Now, my friend Harry Osborn (Zeno Robinson) has stepped in, providing the financial backing I need without interfering. With this newfound freedom, Team Spidey has taken on a new initiative: W.E.B., or the Worldwide Engineering Brigade, designed to combat threats on a global scale.

W.E.B., or Worldwide Engineering Brigade, originated from the “Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure” ride at Disney California Adventure Park’s Avengers Campus, which was itself inspired by the comic series “W.E.B. of Spider-Man”. Initially, W.E.B. was a research station funded by Tony Stark as part of an initiative to train global recruits for the Avengers Campus (Centralized Assembly Mobilized to Prepare, Unite, and Safeguard).

In the final episode of Spider-Man’s neighborhood series, the character known as Harry or The Dude at the Desk invites over a dozen potential members to join W.E.B., much like Marvel Comics traditionally does. Among those invited are names that pay homage to actual animators – Scott Forbes, Lee Ann Dufour, Emmy Choi, and Benjamin Anders – and characters from the comic books themselves.

Amadeus Cho

In the world of comics, Amadeus Cho is a 16-year-old prodigious intellect who ranks among the top seven brains on Earth. He’s pals with both the Hulk and Hercules, the Greek demigod. During Marvel’s All-New, All-Different period, he became the Totally Awesome Hulk after absorbing gamma radiation from Bruce Banner, demonstrating a blend of intellect and physical prowess. He later adopted the name Brawn and joined various superhero teams, such as the Champions and Jimmy Woo’s Agents of Atlas. However, his latest appearance was on Spider-Man’s show where he turned down an invitation to join the W.E.B. and opted to stay at Oscorp instead.

Asha


Similar to her comic character, Asha originates from the world’s most technologically advanced nation, Wakanda. (She collaborated with Oscorp’s aerospace department in designing the star map that eventually became instrumental in Project Monolith.) In the comics, Asha was an alumna of the Wakandan School for Advanced Learning and, endowed with the power to manipulate light for invisibility, she has fought alongside Storm and Black Panther.

Jeanne Foucault

As a devoted movie enthusiast, I found myself astonished to discover that Daredevil (Charles Cox) entrusted his apprentice, Jeanne, also known as Finesse, with the mission of keeping tabs on Osborn, followed by W.E.B. In the world of comics, she was part of Avengers Academy – an innovative program designed to groom the future superheroes with extraordinary abilities. A prodigy in her own right, Jeanne is capable of swiftly acquiring diverse talents and skills, such as language proficiency and combat techniques, making her a truly formidable ally.

Max Dillon

In a twist of fate, I found myself transformed into the electrifying antagonist known as Electro, one of Spider-Man’s most startling adversaries. Prior to this, I was simply Max Dillon, a lineman who worked on power lines. However, an unexpected encounter with a bolt of lightning during my workday changed everything, granting me the extraordinary ability to manipulate electrostatic energy and unleash powerful lightning bolts. Interestingly, the 2003 animated series Spider-Man: The New Animated Series, which was inspired by the movies featuring Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man, portrayed me as a classmate of Peter Parker at Empire State University.


Tai Miranda


In “The Unstoppable Wasp,” Hank Pym’s daughter Nadia, a scientist raised in the Red Room, established G.I.R.L., which stands for Geniuses In Action Research Labs. Nadia brought on board Taina Miranda, a renowned engineer, inventor, and roboticist, as a member of this organization. Within the ranks of G.I.R.L., Taina joined forces with Wasp’s team of girl geniuses from Pym Lab, including Ying, Priya Aggarwal, Priscilla Layshala “Shay” Smith, and Taina’s older sister, Alexis “Lexi” Miranda. Besides her mobility aid, Taina can also fly using a pair of voice-activated Wasp wings given to her by Nadia.

Priya Aggarwal

Born to Indian immigrants, Priya resides in Queens and is a renowned biologist, geneticist, and prodigious mind within the G.I.R.L. organization. In the second volume of Unstoppable Wasp, an exposure to experimental gas granted her botanopathy – the power to communicate with plants and control their growth. Initially, she didn’t aim to become a superhero, but eventually accepted her unique abilities, even receiving combat training from Jeanne/Finesse, whose extraordinary talent for replicating experiments became valuable to G.I.R.L.


Toni Sandoval


It seems that “Toni Sandoval” is a combination of names, derived from Toni Ho and Gerardo Sandoval. Toni Ho was once the top figure in charge, both as leader and chief engineer, for A.I.M. (American Intelligence Mechanics). She’s also known as the daughter of Ho Yinsen, a brilliant inventor whose demise spurred Tony Stark to take on the identity of Iron Man. Toni has used the Rescue armor, initially designed for Pepper Potts, and later, the Iron Patriot armor, as part of A.I.M.’s version of the Avengers team in the United States.

Ned Leeds 


In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ned Leeds, portrayed by Jacob Batalon, is Peter Parker’s best friend often referred to as “the guy in the chair.” However, in the comics, Ned was a reporter for the Daily Bugle who got married to Betty Brant and even clashed with Spider-Man as the Hobgoblin. The power-hungry businessman Roderick Kingsley utilized the original Green Goblin’s weapon stockpile to transform into the Hobgoblin, but later employed a mind control device called the Winkler Device to manipulate Ned into serving as his stand-in. Kingsley falsely accused and ultimately had Ned killed by an assassin known as the Foreigner.

Tiberius Stone


In the alternate reality of Earth-928, Ty Stone is the father of CEO Tyler Stone and biological father of Spider-Man 2099, Miguel O’Hara. On our current Earth-616, Ty Stone was once a friend turned adversary of Tony Stark, who orchestrated the death of his parents to seize control over their company, Stone Inc. As head of Alchemax’s Research and Development Department, he created advanced Spider-Slayers that clashed with both Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099 in the present-day Marvel Universe.

Kiden Nixon 


Sixteen-year-old character named Kiden possesses a unique talent called “timewalking,” allowing her to speed up or freeze time in a condition known as “No Time.” In the 2003 comic book series, NYX, Kiden formed an enduring friendship with X-23/Laura Kinney, the genetically engineered daughter of Wolverine. This friendship marked the first and longest relationship for X-23.

Diane Jenkins

Diane Jenkins made a single appearance in Marvel Comics Presents #8 of 2019. As a student at Empire State University (ESU), Diane publicly revealed her identity as Spider-Woman in a brief viral video. The genuine arachnid hero, Jessica Drew, found and rescued Diane from an assassination attempt by Hydra, the former manipulators of Spider-Woman who had once turned her into their assassin, “Arachne.” When the wicked, multi-armed Spider-Woman known as Charlotte Winter attacked Diane, she ran out onto the street and was struck by a bus. Ultimately, Diane’s death served as a warning about the potential hazards of social media.

Ripley Ryan


Introduced more recently to the Marvel universe, Ripley Ryan transitioned from being a magazine journalist to a superpowered heroine after a Kree scientist bestowed her with extraordinary abilities. Previously known as Carol Danvers, or Captain Marvel, she clashed with this new character. Later, assuming the identity of Star, she gained control over the Reality Stone and found herself part of the Thunderbolts, a team assembled by Mayor Wilson Fisk (the Kingpin) in response to Knull, the King in Black, who released a swarm of symbiotes onto New York City.

Read More

2025-02-20 05:42