First Look at Marvel’s New Spider-Man Prequel Has Things Not Going Well for Peter

First-look images for Marvel’s upcoming Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man prequel comic depict Peter Parker getting accustomed to the difficult life of a superhero. Shared by the official Marvel Comics Twitter account, the collection notably features a glimpse of the young web head’s first encounter with a villain, illustrating Pete has a long way to go to grow into his abilities. The art also includes a cute moment where Peter saves a cat from falling cans, and a moment where he tests out his Spider-Man powers.

Marvel also revealed new variant covers for the first issue, both of which see Peter trying to enjoy some classic New York City food as he looks for his next crime to stop. In the first one, he’s snacking on a pretzel he picked up from a street vendor. The second has him attempt to eat pizza hands-free, swinging from the skyscrapers. Check out all of the artwork below:

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is an upcoming animated show that will debut on Disney+ on January 29, 2025. It takes place during Peter’s freshman year of high school. While the series is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Five, it is not set in the same reality as Tom Holland’s version of the character. Audiences will be taken to an alternate timeline, one where Norman Osborn is Peter’s mentor. Marvel Studios recently released some Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man footage in a sizzle reel promoting the various projects coming to Disney+ soon, including Daredevil: Born Again, Ironheart, and Wonder Man. The prequel comic series was announced in September; it runs five issues, with the first going on sale December 11.

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Hudson Thames headlines the Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man cast, having previously voiced Peter Parker on What If…?. Charlie Cox also reprises his MCU role of Matt Murdock/Daredevil, while Oscar nominee Colman Domingo portrays Norman Osborn. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is set to feature a bevy of characters from the Spider-Man mythos and larger Marvel universe, including Tony Stark, Doctor Strange, and a plethora of figures from Spidey’s iconic rogues gallery.

Prequel comics are nothing new for Marvel. The company has published these types of special tie-in series for everything from Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2 video game, animated series X-Men ’97, and several live-action MCU movies and shows. While they aren’t required reading for people who just want to enjoy the on-screen adventures, they’re a fun way for Marvel to flesh out the stories and characters. The comics are also an opportunity to tease what’s in store for the main event; the aforementioned Spider-Man 2 comic featured a hint that Queens would be a playable area in the game. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of clues are featured in the Your Friendly Neighborhood series.

The comic series will also be a way for Marvel to efficiently cover Peter’s origins, something even casual fans are well-versed in. Viewers don’t need to see Uncle Ben die and Peter discover his powers on-screen again. It’s great that people will be able to experience Pete’s earliest superhero days if they want, but Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will be able to dive head-first into his exciting exploits without having to worry about the basics. That will hopefully allow it to stand apart in an ocean of Spider-Man adaptations and leave a mark on the MCU.