In a shock to very few fans of the wall-crawler, Marvel and Disney+ are retelling the same Spider-Man story for the seventh time now in an ongoing show. Over the years and the litany of Spider-Man movies and shows, Marvel and Sony have had to tread familiar ground a few times. Key parts of Spider-Man’s overarching story, like Peter (and Miles) being bitten by the radioactive spider, Uncle Ben’s death, and the origins of supervillains like the Green Goblin and Doc Ock, have all been adapted several times.
Many of the story moments that get adapted most are crucial parts of Peter and Miles’ stories. They inform the character of Spider-Man, set up his villains, and establish the stakes at play. It’s nearly impossible to get around showing Uncle Ben (or Aunt May, in Tom Holland’s case) dying because it’s such a formative part of who Spider-Man is as a hero and who Peter is as a man. There’s one Spider-Man story, however, that has been adapted over and over again, not because of its importance to the story of Spider-Man, but because of its popularity.
Now, Marvel Studios’ animated series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man on Disney+ has joined six other adaptations of the same Spider-Man story. Since it’s not part of the mainline MCU, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man has mostly taken a fresh approach to many of Peter’s stories so far. Season 1, for example, saw the radioactive spider come from a portal summoned by Doctor Strange, while Peter’s best friend was changed to Nico Minoru. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man season 2, however, is going back to basics on one of the most-adapted stories in the franchise.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Marks The Seventh Adaptation Of The Symbiote Suit Arc
Early footage of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man season 2 confirmed that the upcoming season is set to adapt the symbiote suit arc. That arc sees Peter be corrupted by the Venom symbiote, turning his suit black and bringing out negative emotions in him before it eventually chooses (usually) Eddie Brock as a host. If it sounds familiar, there’s a good reason: Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will be the seventh major Spider-Man adaptation to tackle the symbiote suit.
Previously, six different movies, shows, and video games have adapted the symbiote suit. Spider-Man: The Animated Series actually did it first in 1995, as previous iterations of the symbiote suit in the comics didn’t include Venom corrupting Peter in any way. After that, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 did it in 2007, Spectacular Spider-Man in 2008, Ultimate Spider-Man in 2012, Marvel’s Spider-Man, the show not the game, did it in 2017, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, the video game, also adapted it in 2023.
Most interestingly, every one of the previous six symbiote adaptations have taken inspiration from The Animated Series, not the Secret Wars comic from 1984 that actually introduced the suit. Secret Wars #8, as previously mentioned, didn’t have the suit corrupt Peter’s personality; instead, it would take control of his body while Peter slept and fight crime, leaving him exhausted. It’s not yet clear if Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will follow suit with the corruption aspect of the symbiote suit, but given its ubiquity since 1995, it’s a safe bet.
Many of the previous adaptations of the symbiote suit and Venom have also varied, but only slightly. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, for example, had the symbiote latch onto Harry Osborne instead of Eddie Brock. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will likely take some new creative liberty with the original story, especially considering how often and recently the symbiote suit arc has been adapted and the show’s track record of “remixing” the story of Spider-Man.
Will Tom Holland’s Spider-Man Ever Adapt Venom & The Symbiote Suit?
With Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man set to adapt the symbiote suit, there’s still an elephant in the room. After four movies (and a tease at the end of No Way Home), Tom Holland’s Peter Parker still hasn’t encountered Venom or the symbiote suit. It’s one of the most iconic Spider-Man stories of the modern era, which is the reason it has been adapted seven times now, yet the MCU’s main Spider-Man hasn’t even come close to the symbiote yet.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man season 2 premieres on Disney+ on January 13, 2027.
At this point, it doesn’t look like Holland will ever get to don a black suit for the MCU. There are just too many signs pointing at the idea that the chance has already passed. Holland already teased a plan for him to stop playing Spider-Man in the near future. Brand New Day also heavily focused on a corruption story for Peter; while it wasn’t the symbiote, his latent spider genes had the same effect of making him stronger and more violent. Adapting the symbiote suit now would feel like rehashing an old story.
There’s also the lingering question of whether Sony would even allow Marvel and Disney to use Venom in an MCU film. Sony has historically guarded the rights to Spider-Man and his villains very closely, and Venom is currently the company’s only cash cow. Tom Hardy’s Venom movies may be over, but Sony may decide it doesn’t want to let Disney dilute their brand by doing the symbiote suit in live-action again. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, thanks to it’s animated status and being separate from the MCU, may end up being the last time we see the symbiote for a while.
- Release Date
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January 29, 2025
- Network
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Disney+
- Showrunner
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Jeff Trammell
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Hudson Thames
Peter Parker / Spider-Man (voice)
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