During last Friday's Disney+ Day, Marvel Studios announced Spider-Man: Freshman Year, a new animated series coming to Disney+. Set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the show will shed some light on Peter Parker's story before we met him in 2016's Captain America: Civil War.
This means we will almost certainly get to revisit key moments in the wall-crawler's life before he was enlisted by Iron Man to become an Avenger, including his origin story and earliest crimefighting endeavours.
With that in mind, we're now taking a look at five key moments we'd love to see play out on screen in Spider-Man: Freshman Year. There are a lot of gaps in Peter's MCU history that need to be filled in, some more obvious than others, but all of which are essential additions to this upcoming series.
To take a look at our suggestions, all you guys need to do is click on the "Next" button below!
5. The Spider Bite
Marvel Studios understandably chose to gloss over Peter Parker's origin story when he was introduced in Captain America: Civil War, but it's time we learn more about how he gained his amazing abilities.
We all know his powers came from a radioactive spider bite in the comic books, but was that the case in the MCU? After all, the spiders in both Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man were genetically modified, while the latter franchise really complicated things by revealing that Peter's superpowers were tied to his father's DNA.
Whether it's a link to Oscorp, Stark Industries, or none of the above, getting to see the specific day this teenager's life was changed forever is a must. Fans have often wondered what the deal is with the spider logo Peter decided to choose for his costume, and we'd love to see the MCU's spin on the arachnid responsible for biting Peter that fateful day.
4. Suiting Up
Peter didn't get a proper superhero costume until he met Tony Stark, but we know he swung into action wearing that homemade suit prior to that. There's no real need to waste too much time on showing how that was created (it was clearly cobbled together by a teenager with anything he had to hand), but it would be cool to follow Spider-Man on his earliest adventures .
Whether we're talking about the creation of his web-shooters, the first time he tested them out in Queens, or even the first crime he helped stop, there are lots of interesting moments to mine here.
It must have been more than just a YouTube video that convinced Tony that Peter had the potential to be a hero, so exploring these early exploits should definitely be a focal point of Spider-Man: Freshman Year. Of course, it's also essential to delve into why Peter decided to start fighting crime...
3. Uncle Ben's Death
Just like everyone knows how Peter gained his powers, they're all too aware that his Uncle Ben's death is what prompted the teenager to become a superhero. However, by the time this series hits Disney+, over a decade will have passed since we last got an adapted origin story for the web-slinger.
The MCU has dropped a few hints about Ben's death, and it's clear that it had an impact on the young Peter. The question is, is Spider-Man in any way responsible for what happened? This doesn't appear to be a version of the character who shoulders that guilt, and while it's possible he just hides it well, perhaps his uncle's death was tragic for very different reasons in this world?
We're sure Kevin Feige won't want to stray too far from the source material, but the MCU's Ben deserves his due and it would be fascinating to see what role he played in Peter's transformation into Spider-Man. Whether that means we'll finally hear that line obviously remains to be seen...
2. Spidey's First Foe
Watching Spider-Man: Homecoming, it was clear that while The Vulture was the greatest threat Peter had ever faced, he wasn't necessarily the first superpowered foe the hero had squared off with.
Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures will want to save any big names for future live-action adventures, but why not make good use of some slightly more obscure bad guys from the comic books? We'd love to see the MCU's Spidey square off with the likes of The Enforcers, Crime-Master, The Living Brain, Hydro-Man, Spot, and The Beetle, especially as they could all easily be reinvented.
Heck, you could even tie The Vulture's exploits into all this, revealing that his group was supplying some of these guys with the tech they needed to become villains. Whoever ends up being chosen, it would be a missed opportunity not to pit this animated Spider-Man against some real rogues.
1. High School Drama
Look, we know what you're thinking: do we really need this animated series to spend time following Peter Parker's high school life? Well, that appears to be the main premise of Spider-Man: Freshman Year, and we don't hate the idea of expanding on the teenager's relationships.
Whether it's his crush on Liz Toomes or the way Flash Thompson bullies him, there's a lot here that could better explain who "Puny Parker" had become by the first time we met him in 2016. Crucially, we'd love to spend more time with Ned as that friendship has been key to Peter's story in the MCU.
We could even meet a few characters who haven't shown up in this shared world before now; for example, Gwen Stacy could be introduced as being from a rival high school before returning to Peter's life when he heads off to college (we wouldn't say no to a Harry Osborn cameo of some sort, either).