Everything We Learned From Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2024) #2

The day is nearly here. At the time of writing this, we're less than two weeks away from the release of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man — a Disney+ animated series that will tell the origin story of a new version of the web-slinger. By this point, we all know how the story goes: Peter loses his uncle and then he's bitten by a radioactive spider that gives him fantastic powers and abilities. Sworn to protect anyone from unfairly losing a loved one as he did, he becomes a superhero willing to put the needs of others above his own. However, what happens to Peter after he wears the red and blue suit is always different.

The first issue of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2024) revealed no shortage of interesting details about the upcoming show and how it will differentiate itself from other adaptations. For starters, Uncle Ben has already passed away once this tale begins. Furthermore, mob boss Silvermane is shaping up to be the main antagonist (at least until Kingpin enters the scene). Finally, the Enforcers were sent to relentlessly end the life of the new hero in town. Now, the second issue in the comic book series is finally out to give us a better idea of what will await us in store on Jan. 29, 2025.

Peter has already "dropped" the Spider-Man mantle

It's Spider-Man: No More! all over again... or, at least, a nice homage to that story.

See, this new version of Peter Parker also takes an interest in participating in wrestling matches to earn a bit of extra cash and pay the bills. However, his victory over Crusher Hogan isn't sweet this time around. At one point, Spider-Man unintentionally throws his opponent way up in the air and realizes such a big fall might kill him. Of course, the friendly neighborhood hero catches Crusher Hogan at the very last second and saves his life. However, he also comes across a horrible realization: He can't quite control his powers yet.

Peter bows never to use his new-found abilities again until he knows their full reach. At that moment, comic book readers are treated to a panel in which Spidey is walking away from a garbage bin while saying the dialog: "It's Spider-Man no more". It's a sweet little homage to the beloved comic book storyline that also saw Peter drop the Spider-Man mantle. Except, this time, such a retirement barely lasts long. The very next page sees Peter try to discover how much weight he can lift in order to be a better superhero. So even if he was never truly "gone", it's worth pointing out that he briefly quit being the wall-crawler.

Peter will not go to the same school as his MCU counterpart

During the events of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2024) #1, we discover a mysterious event occurred in Midtown High that destroyed part of the school. As if that wasn't enough, Silvermane also staged another explosion on the campus to ensure he could eventually be the owner of that piece of land. With that in mind, Peter will understandably need to attend a new school different from that of Tom Holland's version of the hero, and we finally know which it will be.

Recently, it was revealed that Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will take place in a branched MCU timeline where all the events of Captain America: Civil War did happen and the Sokovia Accords were ratified. The biggest difference, however, is that Peter never got to attend Midtown High nor meet Ned Leeds or MJ. Instead, the superpowered teenager will attend Rockford T. Bales High School. And who else studies there? Well, only the same guys who organized the wrestling matches in which Spidey participated.

Spidey's home suit has some interesting upgrades

Last but not least, it's worth pointing out that Spidey's homemade suit has some interesting features. For starters: Peter realized the web-fluid he created is extremely sticky, and it tends to adhere to his own suit when fighting bad guys (a concept that never occurred to me might happen in my 20+ years of being a fan of the character). So, naturally, he creates an anti-adherent that prevents his costume from sticking to his own webs.

Besides, the wall-crawler also carries two big yellow tank oxygens on his back which are filled with web-fluid for him to use. Chances are this won't last long, as we even see Spidey bump against a window due to the tanks. With that in mind, audiences will surely see the creation of web cartridges at some point down the line. Meanwhile, the empty oxygen tanks are a creative use of the resources he has at hand (even though he probably stole them from his new school). All things considered, this new suit really feels like something a broke teenager could afford to make on his own.

While Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2024) #2 didn't have as many reveals as the first issue, it still gives us a great idea of what to expect once the Disney+ series drops. And I have to say: I'm excited to see where this new chapter in the wall-crawler's history goes.

The first two episodes of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will be released on Jan. 29, 2025, on Disney+.