If you thought Marvel Animation cooked with X-Men ’97, then you have no idea the meal that awaits for you with Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.
Set in an alternate timeline from all of the existing films and television shows, the series is a reimagined version of Peter Parker’s early days as Spider-Man complete with remixed versions of friends, foes and plot points.
Now, because the review embargo for the series hasn’t been lifted just yet, we can’t say much else about it. However, we can’t stop some of the creatives from talking about it…
This past week, our Editor-In-Chief Dempsey Pillot got the chance to speak to the series’ Head Writer, Executive Producer & Showrunner Jeff Trammell. In the brief interview, he got to ask Trammell about the show’s seemingly strenuous journey to the small screen.
READ: ‘X-Men ’97’ Season 2 To Feature New Characters & Suits
For those who may not remember, the project was first announced in November of 2021 during an event Disney called Disney+ Day. Back hen, it was also called Spider-Man: Freshman Year. While it appeared to be a prequel to the MCU Spider-Man films at the time, Trammell confirmed that was actually never the case.
“The title has changed, but this is still the same show,” he said. “I think there was a lot of speculation of [whether] we were doing this and then we changed it.”
He added that there were questions of whether it would be multiversal early on, but that early on in the span of two months, the show was defined and then proceeded based on his ideas. As he lays it out, he bottom line is that the series was never going to be about Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. And it’s honestly much better because it’s its own thing.
Trammell went on to say that Marvel was incredibly supportive of having him “play in their sandbox in a lot of fun ways.” Similar to X-Men ’97, the show is littered with Easter eggs and cameos from a variety of Marvel Comics characters. Rather than stick to Stan Lee’s original script, he had fun creating a whole new roster of friends and foes based on characters he personally loved and felt would help tell the story in a modern way.
He adds that the biggest question he asked himself when he was at the drawing board was “Who are characters that I love that I want to see Peter interact with?”
READ: ‘Spider-Man 4’ Hitting Theaters July 2026
One of the most notable changes is the involvement of Norman Osborn, played by two-time Academy Award-nominated actor Colman Domingo. But believe it or not, Domingo was not originally considered.
Trammell revealed that the team admittedly struggled to find someone who could play this iteration of the character. They needed to divorce any similarities to Willem Dafoe’s iconic performance, while also maintaining the warmth and charisma that draws Peter to him. He says that the idea to cast Domingo ultimately came from Supervising Director Mel Zwyer. And the rest is history – or at least it will be when the show debuts on Disney+.
Now, in the interview, Trammell also discussed the possibilities teased for Season 2, as well as whether fans will have to wait another 4 years for it.
Be sure to check out the full interview below!
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