Marvel Studios brought Spider-Man: Freshman Year to Comic-Con yesterday, and while there were a lot of exciting reveals - like Charlie Cox's return as Daredevil - we were also left a tad confused. With Norman and Harry Osborn set to appear in the Disney+ series alongside villains like Doctor Octopus, there's surely no way it can be a prequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming.
However, the plot has now thickened thanks to some officially released details from Disney.
"Jeff Trammell teased the show with the cast of characters, and Ryan Meinerding showed off the new Spider-Man suit designed for the series," reads the press release. "A fun reveal was that moderator Paul F. Tompkins will be playing a character in the series. A second season was also announced, aptly titled 'Spider-Man: Sophomore Year.'"
That's obviously not overly revealing, but this official synopsis is: "'Spider-Man: Freshman Year' is an animated series that follows Peter Parker on his way to becoming Spider-Man in the MCU, with a journey unlike we've ever seen and a style that celebrates the character’s early comic book roots."
Wait, so it is in the MCU?
This still doesn't add up because so much of what we've seen from Spider-Man: Freshman Year contradicts the live-action movies. In Spider-Man: No Way Home, for example, it was confirmed that there is no Norman Osborn in the MCU. Peter Parker also doesn't recognise Doc Ock when he's attacked, but there could be a simple explanation here.
We're guessing the show isn't set on Earth-616, but like What If...? and Marvel Zombies, does take place in another reality in the wider MCU. That makes the synopsis a tad misleading, but we're still excited to see a series from Marvel Studios that explores Spider-Man's origin story (even if it isn't Tom Holland's web-slinger).
Spider-Man: Freshman Year premieres on Disney+ in 2024.