For some, "woke" has become the go-to insult whenever a movie or TV show has a female or non-white lead. In fact, diversity as a whole is often deemed woke, and it's a label Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is doing its best to shake off ahead of tomorrow's premiere.
The series portrays Norman and Harry Osborn as Black and includes characters like Lonnie Lincoln, Nico Minoru, and Pearl Pangan.
However, that doesn't mean Peter Parker's world - which has always been pretty diverse - is woke. Talking to Collider, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man's lead star Hudson Thames admitted he had some reservations but soon realised how wrong he was.
"I thought it was awesome," the actor said of that change to the Osborns and a greater focus on lesser-known characters. "I mean, my biggest fear was that it was gonna be annoying and woke, and it wasn't, and I was like, 'Yes, this is great, it's so well written,' like it feels real."
"I'm the oldest of five boys, so I feel like I kind of know what's happening in their lives and in high school, and it felt like it was doing that justice," Thames added.
These remarks come after showrunner Jeff Trammell implored fans to give Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man "a chance" after a surprisingly vocal backlash to an animation style heavily inspired by the comic books and Steve Ditko.
"We wanted to set the show apart [from other Spider-Man animated shows]. Regardless of how you feel about the show, you have to there's nothing that looks like it. There's no Spider-Man that looks like our Spider Man. I think it's important to have one that's ours, and that feels unique [and] very much of its own thing. So, we really wanted to find something that set us apart from everything else, and kind of drives audiences towards us. So if you see our Spider-Man in a line-up, you're like 'That's Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.'"
"I think our style grows on you. So, I would say 'give it a chance'. I know there were a lot of initial thoughts about how it looked in the two minute teaser, but I'll also say that teaser is super cut up. Once the show comes out, you'll see those scenes don't play in the way that they play in that trailer. So, just give it a shot, watch it, and let it grow on you. If it doesn't, that's fine, too. I love our look and I think everyone else who gives it a shot will do as well."
Check back here tomorrow morning for our review of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and recaps of the first two episodes, "Amazing Fantasy" and "The Parker Luck."
Until then, you can check out a new clip, TV spot, and poster for the series below.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man follows Peter Parker on his way to becoming a hero, with a journey unlike we've ever seen and a style that celebrates the character’s early comic book roots.
The talented voice cast includes Hudson Thames, Colman Domingo, Eugene Byrd, Grace Song, Zeno Robinson, Hugh Dancy and Charlie Cox.
The head writer is Jeff Trammell and Mel Zwyer is the supervising director. Brad Winderbaum, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Dana Vasquez-Eberhardt and Trammell serve as executive producers.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man premieres on Disney+ on January 29, 2025.