Spider-Man: Freshman Year animated series reveals surprising Marvel characters
The roster of characters announced for the prequel series throws doubt over whether it is set in the MCU after all.
Spider-Man: Freshman Year, the Disney Plus animated series charting Peter Parker's life before he entered the MCU in Captain America: Civil War, has just got a big update thanks to the Marvel Animation Comic-Con Panel.
We now know not only that the series will debut in 2024, and will have at least two seasons with the second being titled Sophomore Year, but also that Charlie Cox will reprise his role as Daredevil.
The star, who has previously played the character in his own series, The Defenders and Spider-Man: No Way Home, is one of the first castings announced for the series, as it's not yet known whether Tom Holland will be reprising his role as Spider-Man. It's been reported that he won't be back for the series.
Alongside Cox's casting we also got confirmation of a raft of Spider-Man and Marvel comics characters who are set to appear, including Aunt May, Norman Osborne, Harry Osborne, Doctor Octopus, Doctor Strange, Scorpion and Runaways' Nico Minoru, who in this series will be Peter's best friend.
The appearance of some of these characters, such as Doctor Octopus, Daredevil and Doctor Strange, seems to break MCU canon, as these characters didn't come into Peter's life until much later in the timeline.
Additionally, a still from the series has seemingly shown a version of Norman Osborn in a scene very reminiscent of Spider-Man's first MCU scene in Captain America: Civil War, in place of Tony Stark. This could suggest that some multiverse shenanigans are afoot.
Other characters confirmed to be appearing in the series include Amadeus Cho, Butane the Pyromaniac, Chameleon, Rhino, Speed Demon, Tarantula, Tombstone, Unicorn, and Bentley Wittman, with Wittman being played by Paul F Tompkins (Mr Peanutbutter from BoJack Horseman).
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At the Comic-Con panel, the show's executive producer and head writer Jeff Trammell teased that audiences should expect the unexpected when it comes to the series' casting, which we'll surely hear more about in due course.
Cox's role in the MCU seems to be expanding rapidly of late - not only is he reported to be making appearances in both She-Hulk and Echo, but it's also been reported that he will have his own revived series of Daredevil on Disney Plus.
Spider-Man: Freshman Year will stream on Disney Plus in 2024 – sign up to Disney+ for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.