Back in November, it was announced during Marvel Studios' 2021 Disney+ Day Special that Spider-Man will return again... in animated style. Spider-Man: Freshman Year will depict the origins of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Peter Parker as the web-slinging superhero, and if it works out well, then it has Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse to thank for that.

The series will be set before the events of Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming, and will provide insight on how Peter Parker managed to become everyone's friendly neighborhood Spider-Man before Tony Stark generously provided him with advanced suits that optimize his powers. This will also be a time where Peter is the only one who knows his secret of fighting crime in New York City, and the struggle of being alone in his ventures.

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Spider-Man Miles Morales Into the Spider-Verse

Into the Spider-Verse has a similar origin story, as Miles Morales is bitten by a radioactive spider and is forced to begin his crime-fighting career on his own for a short period of time after the first Spider-Man's death. But beyond that, Into the Spider-Verse becomes more than just an origin story, but a mind-bending emotional rollercoaster including multiple realities and Spider-people that build Miles' character into one that will be remembered.

While the MCU has only dipped its toes into the animated water with Marvel's What If..?, they were met with pleasant reviews for the series, and expect more animated series to be met with the same reactions. Freshman Year, though, could be hit or miss. Spider-Man: Homecoming was praised for letting go of the Uncle Ben storyline, as it's been twice on the big-screen before with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. Skipping Peter's transformation sets the Tom Holland trilogy apart from the other films, but the MCU plans to bring it back in a different form. Not only does this give Freshman Year a disadvantage, but it will be heavily compared to Into the Spider-Verse as they both rely on the film's style to tell a different story than what has already been seen.

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Miles' story gave Marvel fans a first look at the potential of the multiverse in film, but it was able to do so because of the combination of computer animation and comic book imitations that pay tribute to the vibrant design of comics. On the other hand, What If...? remains with the same design throughout the series, which didn't affect the story, but compared to Into the Spider-Verse, it shows that there is limitless potential to bringing comics to life. Freshman Year could follow in either set of footsteps, but playing it safe may do more damage than good for the series.

Green Goblin in Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

Although its an animated feature, Into the Spider-Verse is one of the most critically acclaimed Marvel films to date. All aspects of the film work together seamlessly to create a near-flawless story that awarded it the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature. It's not an understatement to say that Miles Morales' story sets the bar high for any future animation films, but that may be of some benefit. While it may be difficult to achieve the success of Into the Spider-Verse, it paves the way for there to be less stigma around animated projects. No more are they just reserved for kids who haven't reached the maturity level to understand the implicit ideologies of live-action superhero stories.

Into the Spider-Verse sets high expectations for Freshman Year, but it needs to be that way. If every film or television show doesn't make it harder to become better than the last, then it has failed at being an influential installment. The only way for Freshman Year to be remembered as more than just a repeated storyline is to look to its past for inspiration.

To see Peter Parker continue his story in the MCU, watch Spider-Man: No Way Home, in theaters on Dec. 17. Into the Spider-Verse's sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One), arrives in theaters on Oct. 7, 2022.

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