Tony Stark and the Spider-Man suit he made, the series has also riffed on scenes and characters established in the franchise. Following this example, Ned Leeds has been replaced with Harry Osborn, and now I need to see how this same dynamic could play out in the next Tom Holland Spider-Man sequel.
Harry Osborn is a complex character who has appeared in the franchise multiple times, although his path to villainy may not yet have a definitive iteration. James Franco and Dane DeHaan each played the character, although their heel-turn moments were featured in some of the less-lauded Spider-Man films. Seeing their dynamic play out in animation, where Harry knows Spider-Man identity, has made me hungry to see Harry again in live-action, although perhaps following a different path. There are precedents for this, such as in the PlayStation game Spider-Man 2.
Marvel Just Gave Spider-Man Another Take On The MCU's "Guy In The Chair"
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Made Harry Into The "Dude At The Desk"
In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Ned labels himself as Spider-Man's "guy in the chair". He watches over Spider-Man and taps into his tech from afar, working alongside him to stop crime. In what seems to be a riff on that, Harry Osborn promises to fulfill a similar role in Spider-Man episode 5. Rather than using the same terminology, however, Osborn refers to himself as the "dude at the desk", setting up a contrast between him and Ned, even if they are fulfilling the same duties.
Spider-Man is a young and vulnerable character, and it makes sense to build out his world with figures pulled from Marvel Comics. Harry Osborn, who has built up a great deal of lore in the comics as well as in film, is a great choice for the show and allowing him to fulfill Ned's role helps to connect this story better to the MCU. All of this is smart, and I can't wait to see how it all turns out, especially as, with this new approach to Spider-Man stories, Green Goblin stories begin to be hinted at in the show.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Underlines The Potential For Harry Osborn In Spider-Man Stories
Spider-Man's Friendships Are Important To Him
Spider-Man's origin in the MCU seems to be fated to be betrayed by his friends. Just as Ned Leeds is the alias of one of the Hobgoblins in the comics, so Harry Osborn has had several villainous transformations over the years. While Harry is generally turned into a new version of the Green Goblin, there are other stories about the character. The recent PlayStation game Marvel's Spider-Man 2 turned Harry Osborn into Venom, which could be an excellent way to use the character in the MCU in the future.
Harry Osborn is an important character to Spider-Man, especially in street-level stories like the new animated series. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has found a great deal of success in giving their Spider-Man good and fulfilling friendships, which made the MCU ing cast so important to the success of those films. It seems that they are following that example with this new animated series, which sees Peter bonding with not just Harry but also Nico, Pearl, and Lonnie.
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Harry Osborn Makes Sense For Tom Holland's Spider-Man 4
I want another Harry Osborn in live-action. Spider-Man has lost his friends at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, which has set the hero up to build new relationships around him. Characters like Felicia Hardy's Black Cat and Gwen Stacy have been hinted at as new love interests, but little focus has been put on what Spider-Man has lost from Ned. Ned was his best friend and closest confidante throughout the series, and his absence will surely be sorely felt.
Whatever s eventually titled, bringing in Harry Osborn to fulfill that same role could be an excellent choice, as long as the adaptation is strong. However, the relationship between the two characters should not be as fraught as the one in the Sam Raimi films, nor should it feature such a quick heel-turn as in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. I want to see Harry Osborn become close to Peter in the next Spider-Man sequel, and to persist in the series for several more films before the character becomes a villain, if that even needs to occur.
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Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man features a range of different suits for Peter Parker to try out with plenty of varying powers and styles.
Harry Osborn is an important Spider-Man character, and it's exciting to see how he is being used in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. The character has an interesting and unique personality, and there is great potential for him and Peter to bounce off of one another. With links to Green Goblin and a compelling presence himself, there is much to be done with this Harry Osborn, and I hope to see him used to form the best version of the character yet seen on screen.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
- Release Date
- January 29, 2025
- Network
- Disney+
- Writers
- Charlie Neuner
Cast
Hudson ThamesPeter Parker / Spider-Man (voice)
May Parker (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
- Franchise(s)
- Spider-Man
- Creator(s)
- Jeff Trammell
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