One of the coolest, and truly most impressive, elements about the character of Spider-Man is that his history is so strong, it can sustain multiple interpretations without losing the core elements that make Spidey special. Over the years, we have seen three different live-action Spider-Man franchises, the ongoing trilogy of the Spider-Verse movies with Miles Morales, and numerous animated programs that have told fresh takes on the wallcrawler. Add Jeff Trammell’s magnificent Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, available to everyone with a Disney+ subscription, to the list of winning Spidey projects. And it works because Trammell, serving as head writer, understand how best to use key elements of Spidey’s lore – like the Uncle Ben character – in unconventional and original ways.
The first two episodes of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will arrive on the streaming service on January 29. In them, you will learn how this new take on Peter Parker (voiced by Hudson Thames) gets his powers, how he fits into life at Midtown High, and why he lives with his Aunt May (Kari Wahlgren). Similar to the MCU, we hear about Uncle Ben but don’t meet him. We don’t have to watch the traditional origin story again. But speaking with Jeff Trammell for an exclusive interview, I wanted to get his sense for the importance of Ben in the Peter narrative, and how he wanted to approach it. Because Ben has more of an influence in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man than he has in the MCU so far, and yet, there are tweaks.
Trammell told CinemaBlend:
I'm trying to find the right words to say this. Because I don't want to spoil anything. But also, I know how much Uncle Ben means to so many people. I didn't want Uncle Ben in our show to be reduced to a soundbite. I didn't want him to be like, ‘This thing happens, and he says this one perfect thing that fully encapsulates everything for Peter.’ Because I don't think that's who he is. I think Uncle Ben means a lot to Peter because he has been there throughout his life. He raised him. It's not just one lesson. It's EVERY lesson that he's taught him. So, for me, I always thought it was important that you feel Uncle Ben's presence through the things that Peter says about him, or the things that Peter thinks about him.
This is an excellent lesson. Without question, it’s an important part of the Spider-Man mythology that Uncle Ben taught Peter that with great power comes great responsibility. But as Jeff Trammell notes, Ben Parker had been infusing Peter with morality his entire life, and this has to be reflected in the very fabric of the character for us to believe in many of the tough decisions he makes as Spider-Man.
We don’t see Ben in this first season of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. But Trammell went on to tell CinemaBlend:
I'll say that as we go forward, I think there are going to be a lot more opportunities to really see Uncle Ben's influence on Peter. And I'll kind of leave it at that for now. I know that's like a worry of some people, and that has never been… I don't want to erase Uncle Ben. I know how much Uncle Ben means to Peter, and I know how much he means to the fan base. And I think it becomes very evident as the show goes on how much he means to our Peter.
It’s my genuine hope that the live-action Spider-Man movies featuring Tom Holland explore just a little bit more the influence that Ben Parker might have had on that version of the character. Anything is better than whatever it is Madame Web was attempting. In the meantime, make sure that you enjoy Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, which drops bunches of episodes on Disney+ all through February.
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