Summary
There’s a new kid on the block, as Jeff Trammell’sYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manswings into action on Disney+. Hoping to capture the magic ofSpider-Man: The Animated Seriesthat ran from 1994 to 1998,Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Mantakes place in an alternate reality to the MCU’s Earth-616. Here, Peter Parker (voiced by Hudson Thames) is mentored by Norman Osborn instead of Tony Stark.
Putting its own twist on the events ofCaptain America: Civil WarandSpider-Man: Homecoming,Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manpicks up following the events of Uncle Ben’s death and givesPeter Parker a very different origin story. Despite only being two episodes in, the 10-part debut season has already introduced its own tangled web of potential heroes and villains.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Teases a new Lizard
Unlike the typical portrayal of Norman Osborn in the comics,Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’s version appears as Peter’s heroic mentor. Instead of having the technology of Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man and Stark Industries, this animated adventure unlocks the potential of Oscorp. It remains to be seen whether Oscorp will be as sinister as the variousSpider-Manmovies have shown, but among its ranks,Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manhas already teased afan-favoriteSpider-Manvillain.
January 29’s “The Parker Luck” is the show’s second episode and follows Peter as Norman Osborn invites him to be part of an exclusive internship at Oscorp. Others working there include Marvel Comics favorites, such asAmadeus Cho (the second Hulk), Jeanne Foucault/Finesse, and Bentley Wittman/the Wizard. But above all, the fact that Peter is assigned to work under Dr. Carla Connors is sure to pique some interest. Namely, it looks likeYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manis introducing its owngender-flipped version of Dr. Curtis Connors, aka the Lizard.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manhas already come under fire for revamping some classic characters, with a vocal minority complaining that Harry and Norman Osborn have been race-swapped. Even Peter Parker’s voice actor has been embroiled in a drama where he seemed to refer to the cartoon as ‘woke.’ But a gender-flipped Dr. Connors isn’t anything to write home about, especially asKathryn Hahn portrayed Dr. Olivia Octaviusas a female Doctor Octopus in 2018’sSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Most on social media seemed to cheer the idea that the Lizard is waiting in the wings.
Disney+ has already renewed the seriesthrough to season 3, so even if Dr. Connors doesn’t fully transform into the Lizard by the end of the first 10 episodes, there’s a chance that a twist is being saved for further down the line. It’s also possible thatYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manwill follow in the footsteps of Sam Raimi’sSpider-Mantrilogy with Dylan Baker, and never see a full Lizard emergence. Zehra Fazal voices Dr. Connors. Known for voicing animated characters in everything fromYoung Justice: OutsiderstoWatchmen Chapter 2, it seems unlikely she’ll transition into live-action.
The Tragic History of Spider-Man Movies and the Lizard
Dr. Curtis Connors and the Lizard were both introduced in 1963’sThe Amazing Spider-Man#6, going on to become a mainstay of the franchise. Typically portrayed as a tragic antihero inspired by Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the Lizard has been a notable member of the Sinister Six and has been adapted into various cartoons and live-action movies since ‘Dr. Curt Conner’ appeared in a 1967 episode of theSpider-Mancartoon. Still, the Lizard has had something of a rough ride in Marvel movies. As previously mentioned, Baker never got to go full Lizard, although there were apparently plans for Raimi to finally debut his villain side in thecanceledSpider-Man 4.
Elsewhere, Rhys Ifans played Dr. Connors/the Lizard in 2012’sThe Amazing Spider-Man. As the de facto bad guy of Andrew Garfield’s first outing as the wall-crawling hero, Ifans’ portrayal was praised by fans, but paled in comparison to the likes of Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin and Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock in the Raimi movies. There was a chance for redemption when Jon Watts brought Ifans back for 2021’sSpider-Man: No Way Home, although he was unfortunately sidelined. AfterIfans teased his return forNo Way Home, fans were disappointed that while he voiced Lizard, his appearance at the end of the movie in his human form used archival footage.
When it comes to pushing the boat out with the Lizard,Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Versedid it best, and that’s not even with Dr. Connors. The opening of the 2021 sequel featured Jack Quaid as the voice of Peter Benjamin Parker from Earth-65B. In this reality, Peter Parker was sick of being bullied and was transformed into a Godzilla-like monster when he drank the Lizard serum. Unfortunately, this version was killed during a fight with Gwen Stacy, meaning it’s unlikely he’ll return.
This leaves Dr. Carla Connors to carry the legacy of the Lizard.There’s some confusion about whetherYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manis canonin the MCU, but even if Carla Connors doesn’t appear inSpider-Man 4, she could easily appear in the delayedBeyond the Spider-Verse.
Audiences were promised anew spin on some classicSpider-Mancharacters. Although there’s some discourse surrounding a gender and race-swapped Lizard, there wasn’t the same backlash when Kathryn Hahn played Doc Ock. There will hopefully be more of Carla Connors to turn the original backlash around. With two more seasons on the way, audiences can expect to find out more about her backstory – something that Raimi never got to explore with Baker’s version. There’s only been a fleeting glimpse of Dr. Connors so far, so fans will have to wait and see how much of a role she plays in the evolving series. Either way, it’s about time the Lizard got their time to shine – even if it’s not officially in the MCU.
