Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man producer explains why MJ and Ned will not be a part of the Marvel animated series

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is a highly-awaited animated series on Disney+ that delves into the initial days of Peter Parker as Spider-Man. Though the Marvel Cinematic Universe already has a live-action spidey story with Tom Holland in the lead, this one is set in a different timeline.

In this timeline, Peter is being mentored by Norman Osborn instead of Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. The show has another contrast with the films as it does not feature iconic characters like MJ and Ned, played by Zendaya and Jacob Batalon, respectively, in the movies.

Dana Vasquez-Eberhardt, one of the executive producers on the project, has revealed the reason behind MJ and Ned’s absence from the show. She said Spider-Man does not attend Midtown High School in the series and, hence, does not get to meet his love interest and best friend from the MCU.

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The reason behind MJ and Ned’s absence from Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

In MCU lore, Peter Parker meets his girlfriend, MJ, and his best friend, Ned, while attending the Midtown High School in Queens, New York City. Dana Vasquez-Eberhardt explained that in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Peter’s story starts in Freshman year, but he somehow does not end up attending Midtown.

She said during an appearance on The Official Marvel Podcast:

"We're starting at a point in the MCU where Civil War has happened, so the Sokovia Accords have been ratified so it's modern day and then Peter gets to his first day at Midtown.”

“Then a thing happens which I'm going to try and dance around and there goes our branch. It's a very recognizable world but Peter doesn't end up going to Midtown. It's a world where he never met Ned, he never met MJ.”

As Peter attends a different school, he comes across a different set of characters from the MCU. In this timeline, he becomes friends with Nico Minoru, a superhero daughter of two supervillains. Talking about Nico’s introduction, Vasquez-Eberhardt said:

“Nico is such a great fit for Peter. She's very different from Ned, and they fit so well together.”

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More about Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

The animated series is set in the “Sacred Timeline” of the MCU, which was created by Kang and is now headed by Loki. The show traces Peter Parker’s transformation into Spider-Man while he is guided by Norman Osborn.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will debut on January 29, 2025, and will comprise ten episodes. The show features an impressive voice cast, including Hudson Thames as Peter Parker, Colman Domingo as Norman, Eugene Byrd as Lonnie, Grace Song as Nico Minoru, and Zeno Robinson as Harry Osborn.

The cast also includes Paul F. Tompkins as Bentley Wittman, Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock, Hugh Dancy as Otto Octavius, and Kari Wahlgren as Aunt May. The series is created by Jeff Trammell.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will premiere on Disney+ on January 29, 2025.