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Disclaimer: This article may contain spoilers from Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Readers' discretion is advised.
Over its ten episodes, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man featured countless shoutouts to Spider-Man's history in the comics and other media throughout history. However, the tenth and final episode of the series, "If This Be My Destiny..." included a reference to a piece of Spider-Man legacy that no fan saw coming. The inclusion of the beloved voice actor Josh Keaton.
We hear Keaton's voice towards the concluding moments of the episode as the voice of Richard Parker, Peter Parker's father. Keaton is a prolific voice actor who has been associated with countless franchises but is popular with fans for his work in the Spider-Man IP ever since the video game adaptation of the first Sam Raimi movie. However, he gained popularity with the wall-crawler's fans by voicing the titular character in Spectacular Spider-Man.
Keaton's inclusion as Richard Parker in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man feels like an intentional nod to the voice actor's impact on all Spider-Man animated adaptations that proceeded Spectacular Spider-Man.
Who is Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man's Richard Parker voice actor Josh Keaton?
Keaton's journey with the webhead dates all the way back to 2002 when he was initially cast as the titular character in the video game adaptation of the first Raimi movie. However, Keaton was recast as Harry Osborn in that game after Maguire chose to record the voice for his character. The voice actor returned to voice Harry in the video game adaptations of Spider-Man 2 and 3.
Keaton got a chance to voice Peter Parker almost a year after Spider-Man 3 when he was cast to voice the character in Spectacular Spider-Man in 2008. The fan-favorite acclaimed series followed a high-school Peter managing academics with a superhero career after getting bitten by a genetically modified spider and losing Uncle Ben a few months ago. However, it wasn't renewed after two seasons.
Spectacular Spider-Man was canceled because the production company returned the TV animation rights for the character to Marvel. This led to a new animated series featuring the character titled Ultimate Spider-Man was announced on April 13, 2010. However, Ultimate Spider-Man didn't receive the same acclaim and appreciation as Spectacular Spider-Man. It wasn't until 2023's Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, that we saw this version of Spidey.
But Keaton returned to voice Peter Parker or Spider-Man in the video games Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions in 2010, Spider-Man: Edge of Time in 2011, and The Amazing Spider-Man in 2012. However, in the late 2010s Josh Keaton returned to the Spider-Man universe, but this time, he voiced other characters too.
For instance, in the 2017 animated series titled Marvel's Spider-Man, Keaton voiced several characters like Norman Osborn, John Jameson, Steel Spider, and many more. In the popular 2018 PS4 game, also titled Marvel’s Spider-Man, Keaton even voiced Max Dillion or the supervillain Electro.
He even voiced the Spider-Man pastiche Agent Spider in the season 2 finale of Invincible. Therefore, his casting as Richard Parker in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man feels like the makers honoring Josh Keaton's legacy with the character that has lasted for the past twenty years and is poised to continue.
How is Richard Parker introduced in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man?
The concluding moments of the finale of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man sets up numerous mysteries for the future seasons. One such mystery is that of Richard Parker's incarceration. Aunt May is waiting for a prisoner, a man whose face we don't see initially. But right after we see his face, he asks May about Peter's well-being.
As of now, it is unclear if Peter is aware of his father's imprisonment or not. Even the reason behind his current situation is unclear. If you have seen the two Andrew Garfield Spider-Man movies, you may think that Richard Parker was an OsCorp scientist. An alternate ending of 2014's The Amazing Spider-Man 2 even featured a supposedly alive Richard Parker meeting his son at Gwen's grave.
The comics tell a different story though. In the comics, both Richard and Mary Parker were S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who died on a mission and Peter was left in Uncle Ben and Aunt May's care. However, Richard and Mary Parker are regarded to be controversial inclusions to the Spider-Man mythos. Their background as spies takes away Peter's relatability as a teenager or everyman (as an adult).
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While we wait for new updates about Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season 2, we can binge the entirety of the first season on Disney+.
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