How does Spider-Man: Freshman Year fit into the MCU?

A lot was revealed about the future of the MCU at San Diego Comic-Con, but one thing that remains unclear is whether Spider-Man: Freshman Year is set in the MCU or not?

Billed as set before the events of Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Freshman Year was presumably supposed to serve as a prequel to the 2017 motion-picture film directed by Jon Watts, Spider-Man: Homecoming set within the MCU.

Rather than serve as yet another origin story, the general consensus was to depict Peter Parker who not long after received a bite from a genetically-modified spider whilst attending Midtown High School.

So it would take place not long after Parker became Spider-Man though way before the airport fight that saw him clash against the rogue Avengers on Cap’s side. Although it seems things might be taken in a different direction.

Is Spider-Man: Freshman Year in the MCU or not?

According to Brad Winderbaum, Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation at Marvel Studios, Freshman Year will follow the events before and during Civil War up to a certain point but pivot to another direction we have yet to see.

In other words, an ersatz anthology that is adjacent to the MCU but in another parallel universe.

"“Well, like we said, in the panel, it follows the pattern that you see in [Captain America:] Civil War. Down to Peter getting the broken Blu-ray player from the trash and he walks into his department for the famous moment where Tony stark is waiting for him to offer him the stark internship and take him to Berlin. But because of things that happen in the multiverse because of new, random occurrences, it’s not Tony Stark who’s waiting for him there. It’s Norman Osborn and that sends his life in an unexpected trajectory that collides him with many unexpected characters in the Marvel universe.”"

While it is a sound plan from the model sheet and designs including the premise, it poses some problems.

The characters you expect to meet in the series are Dr. Otto Octavius, Norman Osborn, Harry Osborn, Nico Minoru, Amadeus Cho, Charlie Cox’s Daredevil, and several more. The problem is we hadn’t met any of these characters before Spider-Man: No Way Home. Neither Doc Ock nor the Osborns exist in the MCU, villains like Scorpion should not be around and Doctor Strange should not know Parker or have met him so early in the timeline of Earth-616.

Despite the discrepancies, I am sure things will be explained closer to the time of release.

What are your thoughts on what has been said by Brad Winderbaum? Are you digging the new What If…? like the direction they are going for Spider-Man: Freshman Year? Or would you rather it is a straightforward prequel? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!