Peter Parker has a lot to deal with lately. He lost his uncle, was bitten by an interdimensional spider, and new supervillains terrorizing his city. But perhaps worse of all is the fact that he isn't exactly quite sure what to wear. Now, don't get me wrong, we all love a great homemade suit, and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man completely excelled at creating a simple yet recognizable starting design. However, we can't deny Peter's first costume does not have any other function than covering his face and giving one or two style points along the way. Well, that's where Norman Osborn comes in.
During the third episode of the Disney Plus series, Spidey accepts Norman's help to aid him in his crusade to save the world. The first step? Come up with a new suit that's more practical than the one he's been using so far. It might seem like a simple and straightforward task, but as we're about to find out, it is everything but. Here's what went down in episode 4, "Hitting The Big Time".
Spidey struggles to find a new suit
This tale starts at the Oscorp Internships where Peter has a bit of trouble presenting his project related to the energy research division. But just when Dr. Wittman is about to eat him alive for his inability to "eloquently speak his mind", the superpowered teenager is saved by the bell. Norman asks to meet him in his office, and on his way there, he comes across a familiar face we've seen before: Harry Osborn. After the two properly introduce themselves and exchange a few words, Peter goes into the office where Norman reveals tragedy has struck the superhero world.
Remember the events of Captain America: Civil War? In it, multiple countries voted to pass the Sokovia Accords — a legal document stating that superpowered individuals won't be able to operate independently anymore and, instead, they'll have to answer to government agencies. Well, turns out this branched Marvel Cinematic Universe reality also suffered from the very same fate. The Avengers are fighting, and the Sokovia Accords were fully instituted. Peter is worried about what this could mean for his future as Spider-Man, but Norman quickly says he'll handle the situation and that they'd be better focusing on testing the new super suit.
That's right: Spidey gets a makeover. His latest Oscorp-designed costume is heavily based on Thor's look, as it has metallic boots and shoulder pads, little wings on the ears, and a big red cape. However, if you've watched The Incredibles, you know superheroes shouldn't wear capes under any circumstance — a point that is immediately proven when Spidey jumps off a ledge and his cape gets stuck on a metal fence. As simple as that, Norman Osborn goes back to the drawing board.
Peter's next suit is almost a one-to-one adaptation of the Hornet — an identity adopted by the wall-crawler in comic book pages when Spider-Man was accused of murder. Equipped with a new wingpack, the superhero should be able to seamlessly fly across the city in record times. However, Peter has a bit of trouble controlling his new suit and gets run over by a bus along the way. Yet again, the newest costume failed, and Norman had to create another design. Surely the third time's the charm, right?
The friendly neighborhood hero then wears a suit that resembles the Dusk look in comic book pages. But as was to be expected: People are actually terrified of this new design. A little girl screams when Spidey gives her a balloon, and New York citizens quickly attack the wall-crawler in return. So in a last attempt, Norman creates a suit that doesn't shy away from the whole "Spider-Man" persona and instead embraces it... with a slight color change, that is.
Just like that the Future Foundation suit is created — a beautiful and futuristic design with a white and black palette of colors (except the show calls it the Oscorp Suit).
New villains terrorize the city and secrets are revealed
An eager Peter Parker then swings across New York City looking for an opportunity to test his new costume in action, just when four criminals escape in a van after robbing a place. However, while on the chase, the latest villains in town cause a big road accident where a bus is set on fire. Multiple people are trapped inside their cars and unable to escape the flames rapidly approaching them. Spider-Man then quickly decides to let the bad guys escape and focuses on saving the citizens (which I thought was a really nice touch).
Fortunately, the hero's new suit is fireproof so he's able to rescue everyone without getting seriously harmed. But what happened to the four criminals who were trying to escape? Well, three of them were captured by the police, and the other one grabbed the money and went to meet the man who had been selling weapons to small-time criminals: Otto Octavius. Yes, the Doctor Octopus himself.
That's not the only big reveal, as Peter swings his way back to Oscorp to express his excitement over how successful the new suit was and unmasks in the process. What he doesn't realize is that - in spite of Norman's best attempts to warn him - Harry Osborn is sitting there too, perplexed by the fact that Peter, the kid he met before outside of his father's office, is actually Spider-Man. Is this the beginning of a beautiful, comic-accurate friendship?
Parallel to all of this, audiences also watch Lonnie Lincoln's subplot unfold. When we last saw him, he made a deal with the mob boss, Big Donovan, in order to free his brother from being a member of the Tenth Street Gang. The downside? Lonnie had to take his place in exchange, so he's been following the orders of Big Don which led him to cross paths with the Scorpion gang — a new group in town led by none other than Mac Gargan himself. Now, the Scorpions have seen Lonnie's face and know he's working for the competition. Could this storyline lead to the birth of Tombstone? Well, there's only one way to find out.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man airs new episodes on Disney Plus on Wednesdays.