Marvel Studios is emphasizing that the stakes in Avengers: Doomsday are higher than ever before. The MCU’s heroes are fighting an uphill battle as the multiverse falls apart around them. However, as much as the powers that be would like everyone to believe the end of everything is near, the sun will shine on the franchise again. In fact, another Disney+ series is already on the horizon, though its release date has been pushed back from its original schedule.
Back at New York Comic-Con 2025, Marvel Studios was excited to tease its upcoming slate of animated projects. X-Men ’97 led the way, revealing that its highly anticipated second season would release in summer 2026. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-ManSeason 2 was next, with the series set to follow its mutant colleague in fall 2026.
While X-Men ’97‘s sophomore outing was a show of its word, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, which follows the Wall-Crawler in his younger years, didn’t hold up its end of the bargain. The show has been delayed until January 2026, a month after Doomsday‘s release.
As frustrating as waiting for more Spider-Man is, the new season of the Disney+ series won’t show up to the party empty-handed. New villains are on the prowl, including Doc Ock, The Lizard, and Rhino, who’s set to sport a new, comic-accurate costume. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man‘s next batch of episodes will also feature an adaptation of the Symbiote Saga, where Peter Parker dons his iconic black suit.
The animated Wall-Crawler won’t get to have all the fun, though. Several characters from Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man are expected to make the jump to the live-action MCU down the line. They’ll probably have to wait until after Doomsdayto make their presence felt, but the wait will surely be worth it.
6 Spider-Man TV Characters Who Could Return In Avengers’ Live-Action MCU
Gwen Stacy
All was quiet on the Gwen Stacy front in the first season of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Season 2 will be a different story, as it introduces not only her but also her superhero persona, Ghost-Spider. And her arrival couldn’t come at a better time because Peter Parker is going to need all the help he can get.
It’s also a good time for the live-action MCU to bring Gwen into the fold. With MJ and Peter split up, Gwen can help the hero get back on the dating scene. She also has the potential to be his equal, if Kevin Feige and Co. choose to turn her into a superhero with her own set of spider powers.
Norman Osborn
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man‘s Norman Osborn started out as an ally to Spider-Man, who saved his son, Harry. But his obsession with the hero took a dark turn when he tried to replicate his DNA. Heading into Season 2, Norman is ready to turn up the heat on Peter and be a major thorn in his side.
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man already knows all about how dangerous Norman can be. The two came to blows in Spider-Man: No Way Home. However, that Norman was Peter 2’s rival, not Peter 1’s. At some point, the MCU will introduce Earth-616’s Norman, whom Peter will certainly be suspicious of from the start.
Harry Osborn
Like his father, Harry Osborn tried to support Peter on his hero journey at the start of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Their working relationship became friendly, and Harry even supported Peter’s decision to stop working with Oscorp.
While the live-action Spider-Man already has a best friend in Ned Leeds, he has room for another pal, especially one with the reg on Norman easier, setting up a future conflict between the two young geniuses
Venom/Symbiote
Peter faced off against a symbiote monster in his animated Disney+ series with help from Doctor Strange, a notable character missing from Avengers: Doomsday‘s roster. In Season 2, the titular hero is going to flip the script by getting a symbiote boost of his own. The partnership won’t last the whole season, though, because Venom is waiting for his turn to wreak havoc.
In the comics, Spider-Man first came into contact with the symbiote on Battleworld. All signs point to the planet being introduced in an upcoming Avengers film. If that happens, Holland’s Peter will likely follow in his animated counterpart’s footsteps.
Rhino
Mikhail Sytsevich did Peter a solid in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-ManSeason 1 by helping him defeat Unicorn. That doesn’t mean the two are on good terms in the second season. Sytsevich returns with a Rhino costume, ready to run through anything or anyone that stands in his way.
Rhino infamously made his live-action debut in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, where he was just a man in a mech suit. The MCU will look to make that a distant memory when it introduces its own version of the iconic villain, complete with a comic-accurate costume.
Amadeus Cho
Peter made a few friends at Oscorp in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, including Amadeus Cho. Unlike the other interns, though, Cho didn’t quit when everything went wrong; he accepted a full-time gig working under Norman, who probably has big plans for the genius.
Amadeus’ comic-book mother, Helen Cho, made her MCU debut in Avengers: Age of Ultron. She hasn’t been heard from since that movie, but it’s only a matter of time before her son surfaces and begins his journey to becoming a Hulk.
