Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. We’re back with another Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Secrets Page. Three more episodes dropped yesterday, so there’s a lot to cover. Let’s get started with the first of three episodes: “Duel with the Devil.”

“Duel with the Devil”

Zaniac! and Tomb Buster

Peter invites Nico and Harry over to get them to bond. Peter offers a few vintage VHS options for the pair to choose from. Nico picks Zaniac!, which is the movie from Loki season 2.

But Harry wants to watch Tomb Buster, the movie from Moon Knight.

Predator

Fortunately, Peter compromises with Predator. This choice is funny when considering Peter Parker’s Alien references in Avengers: Infinity War.

Secretary Ross’s Search for Steve Rogers

While at an Avengers relief charity event, Norman asks Secretary Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross about the search for Steve Rogers. This is a reference to the aftermath of Civil War where Captain America and his allies violated the Sokovia Accords and go underground as Secret Avengers.

Daredevil’s Black Suit

Charlie Cox (Daredevil from the Netflix series and the upcoming Daredevil: Reborn) reprises his role as the Man Without Fear. The black suit Daredevil wears while investigating Norman Osborn mirrors the outfit he often wore during the original Daredevil Netflix show. Speaking of Netflix’s Daredevil, the classic theme song plays briefly when Spider-Man and Daredevil first meet.

Mephisto

October’s Agatha All Along confirmed that Mephisto exists in the MCU, and he definitely exists in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’s alternate universe. When Nico gives Harry a Tarot reading, she pulls “The Devil,” who looks just like the Demon Lord Mephisto from Marvel Comics.

Mac Gargan Becomes Scorpion

While the Scorpion suit has yet to make an appearance in the MCU (Did Spider-Man: Homecoming release eight years ago?), Mac Gargan gets his Scorpion armor at the end of this episode. It’s less of a full suit and more of a green rig attached to his chest with a sharp prehensile tail. But that tail, which we’ll see in a minute, is deadly.

“Scorpion Rising”

The Power of the Sun

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man has included numerous Spider-Man 2 references. This next reference comes when looking for Octavius, Norman scans energy signatures in the city. Peter mentions Tritium. Norman doubts Otto could get his hands on it by saying that he doubts Otto had “harnessed the power of the sun,” which is how Octavius describes his project in Spider-Man 2.

Klev Films the Drag Race

Severance’s Zach Cherry and his MCU character Klev make another appearance in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. This time, Klev counts off Harry and Nico’s drag race with Hot Rod and records the action.

Klev has a history of being at the right place at the right time in the MCU. He’s a huge Spider-Man and Shang-Chi fan and often streams them in the MCU.

“I Think You Mean Lydia”

Hot Rod calls Nico “Beetlejuice,” and then Klev corrects her with the guess that she meant Lydia Deetz, Winona Ryder’s character from Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice.

Goblin Glider Sighting

After Scorpion stabs Peter with his armor, Norman sends a glider to rescue the Webhead. The glider he uses looks like the ones used by the Green Goblin in the comics. This marks the first tangible tease of Norman possibly becoming the Green Goblin.

“Tangled Web”

“Spider-Man No More”

I let out an audible yelp at the end of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’s opening credits for “Tangled Web,” Episode Eight. The episode’s title card pays homage to the classic splash art during the “Spider-Man No More” storyline.

This reference ties nicely into this episode as this version of Peter Parker debates if he should continue being Spider-Man following his defeat by the Scorpion.

“He’s Just a Kid”

When Norman has his doctors and Oscorp scientists work on Peter (and secretly take Spider-Man’s blood for testing), one of them says, “he’s just a kid.” This mirrors the train scene in Spider-Man 2. When several New Yorkers saw the Webslinger without his mask, one of them said, “he’s just a kid.”

“With Great Power Comes Respect”

Peter goes through a crisis of consciousness after his defeat at the hands of the Scorpion. Aunt May wistfully wishes that Uncle Ben was still alive. She wants Peter to find someone who can fill Uncle Ben’s shoes and act as a mentor for Peter.

In one scene, Norman glints two Spider-Man mentors: Tony Stark and Uncle Ben. Norman suggests that his and Peter’s partnership may need to end if Peter can’t take Spider-Man to the next level. This mirrors when Tony Stark takes away the Spider-Man suit in Homecoming after Peter tried and failed to stop Vulture. But he concludes their conversation by saying “With great power comes respect.” This is a far cry from the classic Uncle Ben saying of “With great power comes great responsibility.”

Doc Ock’s Arms

Presumably, Norman sends Secretary Ross Otto’s location, and Ross sends several SWAT teams to apprehend the rogue doctor. Octavius takes down these teams with ease with the help of his classic mechanical arms from the comics. However, the arms are yet to be fused to his body. Peter did make mention in the previous episode, “Scorpion Rising,” that Otto’s use of gamma radiation with his tech was risky as it could overheat, causing radiation burns and fusing to the skin.

This may have already happened with Gargan and his Scorpion armor. When he overheated his suit to free himself from Spider-Man’s webs, burns formed around the edges of his suit. The same could happen to Octavius in a future episode or season.

Iron Man Arrests Doc Ock

Doctor Octavius doesn’t fear Secretary Ross’s team when they come to arrest him. He only pauses when Iron Man arrives as backup. Not only does the classic Avengers theme play, but Iron Man’s animated design looks like his design from the early comics. This art style is in keeping with the Spider-Man and Doctor Strange designs in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man that look like the original art by Steve Ditko.

It also makes sense for Iron Man to uphold the Sokovia Accords. This mirrors the events in the MCU following Civil War. Captain America goes underground and forms the Secret Avengers, while Iron Man works with the government.

Dmitri Smerdyakov (The Chameleon) Returns

Dmitri Smerdyakov returns to Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. He wears a white mask to conceal his identity, which is what he does in the original comic books. This marks the Chameleon’s first official appearance.

First Glimpse of Uncle Ben

Peter ponders his next move as Spider-Man and looks at a photo on the fridge of himself, Aunt May, and Uncle Ben. While the detail may seem small, it’s an impactful character moment and the first time Marvel has shown Uncle Ben. Ben never made a physical appearance in the main MCU timeline.

“Go Get ‘Em, Tiger”

Harry Osborn reveals the classic Spider-Man suit he made for Peter inspired by Peter’s drawings. Harry tells Peter to “Go Get ‘Em, Tiger.” Mary Jane Watson’s pet name for Peter is Tiger and would often utter something akin to this in the comics. This reference may be more of a nod to the end of Raimi’s Spider-Man 2, where Mary Jane utters the phrase.

That’s all we have for this week. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.