Revisiting Peter Parker

IF you are a fan of Spider-Man, you will definitely enjoy the brand-new Marvel's Spider-Man series, which premieres on Disney XD (Astro channel 617) this Saturday at 10am.
In this series, we follow 15-year-old Peter Parker, who is still in the early days of figuring out his superpowers and his role as a superhero – all while navigating the ins and outs of Horizon High school.
In a teleconference interview with Marvel's Spider-Man's executive producer Cort Lane and supervising producer Marsha Griffin, we learn more about what is in store for fans of Spider-Man.
Both Lane and Griffin come with impressive resumes, having worked on many shows featuring some of Marvel's biggest characters.
Lane co-produced Ultimate Spider-Man, Marvel's Avengers Assemble, Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., Iron Man: Armored Adventures, Lego Marvel Super Heroes, Maximum Overload, and Avengers Reassembled, as well as the Guardians of the Galaxy animated series, and the Marvel Anime series featuring Iron Man, Wolverine, X-Men and Blade.
Griffin currently serves as vice president of Current Series & Development for Marvel, overseeing the company's full slate of animated programmes.
Prior to joining the company, she wrote for several Disney and Marvel series, including Miles from Tomorrowland, Ben 10, Kim Possible, X-Men Evolution, and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy animated series.
A life-long Marvel fan, Lane is thrilled to have a key role in developing and producing shows with characters he has loved since he was a child.
Incidentally, the Spider-Man: Homecoming movie, released in July, revolved around a 15-year-old Peter.
When asked if that was why Marvel's Spider-Man was focusing on a young Peter as well, Lane said: "I wish I could tell you that we worked hand-in-hand with the film folks.
"We all had the perspective that we wanted to tell the whole superhero story from the very beginning, like in the comics from the early days where he really was a teenager.
"He was dealing with his powers and all the relatable problems that teenagers have."
He added that no matter how many times Spider-Man's story is retold, there is always an audience.
Lane added: "I can tell you he is the most popular superhero in the world, in most countries.
"His use of humour to defuse [tension], or as a weapon against his enemies, has always made him a huge favourite.
"This is my own personal opinion but I think he is the most relatable superhero in the Marvel universe. You connect with his personality and experience and feel that he is just like me.
"There's something about Peter Parker. He does not fit in. Things don't always go well for him but he tries his best. That is the core of every Peter Parker story."
Meanwhile, fellow producer Griffin said it has been a long time since they focused on a Spider-Man origin story.
It has also been noted that women feature strongly in Peter's life, much more than most superheroes.
Griffin said: "First of all, he is very approachable. He is not a big, tough guy. Women play an enormous part in his life. We have a strong figure like Aunt May raising him. He also has strong relationships with women and doesn't take them lightly".
In Marvel's Spider-Man, young Peter also has to deal with familiar teen issues.
"You do see how his social life affects the storyline and his life," said Griffin. "He has problems like everyone else, but with this series, we made them more contemporary.
"He is very much in the world today, even though the story is based on the very early days of the comic book series."
Griffin added that we will also see the early days of Spider-Man's villains.
"You will see how the villains evolved. You will see some who don't seem like they are villains, but who will eventually evolve into [that]," she said.
There will also be some other Marvel characters appearing in be series, including Iron Man and The Hulk.
And fans will be thrilled to know that unlike in Homecoming where Iron Man provided the suit that he wears, in Marvel's Spider-Man, Peter creates his own suit, and undergoes many trial and errors in the process.
Ironically, the voice actor for Peter is 35-year-old industry veteran Robbie Daymond.
"Robbie may be 35 years old but he sounds perfect for the role as we underwent an extensive audition process and we thought he was born to play Peter Parker," said Griffin.