Marvel's Spider-Man "Osborn Academy" Talkback (Spoilers)

[RoyalRubble]

Catch a new episode of Marvel's Spider-Man today at 7:00AM ET on Disney XD!

Marvel's Spider-Man "Osborn Academy"
Episode Debut - August 26th, 2017
Written by - Kevin Shinick
Directed by - Sol Choi

Norman Osborn creates the Osborn Academy for Geniuses as a way of saving his son, Harry, the embarrassment of being suspended from Horizon High.

Comments?

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[Rick Jones]

I found myself really digging this episode. The characters introduced in this have my interest, and I like that we are seeing situations setting up for characters that aren't just Peter or the main villain. I can't think of any dialogue that stood out to me as needing tweaking like in the premiere, though that could just be me not listening as intently as possible (I can't say). I loved seeing certain characters cameo during the auditions and I wonder if any of them, or Liz and Randy, might be seen occasionally throughout the season. Anyway, I can only speak for myself, and I liked this. There were a couple of things that I'm not sure would work out the way that they did in the episode but it didn't detract for me. I'll look forward to seeing what else develops over the next few episodes.

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[Matt Parker]

I think this is the best episode yet, as almost all of my complaints with the origin "episode" and the Horizon High two parter were fixed. Peter was far less annoying here, as he didn't have any obnoxious lines about science. The action was much more fluid and dynamic, and all of the big action beats were really well executed and fun. I love how Spider-Man is more focused on saving lives than he is on catching the bad guys, and all of these scenes, from the helicopter rescue at the beginning to the whole battle between Clash and Shocker, were really fun to watch. And, the villains are much better. I loved the Jackal. His wacky, crazed persona made a fun foil for Spider-Man, and John DiMaggio did an excellent job capturing his personality. I feel like his introduction was kinda rushed, but I enjoyed his use nonetheless and the reveal of his identity was very good. It looks like he'll be a major villain going forward, and I'm cool with that, since he's a personal favorite of mine from the comics. Also on the villain front, Norman was excellent here. Josh Keaton did a phenomenal job and he's definitely in my top 5 portrayals of that character.
The episode also had plenty of what I liked about the previous episodes. Harry is being written excellently so far and I can't wait to see where he goes. His confrontation with Spider-Man was a highlight. Robbie Daymond really felt like he was fully eased into the role here. I found him a tad grating in the Origin shorts and the first two episodes, but he felt much more smooth and natural. He's a great casting choice. I loved Gwen's introduction and portrayal, and she feels a lot like the TASM movie's take on that character.
The episode had some issues, however. The battle between Clayton and Herman felt a little forced and rushed. I didn't quite buy how quickly that confrontation escalated. Plus, it seems unrealistic to me that Osborn wouldn't face any legal trouble from that. Those two almost killed several people. WOuldn't someone sue Osborn Academy? Plus, the fan maneuver Spider-Man used to save Clayton and Herman was so unrealistic I actually rolled my eyes. However, the episode was still pretty solid. I think this show is gonna be pretty fun.

 

[Rick Jones]

I love how Spider-Man is more focused on saving lives than he is on catching the bad guys, and all of these scenes, from the helicopter rescue at the beginning to the whole battle between Clash and Shocker, were really fun to watch.

The moment when he puts himself in front of the interviewers to take the direct hit but all three of them are still thrown out of the window is the kind of small moment I'm all about.

Plus, the fan maneuver Spider-Man used to save Clayton and Herman was so unrealistic I actually rolled my eyes.

That felt like the kind of thing you'd see in a silver age comic but it seemed much goofier seeing it in motion when Spidey's the hero doing it. The propeller incident felt a little Looney Tunes inspired. I don't quite know how invulnerable Peter is but I would think that would go a little more terrible for him. It just reminds me of playing Spider-Man PS2 games and getting batted around and losing health whenever I got hit by helicopter propellers. Anyway, I'm glad these didn't take away from the overall tone they have going and hopefully these will be minor hiccups.

By the way, did you guys notice who the wrecked helicopter belonged to? Id be disappointed if all of this collateral damage doesn't lead to something "menacing".

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[Dragnatek]

Jackal kidnapping Gwen was a reference to his obsession with her in the comics wasn't it?

 

[ChessKing]

Jackal kidnapping Gwen was a reference to his obsession with her in the comics wasn't it?

I don't think Jackal kidnapping Gwen was a reference to his obsession with her in the comics as

Spoiler

This take on the Jackel is Gwen's uncle as we saw him in human form at the end of the episode and Gwen called him uncle Raymond but in the comics Jackel is Miles Warren........Or am I wrong??

 

[Dragnatek]

Oh I missed the end of the episode thanks.

 

[Rick Jones]

I don't think Jackal kidnapping Gwen was a reference to his obsession with her in the comics as

Spoiler

This take on the Jackel is Gwen's uncle as we saw him in human form at the end of the episode and Gwen called him uncle Raymond but in the comics Jackel is Miles Warren........Or am I wrong??

That is correct. The name change makes me wonder if there are other changes in store.

Spoiler

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[Gold Guy]

Not a bad episode, but I do think the opening two-parter was a bit stronger, mainly because I felt the episode's main conflict (between Clayton and Herman) was really, really forced, considering that they're supposed to be best friends. The writing didn't sell it. Also still not sure I like Harry's "I hate Spider-Man!!!" thing.

But I really liked Laura Bailey as Gwen Stacy, this Norman Osborn is already a step-up from USM Norman, and I was surprised to see Jackal appear so soon.

That said, in light of recent film events, I have to wonder if that final scene was coincidental or not...

 

[Troy Troodon]

Hearing his performances as Norman, I wouldn't mind Josh Keaton taking a jab at Lex Luthor sometime soon.

 

[Korra_Fan]

We got Raymond Warren instead of Miles Warren since we already have a Miles - Miles Morales - in the main cast.

I love this version of Gwen Stacy, she is the perfect combination of Gwen's more [nasty] original characterization in the comics and her posthumous retconned science genius personality (seriously, her scientific aptitude only featured in ONE issue of the original comics, and even then it really wasn't anything on genius level.) Laura Bailey's voice is perfect, and I'm intrigued about her relationship to the Jackal.

Mod Note: Language.

 

[Frontier]

The Jackal seemed to come out-of-nowhere. I mean, the show seems to be building up to him with what's going on with Gwen and his other identity, but I kinda wish they'd alluded to him earlier or not started us immediately into Spidey just encountering him right at the beginning of the episode. It felt really random .

John DiMaggio is always fun to have in a cartoon, and I'm looking forward to seeing what we get out of him as The Jackal. Though so far I don't think his performance is as memorable as his Sandman or Hammerhead .

It was nice to see Gwen finally make her debut and see her interact with Peter and Spider-Man (albeit a little more on the Spider-Man side of things). So far she seems to be a nice and brave girl, albeit one who's very confident in her brains and not afraid to show it. I'm not sure where they'll take her relationship with Peter, given I don't imagine it will develop too deeply (and it doesn't seem like we'll see any connection between her and Harry), but I'm looking forward to seeing more of them together .

Laura Bailey is also always a delight, and I think she's doing a pretty good job as Gwen so far. It's a character that feels like a better fit for her then Black Widow .

Norman Osborn finally makes his debut and is pretty much portrayed exactly how you'd expect. On the surface he's a well-respected and charitable scientist and businessman, but beneath that lies the more sinister Norman who believes in survival of the fittest and twisting people into what he wants them to be .

We also get to see the classic concern Norman has for his son, a willingness to do whatever it takes to make Harry happy (or what Norman thinks will make Harry happy) while also pushing Harry to be the person Norman wants him to be. Interestingly enough it doesn't seem like Norman is all that concerned about Peter in this continuity, nor Spider-Man for that matter .

And can I just gush about Josh Keaton as Norman Osborn? I mean, first, it's just awesome to have Josh back in a big way in a Spider-Man cartoon, and second he does a pretty great Norman. He makes Norman's suave, duplicitous, and sinister sides all seem natural and convincing in their own right. I can't wait to see how the show utilizes him going forward and I hope they get plenty of mileage out of Keaton in the role, especially once we get to the Green Goblin and the rivalry between Spidey and Norman heats up. Why else cast a former Spider-Man as Spider-Man's Archenemy ?

Teen John Jameson. Okay, why not (at least they alluded to his NASA background) ?

Though with the Daily Bugle chopper and now John, I wonder how long they'll wait to debut JJJ himself to menace Spider-Man...

So I guess Flash has upgraded from a name-drop to a cameo. Although he looked more like Race Bannon then Flash Thompson. It's also going to be kind of funny if Flash ends up becoming Venom on this show given he's voiced by Ben Diskin .

Such school loyalty from Anya there .

Pairing Shocker and Clash together as best friends and fellow inventors was an interesting adaption choice, and showed me just how similar the two actually are as villains, though I can't say I felt the show did a good job of really distinguishing between the two outside their tech. They felt less like Shocker and Clash and more like the exact same character facing off against himself given how similar their characterization and attitudes were .

Cameron Boyce and Yuri Lownethal also did solid job with the material they were given but I just wish they had had more to work with .

It also did feel kind of quick that we'd see two best friends jump from being buddies to trying to kill each other in a matter of minutes and turning into mini-Supervillains in the process. Although I guess in the end their main purpose was to give Jackal their tech and foreshadow the likely conflict between Peter and Harry as the competition between their schools and Peter's double-life drives them apart .

It's one thing for Norman Osborn to say "I'm not impressed" to Spider-Man, but that line takes on a whole other level of meta-context when you have Josh Keaton saying it .

Of course Tony Stark still ends up being responsible for everything in the end .

Y'know, thinking on it...how much did Spidey actually accomplish in this episode? Obviously he saved people and prevented collateral damage from Herman and Clayton's fight but he wasn't actually able to stop them (Jackal did) and despite his best efforts Jackal still got away (Gwen's comment not helping in that regard). I'm not saying he didn't do anything, but it didn't feel like he did all that much either, so I guess it's fitting he'd feel kind of deflated at the end .

I guess if we're going to see Osborn Academy rack up Spider-Man's Rogues Gallery, Shocker is a solid place to start. I'm guessing we'll see Herman develop his classic costume and maybe a more streamlined version of his gauntlets now that he has OsCorp resources. Though I wonder if we'll ever see Clayton again ?

Harry's lab looks less like a lab and more like one of the Green Goblin's secret staches. I can't imagine that's a coincidence...

"Raymond Warren?" Did they really have to change the Jackal's real name just because there's another Miles on this show? Especially when the name they use is the wrong Warren brother ?

I'm really curious as to what the Jackal's deal is here. He seems to have a mutation that turns him into his Jackal form and wants Norman Osborn's attention, and appears to be taking care of Gwen in lieu of George Stacy. I also can't imagine it's not deliberate that Gwen would have an important uncle figure in her life like Peter does .

 

[Rick Jones]

I can really picture Norman using the students' work as cheap R&D for his own purposes eventually.

Flash's haircut reminded me of Race as well.

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[Frontier]

I can't imagine it's a coincidence that Horizon High has all the Spiders going to one school while Osborn Academy seems to be collecting up Spider-Man villains. I wouldn't be surprised if that leads to an all-out school brawl between the Spiders and the Osborn Academy villains at some point, maybe leading to the debut of this universes Sinister Six .

So if John Jameson is a teenager, I wonder how old Jonah is in this continuity ?

I wonder what surprised Peter more, that Harry hates Spider-Man so much (with dubious reasoning) or that it seemed like Harry would actually kill Spidey if he found out anything had happened to Peter ?

 

[Capt.Traphouse]

Great episode! Very fun and engaging, the fight between Shocker and Clash was a bit contrived but loved seeing Gwen Stacy and Jackal was a fun and competent villain.

Norman manipulating Shocker and Clash was great. He's a great villain all around (one of my personal favorite Marvel villains) and Josh Keaton is doing a great job as him.Norman appropriating our current internship system in the US for supervillainy is genius.

4/5. Art style isn't as jarring but I'm still not completely feeling it but the backgrounds look much better than the shorts.

They also toned down the science talk, when the show stops obsessing over science it becomes enjoyable.

 

[spyke]

I saw the first 2 episodes and caught the last few minutes of this episode, and I gotta say that I am liking this show a lot. It's not as good as SSM, but it is definitely better than USM in regards to the writing (and overall story) and voice acting. The animation is also pretty good. The art is hit or miss, but for the most part is tolerable (and IMO, better than the art on AA).

 

[Frontier]

So, thinking back on who the Smythes' "benefactor" is...I'm not sure it's The Jackal. He seems like a decidedly solo act who doesn't play well with others or would go through any kind of subterfuge .

Also, I'm still just kind of underwhelmed by the animation. It's not terrible, but it just still feels far lesser then what it could be .

 

[Mr.O]

It just reminds me of playing Spider-Man PS2 games and getting batted around and losing health whenever I got hit by helicopter propellers. Anyway, I'm glad these didn't take away from the overall tone they have going and hopefully these will be minor hiccups.



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lol. I'm not the only one who remembers those old games?

 

[Rick Jones]

lol. I'm not the only one who remembers those old games?

I've played through Spider-Man 2 and Ultimate Spider-Man dozens upon dozens of times each.

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[Capt.Traphouse]

I've played through Spider-Man 2 and Ultimate Spider-Man dozens upon dozens of times each.

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You played through Ultimate Spiderman dozens of times? You must have nerves of steel to play through the Electro chase more than once.