Hey everyone! Thanks for swinging by for another installment of Marvel’s Spider-Man on Disney XD. Peter Parker is no longer being controlled by Otto Octavius, and this week he has to face his biggest challenge yet, figuring out how his life has changed! Being a teenage superhero can be hard, especially if you’ve been trapped in cyberspace for the past few months! Pull up a web and enjoy as we talk about Season 2, Episode 20, “Brand New Day.”
1. Readjusting to a stolen life is easier said than done
Peter Parker is back! After weeks of being trapped in a dying robot, school computer, and Doc Ock’s tentacles, Peter was finally transferred back to his body in one final act of heroism by Otto Octavius, the man who stole his body. Over the course of the episode, Peter learns that Ock’s time as Peter Parker was a bit of a mixed bag. Sure there were benefits, he has a well-organized room, a higher GPA at Horizon Academy, and J. Jonah Jameson’s begrudging respect of the Caped Crusader, but Peter soon learns that the negatives outweigh the good.
As Peter explores the halls of Horizon Academy he discovers that Ock has made him something of a social pariah by being rude to his fellow classmates, including Gwen and Anya. He also discovers that Ock dropped out of Horizon High, making a scene as he left. Finally, and possibly the worst of all, he and Aunt May are eating HEALTHY NOW! NO MORE WHEAT CAKES!
The interesting tension of the whole situation comes from the fact that there are very few people that Peter can tell without betraying the secret of who he is. If he reveals that he and Doc Ock swapped bodies (which is already kind of a crazy story) it would lead some down Rabbit holes to discover that Peter and Spidey are one and the same.
2. Spider-Man’s new reputation also creates problems
As Peter is learning about how Ock changed his civilian life, he is also learning how Ock’s time has changed his reputation as the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. The episode begins with a fun and bombastic fight between Spidey, Mr. Negative, and Molten Man. Those two must have been out of town for a little while because neither of them comments on the fact that Spidey is back to his old joking self. It’s great to see Spider-Man back to his old self, especially because of how frustrating it is to his villains. As the episode progresses, however, Spider-Man learns that not everyone is as oblivious to his changes as Mr. Negative.
Miles suggests that Peter should talk to The Avengers, as they would understand the insanity of having your mind switched with a villain. The problem is that Peter’s friend in The Avengers, Ms. Marvel, doesn’t seem to want to talk because of the way that Spidey treater her during their last adventure. Spidey also learns that he has the respect of Black Widow, but ultimately she is disappointed that he has lost the edge he possessed the last time. Spider-Man is feeling the growing isolation that Ock’s time in his body has caused, but this is short-lived because there are bigger threats that the web-slinger has to deal with.
3. The mystery in The Cellar
The main reason that Spidey fights Mr. Negative and Molten Man is to remind us about The Cellar, the highest security prison in New York. Some of Spider-Man’s worst villains are locked up in The Cellar, including Sand Girl, Spot, Cloak and Dagger, and Electro. The Cellar is also supposed to be impenetrable, Black Widow herself was tasked to escape from the prison and was unable to do it. The only thing is that there’s a major problem, The Avengers are missing, and it appears that some of the villains in The Cellar are responsible.
The episode presents the mystery well, establishing the rules of the super-prison and then playing with those rules by showing that the villains are out. Spidey theorizes that it could be Spot breaking his fellow baddies out, but Captain Watanabe enlists the help of her friend and prison warden Augustus Roman. Roman insists that it can’t be a breakout and shows security footage of the villains behind bars and in special cells that prevent powers. While there is always the possibility that Roman is not trustworthy, the episode takes great lengths to prove his credibility. Ultimately the mystery is solved because of a Spider-Tracker put onto Black Widow right before she falls into a portal, but the threat of a breeched Cellar adds a good element of mystery.
Continued below4. Regent is here for The Avengers (and only The Avengers)
As I mentioned earlier, The Avengers are disappearing, but as Spider-Man finds out it’s only The Avengers. Combat stops when Spider-Man isn’t near an Avenger, and while this makes Spidey upset, it helps to grow the mystery of this villain team-up. Why are these villains that usually fight Spider-Man turning their attention to the Avengers and giving Spidey the cold shoulder?
It turns out that the actual villain of the episode is Regent, who is either a robot or a person in Stark armor. Regent has figured out a way to combine all the different powers of the villains in the Cellar (suggesting that perhaps there is a certain level of access) but is trying to get revenge on Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Spidey keeps poking his nose into the regents business, however, which leads to a short, but well-executed fight sequence. Regent is able to trap Spidey in the same portal that the rest of the Avengers are being held in, which solves one problem, but creates a much bigger one.
5. Ock’s time in the suit helps Peter become superior
During the episode, Peter goes to visit Otto in the hospital to talk about how he changed his life, both in the positive and negative. Anna Maria comes and talks again about how in her eyes, Otto was a hero and she and Peter discuss how Otto became Ock. Peter is, however, hopeful that once he gets out he will no longer be a villain. In fact, near the end, Ock was seemingly getting a better handle on the whole hero thing and developing tech that was admittedly giving him an edge.
After realizing that he’ll have to take on a supervillain team alone, Peter uses the tech from Ock to build a new, albeit rough, suit. The suit proves to be useful, giving Peter defenses for most of the Regents attacks. It was interesting to see how Peter’s opinion of Ock and the situation changed over the course of the episode. While it’s true that Peter’s life is probably more difficult after Ock’s takeover, it’s fun to see Peter finding the bright spots of the situation, and using the tools Ock gave him to take his crime-fighting game to the next level.
So there you have it. One more episode left before the season finale. Who is the Regent? How will the Avengers get out of that portal? Will Spidey ever be forgiven? We’ll find out next week together! Sound off below!
