Features of Spider-Man media

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The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several noteworthy concepts besides its fictional characters, such as unique places and artifacts. Since the introduction of Peter Parker as a character in 1962, with the superhero alter-ego, Spider-Man, a number of these locations have been prominently featured in connection with storylines specific to this character. These have then been carried over to depictions of Spider-Man in film, video games, and other media. There follows a list of those features.

Contents

Residences

Companies

Educational institutions

Empire State University

Empire State University (ESU) is a fictional university whose alumni include Peter Parker (Spider-Man), Harry Osborn, Gwen Stacy, Brian Braddock (on an exchange program), [2] Emma Frost, Hector Ayala, Brad Davis, Chip Martin [3] and Johnny Storm (the Human Torch). [4] [5] Doreen Green (Squirrel Girl) is currently enrolled in its computer science undergraduate program. [6] [7] Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) and Sophie Cuckoo are enrolled in the post-Krakoan Age. [8]

Staff included Miles Warren, [9] Edward Lansky (aka Lightmaster), [10] Mendel Stromm, Gregson Gilbert (creator of the Dragon Man), Clifton Shallot (the mutant Vulture), [11] David Jude, [12] Curtis Connors, [13] and David Alleyne (the mutant Prodigy). [14]

Empire State University in other media

Empire State is featured in Spider-Man with students and faculty like Curt Connors, Farley Stillwell. Students included Alisa Silvermane (daughter of Silvermane), Debra Whitman, Felicia Hardy, Flash Thompson, Liz Allen, Mary Jane Watson, Michael Morbius, and Peter Parker. It appears in The Spectacular Spider-Man with members being Martha and Curt Connors, Dr. Miles Warren and Max Dillon. Students included Eddie Brock, Gwen Stacy and Peter Parker.

ESU is seen in Spider-Man set in the Spider-Man Insomniac Universe, where it resembles New York University. [15]

ESU is alluded in Spider-Man 3 and in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Midtown High School

Midtown High School
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance Amazing Fantasy #15
(Aug. 1962)
Created by Stan Lee (writer)
Steve Ditko (artist)

Midtown High School (also known as Midtown Science High School or the Midtown School of Science and Technology) is a fictional school appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The school is depicted as being located in Queens, NYC. It is commonly depicted as the high school of Peter Parker, Flash Thompson, Liz Allan, Cindy Moon, and others in comic books and other media.

In live-action films, the Midtown School of Science and Technology appears in the Sony Pictures films Spider-Man (2002), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), as well as the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).

History

The fictional school is located in Forest Hills in New York City, New York. [5] The school first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. [16] [17] According to comic book historian Peter Sanderson, Lee based the fictional school on Forest Hills High School in New York City. [5] In the Tom Holland Spider-Man films, the Midtown High School closely resembles an actual elite NYC public high school: the Bronx High School of Science. [18] Director Jon Favreau is an alumnus of Bronx Science. [19]

Faculty
CharacterFirst AppearanceStatusDescription
Raymond Warren Amazing Fantasy #15
(Aug. 1962)
RetiredThe science teacher of the class. Parker was commonly depicted as his top student. [17] He was also revealed as Miles Warren's brother.
Andrew DavisThe Amazing Spider-Man #4
(Sept. 1963)
RetiredThe principal of Midtown High School at the time when Peter was a student.
Mrs. WinterhalterUntold Tales of Spider-Man #11 (July 1996)UnknownAn English teacher who Peter describes as making English "almost as fun as science".
Coach MurchUntold Tales of Spider-Man Annual (July 1997)UnknownA gym teacher when Peter Parker attended high school and who disliked him.
Mr. DelWebspinners: Tales of Spider-Man #7 (July 1999)EmployedPeter's science teacher who sympathizes with Peter's situation.
Daphne "Boomer" SmithPeter Parker: Spider-Man vol. 2 #27 (March 2001)EmployedPeter's fun science teacher from the 10th grade.
Coach Kyle JacobyThe Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2 #30 (June 2001)EmployedGym coach when Peter Parker worked at MHS.
Roger HarringtonThe Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2 #32
(August 2001)
DeceasedThe principal of Midtown High School who hired Peter Parker to be the science teacher. He was later killed by Chameleon of Earth-9500. [20]
Kelly CoxSpider-Man and Wolverine #1 (Aug. 2003)UnknownNewly hired assistant principal.
Lynn NelsonSpider-Man Unlimited vol. 3 #11 (Nov. 2005)EmployedHead of the science department and Peter Parker's boss.
Miss Arrow Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #11 (Oct. 2006)DeceasedThe school nurse. She is later revealed to be a spider monster called 'Ero' [21] and later 'The Other.'
Mr. PettitShe-Hulks #2 (Feb. 2011)EmployedThe school's stern and gruff principal.
Mr. FlanniganThe Amazing Spider-Man vol. 3 #1.1
(July 2014)
UnknownThe school guidance councilor. [22]
Students
CharacterFirst AppearanceStatusDescription
Peter Parker Amazing Fantasy #15
(Aug. 1962)
GraduatedParker was the high school nerd and the wallflower of the high school. Despite not being popular with the students, he was an honor student there. After attending Empire State University, he was depicted as a teacher for the high school for a while. [5] [16] [17] [23]
Eugene "Flash" Thompson GraduatedFootball star and meanest bully of the class. [17] [23] He was Peter Parker's nemesis and would bully him the most among the other social underlings. Flash's bullying would cease and eventually the two would become good friends. He returned to serve as the high school coach.
Liz Allan GraduatedFlash's girlfriend all throughout high school. She was also harsh on Peter, but soon developed a crush on him as well. She never dated Peter, but still admired him.
Sally Avril Deceased [24] A high school gymnast obsessed with superheroes and became one called Bluebird. She gave up the identity when she realized that super heroics were dangerous. She was killed in a car crash while chasing a fight involving Spider-Man.
Seymour O'ReillyDeceased [25] Friend of Flash's who bullied Peter. He never grew out of his bullying ways to the point that he was jealous of Peter's marriage to Mary Jane Watson. He was killed by the second Venom.
Charles "Charlie" MurphyThe Amazing Spider-Man #17
(Oct. 1964)
GraduatedPeter's ex-friend. Became part of Flash's group.
C.J. VogelThe Amazing Spider-Man Annual #17
(Nov. 1983)
GraduatedA student who loved to tell jokes and looked after Peter. Years later, he was in deep trouble and Spider-Man helped him out.
Barry HapgoodGraduatedA shop class expert who became an electronics engineer.
Louie MinelliGraduatedA talkative insurance salesman who was voted "Most Likely to Succeed."
Stanley StackmeyerGraduatedConsidered himself lower than Peter due to his poor hygiene, but went through a radical change and became a handsome, successful married man.
Steven PettyWeb of Spider-Man #35
(Feb. 1988)
UnknownSon of the creator of the Living Brain. Becomes the super villain Phreak. [26]
Jake DormanUnknownJock who would bully Steven Petty
Ronda KramerUnknownJake Dorman's girlfriend who sympathized with Steven Petty
Jenny CarsonMarvel Super Heroes: The Revenge of Kang (January 1990)UnknownBriefly dated Flash.
Jason Ionello Untold Tales of Spider-Man #1
(Sept. 1995)
GraduatedPopular student who was close with Sally. He was always pulling pranks on Peter. When Sally died, he became depressed and took his anger out on his friends and blamed Spider-Man for the incident.
Brian "Tiny" McKeeverGraduatedUsed to bully Peter due to his frustrations at home, but became friends with him afterwards. He moved on and became a security guard.
BlakeWebspinners: Tales of Spider-Man #7 (July 1999)GraduatedPeter's rival for the Empire State University scholarship.
Carl KingSpider-Man's Tangled Web #1
(June 2001)
Deceased [27] Bully to Peter who became a hive of spiders called The Thousand. He is stomped and crushed by a pedestrian.
Joey GastoneThe Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2 #30 (June 2001)ExpelledStudent bullied by other students. Starts a fire to get back at his tormentors.
Jennifer HardestyThe Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2 #32 (Aug. 2001)EnrolledA homeless student who looks after her drug addicted brother.
Jessica Jones Alias #1 (Nov. 2001)GraduatedReal name was Jessica Campbell. She was involved in a car accident that killed her family, but gave her powers. She had a crush on Peter, but never told him. Years later they would be teammates and she would marry Luke Cage.
Paul PattersonMarvel Team-Up vol. 3 #1 (Jan. 2005)EnrolledA troubled, yet powerful mutant nicknamed Golden Child. He received help from Spider-Man whom he deduced was Peter Parker.
Charles "Charlie" WeidermanThe Amazing Spider-Man #515
(Feb. 2005)
GraduatedA friend of Peter who was also bullied. He gets coated in liquid vibranium and becomes a villain.
Laurie LyntonMarvel Knights: Spider-Man #13
(June 2005)
GraduatedAn overweight girl who had a crush on Peter. Years later, she lost weight and worked at the Daily Bugle with Peter.
Vanna SmithFriendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #5 (April 2006)GraduatedGirl who thought Spider-Man was stalking her and puts a restraining order on him. She eventually grows up into a lonely, feeble woman with no friends or family.
Amelia HopkinsShe-Hulks #1 (Jan. 2011)UnknownA goth who initially disliked Lyra, but befriended her after learning she was She-Hulk. She somberly lied about knowing Lyra's identity to the school.
Jake ConstantineUnknownA young boy that Lyra befriends and potentially falls in love with. During the school dance he was blasted by the Wizard. It was left ambiguous whether he survived or not.
Andrew "Andy" Maguire The Amazing Spider-Man #692
(Oct. 2012)
EnrolledAn average student who gains energy powers and names himself Alpha. Becomes Spider-Man's sidekick briefly.
Christine "Chrissy" ChenEnrolledFormer girlfriend to Andy Maguire.
A.J. PattonVenom vol. 2 #27.1 (Nov. 2012)GraduatedA student who Flash bullied and break his arm. Years later, he is married to Dan.
Cindy Moon The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2 #1 (June 2014)UnfinishedA former hockey player for the school, she attended the field trip along with Peter. After the spider bit him, it bit Cindy's ankle giving her similar powers. Years later she meets Peter and becomes the superhero Silk. [28]
Clayton Cole The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 3 #1.1
(June 2014)
UnknownAn average student who admired Spider-Man and became a super villain named Clash. Had a crush on Polly McKenna.
Polly McKennaThe Amazing Spider-Man vol. 3 #1.2
(Aug. 2014)
UnknownA friendly student who befriends Peter and head of the A.V. Club. She turns on Peter when he steals equipment. [29]
LawsonUnknownA.V. Club student who befriends and then later turns on Peter. [30]
MartinUnknownA.V. Club student who befriends and then later turns on Peter. [30]
Hector CervantezSilk #1 (April 2015)GraduatedFormer boyfriend to Cindy Moon. Years later he gets engaged and becomes the superhero Spectro.
Ripley RyanCaptain Marvel vol. 10 #1 (January 2019)GraduatedA reporter who is a test subject of Minn-Erva's experiments and later becomes the anti-hero Star.
Lacey FisherAmazing Spider-Man Annual Vol. 4 #2 (June 2021)GraduatedA student who bullied Ripley Ryan. Years later, Ripley confronted her when she was going home but Spider-Man interrupted Ripley and allowing Lacey to run home.

Other versions

Midtown High School appears in Ultimate Spider-Man . Just like the mainstream comics, it depicts Peter, Flash and Liz Allan as students. Unlike the mainstream comic book, characters such as Gwen Stacy, Eddie Brock, Mary Jane Watson and Harry Osborn also debut in the high school instead of the Empire State University. X-Men member Kitty Pryde is also depicted as attending the high school. The comic also depicts a new character called Kenny "King Kong" McFarlane, who is depicted as best friend of Flash in high school. Mark Raxton is also depicted as a student who attends Midtown High school.

Midtown High School appears in Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane . Student faculty includes Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson, Liz Allan, Flash Thompson, Harry Osborn and Gwen Stacy. Felicia Hardy appears as a tough transfer student. Jessica Jones was a former friend of Mary Jane's who, surprisingly became a goth girl. Luke Cage has a surprising and brief cameo where he flirts with Mary Jane. Ned Leeds and Betty Brant are older students with the former being Mary Jane's ex-boyfriend. A new character named Lindsay Leighton is the school's drama queen who envies Mary Jane's acting ability.

Midtown High School in other media

Television
Film
Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man film series
  • Midtown High School appears in the 2002 feature film Spider-Man , where Parker is depicted as a high school senior until graduation. Both he and Harry Osborn appear as best friends while Flash Thompson is depicted as the class bully. Instead of Liz Allan, Mary Jane Watson is depicted as Peter's high school crush and once girlfriend of Flash. Allan does appear in the film, but is only named in the novelization. It is mentioned that Harry had to go there after flunking out of many private schools.
  • Midtown Science High School appears in The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 along with the viral marketing of the films. The students in the film are Peter Parker, Flash Thompson, Gwen Stacy, Sally Avril and a shy student named Missy Kallenback (portrayed by Hannah Marks).
Marvel Cinematic Universe

Midtown School of Science and Technology has appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the films Spider-Man: Homecoming , Avengers: Endgame , Spider-Man: Far From Home , Spider-Man: No Way Home , and in the TV series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man .

In video games
  • Midtown High appears in the 2005 Ultimate Spider-Man video game as a location.
  • Midtown High appears as a location in the 2023 game Marvel's Spider-Man 2 . [33] The interior appears in a flashback where students Peter and Harry sneak through to find an item Peter left in his locker, and later where Harry learns his mother Emily has died; in the present day, the school is destroyed in a battle between Peter, now Spider-Man, and Harry, who has bonded to the Venom symbiote. [34]

Institutions

Ravencroft

Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane was a maximum-security asylum for the mentally ill. Many insane murderers and supervillains were kept at Ravencroft. [5]

The institute was first mentioned in Web of Spider-Man #112, written by Terry Kavanagh.

The institute is officially opened in Web of Spider-Man Annual #10 (1994). The institute is featured in a number of Spider-Man storylines. Dr. Ashley Kafka was the founder and first director of Ravencroft. John Jameson was head of security. Both were fired in The Spectacular Spider-Man #246 and Dr. Leonard Samson became Ravencroft's new director. In Leonard Samson's next appearance, he owned a private practice instead of running the institute.

The institute reappeared in Vengeance of the Moon Knight . In this incarnation, it housed mostly non-superpowered psychopaths and had an imposing metal front gate with a Gothic facade similar to DC's Arkham Asylum.

Known patients at Ravencroft include Carnage, Chameleon, D.K., Doctor Octopus, Electro, Green Goblin, Gale, Jackal, Massacre, Mayhem, Mysterio, Prism, Pyromania, Ramon Grant, Shriek, Venom, Vulture, and Webber.

The storyline after Absolute Carnage, Ruins of Ravencroft eventually explains its true origin. It turns out that the institute is more than just for the criminally insane. It used to act as a staging area for superhuman experiments, particularly supernaturals such as for Dracula in centuries ago prior to being raided by Captain America-Steve Rogers and Bucky (now a Winter Soldier in the present) during World War II in the 20th century.

Ravencroft in other media

References

  1. Barron, James (2023-02-07). "Spider-Man, We Know Where You Live". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-03-01.
  2. Excalibur #53
  3. Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #36
  4. Fantastic Four #371
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Sanderson, Peter (2007). The Marvel Comics Guide to New York City. New York City: Pocket Books. pp. 30–33, 221–22. ISBN   978-1-4165-3141-8 . Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  6. Ultimate Marvel. Penguin. 2017. p. 166. ISBN   9781465495372. Seeking to improve her education, she enrolls at Empire State University, studying computer science
  7. Maas, Jennifer (2022-04-18). "Marvel Launches 'Squirrel Girl' Scripted Podcast From Writer Ryan North (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  8. Dudas-Larmondin, Austin (July 23, 2024). "X-Men Redefines the Traditional Superhero Team as NYX Officially Debuts". ScreenRant . Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  9. The Amazing Spider-Man #31
  10. Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #1
  11. The Amazing Spider-Man #127
  12. All-New X-Men Special #1
  13. The Amazing Spider-Man #7
  14. Brooke, David (July 24, 2024). "NYX #1 review". AIPT. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  15. "A Critical and Serious Analysis of NYU Locations in Marvel's Spider-Man for PS4". 9 November 2018.
  16. 1 2 Saffel, Steve. Spider-Man the Icon: The Life and Times of a Pop Culture Phenomenon (Titan Books, 2007) ISBN   978-1-84576-324-4, p. 21.
  17. 1 2 3 4 Lee, Stan  ( w ), Ditko, Steve  ( a ). Amazing Fantasy ,no. 15(Aug. 1962). New York City , New York : Marvel Comics .
  18. "Spider-Man's high school's resemblance to a certain NYC STEM school is uncanny". theverge.com. 13 July 2017.
  19. "Alumni Hall of Fame". bxscience.edu.
  20. Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #33
  21. Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #4
  22. The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 3 #1.1
  23. 1 2 Reece, Gregory L. (18 June 2015). "It's Time to Hear the Truth After Growing Up Spidey". PopMatters . Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  24. Untold Tales of Spider-Man #13
  25. Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #7
  26. Web of Spider-Man #36
  27. Spider-Man's Tangled Web #3
  28. The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 3 #4
  29. The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 3 #5.5
  30. 1 2 The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 3 #4.5–5.5
  31. "Venom". Spider-Man. Season 1. Episode 13. October 21, 2017. Disney XD.
  32. "The Road to Goblin War". Spider-Man. Season 2. Episode 47. November 3, 2019. Disney XD.
  33. Benfell, Grace (September 14, 2023). "The Open World In Spider-Man 2 Features A Revamped Map And A New Activities System". GameSpot. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  34. Insomniac Games (2023). Spider-Man 2 . Sony Interactive Entertainment.
  35. "The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Welcomes You to Ravencroft". SuperHeroHype. March 18, 2013.