Spider-Versity Preview: Norman Osborn and Spider-Woman Train the Next Generation of Spider-Heroes

Marvel's 'Amazing Spider-Man: Spider-Versity' launches April 22, assembling Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen, Silk, Araña, Spider-Boy, and Spider-Girl for a team training arc with the unlikeliest mentors: a reformed Norman Osborn and Spider-Woman. Writers Joe Kelly and Jordan Morris discuss the tension between Osborn's redemption arc and the young heroes' rightful mistrust in this exclusive preview of issue #1. Carnage makes an early appearance as the team's first real test.

Roll call: Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen, Silk, Araña, Spider-Boy, and Spider-Girl — plus one reformed supervillain with very questionable mentoring credentials. Amazing Spider-Man: Spider-Versity #1 arrives April 22, and it promises to be the most complicated classroom in the Marvel Universe.

The Most Unlikely Faculty in Comics

The pitch is deceptively simple: Norman Osborn, who has spent the last couple of years on one of Marvel's most earnest and contested redemption arcs, agrees to train the next generation of Spider-Heroes alongside Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew). The problem is that every one of those young heroes knows exactly who the Green Goblin is — and what he's done. That tension, according to writers Joe Kelly and Jordan Morris, is the engine of the entire series.

"From a fan's perspective, I love what Joe and co. have been doing with Norman," Morris said. "It's always fun to see heroes and villains in new dynamics — especially when there's still so much reason to distrust." Kelly was more blunt: "I don't think this will go well, just a hunch."

The Dynamics Between Mentors and Students

Jessica Drew's mistrust of Osborn adds another layer of friction. "Jess has the very reasonable concern that Norman could go Goblin-mode at any moment," Morris explained. "She agrees the Spider-Heroes could be a killer team on paper — she just doesn't fully trust the man co-running the operation." Kelly confirmed the tension will be central throughout: the young Spiders look up to both mentors for different reasons, but nobody has forgotten what Norman Osborn has done.

What to Expect: Carnage and Beyond

The creative team is keeping villain details under tight wraps, but they've confirmed that Carnage will appear early in the run as the first major test of the assembled team's readiness. The lethal symbiote is about as high-stakes a debut challenge as anyone could design. The series continues through summer, with issue #3 arriving June 24 and continuing to pressure-test whether Osborn's redemption is real — or just waiting to collapse spectacularly.