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This article contains spoilers for Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man season 1, episodes 1 & 2.

Greetings Popversians, and welcome to Lore Corner! Each week, video producer Ashley V. Robinson and staff writer Grant DeArmitt are going to take you deep into the preexisting lore behind some of pop culture's most exciting adaptations, such as Marvel's latest take on its most enduring character,Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Enjoy! 

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man has finally debuted on Disney+. Even though fans were probably disappointed not to see Peter's MCU pals like MJ and Ned, it was still was exciting to meet folks like Norman, Lonnie, and the girl who it sure seems will be Peter's most trusted ally in the episodes to come, Nico Minoru. However, True Believers who've read a handful of comics before aren't exactly meeting Nico for the first time.

Yes, Nico Minoru has a long history outside the halls of Midtown High, in fact, she has a long history outside any Spider-Man stories in general. For more on who she is, where she comes from, and what may be in store for her on Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, read on.

Who is Nico Minoru in Marvel Comics?

Nico Minoru first appeared in the 2003 comic Runaways #1, and was created by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona. As the title suggests, she is a member of the rogue band of heroes, The Runaways, who are all children of supervillain parents. Nico's parents, in particular, are evil magic wielders, which grants Nico the ability to wield he own magic via a mystical totem (more on that in a sec).

Since her creation, Nico has taken part in some of the biggest line-wide events of Marvel Comics' 21st century history - Secret Invasion, Dark Reign, and Civil War II among them. Recently, Nico was a character in the much-lauded Strange Academy, in which she taught younger magic users how to control their powers alongside the New Mutant's own Magik. The characters parallel in many ways - both magic wielders, both originating in hit series focused on young, ragtag heroes, and both breakout leads.

What are Nico Minoru's powers?

As you've just read, Nico is a magic wielder. But as you know if you'e spent any time reading Marvel, magic isn't exactly one-size-fits-all in the Marvel U. Nico's powers come not just from her mystical lineage, but from the mighty Staff of One, that mystical totem we mentioned earlier. An ancient device that can be summoned by members of her family, the Staff almost all-powerful save for its one fascinating drawback: the spells 

Staff of One, get it?

Nico's powers, history, and status as one of Marvel's most prominent queer characters have put her in plenty of media outside the comic medium; case in point, she's Peter's best friend in Your Friendly Neighborhoos Spider-Man. But before we talk about her character in that show, we've got to talk about Nico's first major TV appearance - and it wasn't in animation.

Who was Nico Minoru in Marvel's Runaways TV show?

Nico Minoru appeared one of the main characters of the 2017 Hulu adaptation of her comic book origin, Marvel's Runaways. In Marvels' Runaways, Nico was played by Lyirca Okano, and like her comic book counterpart, was a traditionally goth in style and wielded magic. However, there was one giant change from her 616 self.

In the original comics, Nico had to harm herself in order to summon the Staff of One. That element of her magic powers was removed from the television show because, in Okano's own words, "There’s going to be a lot of young teenagers watching the show and we don’t want to promote anything like self-harm because that’s serious."

Now, possibly as a reaction to the show's change in the character, Nico summons the Staff of One in Marvel Comics via focusing on a painful memory. And now that we're on the subject of Nico's modern-day activities...

Who is Nico Minoru in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man?

Like so many characters that we've met in the first two episodes of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, the version of Nico on our screens is different in many ways from her comic book counterpart, and in her case, different from the live-action version of her we met eight years ago. In personality and style, Nico is still quite goth, making her a perfect foil for the upbeat and goofy Peter Parker. As of now, however, there's no word on what her parents do, and as of episode two, no signs of the Staff of One.

Or, wait, is there?

Look a little bit closer to Nico's outfit and you'll see a large purple amulet she wears on a necklace. No, it has no mystical markings or anything like that, but it's something that stands out from the rest of her clothes, and from where we're sitting, it's giving some series "Eye of Agamotto" vibes. Maybe it's just a harmless trinket and we're overreacting to it being Agatha-colored, but we'll be keeping an eye on that eye-catching amethyst.

Even if we just let our imaginations... run away.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is streaming now on Disney+.

Marvel's most reliable superhero has proven he can do a whole lot more than just 'whatever a spider can.' Swing into Spidey's history with Popverse's 10 best Spider-Man comic books, our Spider-Man movie watch order, and if you want our opinions on the subject, read our articles ranking Spider-Man's actors and Spider-Man's girlfriends.