That midlife crisis of sorts is at the center of “Koala Man,” and as the series progresses, viewers get to understand everything that led up to Kevin taking up this alter ego. After all, nobody just decides to become a superhero out of the blue — there must be at least one major event that spurred this on. According to Dan Hernandez, this trigger won’t be immediately evident, but it certainly will explain a lot.
“We explore the roots of why he becomes Koala Man later in the season, and it’s sort of a tragic backstory as it turns out,” he explained, “not heavy, like, depressing, but he’s been through some real s***.”
So, how does the famous Norman Osborn vs. Green Goblin scene from Raimi’s first “Spider-Man” movie fit into this? Hernandez said that it provided a great opportunity to hint at Kevin’s backstory, as well as showcase what Koala Man could be if he wasn’t careful.
“We felt like letting him talk to his own persona … a harsher and more black-and-white version of his persona, felt like a good way to start to explore what he’s thinking about,” he explained. “It starts where you really see the mask is very black-and-white, even more so than Kevin himself, and that continues to be sort of his sounding board, for better or worse, for the first season.”
“Koala Man” premieres on Hulu on January 9, 2023.