Gary Collinson on whether we might see Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe sooner thank we think…
Earlier this week Marvel fans got the news we never thought we’d hear (well, prior to the Sony hack, anyway) with the huge announcement that Spider-Man is heading home. Yes, the wall-crawler is set to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe thanks to a partnership between Sony and Marvel Studios, which will see Spidey swinging into the MCU with an appearance in Captain America: Civil War before getting his own rebooted movie series, beginning in July 2017.
Spider-Man is of course an integral character in Marvel’s Civil War storyline, which saw – spoilers – Peter Parker unmasking and going public with his secret identity, urged on by Tony Stark after joining Iron Man’s Pro-Registration side of the conflict. There is of course no official word on whether Marvel Studios and directors Anthony and Joe Russo had any intention of incorporating a public unmasking angle into the Civil War movie – especially as the majority of existing characters in the MCU don’t really have secret identities. However, Marvel has went after Spider-Man hard, and having got their man, we can probably assume we’ll get to see this play out after all.
And, for me, herein lies a problem. In terms of the world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, who cares if Spider-Man unmasks? We’ve never met him, there’s been no mention of him from any of the characters, or even so much as a subtle reference. Sure, with regards to the character himself, everyone knows who Spider-Man is – he’s easily one of the top three most recognisable superheroes of all time – and I’ve no doubt seeing Peter unmasking would make for a fantastic scene regardless. But from a storytelling perspective – in Civil War as a standalone movie, or part of the wider Cinematic Universe – it’s hardly an earth-shattering revelation. Tony Stark convinces some kid that no one has heard of to unmask. Big deal. Maybe a few reporters will turn up hoping to see Tony in the Iron Man suit…
Marvel could easily skim over Spider-Man’s absence in the MCU to date, passing it off with a line or two, and it will without a doubt add untold millions to the box office gross of Captain America: Civil War (with Spider-Man joining the likes of Cap, Iron Man, Black Panther, Black Widow, Falcon, Hawkeye et al as part of the cast, Warner Bros. is probably thanking its lucky stars it shifted Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice from the same release date). But we’ve come to expect better from Marvel Studios, and so far Marvel Studios has consistently delivered.
It’s too late to give Spider-Man a proper, fully-fleshed out Cinematic Universe debut prior to Captain America: Civil War, adding that little extra gravitas to his presumed unmasking. But given Marvel’s moviemaking formula, and the studio’s penchant to tinker with its movies and add scenes almost right up to the date of release, it’s certainly not too late for Spidey to make a pre-Civil War appearance, and send anticipation for Captain America 3 through the roof in the process…
There’s two Marvel movies set to arrive this year, and (at least) one of them is going to shift an ungodly amount of tickets. If it wasn’t for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, there’s little doubt that Avengers: Age of Ultron would be a surefire bet for the highest-grossing movie of 2015, and from all accounts, it’s going to have a strong focus on laying the foundations for Civil War, and indeed the entire Phase Three slate. So, what better time to introduce the friendly neighborhood web-slinger?
Yes, I’m aware that Joss Whedon seems to be throwing everything and the kitchen sink into Age of Ultron, and that we may or may not see the likes of Black Panther, Captain Marvel and Doctor Strange along with confirmed new additions in Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch and The Vision. And yes, I know that Marvel hasn’t even cast it’s new Spider-Man yet, but they don’t need to. He doesn’t need to say a word. Stick anyone in the suit for the time being. Hell, CGI him. Film Downey on a green screen. Just have Spider-Man pop up in the very last shot of the post-credits scene, and blow every single mind in the audience.
Picture this: The Age of Ultron credits come to an end. The screen goes black. We hear Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark rambling on about something, probably a bit witty, probably totally random. Then we see him sitting behind a desk in Avengers Tower (or Stark Tower, or whatever name it’s going by at that point). He gets serious. He’s talking about taking sides. There’s a war coming, etc. Camera starts panning round. He says he’s built a present. We see the Iron Spider suit. Then we see Spider-Man standing there, fully suited up, as Stark asks, “what side are you going to choose?”. The audience goes nuts. Lights come up, and Captain America: Civil War has become the must see movie of 2016.
Certainly beats that Thanos guy.
This is of course complete speculation on my part, but it makes sense. Complete sense. Spider-Man is back home, and you can bet your bottom dollar than Marvel will be keen to let everyone know as soon as possible. In a split second, they can banish the ghost of The Amazing Spider-Man franchise, and they can do it in less than three months from now. They’d be foolish not to take the opportunity, and as we’ve come to learn over the past seven years, Marvel are no fools…
Do you think there’s a chance we might see Spider-Man in Avengers: Age of Ultron? Or should Marvel hold off until Captain America: Civil War? Let us know your thoughts…
Gary Collinson is a writer and lecturer from the North East of England. He is the editor-in-chief of FlickeringMyth.com and the author of Holy Franchise, Batman! Bringing the Caped Crusader to the Screen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qqtW2LRPtQY&list=PL18yMRIfoszFJHnpNzqHh6gswQ0Srpi5E
Originally published February 12, 2015. Updated April 15, 2018.
