Geekdom has been celebrating over the news that Spider-Man is finally making his way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sony Pictures Entertainment, who’ve tried and tried again to make a more than decent Peter Parker joint, have made a deal with Marvel Studios that will usher in a new creative direction for Spidey, and hopefully many an appearance alongside the Avengers and other Marvel favorites. At present, Marvel is hitting the mark almost perfectly with their superhero portrayals, and after five pretty ok Spider-Man films, this is exactly what the franchise needs.
According to news around the net, the web slinging nerd hero is now set to appear in one of the upcoming MCU films. Fans are speculating that Parker and his spandex will sling around the upcoming Captain America film, Captain America: Civil War, which would probably be the most epic arc for the character yet; also, fans have mentioned that the silly spandex wouldn’t be quite so silly in this storyline. So, there’s that to look forward to if in fact rumors hold true.
Beyond Spidey’s appearance in the MCU, Amy Pascal, ex-chairperson of Sony Pictures, and Kevin Feige, the stalwart leader of Marvel Studios, will produce a standalone Spider-Man. Opening July 28, 2017, the film will feature a whole new and most likely more brutal incarnation of the superhero, especially with Marvel’s partnership. This is not only great for the character, but for the cinema business-folk involved. Pascal’s departure from her position at Sony after an email hack will only make her stronger – call it an Obi-Wan move – as she’s going to be involved with Spider-Man and her own production company.
This Sony and Marvel deal is probably the best thing to happen to Spider-Man in recent years. If anyone recalls, the first film, starring Tobey Maguire, was actually an ok flick, especially with Willem Dafoe cackling his way through a great interpretation of Norman Osborn aka Green Goblin. Jump a few years ahead and you have Alfred Molina playing Doctor Octopus for some reason. Both the 2002 and the 2004 movies were pretty entertaining, but then the franchise was almost ruined forever with the third installment, a ridiculous emo picture that made Venom look silly. Only a short while after, Andrew Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel tried to save the story, but what we’ve got now is an average of not so good Spider-Man media.
So far, the Spider-Man franchise has grossed a veritable pile of wealth, but the quality of the films has gotten worse and worse, with small glimmers of hope that are quickly dashed by some set piece or clunky character arc. Another Andrew Garfield flick would probably be a visual and sonic overload even if the writing improved. And that Sinister Six plan should keep getting delayed until we’ve had the time to get over Paul Giamatti as the Rhino.
Teaming up with Marvel is the best possible fate for a super hero we’ve all come to expect less and less from. An appearance in the next Captain America film would be properly epic; and I have higher hopes for a standalone produced by Feige and Pascal. The only downside is that some of Marvel’s films are being pushed back, so fans of Thor will have to wait till the next epic, Thor: Ragnarok, a bit longer. That’s ok, though, because the inclusion of Spider-Man in all this can only mean good things, granted the geniuses at Marvel work the same magic they used for the latest sequels and Guardians of the Galaxy.
In the meantime, while rumors continue to circulate, we can all be comforted that James Spader maniacally destroying everything as Ultron is only a few months away.
