Marvel’s Avengers’ release was less than perfect, with bugs and complaints on the game’s gear system galore. Developer Crystal Dynamics has done what it can to work on these issues, and the game is slowly getting to a point where fans are mostly satisfied with the experience. As Marvel’s Avengers begins to expand with the addition of some long-awaited DLC, many fans are eagerly awaiting the arrival of everyone’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
It was confirmed before the game’s release that the PlayStation versions of Marvel’s Avengers would get Spider-Man DLC, but not much information on the character’s inclusion has been divulged since then. All that’s really been announced is its delay out of its initial window, with many fans indubitably looking at this to be the DLC of DLC for the game. Considering how beloved Spider-Man is across the Marvel community, the immense anticipation of fans is understandable. At the same time, however, this hype puts a lot of pressure on Marvel’s Avengers and puts Crystal Dynamics in a particularly difficult position.
Spider-Man’s Reputation
Marvel has produced a lot of characters over its long history, but few have been as widely popular or influential as Spider-Man. Since his debut in 1962, Peter Parker has stood as the quintessential teenage hero that routinely defies all odds. Not only does Spider-Man take down supervillains by night, but by day, he’s just another kid trying to get through school. This storytelling has helped Spider-Man remain consistently relatable and relevant, as nearly every reader can envision themselves in Peter Parker’s shoes in one way or another.
Spider-Man’s long history has allowed fans to build up a strong connection with the character, but with that connection comes expectations. Fulfilling these expectations is what puts Marvel’s Avengers under a unique amount of pressure. The game’s interpretation of the Avengers was mostly well-received by fans, after some initial tweaking anyway, but characters like Iron Man and the Hulk aren’t as widely known outside of the context of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the hardcore comic fans. Spider-Man has almost always been relevant in the online community, regardless of background, and many fans expect him to be the same wise-cracking bastion of responsibility that he’s been for years.
Any interpretation that runs counter to what has been built up in the comics would likely be met with severe opposition. One of the biggest indications of what goes wrong when Spider-Man is written differently comes from Spider-Man 3. When Peter Parker comes into contact with the Venom symbiote, not only does he have an incredibly awkward dance sequence, but his character devolves rapidly. This scene mostly gets laughs now, but to some fans, it was a serious disgrace to a beloved character. It would be wise of Crystal Dynamics to think back on this when developing Spider-Man’s DLC, so it doesn’t make the same mistakes.
In the Shadow of Insomniac
The Marvel’s Avengers Spider-Man DLC is already in a tough place because of how much fans cling to the wall-crawler, but the pressure doesn’t stop there. In recent years, the superhero genre of games has experienced a major resurgence in popularity due to games like the Batman: Arkham series. Spider-Man has recently experienced similar success, with Insomniac’s award-winning Marvel’s Spider-Man. The game gave players one of the best Spider-Man experiences ever, and set the standard for what a Spider-Man game should be. Unfortunately for Marvel’s Avengers, reaching this standard might prove to be difficult.
One of the things that made Marvel’s Spider-Man so successful was the open-world of New York City and the satisfying web-swinging. While the combat of Marvel’s Avengers might be mostly solid, traversal is something that some fans have expressed concern towards. Movement can be clunky at times, especially with newly added heroes like Hawkeye who lose all momentum after using the grapple ability. Spider-Man is all about fluidity of movement, especially in Insomniac’s take on the character, so anything that doesn’t reflect that will likely be met with some criticism.
In addition to meeting the expectations set by Marvel’s Spider-Man’s gameplay, Marvel’s Avengers is also under pressure to deliver a solid story experience. The story of Marvel’s Spider-Man was deeply emotional and managed to seamlessly incorporate much of the webslinger’s rogues gallery in a completely original story. Crystal Dynamics will have the tall task of putting similar emotion and character into its interpretation of Spider-Man. Choosing the right villain will also be a crucial aspect of the DLC. Marvel’s Spider-Man provided some fresh takes on fan-favorite characters like Doc Ock, and if the Spider-Man DLC villain is as underwhelming as Maestro, it could do irreparable damage to Marvel’s Avengers.
Expectations were already high for Marvel’s Avengers leading up to its release, and after the many pitfalls the game has experienced, it needs something to revive interest. The Spider-Man DLC has the potential to bring a lot of positive attention to the game, but at the same time, it could be a huge gamble for Crystal Dynamics. Not much is known about the DLC, which has only added on to the pressure, but Crystal Dynamics has assured fans that it’s still coming. It seems like the developer has a better idea of what the future DLC slate looks like for Marvel’s Avengers after the announcement of Black Panther, so hopefully information on the Spider-Man DLC will come sooner than later.
Marvel’s Avengers is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
