Let’s be honest, the past three to four months have not been a particularly easy time to be a Spider-Man fan. Whether you were a fan of Marc Webb’s (or should I say Sony’s) franchise, Sam Raimi’s franchise, or the character in general. With so many rumours and very little to no answers, it is very tough to predict where the web-head will end up next. Since, the now infamous “Sony Hack,” It appears that fans everywhere have rejoiced for one reason, and one reason only: Spider-Man could be coming “home.”
While on the surface, this sounds fantastic. Imagine a film where Spider-Man meets Tony Stark, or his childhood hero, Captain America, it could truly be amazing. And we almost got that, in fact, earlier this week it was reported that Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios had come to an agreement, and would share the rights to the character, it what would have easily have been the biggest news story of the (comic book) movie world. However, this happiness was downplayed when a representative of Sony came out and called the report “old” and has “no validity whatsoever.”
Now, put yourself in Sony’s shoes. Would you really announce that your, and Marvel’s most popular character, would be coming home within the first month of the new year? Of course not! Especially when there are such conventions as New York Comic-Con, or San Diego Comic-Con. I firmly believe that Marvel and Sony have come to an agreement, but I also believe we will not hear anything until July at SDCC (San Diego Comic-Con).
So, let’s say this is legitimate. Let’s say Spider-Man is coming home. What would Marvel Studios do with the character? There are so, so many routes they can take. The character could appear very soon in a post credit scene of Captain America: Civil War, or in a full-blown role in Avengers: Infinity War. However, let’s take a look at all the routes Marvel are/have considered, so grab a drink, take a seat, and enjoy!
Option #1: Put Him On Netflix
I’m going to get the dumbest option out the way first. While Netflix is a great place to put lesser known heroes like Luke Cage or Daredevil, Spider-Man should be as far away from Netflix as possible. We are talking about a character who’s past two films have grossed over $1.4 billion worldwide. So, why the hell, would you put him on Netflix? “To tell a deeper story, and develop the characters” Or… You could put him in his own film-franchise, and earn even more money, because, and I’m sorry that I’m about to break everyone’s hearts here, but Marvel Studios do not care about the fans. They may look like they do, but really, they do things in order to make money, like a good business should.
Putting Spider-Man on Netflix instead of his own franchise would be an embarrassment and would not only show that Marvel do not value the wall-crawler, but would also show that Marvel do not understand the amount of money they could make from having him on the big-screen, something that I know, Marvel knows. While I understand that “Netflix is not TV,” and that they have made some truly brilliant shows, House Of Cards being one of them. Spider-Man is not a TV character.
Likelihood of this happening: Michael Bay winning the Oscar for Best Directing
(1.5/10)
Option #2: Captain America: Civil War
Another rumour that has been circulating for a while, is the possibility of introducing the character in the upcoming film, Captain America: Civil War. The film, which is presumably based on the best-selling storyline, Civil War, in which Spider-Man plays a rather large role, of course will not feature Spidey in the same role, as the screenplay has been complete for over three months, with shooting set to begin fairly soon. However, this does not mean that Spider-Man, or better yet, Peter Parker, cannot make an appearance in the film.
Earlier this week, the writers of the upcoming sequel played fairly coy around the idea of Spider-Man appearing, which got some fans (myself included) very excited. While the film has not begun shooting yet, this could mean that Marvel Studios are trying their best to find the right way to put Spidey into the film. Whether that means placing him in the post-credit scene, which should/will set up the third Avengers film, or that means shoving him into the film, with no reasoning (something I doubt Marvel will do), it sure is a possibility that Spider-Man could appear in Captain America: Civil War.
Likelihood of this happneing: Kevin Feige making more ca$h than Jordan Belfort
(7.5/10)
Option #3: “Have a little… Patience.”
Yes, that is a quote from a Take That song. It would be fair to say that Marvel Studios do not need Spider-Man at the moment, wouldn’t it? I mean, Iron Man 3 made more money than any Spider-Man film, and Guardians Of The Galaxy out-grossed The Amazing Spider-Man 2. It would also be fair to say, that perhaps, people are a little tired of the old web-head. In the space of twelve (2002-2014) we have had five Spider-Man films. That is quite a lot. I’m not surprised that the films are making less money, I’m really not. Every superhero has a low-time, I mean look at Batman, and even the X-Men. It is fairly common for audiences to become tired of seeing the same thing, which, while every Spider-Man film has not been the same, seeing the wall-crawler on screen so much may have finally played it’s toll.
Interestingly, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, the lowest grossing Spider-Man film to-date, was the second highest grossing Spider-Man film overseas. Raking in over $500 million, the first film being Spider-Man 3 which grossed $554 million overseas. It is quite interesting, as an Australian resident, the film made over $14 million here, which was also the second highest grossing Spider-Man film in the country. I guess what I am trying to get at, is that it appears that only Americans are really tired of Spider-Man.
Which brings me to my point, maybe, unless they [Marvel] market towards an overseas audience, it might be a better thing to wait. The next Spider-Man film, no matter who makes it, unless critically acclaimed to the level of The Dark Knight, would probably make less money than The Amazing Spider-Man 2, especially in America. Now, I have no idea what Marvel’s plans are, maybe their planned film is in fact the best thing since sliced bread, but maybe it is not. At the time being, Marvel really don’t need Spider-Man, they have Robert Downey Jr. and the Iron Man character for at least another two films, and with the success of Guardians and the (potential) success of both Ant-Man and Dr. Strange, Marvel have two more toys to add to the toy-box.
Likelihood of this happening: Fox Giving Up The Fantastic Four rights
(4/10)
Option #4: With The Avengers Away, It’s Spider-Man’s Time To Play
Marvel’s two biggest films come out a year after each other, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 and Part 2. Now, when these films come out, the first in 2018, and the second a year later, that would be four years since a Spider-Man film, which is perhaps the perfect time to bring in the wall-crawler. I am not talking about putting him in the Avengers films, no, God no, that is dumb. With the Avengers away, in space, taking on Thanos, who is on Earth to protect the planet, or better yet, who is in New York?
Cue Spider-Man. With the Avengers gone, Marvel could look at Spider-Man to be their potential filler. They could tell smaller stories, or bigger ones, with a new protagonist, in order to keep their universe feeling fresh. Along with the additions of Daredevil, Luke Cage and Iron Fist, to their roster, Spider-Man could be another member of New York’s heroes while Marvel’s big guns are defending the planet.
If Marvel did not choose this approach, it would actually damage their shared universe. Crime would not just stop, the minute the planet's greatest protectors are gone, in fact, it would skyrocket! This is where Spider-Man could make a huge name for himself, he could be the guy who stops the crime and problems in New York City while Earth's Mightiest Heroes are off doing their own thing.
A potential release date for this film would be between Infinity War Part 1 and Part 2, perhaps an August 2018 release date, or even a July one. While I have an idea on how old Spider-Man should be, I have no clue what Marvel want. I understand if they want to go the younger route, and I would also understand if they decide to go an older route.
Likelihood of this happening: Eddie Redmayne winning the Oscar for Best Actor
(8.5/10)
So, that brings a close to this editorial, the question is, what do you think? Could you see any of my predictions, or options being correct? Comment below and let me know what you think, and if you like what you see here, then click that big red button! And until next time, it's been nice writing for you, peace.