There's been a lot of talk about Marvel's up-and-coming adaptations and whether or not they will take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. One superhero that I think everyone is dying to see meet the Avengers is Spider-Man. There were a lot of rumors suggesting that the new Spider-Man movie coming in 2012 would have a place in the MCU, but those rumors were quickly squashed when the TASM teaser was devoid not just of the Marvel Studios banner, but of a Marvel banner altogether! Outrageous! (Even X-Men: First Class had the Marvel logo before its trailers.) And if that wasn't enough, Avi Arad has even confirmed this to be a fact. It's disappointing, especially since I thought the teaser trailer looked awesome.
With so many properties tied up in the hands of other studios, how can Marvel ever hope to get it's most famous properties into the MCU? Well, I'll tell ya. The only solution is animation. Marvel's contracts with Fox and Sony don't cover animation, and this is clearly evident by the Hulk vs. Wolverine animated movie that was released a few years ago.
The concept of animated characters in the MCU may sound weird to some people because they're afraid that the MCU is going to turn up in a style similar to the universe of Roger Rabbit: a universe where animated and live-action characters mingle together. Relax. Just look at the Star Wars universe. That entire universe consists of several different mediums, from video games to books to cartoons.
It's possible that Marvel has come to realize the potential for animation and has started acting on it with the new Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon. It's recently been announced that the USM cartoon is the first Spidey cartoon made by Marvel. This means that there will be no complications with bringing the animated Spidey to the MCU. While we may never see a live-action Spider-Man team up with a live-action Captain America, there's nothing stopping the animated Spider-Man from teaming with an animated Captain America. (And imagine one episode featuring a special guest who is none other than Chris Evans himself!) The thought is making me excited already.
But all of this is just theoretical right? Well, I think the biggest clue suggesting that this may be the case was the unveiling of a new supporting character, Agent Coulson, who is voiced by none other than... Agent Coulson himself: Clark Gregg. Agent Coulson was a character created specifically for the MCU. The fact they plan on bringing his character into the new Spidey cartoon may be a dead give-away that the USM cartoon is a part of the MCU.
So Spider-Man is officially a part of the MCU. Hooray.... right? Well...maybe. If there's anything I've learned from being on comic book fansites, it's that most of the populace are not particularly fond of the Ultimate Universe. The fact that the Spider-Man that's in our beloved MCU is not the same Spidey we've read for 50 years (err.... Gusto) may leave a bad taste in people's mouths. People are already annoyed that we have a Nick Fury that is straight up Ultimates inspired, so imagine how people may react to Ultimate Spidey being a part of the MCU? About 95% of the MCU so far is classic 616. The introduction of Ultimate Spider-Man would be a huge break in the status quo.
I've read every single issue of Ultimate Spider-Man up to the clone saga, and I can tell you that Ultimate Spidey isn't that far-off from the mainstream. (You just have to understand that Ultimate Spider-Man is still just a kid, as classic Spidey was a long time ago.) But I can tell you that Ultimate Spidey's villains are a complete joke. From blob-Venom to hulk-Goblin, they lack any of the character or coolness that radiates from the 616 comics. But the question is just how much of this cartoon will be Ultimates inspired? It could just be Ultimate in name. The cartoon footage showed a black Nick Fury, but Nick Fury is also black in the MCU as well. Time will tell if they decide to use classic Green Goblin or if they want to go with the Ultimate hulk-Goblin.
So this begs the question: Are you ok with seeing an Ultimate Spider-Man exist in the MCU if it means getting a Spider-Man in the MCU at all? Or would you rather wait 50 years until the rights finally revert back to Marvel and we can finally see a live-action Spider-Man appear in the MCU? Leave your comments below!