Next week, the eagerly anticipated franchise reboot The Amazing Spider-Man swings into UK cinemas, and with its impending release, its star Andrew Garfield – who of course plays the famous scarlet-clad hero – has been asked on numerous occasions about the possibility of Spider-Man joining the Avengers at a later date.

The answer has always been a tongue-in-cheek ‘Yes’ – honestly, who wouldn’t want to be on that team?! – but there is a lot of red tape to get through in order to get to that stage, what with Sony currently owning the rights to Spider-Man meaning that Marvel will have to buy the rights back before being able to use the character.

There is no doubting that the web-slinging hero is one of the most well-known comic book characters of all time, and his presence in a future Avengers movie is at the very least intriguing to ponder.

The question therefore is; would Spidey be a good fit for the Avengers?

For

•    Superhero Team-up!
The climactic battle at the end of Avengers Assemble is some of the best superhero action you’re ever likely to see, with plenty of great team-ups – Iron Man reflecting his repulsor blasts off of Captain America’s shield, for example – included for our viewing pleasure. Adding Spider-Man to that mix opens up more similarly thrilling possibilities, and would be undeniably awesome to watch.
Side note: If you’d like an idea of what a potential team-up might look like, pick up the Marvel: Ultimate Alliance video games.

•    A Wisecracking Spider-Man in the Avengers? Yes please…
With the possible exception of Iron Man, when it comes down to saving the world the Avengers get quite serious (not that there is anything wrong with that). One thing Spidey is well-known for are his wisecracking tendencies, often in the heat of battle. Spider-Man quipping away whilst taking down a villain alongside the Avengers would offer a light-hearted perspective on the action beats, and could also serve as excellent basis for other Avengers to banter.

    •    Interplay With Other Avengers
Half the fun in Avengers Assemble came when the team members butted heads with one another before coming together as a cohesive team, and it would be exciting to see how Spider-Man fits in to that fabric. Additionally, in The Amazing Spider-Man we get to see more of Peter Parker’s considerable intellect (he constructs his own web-shooters this time round, just as he does in the comics) and so it could be interesting to watch Parker trying to solve a scientific problem with Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, for example.

Against

    •    Do we really NEED Spider-Man in the Avengers?
As Tony Stark so calmly recited to Loki during Avengers Assemble, the current Avengers roster is pretty formidable. Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America & co saved the planet pretty efficiently last time out, and each Avenger had a crucial part to play.  As great as it would be to see Spider-Man in the Avengers, it would be even better if there was a logical reason behind him joining the team. Otherwise, it begs the question; what can Spider-Man do that other Avengers can’t do better?

    •    Too many characters?
One of my biggest fears prior to Avengers Assemble was that there would be too many superheroes to service in one film, and that some characters would get short-changed. Thankfully, writer/director Joss Whedon did a magnificent job on both fronts, and I needn’t have worried. With that said, is the inclusion of Spider-Man one hero too many? His presence would demand a sizeable amount of screen time, screen time that will inevitably cut into other characters’ moments. Which brings me nicely to my final point…

    •    Much of Spider-Man’s character traits are already present in other Avengers
A lot of what good ol’ Spidey would bring to the team is already covered with other Avengers’ personas. For instance, would you rather here a joke from Iron Man or Spider-Man? Would you rather watch Bruce Banner or Peter Parker make a clever scientific deduction? Both of these facets have already been done brilliantly in Avengers Assemble. Spider-Man would simply act as another conduit for specific interchanges, as opposed to being a necessary addition to the team.

Conclusion

A compelling argument wouldn’t you say? At the end of the day, it’s more than likely that the Avengers will be just fine without Spider-Man, but personally I would love to see the wall-crawler make an appearance in future Avengers films, even if it’s only a cameo.

Do you want to see Spider-Man assemble with the Avengers? Let us know below.