It's no secret that Marvel's Avengers has had a rough go at it. While its main campaign was mostly applauded, its live service elements, repetitive gameplay experiences, and more did not live up to fan expectation. Nonetheless, Square Enix is devoted into making the game the best version of itself that it can be, and it is planning to "save" Marvel's Avengers via DLC.
While this may sound like a lofty goal to many, it's not impossible. Many games have found their redemption, and there's so many Marvel heroes and villains that would make a great DLC. However, when it comes to a big-name Marvel hero, there's little doubt many are looking forward to Spider-Man joining Marvel's Avengers' roster. This particular DLC has its own challenges to overcome, but the impact it has on the game may have been softened by Hawkeye/Clint Barton's March 18 release date.
Hawkeye vs. Spider-Man
A game that intends to save itself through DLC needs it coming fast and furious to retain and bring players back in the short-term. After all, if a game can't save its short-term, the long-term goals is an even longer sale. However, for some reason or another, Marvel's Avengers' goals seem to outweigh its capabilities. After all, there's an expansive roster of leaked or datamined DLC heroes, including Ant-Man, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, Falcon, Mar-Vell, Mockingbird, Quake, Scarlet Witch, She-Hulk, Spider-Woman, Vision, War Machine, Wasp, and Winter Soldier.
While some of these characters may be cut, the simple fact is Spider-Man has to squeeze in there somewhere among other DLC characters, and the two Hawkeyes show how little wiggle room there is. After all, Marvel's Avengers released in September, Kate Bishop followed in December, and Clint Barton is set for March. At this rate, fans can expect a DLC character every three months, also meaning the next one may not be until June and then September again. That's only two characters, likely (or hopefully) putting the Webhead in June. That's not to ignore he was advertised as "early 2021" and many would not see June as that month, maybe even meaning he has been delayed—rumors once indicated he'd release on March 15, but those are clearly wrong.
It should be noted that future characters could come at a faster rate or that Spider-Man could work different as a PlayStation exclusive, but it means Spidey fans shouldn't hold their breath. While much of this was likely decided before the game's release and March's Hawkeye DLC could be great, the sales bump the PlayStation platform of the game received after Spidey's announcement proves how popular the character is and how badly fans want. Even if Spider-Man is a summer release, that's a lot time to keep fans waiting.
Spider-Man vs. ???
Not to mention, there's no known Xbox equivalent for Spider-Man; he is a PlayStation exclusive without any sort of replacement on Xbox platforms. In other words, Spider-Man could be a double-edged sword. While some departed PlayStation players may return in June to check out Spider-Man's abilities, that's not even an option for Xbox players. In other words, not only are fans seemingly waiting longer for Spider-Man, only roughly half the fans are even going to get him.
Of course, again, this is all speculation. Crystal Dynamics has been quiet on the Spider-Man DLC, and because he's not part of the standard line-up, it stands to reason some special rules apply. Regardless, fans should be prepared to wait on the webhead and hope he comes in time to "save" Marvel's Avengers with DLC.
Marvel’s Avengers is available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X upgrades coming March 18.
