A couple of days ago, Crystal Dynamics announced that Spider-Man will be added as a post-launch DLC in its upcoming action-adventure game, Marvel's Avengers. However, much to the disappointment of some, it was also confirmed that Spider-Man will be a PlayStation exclusive. Defending the decision to make Spider-Man a PlayStation exclusive, Crystal Dynamics Studio Head Scott Amos said that having the character exclusive to PlayStation consoles is the only way to include him in the game because of the special relationship between PlayStation and Marvel.
Apart from the exclusivity issue, there is still not a lot of specific info out there about Spider-Man's forthcoming release to Marvel's Avengers. Of course, this is unsurprising given that the game itself is still unreleased after it was delayed to September earlier this year. However, several developers who are currently working on Spider-Man for Marvel's Avengers shed some pretty interesting facts about the hero, and here is everything that has been revealed so far about Spider-Man and how he will compare to other playable characters in Marvel's Avengers.
How Spider-Man Will Be Depicted in Marvel's Avengers
Vince Napoli, who is the Lead Combat Designer for Marvel's Avengers revealed that players can expect Spider-Man to be "just as great on the sticks as he is on the page." The developer then explained that the team wanted players to see that Spider-Man on Marvel's Avengers will fight and move as he should. Additionally, it was revealed that when navigating the street as Spider-Man, players will be able to utilize a variety of web configurations and gadgets that will make him feel light and graceful.
In terms of looks, Crystal Dynamics also emphasized that Spider-Man also "needs to look like he should." This is why during the process of conceptualizing his suit, the developers went back to the very beginning. In Marvel's Avengers, Spider-Man's suit will be heavily influenced by the design of comic book artists Steve Ditko and John Romita Sr. This way, fans across multiple generations will be able to recognize Crystal Dynamics' version of Spider-Man as the icon that he has become over the years.
Moreover, Crystal Dynamic Associate Art Director Jeff Adams confirmed that Spider-Man in Marvel's Avengers will be their own. This means that fans shouldn't expect to see the version of Spider-Man from Insomniac's 2018 game. In the post, Adam said that the webhead is "our own Crystal Dynamics take on Spider-Man." Of course, it is difficult to speculate just how Spider-Man will be depicted by Crystal Dynamics until the studio shows more of the character.
However, it is probably safe to assume that Marvel's Avengers' Spider-Man won't be portrayed closely to that of Insomniac's Marvel's Spider-Man, given that Crystal Dynamics would probably want their version to stand out. It is worth noting that Crystal Dynamics also put their own spin on the design of other playable characters. For example, Captain America has a bulkier appearance, Iron Man has more technical abilities, etc.
How Spider-Man Compares To Other Playable Characters
Crystal Dynamics also revealed that when it is time to release Spider-Man to Marvel's Avengers, he will be introduced via an in-game event. At the moment, details of this in-game event are unknown, but it will likely be an epic debut given the popularity of the character. In terms of how he will play with other playable characters in Marvel's Avengers, Crystal Dynamics revealed that Spider-Man will have access to the superior technology available to the superhero team such as a custom web shooter from Hank Pym, SHIELD, Stark Industries, and others.
Similar to other playable characters, Spider-Man will also have access to unique skills trees that are specifically designed so that his abilities will perfectly complement those of the rest of the Avengers. It is still unclear just how different Spider-Man will be in Marvel's Avengers, but players should expect that just like the other playable characters in the upcoming game, Crystal Dynamics will put their own spin on the character to differentiate it from its many versions from other media.
However, it will be interesting to see whether Marvel's Avengers will explore the father and son relationship between Spider-Man and Iron Man as depicted in the movie and comic franchises. Of course, given that Crystal Dynamics already revealed that Spider-Man will be able to access technology from Stark Industries, there is a slight possibility here. However, since Spider-Man is only a post-launch character, and given that not all players of Marvel's Avengers will be able to access him, a full-on story campaign may be highly unlikely.
Marvel's Avengers is set to release on September 4, 2020, for the PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One. A PS5 and Xbox Series X version will be released at a later date.
