Spider-Man’s expansion for Marvel’s Avengers is exciting for those that own the game on PlayStation, as controlling the hero alongside other superheroes should be a blast. While the Spidey DLC is far-off still, fans do at least know that it is coming, and the expansion could serve as a great way to attract more players when it does finally arrive. At same time, Crystal Dynamics could run into some major issues with Spider-Man, so much so that his arrival could be a disappointment.
While Spider-Man being a letdown would be the worst possible thing for Marvel’s Avengers comeback effort, it is not out of the realm of possibility. After all, Marvel’s Avengers is vastly different from the usual Spider-Man game, with the style of something like Marvel’s Spider-Man hardly resembling the Crystal Dynamics title at all. While the game does have its strengths, especially in terms of its hero design, there is little about its current build that suggests it would be a good fit for the webslinger.
Potential Traversal Issues
As pointed out by the game’s community, Marvel’s Avengers’ current traversal system is not built for someone like Spider-Man. Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, and Black Widow all boast a grapple ability, allowing them to swing between lamp posts and pull themselves onto ledges. Unfortunately, this swinging is far from smooth, as it slows players to a snail’s pace after every swing. Worse, players will often struggle to lock onto the next point due to some clunky camera positioning after every movement.
With so much of what makes Spider-Man so fun to play being directly related to his movement, this has understandably become a huge red flag for players. After all, if sluggish traversal is seen with grappling hooks, it can be assumed that the same problem will appear with Spider-Man’s web-swinging. However, this is hardly the only worry when it comes to movement, as Peter Parker feeling slow may not be the only problem seen when moving from point-to-point.
Whether it be Siberia or the new Wasteland War Zone, Marvel’s Avengers areas are simply not designed for the hero’s movement. Most locations offer clear skies and huge gaps of space between buildings, and while this benefits flight-based heroes like Thor and Iron Man, it is a major detriment to Spider-Man. As a result, only a few scenarios present themselves, and neither are ideal. One option is that Peter can rarely web-swing, with the character zipping around to various areas and running most of the time instead. Another option would see Crystal Dynamics treating Spidey’s movement like the older standalone Spider-Man games and having him swing from the sky. While this would surely look awkward, players may prefer being able to swing often as opposed to Crystal Dynamics requiring players to have something to connect to, making it the lesser of two evils.
Possible Ability Problems
Sadly, Peter’s movement feeling slow and not making sense is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the possible failures of the Spider-Man expansion. Another possible issue is that Spidey may not translate well to the Marvel’s Avengers’ style of combat. While basic punches and kicks will surely still feel great, with Spider-Sense also being a perfect Intrinsic Ability, Spider-Man may not feel right apart from this.
The first issue can be seen with the character’s webbing. Currently, there is nothing in the game that resembles Spidey’s main attack strategy, requiring Crystal Dynamics to build his webs from scratch. With this in mind, it seems unlikely that the mechanic is as in-depth as it is in other Spider-Man projects, as players will likely be unable to web-throw opponents or stick them to surfaces. While different web types could make up for this to an extent, there is a chance that Peter’s ranged attacks feel like bullets from Black Widow’s guns as opposed to shots of webbing.
The other major worry with Spider-Man’s moveset is that the character lacks a fitting Ultimate ability. While the common answer for characters in this situation seems to be to give them a damage boost, as the movesets for both Captain American and Kate Bishop see this strategy used, resorting to a damage boost once again would be disappointing. While Spidey could possibly use web blossom as his Ultimate, the move would lack most of its impact if the system that is in place for his webbing is not in-depth. With only one character using webs, it seems more likely than not that Spidey’s combat could be lacking in this area.
Likely Villain Flaws
Finally, the most likely issue Spider-Man’s expansion will run into is a forgettable DLC boss. While Spidey boasts one of the best rogues’ galleries in comics, so do The Avengers, yet the game has still been lacking heavily in this area despite that. Further, boss fights against villains like Maestro have felt completely uninspired due to their similarities to other fights, and this same thing could be felt with Spidey’s DLC as well. While it would be nice to see a villain like Venom, that excitement could fade away fast if it feels like players are just facing off against another re-skinned version of The Hulk.
Another issue seen with Maestro’s recent appearance is that he feels underdeveloped. With so much going on within Future Imperfect, the villain feels forced into the story just so that Hawkeye could have someone to clash with at the end of the DLC. His motivation is barely mentioned, with huge chunks of Maestro’s comic book backstory not brought up at all. Considering that Spider-Man’s Operation will have the tough task of introducing him to the Marvel’s Avengers universe and establishing Crystal Dynamics’ take on the hero, it seems likely that whoever the villain is feels just as rushed as Maestro did. As such, a small-scale foe like Shocker or Rhino could be used in place of a threat with story significance like the Green Goblin.
While players should stay optimistic when trying to think of what to expect from Spider-Man’s DLC, there is a chance that there are some serious flaws with the character’s expansion. While Crystal Dynamics could impress fans and nail every facet of the friendly neighborhood hero, it is equally possible that something is lacking about the expansion. Whether it be a villain with a bland story and repetitive moveset, some lacking abilities and powers, or a traversal system that fails to bring the hero to life, Marvel’s Avengers not being built around the Spider-Man character could lead to some major issues down the road.
Marvel’s Avengers is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X.
