For many comic book fans, the most glaring omission in first Avengers film was the absence of a certain web-slinger. The reasons behind this are of the corporate/childish variety, for while Marvel continues to produce Spider-Man comic books, Marvel Studios does not have the film rights to the character. Spider-Man belongs to Sony, just like X-Men and Fantastic Four belong to 20th Century Fox. Until now, the prospects for Spidey appearing in an Avengers or Marvel-based film were pretty much nil.
Rumors have begun to abound, however, as HitFix (via Collider) claims that Marvel and Sony might be coming to some sort of an agreement that will allow Spider-Man to join his fellow Avengers. As Marvel continues to expand their universe, they want to be able to include as many of their superheroes as possible. While Marvel and Fox are unlikely to come to an agreement, prospects are apparently a bit brighter for an alliance between Marvel and Sony. It’s unclear if this would mean yet another reboot of the Spider-Man franchise, or if the two studios would try to fold in events and characters from The Amazing Spider-Man.
As of right now these rumors are just rumors, with no official confirmation from either studio. At the same time, it makes sense for Marvel and Sony to finally get together on something. Sony has not had the greatest luck with its reboot of the Spider-Man franchise, and allowing that character to make his way into the company of the more solid Marvel universe could be a great boon to both studios. With Fox perfectly comfortable in its X-Men films and upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, Sony might think it’s time to get some of its own back.
We shall have to wait and see if anything comes of these rumors, but at the very least, they’re the most hope we have for Spidey joining his avenging pals.
