Unreality Companion: 5 Things to Look Forward to Now that Spider-Man Is in the MCU

In which I expand on the content from my weekly Unrealitymag.com article.

Spider-Man's been pretty much the only thing that anybody's been talking about this week.  Sure, there's an awesome new Legend of Zelda series in the works, but Spider-Man's finally back where he belongs and Marvel is one step closer to having all of their heroes under one roof again.  And with me expanding on what this means for the future of Marvel films in this week's Unreality article, I figured that I should delve a little deeper in what role I hope that the wall-crawler (and his peripheral cast) will play in the future of the MCU.

1) Phase 2 Post-Credit Scene  All that we currently know about Spider-Man's involvement in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is that he is going to have a solo movie in 2017 and will be introduced in a Marvel film before then.  And while people are buzzing with the possibility of having him as an integral part of Civil War (which is itself more than likely), most seem to have overlooked one of the most anticipated parts of any Marvel film: the post credit scene.

I am absolutely certain that Spider-Man's actual introduction to the MCU will be in a post (or mid) credit scene in one of the two remaining Phase 2 films.  At this late stage, it might realistically be too late to recast Spider-Man and shoot a clip of him for Age of Ultron, but Ant-Man is just far enough away that it might be able to come in under the wire.  And, if all else fails, they could always show him with his mask on until they finalize an actor to play him.

2) Captain America: Civil War  Comic fans couldn't possibly be happier with the timing of this announcement.  With Civil War currently in pre-production, there is a very good chance that Spider-Man can be incorporated into the storyline and play a fundamental role in that film.

The thing is, Spider-Man was actually an integral player in the Civil War storyline.  He brazenly revealed his secret identity to the world and had to live with the fallout of that decision (including, but not limited to, Aunt May getting shot).  Although secret identities aren't really a thing in the MCU (Tony Stark announced his to the entire world in Iron Man, Captain America's is a matter of public record, Black Widow dumped hers on the internet in The Winter Soldier, etc...), that shouldn't stop him from acting as a game-changer.

3) The Sinister Six  Although production on this Spider-Man spinoff film is currently delayed while Sony reconsiders its entire movie slate, I whole-heartedly hope that the studio continues with its plan for the film.  It's not only because of who's attached to the project (Drew Goddard, the director of The Cabin in the Woods), but because of what it might represent: an in-universe answer to DC's Suicide Squad.

Marvel's problem has always been that it loses the villains race against DC.  And with their characters film rights long having been divided up between several competing studios, it lost out on a lot of their best ones.  In particular, Spider-Man's rogue gallery has been the most colorful, eclectic an ultimately satisfying of all, and this supervillainous team-up is among the most exciting group in the entire Marvel Universe.  Whether operating as an anti-heroic answer to The Avengers or as antagonists in a future Avengers film, the team-up's possibilities are endless now that they've joined the MCU.

4) The Defenders New York is the heart and soul of the Marvel Universe.  This has taken on far greater importance in the MCU, as the site of the Battle of New York - the meta-franchise's answer to the September 11 terrorist attacks.  Marvel's four upcoming Netflix series, plus their planned min-series crossover, notably takes place within the city.  And, for that matter, so do the wall-crawling adventures of Spider-Man.

While a bit more of a long-shot, it's not beyond the realm of possibility to get a few Spider-Man cameos in the series.  After all, even Nick Fury showed up for the first season finale of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  Lady Sif has become a semi-recurring character on the show and Agent Jasper Sitwell crossed over to the big screen during The Winter Soldier.  If these four are busting skulls in his backyard, why wouldn't Spider-Man at least step in to take a look?

5) Avengers: Infinity War Part I and II and beyond  This almost goes without saying, but having Spider-Man in the MCU means having him suit up alongside the likes of Iron Man, Cap' and Thor.  It's probably a foregone conclusion at this point that he will factor into the Infinity War narrative in one capacity or another, not to mention future big screen crossovers.  I personally can't wait to see what shenanigans Parker gets up to with the rest of the team.

If you liked what you read, please share this post on social media and subscribe to this blog in order to keep up with the latest posts.  Ask questions or share your thoughts in the comments section below.