8 Things Nobody Wants To Admit About MCU Spider-Man

2. He's Treated More Like A Commodity Than An Actual Character

This is potentially a little cynical, but when looking at Spider-Man on the big screen now, he definitely seems more like a commodity than a flesh-and-blood character who serves an essential narrative purpose.

At the end of the day, films are meant to make money. Superhero films typify that mindset the most in that they've been at the forefront of popular culture for well over two decades. Batman is valuable IP. The X-Men are valuable IP. And so too is Spider-Man.

I'm not going to pretend that other heroes aren't great sodding moneymaking machines that producers aren't desperate to acquire - they are. But in the context of the MCU, they fulfil a narrative purpose. There's a reason why the Infinity Saga was such an edifying experience for millions of fans across the globe.

When it comes to Spidey though, you do get the sense that he's more an "asset" than an organic component of a given franchise. The Sony/Marvel deal works to each company's mutual benefit; Sony get to have a slice of the MCU pie, and Marvel get to include their most popular character in their flagship franchise. It's a no brainer, but it can also seem disingenuous.

Right now, Sony are doing their damndest to make their own Spider-Man universe, using the character's brand and association with the MCU to bring C-list characters like Morbius and Jackpot to the silver-screen as heroes. Then there's the long-running Spider-Man/Venom crossover, a project bound to get True Believers excited, but one that feels just about as contrived and unnecessary as 2016's Batman V Superman.