Though Marvel's Avengers has had somewhat of a tumultuous run post-release, the game seems to be finding its footing after releasing several characters, expansions, and DLC costumes.
The most recent addition was the War for Wakanda expansion, which brought in fan-favorite hero Black Panther as a playable character. Having debuted in August, the expansion allowed players to face off against the villainous Klaw on T'Challa's home turf.
Many fans hoped that the game would feature skins based on the Avenger's cinematic counterparts, which developer Crystal Dynamics has sought to remedy with costumes inspired by the MCU's best looks.
In tandem with the release of Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff got a brand-new in-game cosmetic depicting Scarlett Johansson's White Widow outfit from the film. Fans of Steve Rogers were treated to a blast from the past coming in the form of Captain America's costume from 2012's The Avengers.
Following the release of Black Panther and the War for Wakanda expansion, Square Enix has now shed some light on the future of Marvel's Avengers...
First Look at Marvel's Avengers' Spider-Man
Square Enix revealed their updated roadmap for Marvel's Avengers, laying out their plans for the remainder of 2021.
September will give players the opportunity to obtain a skin for T'Challa based on Chadwick Boseman's costume from Black Panther (2018). That month will also mark the one-year anniversary of the game's release, which will be celebrated with free rewards for beating story campaigns during the period of September 2 to September 16.
The marketplace will also feature free items during this time, including a free Iron Man outfit and anniversary bundle (Black Panther nameplate, Hero’s Catalyst, and Fragment Extractor) in the first week and a free Thor outfit and an additional Hero’s Catalyst in the second week.
Looking ahead to the fall and winter period, perhaps the most exciting event to look forward to is the upcoming hero event for Spider-Man on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
Though players did not get any more details about the webslinger's inclusion, Square Enix did tease Spider-Man's inevitable addition in artwork for an upcoming Klaw Raid:
Later on in winter, a Hawkeye nameplate challenge will be available to players, which will seemingly be tied in to the archer's Disney+ series.
More details on Marvel's Avengers' near future can be found on their website.
In a follow-up tweet, Square Enix assured fans that there is "much more coming in the future" looking to 2022 and beyond:
"We will have more information on our plans for 2022 when everything is finalized and the time is right. Rest assured, there is much more coming in the future."
Square Enix also confirmed that Marvel's Avengers will not be featured at Sony's upcoming PlayStation showcase on September 9:
"Marvel's Avengers will not be a part of PlayStation's Showcase on 9/9, but we can't wait to show you more in the coming months."
Spidey Arrives in Marvel's Avengers...But When?
Though he's hard to make out, Spidey's look seems to be incredibly comic-accurate, which drastically contrasts a lot of the more-realistic and militarized costumes worn by many of the game's other Avengers. Spider-Man's unabashed back logo, bright colors, and dynamic posing seem to indicate that Marvel's Avengers will do a suitable job at adapting the character.
However, the fact that Marvel's Avengers will not be featured during the PlayStation Showcase may seem troubling to some players, due to the event seeming like the perfect place to finally show off how Spider-Man factors into the game. This is especially concerning when looking at the timeline, which places Spider-Man's hero event prior to a Hawkeye Disney+ series tie-in event.
Given that Hawkeye debuts on November 24, it is likely that the webslinger would be added to the game before that date arrives. With a potential Spidey drop set to occur in the next few months, it may lead fans to wonder why a trailer has not been released yet.
That said, the developers may not want to waste time and resources on a gameplay demo when they could pool their efforts into ensuring Spider-Man is the best he can possibly be.
Ultimately, if the roadmap is anything to go by though, Marvel's Avengers does seem to be on the right track.