After Panels to Pixels’ Joshua Sutton tweeted out a description from a UK retailer over the weekend describing Spider-Man as an exclusive character in Marvel’s Avengers, the rumor mill began circulating over whether this would actually come to pass. Now, just a few short days later from Josh’s discovery, rumor has morphed into fact: Spider-Man is coming to Marvel’s Avengers as an exclusive character to the PlayStation ecosystem, starting in 2021. The news was released on the PlayStation Blog in a post written by Jeff Adams, art director at Crystal Dynamics. From Adams:

“This is so personal for me because I cannot remember a time when I didn’t love Marvel and its colorful characters, each more real and believable than the next.  But despite my enjoyment of Captain America, Iron Man Black Widow, and the other Avengers, there was always one character I saw myself reflected in, and that was Peter Parker: The Sensational Spider-Man.”

What’s interesting is that the Spider-Man that’s coming to Avengers may not be the same one from Marvel’s Spider-Man, at least in appearance:

“Fans can expect to see Ditko and Romita’s influence in our take on the hero, with nods to other talented artists that have defined the character’s look over his long history.”

This is also true of the tech that Spider-Man will be using in the game. Far from the down on his luck, unable to pay rent but still lovable protagonist from Insomniac’s game, here Spider-Man will have access to the same tech that the entire Avengers team will use:

“Partnering with the Avengers gives Spider-Man complete access to the impressive technology available to the team, such as custom web shooter-based technology from Hank Pym, SHIELD, Stark Industries, and more.  And by constructing the perfect gear and skills combinations, you’ll get the chance to live your Super Hero dreams through your ideal Spider-Man.”

Spider-Man won’t arrive as a playable hero in Marvel’s Avengers until sometime early next year – at no additional cost it should be added – but just as it is with Hawkeye, who who unveiled to be coming to the game last week, he’ll be getting a special in game event that will merge him into the world of Marvel’s Avengers:

“When Spider-Man comes to our stable of heroes, we’ll be marking his debut with an in-game event that will introduce him to the wider world of Marvel’s Avengers.  The event is comprised of a series of unique challenges for the hero to take on, testing his abilities, and yielding some exciting results.”

While it’s certainly exciting that Spider-Man is coming to Marvel’s Avengers, much of what was said in the news post over the weekend about his exclusivity rings true. This game isn’t something built by Sony, but rather a third-party that’s essentially building the first ever games-as-a-service superhero game for at least four platforms, not counting the enhanced editions that will be coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. To have just one of those ecosystems be home to arguably Marvel’s biggest character will only divide the player base instead of unite it, something that contradicts the united they stand motif of The Avengers.

Marvel’s Avengers arrives September 4th for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and Google Stadia with next generation versions coming.

VIA PLAYSTATION BLOG