It's safe to say my anticipation for The Avengers film has reached an all time high. With just three months to go until the movie hits, my mind is full of questions. Who are the villains? Where is the new trailer? Will Hawkeye be more than just a supporting character, and most importantly, will any other Avengers cameo?
Rumours have recently been circulating online regarding Spider-Man potentially having a cameo in The Avengers movie. Normally, it's easy to ignore these types of rumours, as the Avengers are owned by Marvel, and Sony owns the rights to the web-slinger. What fuels these rumours this time though is that Disney will be involved in the merchandising rights for The Amazing Spider-Man, meaning Disney have some weight in the Marvel character's film rights. Could it be that Disney made a deal with Sony for Peter Parker to show up in The Avengers, if it meant Disney would aid Sony by undertaking a strong merchandising effort for The Amazing Spider-Man?
It would be great to see Peter Parker show up in The Avengers. Among all Easter eggs, seeing a top character like Spider-Man appear would be a crowning achievement for Marvel Studios. For Sony, I can only imagine that an Avengers cameo for Spidey would perhaps create some momentum for the character, considering his own film would still be some three months away. Plus, Spider-Man's return to cinema comes at a time when a certain Dark Knight returns for a second sequel. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone aside, it's safe to say The Dark Knight Rises will easily out perform Spidey at the box office. Sony will need all the help they can get if they want to compete with the likes of The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises.
Honestly though, I can't see Spider-Man appearing in The Avengers. Neither studio would gain enough from it. Marvel are riding off the success of Iron Man, Thor and Captain America, while Sony are likely to bring in strong enough numbers based on the Spidey name alone. It would certainly be good if it did happen, as it would signal the end of movie studios clinging to individual characters, and if Marvel Studios could eventually win back Spider-Man, who says they couldn't one day reclaim the X-Men? Regardless, Sony have always stood strong with the Spidey franchise (Spider-Man 3 story aside) so I don't think they would be in any rush to sell one of the world's most popular superheroes too soon.