Spider-Man is arguably one of the most popular comic hero characters in the world. The character has been a defining part of Marvel Comics for decades. This fame has also extended to the big screen where there have been many interpretations of the character. In recent years, it seems that Spider-Man’s popularity has sparked a proliferation of other spider-heroes in the Marvel universe, appearing in both the comics and the movies. In the past 20 years, we have had 3 actors play the character in different universes, all of which turned out to be big movie franchises that culminated in the 2021 film, Spider-Mam: No Way Home.
From Spider-Woman to Spider-Gwen to Spider-Man Noir, there are now a whole host of characters who are different representations of the Spider-hero. While these characters are received with love, it is hard to not wonder why there are so many versions of the same character. This then begs the question, why there are so many Spider-heroes in Marvel comics and movies?
Marvel Comics Expanded on Spider-Man’s Lore With Its “What If” Series
The answer to this can be found in the source material for the Marvel films, the Marvel Comics. The comics have always used its What If series to explore alternate universes for a number of its superheroes, most notably Spider-Man. The series has covered a wide range of storylines for Spider-Man and his Spider-verse counterparts. Through its What If series, Marvel Comics has been able to expand on Spider-Man’s lore, exploring what might happen if key events in his story had gone differently, or if he had been bitten by a different kind of spider.
Some of these What If storylines offer a unique take on Spider-Man’s character and his world, and what it would look like if things had happened differently in his life. This expands his lore and inadvertently creates different variations of the same character. As part of the Marvel’s larger multiverse, the What If series also helps to create a more complex, dynamic fictional world that allows for endless creativity and a wealth of new stories to explore.
Spider-Man Film Rghts Also Had a Hand to Play In This
Another thing that can explain why there are so many Spider-Heroes in Marvel comics and movies is the complex web of film rights issues surrounding the Spider-Man character. With multiple studios holding rights to different Spider-Man characters and each studio wanting to tell stories for the character means that there will be a lot of media featuring different versions of the character. For example, Sony Pictures holds the rights to Spider-Man films, which is why characters like Venom and Morbius have their own movies. Meanwhile, Disney/Marvel Studios was able to feature Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but only after an agreement was reached with Sony.
The enduring popularity of Spider-Man himself also contributes to this phenomenon. By creating a whole host of other spider-heroes, Marvel has capitalized on the popularity of Spider-Man, while exploring new characters and storylines that might not be feasible within the confines of the original character’s own story. Into the Spider-Verse, the animated film that introduced many of these alternate Spider-heroes to audiences, also shows that while there are so many Spider-Heroes in Marvel comics and movies, there are still many more whose stories can be explored.
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