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There’s a Spider-Man Upgrade Hiding in Front of Marvel, And Readers Would Love It
Spider-Man has done a lot in his six decades in Marvel Comics. He started as a high school outcast, a nerd the bullies picked on, even after he became Spider-Man and could have defended himself. He married a supermodel, owned his own multi-million dollar corporation, and has saved the world more times than he can count. He has also been accepted by most of the heroes in the Marvel Universe. He has been a member of the Future Foundation and the Avengers, and he has even dated other heroes like Captain Marvel and Mockingbird. Along the way, he has worked with the other spider-totem heroes, both as a mentor and an ally.
However, there is one thing that Spider-Man has never done, and it is something he needs to do to level up one more time. Spider-Man has never really led his own team, and it’s time that happened.
Spider-Man Needs To Lead His Own Team
Spider-Man has been part of teams in the past, though he prefers to fight on his own. He was a member of the New Fantastic Four when the original team was off Earth. He was part of the Future Foundation team that Reed started. He has been in the Avengers more than once. He was even part of the X-Men while working as a teacher at the Jean Grey School. Finally, he has worked with the Spider Society, a group of heroes connected to the spider totem.
While he was the Chosen One on most Spider Society teams, Spider-Man has never actually led his own team. It is also more than time that Marvel Comics changes this. There was one moment when he was close to becoming a team leader. Tony Stark hired him to work with young geniuses, including Moon Girl. However, that was a mentor role, and the kids helped Spider-Man, but it wasn’t a real team. He is currently running with a group of aliens in his new series, but he isn’t really a leader there, either.
That said, it’s more than past time that Spider-Man should get this new upgrade and actually take over leadership of a team. He is one of the most intelligent people in Marvel Comics. As someone who had to learn how to be a hero on his own as a teenager, he is more than equipped to lead other heroes in working together to stop bad guys. This is still a significant trait missing from his character, and one Marvel should work to fix.
What Kind Of Team Would Be Best For Spider-Man?
The big question then is, what kind of team should Spider-Man lead? The easiest option is a Spider-Verse or Spider-Family team, but that is too easy. Spider-Man already takes a leadership role whenever he works with people like Miles Morales or Silk, and that isn’t really the same thing as leading an official team. He could also lead his own Avengers team, which would be a nice twist. Over his time in the Avengers, Spider-Man usually goes along with whatever the main Avengers are doing, but it could be interesting to see him leading the team with his own brains and planning.
That said, there are better ideas. The first is that Spider-Man could lead a team of young heroes as a veteran member. Most teenage hero comics feature all teen heroes and showcase their battles for respect with their elder heroes. However, imagine a team where Spider-Man is the leader of a young team, teaching them to work together, educating them on how to best deal with enemies, and helping them become the heroes of the future. It is too late for heroes like Miles Morales, Kamala Khan, and those heroes, but Spider-Man leading a team of youngsters could be nice.
However, the best idea has nothing to do with mentoring young heroes. The best possible team that Spider-Man could be the leader of would be a team of reformed villains. One of the best comics that has come out over the last decade is The Superior Foes of Spider-Man, which was mostly a comedic series about several of Spider-Man’s B-level villains teaming up. This included names like Boomerang, Beetle, Shocker, Overdrive, and Speed Demon.
Now imagine a team where these villains, or a mix of villains like this, team up as heroes, and Spider-Man is there to lead them as their mentor, teaching them to be heroes rather than villains. It could be similar to when Hawkeye took over the leadership of The Thunderbolts. Spider-Man’s frustration, with equal levels of patience, could allow him to prove his worth as a team leader, giving him one last notch on his belt that Marvel Comics has yet to allow him to achieve.
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