Summary

  • Wolverine and Spider-Man weren't included in the latest Avengers run because the creative team wanted to focus on iconic, big-name Avengers characters, who are most familiar to readers as of the team.
  • The current Avengers team represents "the most iconic characters [writer Jed McKay] can handle," while still, "ensuring that everyone gets the spotlight."
  • Wolverine and Spider-Man would bring their own baggage to the Avengers, wgile their absence doesn't affect the balance of the series.

Spider-Man didn't make the cut for the latest Avengers run, in large part because the book's creative team sought to stack the latest roster with as many iconic, big-name Avengers characters as possible – and while Logan and Peter Parker are certainly iconi Marvel characters, they are more associated with the New Avengers roster, which is distinct from the classic Avengers line-up.

Speaking with Popverse, Avengers writer Jed McKay spoke about the process of assembling his version of the Avengers to start the latest volume of the series. With so many of Marvel's major heroes having been on one Avengers team or another throughout the years, the process could certainly be intimidating, but the book's writer and editors believe they have picked the perfect squad for this era of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

Cover for Avengers (2023) #1, written by Jed McKay

As Mckay put it, the current team represents: "[the] most iconic characters I can put on a team, balanced with my capacity to handle them, and ensure that everyone gets the spotlight."

Jed McKay Didn't Want His New Avengers To Be The "New Avengers"

Cover for New Avengers #1, written by Brian Michael Bendis

Especially in the era of the MCU's massive popularity, getting to work on Avengers, Marvel's premiere superteam, is a major career opportunity, albeit one with significant pressure attached. Another way to put it: with great creative power comes great editorial responsibility. This is highlighted by Jed McKay's description of choosing his Avengers line-up, the foundational decision that shapes a superhero team book. "When we started out, Tom Brevoort [Marvel's Executive Editor and Senior Vice President of Publishing] and I were going back and forth on who we wanted on the team," McKay told Popverse. "Ultimately, we settled on the idea that the Avengers team should have all the big Marvel characters, right?"

However, McKay's next line was somewhat surprising for fans: "You know, obviously not Spider-Man, not Wolverine." He quickly clarified, "it's not New Avengers," indicating that he wasn't devaluing the Webslinger, or Wolverine, simply that he doesn't associate them with the Avengers in the way he does certain core characters: "When I think Avengers, I think Captain America, Captain Marvel, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Black Panther, Iron Man, and Thor. For me, these are Avengers characters," the author said. At the same time, it is worth noting that McKay recently added an entirely new character, the Impossible City, to his Avengers roster., proving he saw an opportunity to add to the mix of iconic .

Wolverine & Spider-Man Would Bring Their Own Baggage To "Avengers"

On a practical level, both Wolverine and Spider-Man Ashen Combine. For the time being, Marvel mainstays Wolverine and Spider-Man will have to wait for another opportunity to be spotlighted on the Avengers roster.

Source: Popverse