Could this be the start of a Marvel Games Universe?
The reveal of Marvel’s Avengers in the 2019 E3 Square-Enix press conference came with an unexpected surprise: a possible link to Spider-Man on PS4! But before we get to the details, it’s important to point out that this connection would be a huge stretch given Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games) was created by a different studio than Marvel’s Avengers (Crystal Dynamics), and they are both published by different companies. Still, we’re going to explore whether they may share the same universe. After all, Marvel Games is the overseer of both, so creating an interconnected Marvel Games Universe similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe may be in the cards. And we’ve seen Marvel make a special deal for Spidey before when Sony agreed to share the character with Marvel Studios.
First, if you already haven’t, check out the new trailer for Marvel’s Avengers below:
The Avengers/Spider-Man Connection
In the Marvel’s Avengers trailer from E3 2019 above the Avengers appear in San Francisco for the opening of the West Coast Avengers HQ. In Spider-Man PS4, when you take a picture of Avengers Tower for the first time as part of your side quest to photograph different Landmarks, you’re treated to some relevant dialogue from Spider-Man: “Avengers Tower, so cool! Too bad they’re never around to use it. They’re on the west coast or something. Probably surfing.” While we have no official confirmation these two games share the same world, this is a pretty overt connection. Spider-Man told us where the Avengers were in last year’s release… and now this Avengers game picks up with the team in that exact location. Hard to think that’s purely a coincidence!
Now, Spider-Man PS4 lead dev Bryan Intihar has commented on Spidey’s Avengers line and said it was simply a nod to Insomniac’s West Coast location. However, if it was secretly a legit connection between these two games, then he’d obviously not be able to reveal the actual reason it was there. Maybe we just learned that reason.
Given how well last year’s Spider-Man game was received, it’d certainly be welcome by fans if the white-suit Spider-Man were to show up in this new Avengers game. That said, it’d also be cool to see Avengers introduce a brand new spin on the Wall-Crawler.
Longtime Marvel fans will also recognize Spidey’s line as a reference to a team from the comics called the West Coast Avengers. The West Coast Avengers first assembled as a result of Secret Wars where the manipulative, omnipotent being known as the Beyonder kidnapped Marvel’s most powerful heroes and villains, brought them to a place called Battleworld, and made them fight it out to see who was better. While they were away, the Vision became chairman of the Avengers, and when they returned, Vision wanted the Avengers to have a larger presence and commissioned the West Coast Avengers out of a new Avengers Compound in sunny Los Angeles, California. The initial team was led by Hawkeye and featured Wonder Man, Mockingbird, Tigra and James Rhodes in the Iron Man armor.
Do you think this “West Coast Avengers” Easter egg means the games are connected? Or is it all just a coincidence? Let us know your take in the comments!
For more info on the game, check out the release date for Marvel’s Avengers and watch the full E3 presentation below:
Joshua is Senior Editor of IGN Comics. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.
