AVENGERS POLL: SPIDER-MAN

[Doctor Bong]

How do you rate Spider-Man as an avenger on a scale from 1 to 8 points?
How well does he work for you within the dynamics of the team?
How much do you like/dislike him as a character?

[scottharris]

I went with a two. I like Spider-man in Avengers usually more than in his own book, but the interesting thing about Spidey is how poorly he ends up working out in a team setting. The storyline where he finally joins the team around #316 and totally fails to fit in at all is for me the definitive Avengers Spider-man story.

[Shiryu]

Six.
Having Spidey becoming a full time Avenger is one of the things I kept wishing when I was a kid reading the book, and I always found very preposterous the reasons given for him not joining.

He has teamed up with basically every existing marvel hero over and over again, has been in the corners of the universe and in various other dimensions, has good scientific knowledge (not Reed or Tony level, but much better than most of the others), more experience than almost everybody else, has faced the likes of the Stranger and even defeated Firelord on his own, so I disagree with the "he's not team player" thing. Of course, he isn't a born team player, but the same could have been said for Hawkeye and several others before they became as such.

On the down side, everytime he is in a group, he seems only capable of making jokes or panic, and even in NA he hasn't really made the difference anytime, so can't go higher than 6.

[Dr. Hank Pym]

Sept 22, 2008 14:24:26 GMT -5 scottharris said:

I went with a two. I like Spider-man in Avengers usually more than in his own book, but the interesting thing about Spidey is how poorly he ends up working out in a team setting. The storyline where he finally joins the team around #316 and totally fails to fit in at all is for me the definitive Avengers Spider-man story.

Oooh, I loved that storyline! It was a five-ish issue arc, it wasn't that bad!

scottharris sums it up best. But I'll add in a comment anyway. In the 60's, he would've been a great Avenger. But when he started to come out of his shell, as both Spidey and Petey, he became too much of an icon to even be considered to be a member of any team, in my eyes. I gave him a two.

[dlw66]

I voted a 1.

Power-wise, he doesn't really do anything that other members can't already do. Wisecracking-wise, he doesn't do anything that Hawkeye or the Beast can't already do. And personality-wise, Hank Pym has the whole insecure thing down much better than even Peter Parker...

Some characters should just be solo. Spidey, Daredevil, and even Batman (solo from the standpoint of JLA, not from Robin).

[Nutcase65]

got to go with a 1 for this one. While I love spidey, the whole spidey-venger back in the first run felt contrived and forced, just so they could say "look he's an Avenger" and the entire New Avenger thing, well,.. whatever

[starfoxxx]

a 1. I still believe that Spidey should always be a loner (who helps out his fellow new york heroes regularly) and Wolvie should just be an X-whatever.

[spiderwasp]

This is a tough one. I'd give him a 3 or 4 for his appearances in the original series. I liked having him as a reserve member who could occasionally show up. On the other hand, I'd give him a 1 as a New Avenger. That just seemed forced to me.

[Doctor Bong]

2 points, not really Avengers material for me.

[woodside]

This is a toughy.

I like him in New Avengers -- esp. his relationship with Cap and Iron Man (both things that were explored more in Civil War and ASM than Avengers proper). But at the same time, he doesn't quite fit in with the old line-up.

Gotta go with a three here.

[Bored Yesterday]

The most iconic of all Marvel's heroes. Pretty darn powerful in hand-to-hand combat. Good to have a wisecracker, because Beast and Hawkeye can't be members ALL of the time. Has history with just about every other hero and villain in the universe, and knowledge of all those threats.

[Ignore Me!]

Oct 21, 2008 12:22:47 GMT -5 Bored Yesterday said:

The most iconic of all Marvel's heroes. Pretty darn powerful in hand-to-hand combat. Good to have a wisecracker, because Beast and Hawkeye can't be members ALL of the time. Has history with just about every other hero and villain in the universe, and knowledge of all those threats.

And if he was used so he would make a great Avenger. Unfortunately, BENDIS! has explored none of this other than in Breakout where every villian wanted a piece o' Spidey.

I always wanted to see him on the Avengers, but I think when it comes down to it, he should be alone. ( example : so your so called "team-mates" don't trick you into exposing your secret identity to the whole freakin' world! )

[Bored Yesterday]

I make no excuses for how the books turned out. I guess I'm more focused on the potential of things than how they've turned out under the pen of Bendis. I operate under the rule that if I don't read it, it doesn't exist.

[freedomfighter]

a 1.
it's a terrible idea.
how does poor average joe empathize with spidey when he's on the most awesome super team, is married to a supermodel and lives in a lush Avengers Tower (at first, anyway).
yes some of these factors are gone, but even so, in order for spidey to get that empathy, he has to be down on his luck. he can't be on the a-team, the in crowd, he can't be one of the jocks, so to speak.
now spidey is just another good guy at this point...

[Bored Yesterday]

Just leave it to Parker, he'll screw it up somehow. Already did with the whole Mephisto thing. Had his chance, and he blew it.