Spider-Man Joins Marvel's Avengers Later This Year, Update Roadmap Outlined

With Marvel's Avengers now a year old, developer Crystal Dynamics has revealed its plans for the game and the upcoming content that players can expect in the months to come. The big news here is that Spider-Man will finally be swinging into action at an unspecified time later this year, as a PlayStation-exclusive addition to the game's roster.

Spider-Man's inclusion has been a long time coming, as Marvel's Avengers filled that void after launch with two Hawkeyes--Kate Bishop and Clint Barton--during the Future Imperfect campaign, and then Black Panther during August's free War for Wakanda expansion.

As for the rest of the year, the Avengers fall and winter roadmap is focused on new post-game content, reworked systems, and returning events. You can catch a summary of everything that was revealed, below:

September Events

Beyond the roster increasing in size, Crystal Dynamics has a number of other updates on the horizon. From September 2-16, players who log in and complete all the story-based campaigns--Reassemble, Taking Aim, Future Imperfect, and War for Wakanda--will receive a celebratory nameplate, with the award being earned retroactively for anyone who has finished those missions already.

Other freebies in September include free Iron Man and Thor outfits, an additional Hero's Catalyst, and an anniversary bundle that consists of Black Panther nameplate, another Hero's Catalyst, and a Fragment Extractor.

Week 2 will see a free Thor outfit and an additional Hero's Catalyst handed out, with the rest of September being dedicated to three in-game community activities.

Priority Rush allows players the chance to complete one Priority Mission every day rather than only once per week, giving them more opportunities to earn Exotic gear, while the second event will see the Cargo Runner Synthoid appear more often. An android filled with valuable resources and loot, it's always worth prioritizing a smash 'n grab attack when it's encountered.

The third event will offer additional rewards for completing Campaign Flashback missions and an XP boost, which will help players get their heroes up to maximum level and ready to start grinding for Champion perks. New MCU-inspired outfits are also being added to the marketplace, with the latest being pulled directly from Marvel Studios' Black Panther costume wardrobe.

Gear Upgrades, Resources, And Cosmetics

Ahead of the level cap increase, a new system will allow players to upgrade Epic, Legendary, and Exotic gear, with more details on Hero Set Gear to be revealed in a future post. For resources, an update will streamline these assets to improve clarity over their use. An example will be the Polychoron resource being used exclusively for upgrading major artifacts. Fragments will still have multiple uses though and Upgrade Modules will be reserved for upgrading gear.

For earnable cosmetics, Crystal Dynamics explained that it's looking at ways to earn cosmetics through gameplay, including items that were previously only available in the marketplace.

Klaw Raid

Designed to be challenging and a conclusion to Klaue's story in War for Wakanda, the Klaw raid features custom-crafted levels, stronger enemy variety themed to the villain being faced, and new enemies called Echoes. These raid-exclusive enemies are sound constructs that require complex and tactical combat to defeat according to Crystal Dynamics.

Future Events

Upcoming events include the Corrupted Vibranium, Red Room Takeover, Tachyon Anomaly, and Cosmic Threat Events, which will be available for a limited time. Each event will have exclusive rewards and high-level gear to earn as an incentive.