FOR an adaptation of a much loved comic book character there wasn’t half some kicking and screaming about the release of The Amazing Spider-Man.

For some it was the nail in the coffin of creative integrity, rebooting a franchise that wasn’t even 10 years old and was breaking more records at the box office with each instalment.
For some it was the McDonald’s-isation of a beloved character, a step too far. For others it was simply a new chapter in the evolution of Spider-Man.
Now that the dust is settled we have a film that isn’t actually that bad, while it never quite hits the heights of Spider-Man 2 it’s certainly a step in the right direction, or should that be a dance in the right direction after the horrors of Spider-Man 3?
The question now remains as to what’s next for the all-conquering Marvel universe?
While The Dark Knight Rises promises to be a goliath at the box office, the mistakes of Green Lantern have left a dark cloud over DC’s plans to match its rival at the box office.
The Avengers was a phenomenon that became the most successful film of all time that wasn’t directed by James Cameron.
But with various Marvel titles across various studios will we ever get a true Marvel universe on screen?
The X-Men are with Fox, as is Daredevil and Fantastic Four, The Avengers are with Marvel’s parent group Disney and then Spider-Man is with Sony.
There were rumours that Oscorp would feature in The Avengers but that talks broke down between Disney and Sony over rights.
It was even suggested that Peter Parker was killed off in Ultimate Spider-Man and the mantle handed over to Miles Morales as part of a wider scheme.
The culmination of this would be Morales’ Spider-Man joining the Avengers onscreen instead of Parker and thus getting round the rights issue.
It’s more than likely nothing more than fans putting two and two together but whatever you look at it, there’s never been a better time to be a Marvel fan.