Having Iron Man flesh out his role as Spidey's mentor in Spider-Man: Homecoming was a stroke of genius. That got us thinking: who else from the Avengers needs to take a major part in a Spider-Man movie? Here's what we came up with...
Hulk
The suggestion is that the new incarnation of Peter Parker will be in no hurry to grow up, in order to explore some of those great high school stories from the original comics. That's all well and good, but the longer young Peter remains a callow youth, the more vulnerable he becomes to our friends in the bullying community. What he needs is a giant, angry, green best mate to help ward them off. Paging Mr Hulk!
Black Widow
Now we've no idea which, if any, of the original story arcs the new Spider-Man will pursue. But if Peter's new girlfriend Liz goes the way of Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, there'll be a vacancy in the love interest department.
Given that evil foes are likely to be coming thick and fast, it makes sense for him to draw into his romantic web someone who can look after herself. And who better than Black Widow? OK, so she'd probably eat him alive. But that would be fun to watch too, wouldn't it?
Thor
It's hard to be cool if you're a geeky high-school kid. But what if you can bask in the reflected glory of a hunky tough guy? Suddenly, boys and girls alike would flock to your side. And who could be cooler than the God of Thunder himself, complete with his ruddy great hammer?
Thor and Spidey would also make a great team when it comes to dealing with bad guys. Spider-Man could wrap them up and hold them steady, leaving Thor to whack 'em with his gargantuan enchanted mallet. Job done.
Captain America
Poor old Captain America, eh? Everything used to be so straightforward. In a world of moral certainties, he was the unimpeachable shield-bearing good guy. But ever since he woke up in the modern day, everything has become so much more complicated, forcing him to take sides in complicated internal Avengers politics.
It's rather like leaving childhood behind and becoming a teenager. So as Steve Rogers and Peter Parker both struggle with life's complexities, they could be natural allies. The, ahem, tension between Captain America and Iron Man would also make for an interesting dynamic, with Spider-Man caught in the middle.
Nick Fury
No disrespect to Marisa Tomei's newly youthful Aunt May, but what the young Peter Parker needs is a father figure. And who's he got? The reluctant, frequently irresponsible Iron Man. That's hardly a role model. S.H.I.E.L.D. supremo Nick Fury has the authority to rise to the challenge, though he does have rather a lot on his plate.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is out now.
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