Is Spiderman a Team Leader of the Pro-side?

[jackolover]

I would like to explore the role Spiderman was given in Civil War 3

1. If Spidey is just a salaried civil servant, he just gets a wage, and benefits, like any other superhuman that's registered.

2. Then why does Spidey order Skybird's guys to keep the renegades in their sights? Is SM a team leader here?

3. If SM is a team leader, that means Shield and The Superhuman Taskforce ( Wikipedea designation for pro-side Avengers), accept that Peters expertise is good enough for him to be a leader. I find this curious, considering Maria Hills attitude to Spidey in New Avengers 18, where she had Spidey mind swiped.

4. If Spidey is a team leader, that makes Peters reluctance about combat missions against Renegades questionable. At no point did Stark hand Peter authority during, or before, these missions, that I could see. Yet here is Peter acting like he is in charge in CW3, at the chemical plant fire.

5. Is the appearance of Peter being a leader in CW 3 just a furfy? Maybe I shouldn't read too much into it?

[Brandon McKinnis]

I would like to explore the role Spiderman was given in Civil War 3

1. If Spidey is just a salaried civil servant, he just gets a wage, and benefits, like any other superhuman that's registered.

2. Then why does Spidey order Skybird's guys to keep the renegades in their sights? Is SM a team leader here?

3. If SM is a team leader, that means Shield and The Superhuman Taskforce ( Wikipedea designation for pro-side Avengers), accept that Peters expertise is good enough for him to be a leader. I find this curious, considering Maria Hills attitude to Spidey in New Avengers 18, where she had Spidey mind swiped.

4. If Spidey is a team leader, that makes Peters reluctance about combat missions against Renegades questionable. At no point did Stark hand Peter authority during, or before, these missions, that I could see. Yet here is Peter acting like he is in charge in CW3, at the chemical plant fire.

5. Is the appearance of Peter being a leader in CW 3 just a furfy? Maybe I shouldn't read too much into it?

I'd say Spidey, is definitely a captain in Tony's army, which is probably why he reacts the way he does when Spider-man opts to leave. If you're a general and one of your top guys bails on you, you probably are going to have to shoot them so that the enemy can't capture them or worse convert them.

[jackolover]

I'd say Spidey, is definitely a captain in Tony's army, which is probably why he reacts the way he does when Spider-man opts to leave. If you're a general and one of your top guys bails on you, you probably are going to have to shoot them so that the enemy can't capture them or worse convert them.

I still don't have the latest ASM, so I don't know what happens there yet. But, yes, I do think Spidey is a captain. Especially how he talked to Cap in CW 3. However, that conversation he had with cap in CW3 was different to how Spidey talked to cap in his ASM book later on.

In CW3, Spidey says something like, 'hey big guy, what's your probelm. You don't normally behave like this'.

Then in ASM he's all, caps a legend and he webs up his shield to for cap to retrieve it later.

[mattx110]

pete's kind of a senior superhero, he doesn't need a special title and rank for people to do what he says. the older guys and avengers might treat him like a kid because he acts like one a lot, but since he's close to iron man and that he's one of the long-standing superheroes (he's been doing the hero thing since he was 15 or something aroudn there) the others respect him.

[nuclearman]

I don't think he's ever been considered a leader, particularly in Starks eyes... I'd suggest to Stark that Peter has been a vehicle... a necessary pawn to be manipulated. Maybe he provided Peter with some responsibilities but I believe the major players at Shield don't trust him.

[jackolover]

pete's kind of a senior superhero, he doesn't need a special title and rank for people to do what he says. the older guys and avengers might treat him like a kid because he acts like one a lot, but since he's close to iron man and that he's one of the long-standing superheroes (he's been doing the hero thing since he was 15 or something aroudn there) the others respect him.

Sure looks that way. I just wonder how the change came about, that people said before the fight in CW 3, 'hey, lets have spidey lead us'. Or did Iron Man say. 'And today folks, Spidey is taking the lead. Take your orders from him'.

I mean, even back in the first Secret Wars, Spidey was not looked upon as one of the leaders. To me, it's a very big step to see Peter as the take control man in a team. Not that I don't think he can. But he's never done that before to my knowledge.

[jackolover]

I don't think he's ever been considered a leader, particularly in Starks eyes... I'd suggest to Stark that Peter has been a vehicle... a necessary pawn to be manipulated. Maybe he provided Peter with some responsibilities but I believe the major players at Shield don't trust him.

Yeah, Stark giving Peter some responsibility is a good thing. I'm not sure of the manipulation thing, but Stark is certainly open to that charge. I'm hoping Tony is supporting Peter, and it's part of this support that motivates Tony's behaviour.

As far as other people at Shield trusting Peter, you'll notice after Peter ordered the Skybird guys, that Maria Hill interceded and to inforce the instruction? I wonder if your issue of trust is there? It could be.

[Miss Kitty Fantastico]

My impression is that Spidey could be best described as Iron Man's lieutenant. I don't know that there's a solid hierarchy in place, a 'superhero army' as such, so much as a mutually-agreed-upon leader - Tony - and then 'everyone else' in various capacities, with mission rules laid down and agreed beforehand. So, for instance, Wonder Man may not have to do exactly what Tony tells him to on the battlefield according to any actual regulation, but they all know Tony is top dog, so Wonder Man had better have a damn good reason for ignoring what he says. And Spidey, as Tony's lieutenant, has a position of influence so long as Tony appears to be backing him - anyone disagreeing with what Spidey says they should do had, likewise, better have a damn good reason.

SHIELD is military, so there has to be a defined hierarchy - orders must come from the top down, through clear channels. I imagine the long-term plan is for heroes to be incorporated into the SHIELD system, with ranks like everyone else, but for now I think they're still operating on an informal basis - there's more pressing matters right now than who gets which rank. Thus Maria Hill accepts Spidey's advice because it's the sensible thing to do to keep the whole informal SHIELD/superhero team working, and reissues it as an order because that makes it binding to her forces.

That's probably the best way for them to handle things at the moment. They can't just stick the heroes in the SHIELD hierarchy at the bottom of the ladder, because the heroes clearly have more experience and savvy than a SHIELD grunt - all of Tony's strike force would be considered officers, if it were an army. But they don't have time to bring all their newly-acquired heroes up to speed on SHIELD regulations and protocols - they need them on the ground, kicking arse, right away. So they're loosely attached, with SHIELD officers serving as liaisons to allow the heroes' wishes to be translated into formal orders for SHIELD troops.

[Jack]

I still maintain that what they should have done was have Peter take over as leader of the Pro-side, seeing as he's the only one being portrayed as a decent human being.

But no, they can't have Spider-Man on the bad side, so they have to have him defect.

[-S-Man-]

How is the Anti-Side the bad side?

Did you read ASM #535? If you didn't then you should, if you did then how could you possibly defend what Tony and Reed are doing?

[BigBoss]

spidey said in issue 535 that he is tonys 2 in command.

[Jack]

How is the Anti-Side the bad side?

Did you read ASM #535? If you didn't then you should, if you did then how could you possibly defend what Tony and Reed are doing?

Try reading what I said again..

[mrc1214]

He was the 2nd in command. But theres not doubt in my mind hes leaving the pro-side. Im not saying he'll join the anti but i think itd be safe to say hes leaving the pro. He should be a leader of some team in the near future though.

[Jmacq1]

He was the 2nd in command. But theres not doubt in my mind hes leaving the pro-side. Im not saying he'll join the anti but i think itd be safe to say hes leaving the pro. He should be a leader of some team in the near future though.

While I do think Spidey had a certain degree of authority as Tony's "right hand man" in the early stages of Civil War, I -don't- think Spidey's really "leader" material.

It's just not his "thing". It doesn't make him any less of a hero or any less great of a character, but not everyone is a Captain America or Cyclops or Iron Man. Peter doesn't really strike me as the kind of guy that likes to "take charge" in group situations. He could be a very effective teacher, I think...but not really a battlefield leader, except perhaps in an inspirational "setting the example" sense.

[mattx110]

well, now that he's an avenger with cap (umm... maybe... i guess that's pretty heavily affected by civil war, but not the point), or if/when he defects to the anti side, cap'll give him leadership skills lessons.

cap is kinda, a military strategic genius, where spiderman's powers involve being able to avoid dangers to himself, and that might not help the people he's leading, so he'll need some extra training but i think he can take over a team.

he probably has the most common sense of any superhero, and that counts for a lot in getting people to follow your orders (or you can go the opposite and be a religious zealot/cult leader).

edit: hey, maybe the reason spideys all in black and depressed at the end of this is cause he tries to defect from tony's side and captian america rejects him as a potential spy/starks whipping boy. just a thought.