The man who writes Spider-Man talks Marvel’s Cinematic Universe

Dan Slott has spent the last 20 years writing comics. In that time he’s written for Batman, The Avengers, Silver Surfer, and others, but he’s currently Marvel’s steward of Spider-Man lore, a mythology that’s evolved over the last half century. Thousands of Spider-Man stories have been told by now — some intimate and others parallel universe-spanning, many classic and plenty that are best left forgotten — and Slott is well-regarded among fans for his ability to weave canon into new, often innovative stories. Like giving all of New York City spider powers for one. Or having Peter Parker found a startup for another. As a writer and the Spider Guy, he’s in a singular position to feel ecstatic about the character’s cinematic prospects. I took time to speak with him this week about the movies, telling Spider-Man stories, and what it means to be Peter Parker in a vast multiverse.

What were your thoughts around Spider-Man finally coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

“I was completely side-swiped. I didn’t see it coming at all. I had so long been told about the politics of it, and had been told by the powers that be that it was never, ever, ever going to happen. So, I was gobsmacked.”