Since the Marvel/Sony Spider-Man deal only became official in February, one reporter asked Feige about how Marvel will incorporate the character into the MCU relatively late in the game. After noting that "it's not about when you show up, it's about what you do once you're there," Feige explained that Marvel's creative team had a Spider-Man backup plan to be prepared if his addition fell into place."This has been a dream of ours for a long time," Feige said. "We always had contingency plans, which we always do anyway. Are we going to be able to make another deal with this actor? If so, we're going to do this; if not, we're going to do this. If we get the rights to a certain character, that's great; we're going to do this. If not, we're going to do this. We always sort of operate under those various alternate timelines available and ready to shift if something happens."
Feige also noted that "the most important thing as a standalone is relaunching Spider-Man in his own standalone movie with his own storylines that fits into this universe. That is job number one for us. ... The connectivity is great, but it doesn't drive the train."Despite Spider-Man being introduced in Civil War, Feige reiterated that the film is "very much Cap's story" and it's "very much a sequel to the Winter Soldier." He talked a bit about how Civil War will balance the many, many superheroes included in its roster, crediting screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely for keeping the balance right.
"There were a lot of characters in The Winter Soldier, but it felt like a very singular and relatively simple thriller. Civil War follows in that same way," Feige said. "I think that's something [directors Joe and Anthony Russo] pride themselves on, and our screenwriters Chris Markus and Steve McFeely are excellent at giving each character just enough. They're not full arcs for everybody; it's just enough that their presence is felt and important, but that the very clear single story that is being told is being served at all times."
Captain America: Civil War hits theaters on May 6, 2016, while Avengers: Age of Ultron is out on 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray, DVD, Digital SD and On-Demand on October 2nd. Terri Schwartz is Entertainment Editor for IGN. Follow her on Twitter at @Terri_Schwartz.