Marvel fans’ worst fear has seemingly come to fruition. Sony has decided to take its ‘Spider-Man’ film franchise and move on without the involvement of Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios, and Disney. And just like that, the entirety of the ‘Spider-Man’ universe is completely in flux.
Deadline is reporting that a deal that was being worked on with Disney and Sony has completely fallen apart with the latter deciding that it doesn’t need Feige’s involvement any longer in the ‘Spider-Man’ franchise. Sony reportedly feels like they have the formula of a quality ‘Spider-Man’ film already and have secured Tom Holland and director Jon Watts for two more films. So, why do they need Feige?
READ MORE: Sony Planning ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ Re-Release With Four Minutes Of Deleted Scenes
Wow. Just wow. What a fucking mess.
The facts first, before we get to speculation, goes something like this — Disney wanted to work out a more involved deal for future Marvel Studios/Sony collabs, where the Mouse House would co-finance (and thus, share profits) on future ‘Spider-Man’ films, while also having a bit more control over the extended ‘Spider-Man’ Universe, like ‘Venom,’ ‘Morbius,’ etc… Apparently, the report says that Sony was so upset with the offer that Tom Rothman, Sony boss, didn’t even counter the terms with a compromise. Instead, the studio will opt to leave Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige behind.
But here’s the problem — No Feige, no Marvel Cinematic Universe. And perhaps, the success of the last two ‘Spider-Man’ films, steeped in MCU lore, will be hard to replicate without, uh, you know, the MCU.
That means, no more Iron Man mentions. No silly Captain America cameos. No Happy Hogan/Aunt May flirtation. No Nick Fury or Skrulls. And absolutely no future ‘Avengers’ films. How Marvel Studios and Sony plan on dealing with this situation is anyone’s guess.
Sure, it’s easier for Marvel Studios, who has dozens of heroes that can fill the void of Spidey. But let’s be real, Spider-Man (and Tom Holland’s version of the character, especially) is one of the biggest superheroes in the world and a pivotal member of whatever shape the new Avengers roster takes. That being said, Marvel Studios did just fine before Spidey and will likely continue on just fine, introducing another teenage superhero to take Peter Parker’s place (Nova? Ms. Marvel?).
But for Sony, this is way more complicated. It isn’t that the latest two ‘Spider-Man’ films had hints of MCU ties, like the Marvel TV series. Instead, ‘Homecoming’ and ‘Far From Home’ were dripping with Marvel Studios/Avengers plot threads. Villains were spawned by Tony Stark’s existence. Peter’s growth was tied directly to his interaction with the Avengers and the larger MCU.
Can Sony make a continuation of the Tom Holland/Jon Watts ‘Spider-Man’ franchise without the MCU? Sure, but it’s not going to be easy, and it’s sure as hell going to be noticeable.
The Labor Day weekend re-release of ‘Far From Home’ now has a more somber undertone, doesn’t it?
