Marvel Studios
Here’s how massive Spider-Man potentially leaving the Marvel Cinematic Universe is: during a summer where Avengers: Endgame became the highest-grossing film of all-time, it was the report that the Spidey deal between Sony and Marvel Studios had broken down that was the biggest MCU-related news of the summer.
Due to an apparent breakdown in negotiations, Tom Holland’s version of Spider-Man will no longer appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and will instead feature exclusively in Sony’s junior varisty Spider-Man universe with the likes of Tom Hardy’s Venom.
And while fans across the globe were obviously upset with Sony’s decision, they weren’t the only ones with strong opinions about the studio who once got hacked by North Korea, as Joe Russo — one half of the Avengers: Endgame directorial team — called Sony’s retraction of Spider “a big mistake”:
“It was a tenuous, fraught union throughout the whole process. But, I will say, stepping back and trying to be objective as possible, that I think it’s a tragic mistake on Sony’s part to think that they can replicate Kevin’s penchant for telling incredible stories and the amazing success he has had over the years. I think it’s a big mistake,” Joe Russo told The Toronto Sun.
While the relationship between Sony and Marvel Studios seems to be at an impasse, I’ve long maintained that the two major Hollywood studios will eventually work out a deal, as there’s no way Sony actually believes that taking Spider-Man out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be beneficial to their bottom line.
Even if Sony is getting a larger piece of the pie without Marvel Studios’ involvement, that pie will likely be significantly smaller without the help of the MCU.
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Eric is a New York City-based writer who still isn’t sure how he’s allowed to have this much fun for a living and will tell anyone who listens that Gotham City is canonically in New Jersey. Contact him: eric@brobible.com.