As the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home approaches, the more we hear about the film it sounds as if it is a sort of end of an era. Not to say we won’t see Tom Holland and company again in the MCU but it feels like it could be the start of a new chapter for the character. Since there seems to be some kind of finality hinted at with this part of the story, some might be worried about what happens between Marvel and Sony after Spider-Man wraps up his latest adventure. If you remember, we saw a rather emotional and public split in regards to the rights of the character back in 2019 but Marvel boss Kevin Feige thinks all those involved, and the fans, won’t have to endure that again.
While speaking in the latest issue of “Empire”, via ComicBook.com, Feige spoke on the difficult situation that arose in 2019 between Marvel and Sony and admitted that, before it occurred, that he “was mentally preparing to emotionally separate from it.” He went on to add, “I didn’t love it, but it is what it is. And then, thankfully, it came back together.”
When speaking on the future, and if a situation like this would ever happen again, Feige said, “I don’t anticipate us going through that emotional rollercoaster, or putting fans through that emotional rollercoaster, again.” This has to be good news for fans and it also seems like he’s not just giving fans lip service. Spider-Man: No Way Home, through its multiverse storyline, acknowledges the Sony era of Spider-Man, and the post-credits scene from Venom: Let There Be Carnage also shows a marrying of the Sony and Marvel worlds of the character. It definitely seems like the two entities are playing nice with the property because, let’s face it, there is a lot of money to be made here if everyone just gets along.
For those unfamiliar, while Spider-Man is a VERY popular Marvel character, Sony held the rights to the character, even as the MCU was emerging as a force to be reckoned with in the film industry. At the time The Avengers emerged in 2012, Sony was rebooting Spider-Man with Andrew Garfield in The Amazing Spider-Man. When that series fell apart after the second film, Marvel struck a deal with Sony to bring Spider-Man into the MCU for a few films with Tom Holland first taking on the role in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. Everything seemed like sunshine and roses until after the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home three years later. Headlines were made when it was revealed that the deal between Marvel and Sony had broken down which meant Spider-Man could no longer be used in the MCU. The announcement left the industry and fans stunned and many of them took to social media to express their displeasure with the outcome. The situation got so fire at one point that Civil War directors Joe and Anthony Russo chimed in and Tom Holland himself also got involved to help the two entities to come to a mutual agreement. Thankfully, one month later, the two studios came to a new agreement that kept Spider-Man in the MCU.
Where the character goes after No Way Home might be up in the air but at least fans can remain calm that the union between Marvel and Sony in regards to the character should remain solid moving forward. The future of the character is pretty exciting at this point and it’s good to know that these studios will continue to work together to maintain his integrity.
What do YOU want to see from Spider-Man after No Way Home?