SPIDER-MAN: Stan Lee's Daughter Tears Into Disney As Tom Holland's Father Weighs In On The News

SPIDER-MAN: Stan Lee's Daughter Tears Into Disney As Tom Holland's Father Weighs In On The News

The Sony/Disney split continues to send ripples through Hollywood, and now Stan Lee's daughter has made some controversial comments about Spidey's future. Meanwhile, Tom Holland's dad is making headlines!

By JoshWilding - Aug 22, 2019 09:08 AM EST
Filed Under: No Way Home
TMZ has, for some reason, tracked down Stan Lee's daughter, Joan Celia Lee, to get her take on Spider-Man's imminent departure from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

Well, she believes that Sony has made the right decision and has nothing good to say about Marvel or Disney. "When my father died, no one from Marvel or Disney reached out to me. From day one, they have commoditized my father’s work and never shown him or his legacy any respect or decency. In the end, no one could have treated my father worse than Marvel and Disney’s executives."

Absolutely none of that makes sense, as Lee has been memorialised by Marvel Studios on multiple occasions since his death. It's worth nothing his daughter made headlines before his death due to allegations that she inflicted both physical and psychological abuse upon her father, as well as her mother, Joan Lee, prior to Joan's death in July 2017. 

So, yeah, her opinion doesn't really carry a whole lot of weight! 

In related news, Tom Holland's father has made headlines by also weighing in on the matter on his personal blog. He claims to have no inside knowledge of what's going on behind the scenes, but used the "#SaveSpiderMan" hashtag on Twitter. However, after noting that he believes his son will continue playing the wall-crawler, it ultimately appears as if he's just promoting his latest book! 

In a follow-up post, the elder Holland says, "Tom Holland’s dad has not even spoken with Tom Holland since this seismic story broke and he certainly is not taking any sides, he is not calling for any boycotts and he will not be storming any offices anytime soon."

Tom has yet to comment on the situation, but with Spider-Man on Marvel's banners at D23, this weekend could be mighty awkward...

Hit the "View List" button to find out everything
we know about what's happening with Spidey!

Two More Spider-Man Movies Are In The Works

Holland


As of right now, director Jon Watts reportedly does NOT have a deal to return, while Tom Holland's status is somewhat up in the air. Chances are the actor is locked in, though, and we can probably assume that the other key cast members have multi-picture deals that will also require them to come back for at least one more film, regardless of how they feel about this news. 

Sony has made it clear in statements released since this story broke that they plan to continue on the path Marvel Studios put them on, so at least that FFH cliffhanger won't be left unresolved. 

However, it was Kevin Feige who decided to out Spider-Man's secret identity to his aunt (and probably the world as well), and with the wall-crawler no longer lined up to be the MCU's new Tony Stark, Sony Pictures has some serious explaining to do when it comes to where his story goes next. 
 

Disney Is Just As Much To Blame As Sony

Disney-Logo


If you take a look at social media and the "#SpiderMan" hashtag, Sony Pictures is taking an absolute pounding from fans. That would explain why they've released multiple statements pointing to Disney being to blame for what's happened, and, as hard as it may be to admit given Sony's frustrating track record, they make a valid point. 

Disney has gone from receiving 5% of first dollar gross to wanting 50%, and that's a big ask for Sony Pictures, especially when Spider-Man is their most successful franchise and this new deal would have likely extended to all those live-action spinoffs as well. 

While Disney should be compensated for Marvel Studios' role in the Spider-Man movies (they do everything from providing the concept art to hiring talent, and come up with everything we see in terms of the creative), half of the profits is a lot - especially when they already own the character's merchandising rights. 
 

The Talks Have Been Taking Place For Months

Boardroom


This isn't a sudden decision on anyone's part. Talks between Sony and Disney have been taking place for months now, but the two sides simply can't agree. While Sony offered Disney the same deal they have now, they weren't willing to budge, and despite Sony claiming that "negotiations are ongoing," multiple outlets confirm that no talks are happening right now.

Now, there's no reason to suspect that they won't pick up again at some point, but Sony's latest statement makes it sound pretty definitive and it feels like they're leaving the ball in Disney's court.

Ultimately, both sides need to stop and think about whether it's worth compromising. Sony is said to be confident that they can manage without Marvel's help (especially after the success of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Venom), but just how much will the MCU suffer without Spidey? 
 

Is Kevin Feige Being Spread Too Thin? 

Kevin


One report states that Disney is concerned that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige is doing too much. As well as the Marvel movies, he now has an entire slate of Disney+ TV shows to oversee, and they're understandably unwilling for those to suffer in terms of quality so he can help another studio's franchise that they receive only a very small amount of money from. 

Sony alluded to this in a statement when they essentially blamed the arrival of the X-Men and Fantastic Four in the MCU on Feige simply not having time to be named a producer on future Spider-Man films. Feige is definitely a busy man, but this feels like spin on Sony's part and a way of shifting the blame for them not wanting to pay Disney what they want to keep him around.
 

What Those Sony Statements Actually Reveal...

Sony


Sony issued a number of statements last night, and there's a surprising amount to unpack in them.

The first claimed that the "dispute is simply over a producer credit and negotiations are ongoing" before adding that Feige has worked on a number of Sony's Marvel movies without receiving that credit. In other words, they were trying to downplay the situation and make it sound like he could still be involved in some capacity moving forward (don't bank on that). 

The second followed multiple reports that this split is happening, and very much pinned the blame on Disney while also confirming that the franchise will continue.

Disney got greedy, but Sony got stupid, and it's hard to escape the feeling that much of what we're seeing is a public negotiating tactic which will force one, or both, sides to reconsider their stance. 
 

Kevin Feige's Role In Sony's Spider-Verse

Venom-12


According to both Sony and a number of reliable sources, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has been helping the studio with their Marvel properties for quite some time now. This isn't exactly breaking news because we know Sony asked for his input/advice on The Amazing Spider-Man movies; the Sony/Disney deal meant he was given full creative control and not ignored, though. 

One report reveals that Feige even consulted on Venom, but it was Sony Pictures boss Tom Rothman who was ultimately sitting in the editing room figuring out the final cut of the critically panned release. He was in charge of Fox for "Barakapool" and the Fantastic Four reboot so he's clearly no Feige, but, to his credit, he reportedly did offer Disney a number of options which they later refused. 

Don't bank on Disney allowing Feige to offer any sort of input in the future, though, because just  as Fantastic Four comics vanished from shelves when Fox had plans for the characters, Marvel and Disney no longer have a reason to help them. Sony appears to be aware of that, too, as they've said, "we are grateful for his help and guidance and appreciate the path he has helped put us on."
 

Tom Rothman, Amy Pascal, And Sony's Future Spider-Man Plans

Spidey56


What comes next is hard to say, and is something we'll be exploring a little later today. However, what we do know is that the current Spider-Man franchise is expected to continue and that Amy Pascal, who has produced the wall-crawler's last two adventures alongside Kevin Feige, will remain in that role. There's been no mention of Avi Arad, but he's bound to want to get involved. 

We may or may not get some updates over the coming days, but Sony's statement was pretty definitive and Marvel Studios/Disney has yet to comment on the situation. For now, though, don't be shocked if we're left in the dark as talks (hopefully) begin to place again behind the scenes.

How do you guys feel about what's happening with Spider-Man? Let us know in the below and continue reading to see how Far From Home set up the hero's (now non-existent?) MCU future!
 

Spider-Man: Menace

Spidey-Handcuffs


Thanks to Mysterio's master manipulation, the world believes that he was a hero who saved the world and that Spider-Man killed him because he wants to become the next Tony Stark. A huge part of Quentin Beck's mission here is to prove that people will believe anything they're told, and it's clear now that the public (and authorities) will view the wall-crawler as a menace. 

That's something his comic book counterpart has been going through for decades now, and Spidey being chased down by the cops (and even his fellow heroes) is a common sight. 

However, the big change here is that his secret identity has also been outed and that's going to change Peter Parker's status quo in a major way; he can't hide behind a mask, and is surely going to have to go on the run. He might deny the accusations, of course, but that would feel like something of a cop out on Marvel's part.
 

The Daily Bugle Is Back

Spidey-Jonah


Perhaps the biggest shocker in the mid-credits scene is the fact that J. Jonah Jameson is back (and played by J.K. Simmons!) and The Daily Bugle is now a website. As of right now, we don't know whether either Jameson or the Bugle will return in the future, as this could have very easily been a one-off cameo to make comic book fans happy.

In the MCU, Peter doesn't have any sort of relationship with Jameson, so including him in future adventures could feel a little forced. However, even just the odd appearance on TV as he continues bashing Spider-Man would be a fun to see, and wouldn't require a lot of time from Simmons. With The Daily Bugle part of this shared world now, though, there are a lot of very exciting possibilities. 
 

Spider-Sense

Spider-Sense


During the movie's final act, the web-slinger finally gains control of his Spider-Sense (or Peter-Tingle) and uses it to navigate Mysterio's drone attack. There have been hints that it exists before now, but this hopefully means it will play a larger role in his adventures moving forward. 

While Spidey being able to dodge every attack would be a little boring, the hero is definitely more confident now and so having the precognitive ability would be an exciting addition and gives Marvel Studios the opportunity to show off an interesting new side to Peter's powers. 
 

Nick Fury...In Space!

Fury-Hill-1


The movie's post-credits scene may be played for laughs, but it also reveals that Nick Fury has been commanding a Skrull spaceship in outer space. The fact that Talos and Soren are on Earth doesn't really mean much (especially when they're still heroes and not about to embark on any sort of "Secret Invasion"), but Fury heading into space could definitely come into play somewhere down the line.

After all, it doesn't seem like he's interested in coming home, and after Captain Marvel was praised for the dynamic between Carol Danvers and the then S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, common sense says we'll see them team-up in the present day, this time on Carol's turf!
 

Mysterio...Lives?

Quentin-1


Mysterio appeared to be dead as a doornail the last time we saw him, but should we really buy into that? After all, this is Quentin Beck, a character who has routinely faked his demise and was even resurrected at one point after blowing his brains out in front of Daredevil. 

Seeing as he's responsible for outing Spider-Man's secret identity to the world, there's definitely unfinished business here, and while Spider-Man: Far From Home doesn't exactly set the stage for the Sinister Six, it would be crazy for Mysterio not to be part of that villainous team.
 

Kree Sleeper Cells On Earth

Kree1


During a conversation between Nick Fury (Talos) and Maria Hill (Soren), we learn that there are Kree sleeper cells on Earth. This may seem like a throwaway mention, but Marvel Studios must have known that fans would pick up on this and it's impossible to imagine there not being some sort of pay off.

Captain Marvel 2 seems like the most realistic option, but it could just be that following Thanos' devastating attack on the entire universe, a lot of aliens have now gravitated to our planet. That sets the stage for both the Kree/Skrull War (2?) and even Secret Invasion. We'll have to wait and see. 
 

Aftermath Of The Blip

Snap


Spider-Man: Far From Home only briefly touches on the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame and mostly in a comical fashion. However, it's clear that the world has gone through some changes and it would be very surprising not to see this continue to be touched upon. 

While it seems we've already had our answers about how everyone returned after being dusted, the fact that the world thinks Captain America is dead is bound to be addressed in Falcon & The Winter Soldier on Disney+, and it doesn't seem like a stretch to believe that Doctor Strange might be dealing with an even greater level of guilt than Peter Parker in his sequel over what happened to Iron Man.
 

Romance For Peter And MJ

Peter-MJ-1


MJ may be a very different take on the version of the character we know from the comic books, but she and Peter have clearly fallen for each other and that sets the stage for one of the Marvel Universe's greatest romances to play out in the MCU moving forward. 

There's a lot of potential here, especially now that Spider-Man's identity has been outed, and it will be interesting to see the impact that has on their budding romance. Someone not quite so lucky in love is Happy Hogan, as the movie makes it clear that May just viewed their relationship as a summer fling. So, chances are things between them won't continue to develop in future instalments. 
 

Hydro-Man's Return

Hydro-Man-1


Shortly after the water Elemental attacks Venice, Flash Thompson reads out a report from Buzzfeed which mistakenly claims that it must have been Morris Bench, a criminal with water powers. There's nothing to say we'll necessarily see the real Hydro-Man enter the MCU, but the fact that he exists is definitely intriguing, and he could easily end up being a member of the Sinister Six or a even just a hired thug.

Time will tell, but with no mention of The Vulture or Scorpion in the movie, there's a strong possibility that this reference to another of Spidey's villains could be more significant than it initially seems.
 

Avengers Disassembled

Spidey-Avengers


One thing that's clear in Spider-Man: Far From Home is that The Avengers are definitely disassembled, because they're not there to help battle The Elementals and Talos makes it clear at the end of the movie that he had no idea what to tell people when they asked.

It seems Earth's Mightiest Heroes went their separate ways following the events of Avengers: Endgame, and the stage is now set for a new team to come together...or for a certain villain to create his own dark roster. Either way, while Spidey seemed like a prime candidate to lead the team after getting E.D.I.T.H., there's no way that's happening now he's been framed as a murderer. 
 
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knocturnalzen10
knocturnalzen10 - 8/22/2019, 9:08 AM
that's pretty sad on Marvel's/Disney end smh .......
GhostDog
GhostDog - 8/22/2019, 9:09 AM
@SpardaJr

"Disney is the [frick]ing devil."

The actual devil reading this:



TheUnworthyThor
TheUnworthyThor - 8/22/2019, 9:11 AM
It’s not even a believable take.
BlueMarvel7
BlueMarvel7 - 8/22/2019, 9:11 AM
GhostDog
GhostDog - 8/22/2019, 9:11 AM
I want to believe she's referring to Disney execs and not someone like Feige when she says no one reached out to her after Stan's death.

That's supremely [frick]ed up if no one did.
JuanCobble
JuanCobble - 8/22/2019, 9:11 AM
Im so ready to read all the mcu fans ragging and deffending their beloved (and not greedy) Disney
tmp3
tmp3 - 8/22/2019, 9:13 AM
OT:

@regularmovieguy
Also, The Report looks so good
TheRealMandarin
TheRealMandarin - 8/22/2019, 9:14 AM
Disney"The spidey fans- you killed them."

Sony"WEEEEE KILLED THEM."
regularmovieguy
regularmovieguy - 8/22/2019, 9:15 AM
@tmp3

Oh [frick] yea, gonna watch it now.
Mrcool210
Mrcool210 - 8/22/2019, 9:15 AM
What does like most of her comments have to do with this sort of situation? Plus why reach out to her especially after the allegations put against her? She can't pull the "Yeah [frick] those guys for what they did to my dad" Especially after this is more proof out there that she pulled some shady shit with Stan then Disney and Marvel pulling shady shit with stan in recent years.

I will say though, while it sucks that Stan is no longer with us, It would have broke his heart to see this. So I'm glad that before he died he got to see Spider-Man play with most of the rest of his heroes. Probably made him the happiest man alive.

tmp3
tmp3 - 8/22/2019, 9:15 AM
No shit that Disney execs are bad. No studio is altruistic, and it's perfectly fine if we criticize on soulless, multi-billion conglomerates like Disney or WB or Sony or Universal. It's weird when people call other people who criticize studios as "haters", but c'est la vie.
Ha1frican
Ha1frican - 8/22/2019, 9:15 AM
Yknow I have a real hard time believing his daughter here, Stan seemed to really have a lot of love for Marvel Studios in the BTS tribute they have for him in on the Endgame release. Also wasn’t there a bunch of shady stuff regarding how he was treated by family and management just before he died?
JustAChillFan
JustAChillFan - 8/22/2019, 9:15 AM
I mean I don't trust Stan Lee's daughter, there were always reports coming out about her using all of his money and making him and his wife bail her out and cover her debts. Not to mention all the reports of elder abuse that she was inflicting on him. I don't really care what happens in this whole situation, I enjoy watching the MCU and am still highly invested in it. I could care less what Sony does as venom was total crap, and their animated division is super hit or miss. No faith in them tbh, especially Tom Rothman
regularmovieguy
regularmovieguy - 8/22/2019, 9:18 AM
@tmp3

I like what I’m seeing, man. Hope Norton knocks it out of the park.
Yelmurc
Yelmurc - 8/22/2019, 9:20 AM
Does Disney own e live action TV rights? Could they do a Disney+ Spider-Man series?
RageDriver2401
RageDriver2401 - 8/22/2019, 9:20 AM
I still think/hope something will be worked out. Spider-Man just has too big a presence in the MCU for them to just let him go.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 8/22/2019, 9:21 AM
@SpardaJr

Hollywood is a cesspool. I couldn’t imagine having to navigate that environment.

Shit, this site is hard to navigate right now
Doomsday8888
Doomsday8888 - 8/22/2019, 9:21 AM

An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again. But one that crumbles from within, that's dead. Forever.
Repian
Repian - 8/22/2019, 9:21 AM
Joan Lee's opinion doesn't matter to me. She just wants to be noticed and create controversy. It is a bitch.
RageDriver2401
RageDriver2401 - 8/22/2019, 9:21 AM
Also, why is the site still broken? Nate usually sorts out these kind of issues pretty fast.
marvel72
marvel72 - 8/22/2019, 9:22 AM
She knows how Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko felt.
Ha1frican
Ha1frican - 8/22/2019, 9:22 AM
For anyone taking his daughters comments without a grain of salt.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/stan-lee-would-like-to-set-the-record-straight-will-anyone-let-him
Mrcool210
Mrcool210 - 8/22/2019, 9:23 AM
@TheDoctor1225 I know it won't happen, but it would be [frick]ing hillarious if Disney announced that they did reach a deal with Sony at D23. Almost like some sort of thing to get people hyped for D23. God I wish that sort of thing would happen. We need him back man, I'm still freaking out.





Himura
Himura - 8/22/2019, 9:28 AM
Does anyone really care what Tom Holland’s dad thinks? Or was this just another excuse for Wilding to write another shitty article?
soberchimera
soberchimera - 8/22/2019, 9:29 AM
Let's be 100% honest here folks, as much as we love these characters, their creators got royally screwed over by the publishing companies: Shuster, Siegel, Finger, Kirby, Lee, Wolfman, Friedrichs, Isabella. Let's side with people before we side with companies.
regularmovieguy
regularmovieguy - 8/22/2019, 9:34 AM
@PlusUltra

“Feige was also smart enough to build up the MCU Spider-Man in a way where he’s totally depended on the MCU and those connections. ”

Happy Hogan and Aunt May broke up. Tony is dead. Spidey is his own hero; doing heroic things. All is well in the universe - they just can’t mention The Avengers in these movies.

LongMayHeReign
LongMayHeReign - 8/22/2019, 9:36 AM
@SpardaJr

So Disney is evil for making a special Stan Lee in memoriam for CM and Endgame, but if they ignored his passing that would've been better? There's plenty of reasons to bring Disney ethics into question but them honoring Stan Lee is surely not one of them.

Fans would have lost their shit had Marvel not done something special after Stan's passing and you know that's a fact. Considering the allegations of how poorly Stan's daughter treated him and just used him for money who's the real evil person in this situation?
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