It seems that the chances of Disney and Sony Pictures resolving their differences are growing increasingly slimmer as Tom Holland appeared at Keystone Comic-Con in Philadelphia yesterday and shed some light on where
Spider-Man goes nex - in Sony's "Spider-Verse," not the MCU.
"It’s not the end of me playing Spider-Man," the actor confirmed.
"There’s definitely more to come. We sat down with some of our creatives. We pitched Spider-Man 3, which is going to be something very special, it’s going to be something very different. I’m just so grateful that Marvel changed my life and allowed my dreams to come true and Sony allowing me to continue living my dream."
We know these talks stalled months ago, so it seems Holland must have had some idea that Spidey's time in the MCU was over while he was promoting
Spider-Man: Far From Home. After all, a third chapter can't have been pitched since Tuesday!
"It’s a crazy week," he continued,
"and it’s never been done before so we’ll see how it goes and it’ll be as amazing and as fun."
As for what the future holds in store for the character, it sounds like we're getting some new crossovers. "It’s really exciting, the ideas we have for how we can expand the Spider-Man world and bring new characters into it, and crossover with other people, it’s really exciting. And it’s only going to get bigger and better from here, which is great."
That doesn't necessarily confirm a crossover with Venom in Spider-Man 3, but it seems highly likely...
Hit the "View List" button to check out a recap of
everything we know so far about Spidey's MCU departure!
Two More Spider-Man Movies Are In The Works
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
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
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?
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 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
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
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
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
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
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!
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?
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
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
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
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
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
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.