The Amazing Spider-Man wasn't the runaway hit Sony Pictures hoped for, but it was successful enough to spawn a sequel and then a slate of projects which included third and fourth Spider-Man movies along with Sinister Six and a possible Venom spin-off.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 wasn't cheap to make and after it was deemed a critical and commercial disappointment, Sony decided - amid pressure from fans following leaked "Sony Hack" emails - to partner with Marvel Studios.
Andrew Garfield was out and Tom Holland was in, with the MCU's new Peter Parker making his debut in Captain America: Civil War. Spider-Man: Homecoming followed, as did appearances in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. However, during Spider-Man: Far From Home's production, Disney and Sony reached an impasse on money.
A new deal couldn't be reached and, not only did it mean Spidey would leave the MCU, but Kevin Feige's creative input was over (given what a mess Morbius' Multiversal elements were, we dread to think how Spider-Man: No Way Home was set to play out on Avi Arad's watch).
Fan backlash - including from the Russo Brothers - helped turn the tide and, one conversation between Tom Holland and Disney CEO Bob Iger later, the deal was back on. However, post-No Way Home, it's undergone another evolution.
We recently shared news on plans for Spidey's expanded MCU role and now @TheGeekyCast - the first to bring word that we were getting a Thunderbolts* trailer today - has shared some additional details.
Apparently, Sony will now start notifying Marvel Studios about which Spider-Man-related villains will be used in its non-MCU projects. Marvel will then be blocked from using that character until at least 30 days after the Sony movie is released on VOD.
This means Kraven the Hunter could be brought into the MCU - presumably a new Variant rather than the one played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, for example - providing Marvel Studios meets those requirements.
Hopefully, this means more communication moving forward and greater freedom for Marvel Studios to utilise the villains it wants. They wanted Kraven in No Way Home but that upcoming origin story ruined those plans.
Sony also has some rules to abide by; future Marvel movies produced by them will need to have budgets of at least $75 million and play in a minimum of 2000 U.S. theaters. If the deal has been restructured to this extent, it suggests the whole thing has been reconfigured in a way that's going to only benefit both the MCU and Sony's "Spider-Man Universe."
With any luck, it'll keep Spidey in the MCU for as long as possible, regardless of whatever Sony gets up to...