As of writing, Disney, the parent company of Marvel Studios, and Sony Pictures, who currently hold the exclusive rights to produce feature films starring Spider-Man, have failed to reach terms of agreement on the production of future Spider-Man movies, after the expiration of their original, 2015 deal earlier this year with the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home. Long story short, as of right now, Spider-Man is no longer part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
There's a cynic in me saying that this is all part of some high-stakes game, in which both parties are playing hardball with one another, tossing their unresolved dispute into the court of public opinion, also known as the internet and waiting to see who comes off worst. It's no secret that money is at the heart of the dispute, serving as a sobering reality check to us fans that at the end of the day, it's the main reason why these films are made. Sure, folks like Kevin Feige and many, if not most of the filmmakers he shepherds may be sincere in their artistic intentions, but he's not the one who signs the checks.
Either way, whatever I think, there really isn't much for me to say, is there? I mean, whoever is at fault, and considering there's no contract yet to speak of, it's hard to put the blame on any one person, the net result is still the same: Sony suffers because the creative force behind the last two live-action Spider-Man movies, including the first-ever Spidey film to gross a billion dollars worldwide (notably, in a crowded superhero movie marketplace), is gone, Marvel suffers because, following the retirement of two of its top characters from the MCU at the end of Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man should have been an important cog in its narrative moving forward, and ultimately, the fans lose for obvious reasons. So nobody wins. Nobody.
What hurts about this is how it comes on the heels of a banner year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in which Marvel's record-breaking success was basically a direct result of its love for the fans. All of us fans pushed Avengers: Endgame past Avatar at the global box-office, and Spider-Man: Far From Home past Skyfall because Marvel and Sony (with a huge helping hand from Marvel), made these films that we loved. Period. I wish I had something cleverer to say, some kind of in-depth analysis to offer, but really, I just feel angry at both Disney and Sony for pulling this crap.
With Avengers: Endgame, I basically felt that all sense of urgency in following the MCU was gone, and that I could take or leave any of the films to come. With the insane cliffhanger provided by Spider-Man: Far From Home, that changed, at least for Spider-Man's story, but now, well, maybe I can really and truly walk away. Maybe I should thank both Disney and Sony for making it easy.
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