Bye Bye Spidey? The Sony/Disney Feud Explained As Character Leaves The MCU

From Esquire

Last month at Comic-Con, Marvel unveiled their ambitious plans for Phase 4 of the MCU, including Natalie Portman as Mighty Thor, Mahershala Ali in a rebooted Blade, Black Widow, Guardians of the Galaxy 3, Captain Marvel 2, Black Panther 2, The Eternals, and many more.

One character conspicuously absent from the line-up was Spider-Man. The Sony-owned franchise has crossed over into the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2016's Captain America: Civil War, but Disney-owned Marvel have been unable to reach a financial agreement for his continued inclusion over last few months.

Last night Sony tweeted to break the news that we're unlikely to be seeing Tom Holland's character in Marvel films any time soon.

In the past, Spider-Man has been able to appear in Avengers movies because of an agreement between Sony and Disney. This meant Marvel co-produced and shared profits from standalone Spider-Man films, such as Homecoming and Far From Home.

Disney are now demanding that future films are financed 50-50, instead of the existing terms which gives Marvel 5% of first-dollar gross and all merchandising revenue, with the rest going to Sony.

As it stands, Sony Spider-Man films won't have Marvel's involvement, Spider-Man won't appear in Marvel movies, and it isn't confirmed whether Tom Holland has signed a contract for the two Far From Home follow-ups Sony are planning.

The news has split fans, with some praising Sony for standing up to Disney given that they don't have rights to the intellectual property of the character, and therefore shouldn't demand a bigger share.

Others have claimed the support and guidance of Marvel's Kevin Feige have made Spider-Man films great again. They also argue that thanks to Marvel, Spider-Man: Far From Home was the most lucrative Sony film to date.

There's also serious concerns that Sony getting control over the franchise again means fans are about to see Uncle Ben die for a fourth time.

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