Marvel fans were outraged when news broke that the beloved franchise, Spider-Man, would no longer be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe after failed negotiations between Disney and Sony Pictures. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige ultimately decided not to produce any further Spider-Man films after a financing deal could not be made between the two companies.
During negotiations, Disney, who owns Marvel, asked that future Spider-Man films be a 50/50 co-financing arrangement between the studios, and quickly Sony turned that offer down. After extensive back and forth, Sony ultimately decided that they did not want to compromise by giving up half of their most profitable franchise.
With Marvel Studios already owning merchandising rights to Spider-Man, compromising financing as well would significantly cost Sony. When Sony turned down the offer, Feige pulled the plug on the entire Marvel/Sony agreement, ending Spider-Man’s inclusion in the MCU. This means, Spider-Man won’t be interacting with any of our favorite Avenger characters anytime soon unless an agreement can be reached.
Feige and Spider-Man star Tom Holland addressed this news in an interview conducted at Disney’s D23 Expo on Saturday.
Holland said, “basically, we’ve made five great movies. It’s been five amazing years. I’ve had the time of my life. Who knows what the future holds? But all I know is that I’m going to continue playing Spider-Man and having the time of my life. It’s going to be so fun, however we choose to do it.”
Holland continued, “The future for Spider-Man will be different, but it will be equally as awesome and amazing, and we’ll find new ways to make it even cooler.”
Feige spoke for his decision, stating, “We got to make five films within the MCU with Spider-Man: two standalone films and three with the Avengers. It was a dream that I never thought would happen. It was never meant to last forever. We knew there was a finite amount of time that we’d be able to do this, and we told the story we wanted to tell, and I’ll always be thankful for that.”
Marvel fans were heartbroken over the decision, causing major backlash and inspiring the hashtag, #BoycottSony, on Twitter. Despite the decision by Feige to pull Spider-Man from the MCU, many fans pointed the blame at Sony for refusing to compromise with Disney.
While the outrage by fans was huge, actors within the MCU also voiced their concerns with the decision.
Elizabeth Olsen, who plays Scarlet Witch told Variety at D23 on Friday, “It really is sad. First off, he’s the greatest Spider-Man to me. He actually has that youthful energy. He’s been incredible. It’s been really lucky that we’ve been able to work with him. I think it’s a big loss and it’s really too bad.”
Hawkeye actor Jeremy Renner took to Instagram, writing, “Hey @sonypictures we want Spider-Man back to @therealstanlee and @marvel please, thank you,” he posted.
Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan, stars of “Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” also spoke out.
Mackie said, pointing to his heart, “We will always have little Tom right here,” while Stan added, “Tom, you are always on my mind.”
Photo Source: Entertainment Weekly
