Spider-Man’s Hollywood Tug-of-War: Marvel vs. Sony Explained
Most people assume that Marvel owns all its superheroes, but Spider-Man’s case is a little more complicated. Back in the 1990s, Marvel was struggling financially and began selling the film rights to some of its most popular characters to stay afloat.
In 1999, Sony Pictures bought the movie rights to Spider-Man for around $7 million. This is why Sony was the studio behind the early Spider-Man movies starring Tobey Maguire and later, Andrew Garfield. Fast forward to the 2010s, Marvel had become a powerhouse under Disney, creating the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) with characters like Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America. But fans wanted Spider-Man in the MCU, and Marvel didn’t have the legal rights to use him in movies.
So in 2015, Disney (which owns Marvel Studios) struck a rare deal with Sony. The agreement allowed Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland, to appear in MCU films like Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, while Sony continued to produce solo Spider-Man movies with help from Marvel’s creative team.
However, in 2019, the partnership nearly fell apart. Disney wanted a bigger share of the profits from future Spider-Man films, but Sony refused. For a short time, Spider-Man was effectively removed from the MCU, sparking massive backlash from fans online. Thankfully, both companies returned to the table and reached a new agreement.
Spider-Man would appear in one more solo MCU film (Spider-Man: No Way Home) and one additional Marvel crossover. While that deal satisfied fans for now, the future remains uncertain. Spider-Man still legally belongs to Sony when it comes to film rights, and Marvel has to negotiate each time they want to include him. It’s like shared custody of a superhero — and fans are just hoping the parents don’t fight again.
By Ahmad Mukhlis
Sources :
https://insidethemagic.net/2021/11/sony-spider-man-universe-mcu-th1mmb/
https://www.gq.com/story/sonys-weird-spider-man-extended-universe-explained-to-the-extent-that-its-explicable
