Is Sony Finally Willing to Sell Its Spider-Man Rights to Disney and Marvel?
Spider-Man has the most complicated story of any MCU superhero because Sony, not Marvel Studios, holds the rights to the character. As a result, there was no connection between the first several Spider-Man movies and the main MCU movies. However, once Tom Holland took over, Sony and Marvel collaborated to make three movies with the young actor.
However, while Spider-Man is currently part of the MCU, his appearances are reduced to major cinematic projects, with Sony and Disney (via Marvel) sharing the income. At the same time, both companies are building their own universes unrelated to Spider-Man, as the MCU is growing while the SSU is evolving without any Spider-Man whatsoever.
A recent rumor by popular insider DanielRPK suggests that Sony and Disney are working on a new deal that will see Spider-Man appear in more movies, which is why we cannot but ask ourselves – is it time for Sony to sell its rights to Spider-Man to Disney?
As you know, Sony launched the Spider-Man franchise by themselves, years before the MCU even started. First, it was Tobey Maguire’s trilogy, which ended up being canceled after the third movie underperformed.
Years later, Andrew Garfield took over the role, but his career lasted only two movies, after which The Amazing Spider-Man was also scrapped. At the same time, the MCU had grown to a point where it was the major comic book movie story everyone wanted to see, but… there was no Spider-Man.
Of course, it was all a matter of money, but Disney and Sony managed to agree, and as Tom Holland was cast in the role, Spider-Man moved to the MCU, while Sony retained the rights to the character.
At the same time, Sony started to build its own Spider-Man universe (SSU), but notably without Spider-Man. The current deal restricts Sony, obviously, from using Spider-Man in their films, but it also restricts Disney from using Spider-Man more. And then, we have this:
Sony and Marvel are reportedly working on a new deal that allows Spider-Man to appear in other MCU projects
— ScreenTime (@screentime) September 18, 2024
(via: @DanielRPK) pic.twitter.com/TYJr6azjmY
And while still just a rumor, it is a very significant one, as it might finally give Spidey more time on the screen. In light of that, fans are wondering whether it is time for Sony to sell the rights to Spider-Man to Disney, but that doesn’t seem likely at the moment.
Spider-Man is a solid source of income for both companies, and it is unlikely that Sony will give up its rights for an amount that is not very significant. At the same time, Disney is facing financial issues and they probably don’t have that much money to spend at this time. If the situation increases, then we will be able to talk about it again, but it is good – even with the current state of things – that the companies are working on more Spider-Man content, as he is definitely a character that the fans want to see more often.
The future will certainly be interesting, but we’d like to know what you think. Do you think Sony should keep Spider-Man and integrate him into the SSU, or is it time to sell the rights to Disney and Marvel? Or is the status quo good enough? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
