The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a tricky place. While extremely popular and lucrative, there is also a fair amount of legal work that goes into adapting the comic book characters for the big screen. And with Marvel having properties brokered out to Sony, Fox, and the MCU, it's impossible to actually assemble all of the iconic characters into one shared universe. But Marvel head Kevin Feige did manage to get Spider-Man into the MCU, and he's recently opened up regarding how he made that particular deal happen. And it was all about honesty and making sure that Sony still had power.
Kevin Feige recently spoke to THR about the highly anticipated Spider-Man: Homecoming. He eventually opened up about the shared custody deal with Sony, saying:
It really came down to me telling Amy (Pascal) in her office that I think the best thing for this character is: Sony has the rights, that's not changing. Have Sony pay for the movie, distribute the movie, market the movie. Just let us make the movie and incorporate him into our universe.
Well, that's one way of doing things. It seems like the constructive conversations regarding Peter Parker's inclusion into the MCU happened mostly because Kevin Feige made his intentions very clear. Marvel Studios wasn't trying to steal the character from Sony, but allow Spider-Man to finally interact with the other Marvel characters that are currently dominating the silver screen. The MCU doesn't have ownership of the character, just the ability to include Tom Holland's version in ensemble projects like Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War.
Spidey's inclusion in the MCU is one of the reasons why the newest incarnation of the character is already so beloved. After years of wishing the web slinger would show up on the scene, he finally did in the absolutely fantastic tarmac battle in Civil War. And this incarnation's first solo movie will also tie into the MCU through the inclusion of Tony Stark and Happy Hogan.
After the first two Spider-Man franchises, rebooting another cookie cutter version of the character would likely have resulted in poor box office performance and collective groans of Marvel fans. So it was definitely in Sony's best interest to get creative and find a way to make the web slinger relevant again. But his brief appearance in Civil War did just that, as his lack of appearances in promotional material helped build anticipation for his small role. Additionally, the casting of Tom Holland helped bring a level of realness due to the actor's age and fantastic physical capabilities.
Spider-Man: Homecoming will swing into theaters July 7, 2017. In the meantime, you can check our full 2017 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
