It's been an interesting week in the world of comic book movies, especially when it comes to the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Despite the massive success of Spider-Man: Far From Home, Sony and Marvel have ended their shared custody of Tom Holland's signature Marvel hero. The future of Peter's role in the MCU is unclear, as the Spider-Verse continues to grow for Sony, kickstarted by the success of Venom. But did Kevin Feige actually work on Ruben Fleischer's blockbuster?
Venom was a big risk for Sony, one that ended up paying off greatly once the movie hit theaters. Despite a poor critical performance, the movie really connected with audiences, and it made a ton of money at the box office. The movie was in some ways the antithesis of the meticulous MCU, but a report about Sony and Disney's Spider-beef indicated that he "lent an unofficial hand" in the early stages of Venom's road to theaters.
This potential intel comes to us from Deadline, which helped break the news of Sony and Marvel's split as the news originally broke. The Venom franchise and its potential future no doubt factored into Sony's decision to end the deal, given the property's potential to grow and create spinoff opportunities. And the potential to bring the wall-crawler into the story with his villains was likely too good to pass up.
Kevin Feige's involvement with Venom may end up just being a rumor, as there hasn't been any previous indication that he was involved in Eddie Brock's raucous origin story. What's more, the outlet has since updated/retracted the story, and the line about Feige appears to no longer be present. Still, it's a concept that is blowing minds of the collective fandom in the midst of the ongoing situation.
Cinephiles were shocked earlier this week when news of Sony and Marvel's split was revealed. The turn of events basically broke the internet, and left us with countless questions about how the Spider-Verse and Marvel Cinematic Universe would move forward. The latter franchise seems to be in a particularly precarious position, given how popular Tom Holland's Peter Parker has become across his five film appearances.
Related: Spider-Man Fallout: Sony ‘Disappointed’ But Planning To Move On Without Marvel
Spider-Man made his long awaited Marvel debut at the start of Phase Three with Captain America: Civil War. Fans instantly connected with Tom Holland's youthful energy and gymnastic abilities, and the character had a compelling arc throughout that slate of movies. His relationship with Tony Stark was a particularly beloved aspect of the larger shared universe, and the story was played out across his two solo movies and Avengers appearances.
It should be fascinating to see how the ongoing situation continues to unfurl. Social media has been sounding off, with Spider-related hashtags trending for the past few days. There's no way of predicting how the industry will handle this change, and what storytelling possibilities close or end. Regardless, CinemaBlend will keep you updated as more details become public.
Venom 2 is currently set to arrive in theaters on October 2nd, 2020, and the next installment in the MCU will be Black Widow on May 1st, 2020. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
