It's been a very exciting summer for Marvel fans, as Spider-Man: Far From Home ended Phase Three, and the studio has methodically revealed its plans for the next slate of movies and Disney+ TV shows. But it isn't all good news, as it it seems that Sony and Marvel Studios have reached the end of their agreement, potentially removing Tom Holland's Spider-Man from the MCU forever. The announcement has been a hard pill to swallow, but Holland has been teasing that it has the potential to bring the franchise to bigger and better places.
Tom Holland was as surprised as any of us when it was revealed that Sony and Marvel couldn't reach new terms to keep his signature character within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Peter Parker became a fan favorite character during his five appearances within the MCU, so his departure is a major bummer for moviegoers. Holland recently offered a silver lining regarding that business development, saying:
It’s really exciting, the ideas we have for how we can expand the Spider-Man world and bring new characters into it, and crossover with other people, it’s really exciting. And it’s only going to get bigger and better from here, which is great.
Well, that kind of makes me feel better. Because while Spider-Man's presence in the MCU will be sorely missed, there are new storytelling possibilities that come with him joining Sony's live-action Spider-Verse.
Tom Holland's comments from Keystone Comic Con in Philadelphia (via Comic Book) may help to alleviate the Spider-Man related dread that some moviegoers are going through. The character is one of the most popular Marvel heroes, and his inclusion in the MCU with Captain America: Civil War was a major draw of The Russo Brothers' blockbuster. We've seen him grow into a bonafide hero and Avenger, but that journey came to an unexpected end due to negotiations between the two studios.
Related: 5 Big Questions We Have About Marvel And Sony's Spider-Man Break-Up
While we may no longer see Spider-Man teaming up with the Avengers in Phase Four, Sony's live-action Spider-Verse will be given a major boost with Peter Parker's inclusion. Ruben Fleischer's Venom kickstarted the developing shared universe, surpassing the odds and poor reviews to become a box office success. Plans moved forward for a sequel as well as the Morbius movie, but one question remained: how can there be a Spider-Man shared universe without the heroes involvement?
Sony reclaiming the wall-crawler means that Spider-Man and Tom Hardy's Venom can come face to face in a future installment, whether it be Venom 2 or a team-up movie. The character will also be able to clash with his other iconic rogues, which were under Sony's ownership during Peter's tenure in the MCU. Could this mean that a Sinister Six movie is finally coming? Fingers crossed.
Morbius is currently set to arrive in theaters on July 31, 2020, and the MCU will open Phase Four with Black Widow on May 1st. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
