What if Spider-Man exits Marvel Cinematic Universe? Tom Holland fans can’t bear the thought

Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige revived Spider-Man on the big screen but Marvel owner Disney and Sony, which holds rights to the character, disagree on future films

Without a deal, Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland, would have to bid farewell to the Marvel Cinematic Universe cast of characters

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Will Spider-Man (Tom Holland) – here shaking hands with Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) in Spider-Man: Far From Home – ever return to the MCU? Photo: Jay Maidment/Sony

Published: 10:46am, 21 Aug 2019Updated: 12:17pm, 21 Aug 2019

Fan reaction was swift when news spread that Marvel Studios might no longer be in the business of making Spider-Man movies.

Deadline reported on Tuesday that Disney, Marvel’s parent company, and Sony have reached an impasse in negotiations over future Spider-Man films – potentially ending a partnership that has been highly profitable for both studios.

Variety reported, however, that according to one source, “a deal might still be reached between Disney and Sony”. And Gawker Media science fiction blog i09 said on Twitter that “this dispute is simply over a producer credit and negotiations are ongoing”, quoting a Sony representative.

Disney did not return a request for comment; Sony refused to comment on the record.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. The big-screen revival of Spider-Man is largely down to his incorporation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Photo: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

Sony controls the character, so if the partnership ended, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige would no longer be a credited producer on Spider-Man releases. Plus, barring a loophole, Spider-Man would apparently no longer appear in Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Feige helped jump-start the character’s cinematic presence after a Sony-produced Spider-Man sequel starring Andrew Garfield commercially underperformed in 2014. The webslinging character rebounded spectacularly in 2016 with a younger British actor, Tom Holland, inheriting the role for the Feige-led Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War .