Spider-Man appeared in four films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe ina deal that for the past few years seemed to benefit both Disney, which owns Marvel Comics and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Sony, which has held on to the rights to produce and distribute films featuring or relating to the character. After Sony had creative issues producing Spider-Man films on its won, it allowed the MCU to use the character in a cinematic universe storyline fans were on board with, reaping the benefits of any profits generated for Spider-Man films, while Disney was allowed to incorporate the beloved character into its universe. That deal, it was just announced, has ended.
There was a lot of speculation running rampant about how long this deal would last. With Sony reaping benefits in two ways (both having their character in the MCU, while continuing to make massive profits on ancillary characters like Venom) there seemed to be no reason why such a deal needed to end, and then people started talking about how if Spider-Man Far From Home didn’t crack a billion, than the character would revert to Sony. Then the film did crack a billion, and all seemed to be right with the world, until now.
Apparently, the issue now is all about financing of future Spider-Man films, and whether the profits would or should be split evenly between the two studios. Though there was probably more to it, it seemed that Sony kept any profits from films like Far From Home but the Disney would benefit from having the character incorporated into its lore, helpful for films like Avengers Infinity War and Avengers Endgame . But it seems that when new terms for a more even split were brought to the table, Sony has said “no Thanks” and is willing to cgo at this alone.
Just a personal opinion here: Sony, your previous attempts to bring Spider-Man into the current age we are experiencing of comic book movies failed, and the script for Amazing Spider-Man 2 was a clear example of trying to press all the buttons of a cinematic universe without actually telling a good story that anyone actually cares about. Kevin Feige, who has spearheaded the MCU through over 20 films, is a good storyteller, and the decision to allow him to guide any creative decisions regarding this character was a very good one. For those reasons, this latest move seems ill-advised, but we will certainly see where it goes
