Following the rumours circulating regarding the fate of Spider-Man there was a huge social media backlash, particularly aimed at Sony. Fans expressed their outrage at the studio’s failure to come to an agreement to save Spider-Man’s place in the MCU through the hashtag #SaveSpiderMan. Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has quickly become a fan favourite and plays a integral role in the franchise, so it comes as no surprise that the thought of Peter Parker’s journey coming to a close, especially after the cliffhanger in Far From Home, caused uproar within the community.
Tom Holland himself is said to have made appeals to both Sony and Disney during the split to form a new deal to get Spider-Man back into the franchise. Bob Iger, Disney CEO, in an interview reveals that Holland called in attempt to protect his role. Iger stated that this prompted a continuation in negotiations to in his words ‘get this done for Tom and the fans’. Without the role of social media fans would not have been able to play a vocal role in the public negotiations catching the attention of Tom and the studios and the outcome could have been very different. The internet and social media is without a doubt a massive factor in franchise’s success.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
The new deal leaves Disney, Marvels parent company, paying 25% of the production cost and receiving around 25% of the profits as opposed to the 5% of the profits they previously earned. However it seems as if Sony actually came out on top. Whilst gaining the publicity and profits from the character in the Marvel cinematic universe Sony now additionally is able to include Tom Holland’s character in their own films including his rumoured appearance in Venom 2. Sony actually ending up with having the best of both worlds.
Kevin Feige implies the increasing involvement Spiderman will have in Sony’s cinematic universe:
“[Spider-Man] happens to be the only hero with the superpower to cross cinematic universes, so as Sony continues to develop their own Spidey-verse you never know what surprises the future might hold.”
All this brings to light questions regarding Tom Holland’s future in the MCU. Will Marvel attempt to lessen his importance in the franchise? Many have speculated that since Far From Home has already introduced the idea of the multiverse, Spider-Man could be phased out of the marvel franchise through being transported into a new reality. This would allow for a seamless integration into Sony’s franchise whilst having a conclusion from marvel’s.
But for now Spider-Man fans can look forward to a third film out in 2021!
