When it comes to superheroes on the big screen, most audience-goers don’t really know or care about which studio owns what.Logan,Guardians of the Galaxy,Wonder Woman—they’re all good movies! But for those curious about exactly what’s allowed to happen when and where, understanding the various character rights issues is key. This is especially important when it comes to Spider-Man, as the character is currently being shared by three studios: Sony Pictures, Marvel Studios, and Disney. This is an unprecedented partnership that’s paved the way for the rebootSpider-Man: Homecoming, but confusion has arisen as Sony hasalsomade moves to establish its own interconnected superhero universe separate fromSpider-Manand the MCU.
To understand all of this it’s important to know exactly how these rights work. BeforeIron Man, Marvel was simply in the business of helping produce movies based on its various comics characters. Marvel would license the rights to its most valuable characters for a fee, like Spider-Man and the X-Men, to various studios (in this case Sony Pictures and 20th Century Fox, respectively), and those studios would pay for, distribute, and reap the box office of those films.
But in the mid-2000s, Marvel created Marvel Studios and decided to produce its own superhero movies. The problem here was that they had already sold the licenses to its most famous characters—Sony had Spider-Man, Fox had the X-Men and Fantastic Four, and as long as the studios continued to pay a licensing fee and continued producing these movies, Marvel Studios couldn’t have them back. Much was made about Marvel Studios operating with a “B-level” lineup of heroes like Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor, but as we now know they—under the stewardship of presidentKevin Feige—forged an unprecedented path that created an interconnected universe of films, resulting in one of the most successful franchises in history.
So the difference between a “Marvel movie” and a “Marvel Studios movie” is that the former may be owned and operated by a completely different studio, and is 100% not connected to the “Marvel Cinematic Universe” (i.e. theIron Man,Avengers,Captain Americamovies that all take place in the same world).Loganis a great movie, but Kevin Feige was not spearheading anything on that film andHugh Jackman’s Wolverine does not exist in the MCU.
Studios like 20th Century Fox have the licenses to pretty diverse franchises likeX-MenandFantastic Four, meaning they’re able to make a variety of films like the aforementionedLogan,Deadpool, and the upcomingNew Mutants. Sony Pictures, meanwhile, only has one major superhero license, and that’s Spider-Man. The studio very publicly rebooted this property with 2012’sThe Amazing Spider-Manand its sequelThe Amazing Spider-Man 2, but neither film fared well enough with critics or fans to really reinvigorate the studio’s superhero lineup.
So what happened? ProducerAmy Pascal, who at the time was the head of Sony Pictures, was able to strike an unprecedented deal with Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige tosharethe character of Spider-Man. After lengthy discussions, they agreed to move ahead with a new reboot, although this time things would be different.Spider-Man: Homecomingis still financed and distributed by Sony Pictures (i.e. they pay for 100% of it), and Sony gets the box office, but Marvel Studios produced the film and served as the “creative lead.” That means Feige and the Marvel Studios braintrust helped pick the director and cast, helped craft the film’s tone and style, and made sure to bring something fresh and new to character that audiences are alreadyveryfamiliar with. In short, they made a Marvel StudiosSpider-Manmovie.
So what does Marvel Studios get in return out of this deal? Besides getting to play with a toy they’ve been eyeing for a very long time now, they get to useTom Holland’s Peter Parker in a set number of MCU movies (five in total, per this initial agreement, includingHomecomingand its sequel). That means thatSpider-Man: Homecomingtakes place within the same Marvel Cinematic Universe asDoctor StrangeandIron Man, and Holland’s Peter Parker—after making his debut inCaptain America: Civil War—is appearing alongside folks like Tony Stark and Black Widow inAvengers: Infinity Warand theuntitledAvengers 4.
While Marvel Studios only gets 5% of the first dollar box office gross fromSpider-Man: Homecomingand its sequel, theydostill own the merchandising rights to Spider-Man. Moreover, ensuringSpider-Man: Homecomingis a good movie helps the MCU brand—if folks like this Peter Parker, they’re going to want to see him inInfinity Warand whatever other MCU movies he’s in.
The current, complicated deal that was struck between Marvel, Sony, and Disney (which owns Marvel) is at present only forSpider-Man: Homecoming, its sequel,Civil War, and the twoAvengersmovies. If all goes well, they’ll come back to the table and renegotiate to keep this going. Or it’s possible that Sony says “we’ll take it from here” and Peter Parker disappears from the MCU altogether.
Complicating matters now, however, is the fact that Sony Pictures—looking to expand its reach in the superhero realm—is greenlighting other superhero movies based on Spider-Man comics that don’t directly involve Spider-Man or Peter Parker. This includesaVenommoviestarringTom Hardy, a female-drivenBlack Cat & Silver Sablemoviedirected byGina Prince-Bythewood, ananimated Miles Morales movie, and potentially films based onMysterio and Kraven the Hunter. Here’s the rub: Marvel Studios hasnoinput or involvement in these movies at this point in time. They are part of what Sony is calling their “Marvel Universe”, not to be confused with the “Marvel Cinematic Universe” over at Disney/Marvel Studios.
Because the Sony/Marvel Studios deal forSpider-Man: Homecominginvolves the character of Peter Parker and Holland’s portrayal, he can’t be used in any of these other Marvel Comics movies Sony is developing. That’s why, contrary to rumor, Holland, Feige, and Pascalrecently confirmedthatVenomand these other films arenotpart of the MCU and will not involve Tom Holland.
But since Sony has the license for Peter Parker, why can’t he have a cameo inVenomyou ask? Because if Tom Holland shows up, even for a split second, inVenom, by association that immediately means thatVenomhas to exist within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And because Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios run averytight ship and develop their movies for years before pulling the trigger, there’s no way Feige and Co. are going to let a film they’ve had no input on just all of a sudden “become” canon in the MCU—especially an R-ratedVenommovie.
It’s entirely possible that when it comes time to renegotiate, Marvel Studios comes onboard as a partner anddoesstart to develop these other “spinoff” movies, but as of right now the only films that are officially MCU canon are the ones involving Tom Holland as Peter Parker.
There. That wasn’t so complicated was it?
