Credit: Inside the MagicAcross multiple cinematic interpretations, numerous actors have embodied the iconic persona of New York City’s Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, drawing from the rich tapestry of Marvel Comics created by legendary creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
The tale of young Peter Parker, the nerdy kid hailing from Queens who inadvertently gains superpowers from a radioactive spider bite, and the iconic message that “with great power comes great responsibility” is one known throughout the world.
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Spider-Man’s cinematic journey began with Tobey Maguire’s portrayal in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, which ran from 2002 to 2007 — and may soon see a revival. Following Maguire, Andrew Garfield stepped into the role in The Amazing Spider-Man series, starting in 2012 and continuing with The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in 2014.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), under Kevin Feige’s leadership, has forged a unique collaboration with Sony, facilitated by its parent company, The Walt Disney Company.
This partnership brought together various Spider-Man iterations into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, along with their respective villains like Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin/Norman Osborn and Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus/Doc Ock, culminating in the success of Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021.
Tom Holland is the latest actor to portray Peter Parker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, facing reimagined versions of classic characters like Aunt May, MJ, and potentially Harry Osborn and Wilson Fisk/Kingpin in the future. Holland first appeared in the MCU with Captain America: Civil War (2016) and later starred in the solo film Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017).
Now, with Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man/Tony Stark and Chris Evans’ Captain America/Steve Rogers stepping down, and the proverbial Avengers torch passing down to the remaining, scattered heroes as the universe faces the threat of Multiversal War, the MCU has entered a new phase known as the Multiverse Saga.
The Future of Spider-Man in the MCU
A recent insider report has shared that the much-anticipated Spider-Man 4 will now be released during the gap between the two upcoming Avengers films, the newly announced Avengers: Doomsday (previously Avengers: The Kang Dynasty) and Avengers: Secret Wars. This effectively scraps the predicted 2025 release for a 2026 one, delaying the film for yet another year.
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Rumors and insider reports had previously suggested that Tom Holland’s next Spider-Man appearance would take a more “street-level” approach, aligning with Disney CEO Bob Iger’s plan to de-saturate the superhero movie market, while also aligning stylistically and thematically with the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again Disney+ (Disney Plus) series.
This show is expected to introduce New York’s anti-vigilante mayor and notorious crime lord, Wilson Fisk, also known as the Kingpin, portrayed by Vincent D’Onofrio from the original Daredevil (2015-2019) Netflix series, and grandfather other actors and characters from the series like Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil, Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson, Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin, Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/The Punisher, and Wilson Bethel as Benjamin “Dex” Poindexter/Bullseye into the MCU proper.
What is Sony’s Plan for Spider-Man?
However, it seems that Sony’s reported “intense” negotiations and pressure on Disney to make Spider-Man 4 yet another Multiverse-centered film akin to No Way Home have paid off.
Given the overwhelming success of the Multiverse-driven Deadpool & Wolverine earlier this summer (to the tune of over a billion dollars), it appears that the executives at both Sony and Disney see continued potential in Marvel’s universe-crossing storylines.
The plan for Sony seems to be to lean into relying almost solely on the Disney-owned Marvel Studios MCU-associated Spider-Man franchise, as apart from what appears to be the abandonment of the Sony Spider-Man Universe (SSU) which includes their best-received franchise, the Venom series of films, beginning with Venom (2018), starring Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock/Venom — a commercial success despite mixed reviews — and follow-up Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021), and the upcoming Venom: The Last Dance (2024).
Another key piece of the SSU is undoubtedly its infamously “bad” films like Morbius (2022), featuring Jared Leto as the titular anti-hero, and Madame Web (2024) starring Dakota Johnson as Cassandra Webb/Cassie Webb.
Upcoming films like Kraven the Hunter could yet turn the public perception of the SSU around, although any significant turnaround for the Sony-driven universe of movies is unlikely — something that Sony also seems to think, as they have gone full-in on the “solo Sony Spider-Man” abandonment train.
Sony Abandons Spider-Man Projects
With the SSU essentially on its last breath, the Oscar-winning Spider-Verse franchise might be dead right now, too.
New reports have indicated that the Spider-Verse will no longer be in production within the television sphere, as Spider-Verse creators and producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s five-year, nine-figure contract has gone the way of the dodo.
Phil Lord co-wrote the screenplay for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and produced the film alongside Chris Miller. Both Lord and Miller also served as producers for the sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, alongside Amy Pascal, and this TV deal would have brought the Spider-Verse into the home with their first project Silk: Spider Society (now scrapped).
Spider-Noir, a live-action series starring Nicolas Cage, is the only project of Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s that is still set to debut on Amazon via this Sony deal.
Lord and Miller’s work on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, cemented their reputation as innovators in animation, recognized both within the industry and by general audiences for their ability to push boundaries and create fresh, captivating content.
A strained relationship with the guardians of this beloved intellectual property could spell trouble for future Spider-Man projects. Sony’s likelihood of continuing to push their original, animated Spider-Verse content — no matter how well received — might just be not worth the hassle, considering the ease with which money can be printed through their Disney and Marvel Studios deal.
Currently, the future of the Spider-Man on-screen franchise doesn’t seem particularly bright. With Disney and Marvel struggling to find a creative voice and director to stick with the Spidey 4 project, the continued delays might make Sony antsy to get something out the door, quality be damned — considering their control over the intellectual property evaporates after five years without the webslinger on the big screen.
Will we be treated to another Morbius-like rushed job with Spider-Man 4 to appease studio executives, this time in the MCU proper? Only time will tell.
What do you think of the future of Spider-Man on screen? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!