Sony and Marvel are set to go their separate ways after the deal that is now in place – which includes the next Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and reportedly a future team-up appearance for Peter Parker, expires. The question then becomes, can Sony keep the Spider-Man magic alive without the Marvel Studios partnership?
Sony is betting on the answer being yes, of course. Sony’s Spider-Verse – officially titled Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters – already includes more than Spider-Man, thanks to Venom, and its soon-to-be-released sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Neither of those movies have been the runaway success of the Spider-Man movies which Marvel has co-produced, however. But that doesn’t mean the studio doesn’t have big plans for Spider-Man-related characters, and for the big man himself. The question is if fans will buy into what they’re selling.
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A lot of is in riding on Venom: Let There be Carnage. If the movie is well-received, and the character of Venom becomes a staple, it’s easy to see a movie where Spider-Man finally faces off with Venom in the future. Sony doesn’t even need the second Venom movie to be a runaway success for that, it just needs it to do well enough that there’s still an interest in more of the character. Essentially, they need a reason to bring Spider-Man from the MCU into the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters. They need a relationship people can invest in.
If they manage that, then the future seems set. But that’s a big if, and there are more doubts than certainties in place for a studio that already tried to launch a Spider-Man franchise and failed. Especially considering that the studio’s original deal with Marvel requires Sony to continue to produce Spider-Man-related content. One movie every five years or the rights revert back to Marvel Studios. This isn’t an issue now, particularly with the current deal with Marvel in play, but when the current run of Spider-Man is done, this will become a bigger concern for Sony.
Tom Holland was an inspired choice for Spider-Man, and many fans consider him their favorite incarnation of the character. But Holland’s Spider-Man is also very recognizable for his relationships with some of the MCU’s most iconic characters. Even with Tony Stark gone, it might just be that Peter Parker’s ties to the MCU are, at this point, too strong to break. Holland is incredibly charismatic, but is he as interesting without those established ties? Will he even be keen to continue playing Peter Parker for that much longer?
Spider-Man: No Way Home is currently set for a December 2021 release. Presumably, fans will get one more turn with Peter Parker in the MCU after that. And then it's uncharted territory. The smart play for Sony is to use this moment to try to establish some of the other Spider-Man characters that could help them sustain the universe going forward. That’s where Venom, and the upcoming Morbius movie come into play.
But Sony isn’t stopping at movies, with Sony Pictures Television reportedly developing several live-action series set in the same universe as the films, starting with Silk. The studio also released the animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in 2018. The animated feature, which introduced the multiverse, was incredibly successful, with a sequel expected for 2022, and a spin-off already planned. Sony isn’t letting go of the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel characters anytime soon. In fact, there’s a lot there for them to draw on.
This doesn’t necessarily mean, however, that Spider-Man, as a character, can continue working as well as he did within the context of the MCU. With some other established characters to draw upon, the relevance of the current Spider-Man incantation can be drawn out, as new dynamics are explored. But soon there might come a time when Holland isn’t willing to continue, and then it’ll be up to Sony to figure out how to do the thing they didn’t get right before: make Spider-Man work.
They’re certainly in a better place than before. They’ve already made it work once, even if the creative decisions weren’t wholly theirs. And there’s enough good will that people will give whatever they do next a chance. However, the smartest play might just be to continue with this Spider-Man for as long as Holland’s interest and commitment holds, and then take a small break from the character. As long as they continue to play in the Spider-Man sandbox, the rights remain firmly on their side, and that way they can avoid the always uncomfortable issue of having to compete with themselves.
Spider-Man – already a very recognizable superhero – has become one of the most-well known properties in the world. If Sony is going to continue to capitalize on his fame, it needs to play its cards right. For now, that might just mean focusing on developing some of the secondary characters. Maybe one of them will be the spark. And if not, they might just have to hope Holland can be convinced, or another young star is waiting in the wings somewhere, dreaming of becoming the next Spider-Man.
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