Opinion: The MCU will survive the loss of Spider-Man

Just when it seemed that Disney was about to block almost all major Marvel franchises under the umbrella of MCU, Peter Parker's famous bad luck hit again. The ongoing negotiations between Disney and Sony on Spider-Man's cinematic future have failed, which means we've probably seen Tom Holland's latest Spider-Man in the MCU (although Sony apparently would have at least two other Spider-Man films followed by Holland Far From Home). This is a depressing news for superhero fans, especially in the footsteps of the very popular Spider-Man: Far From Home. But it's important to keep the perspective. This is not the end for the MCU. It's just another hurdle to overcome for this shared universe.

The MCU has always been defined by the way it responds to these types of limitations and rights issues. When Iron Man launched the MCU in 2008, Marvel's many superhero franchises were still scattered to the four winds of Hollywood. Fox had locked the X-Men, Fantastic Four and Daredevil. Sony still controlled Spider-Man and Ghost Rider. Hulk's film rights were (and still are) partially controlled by Universal. The fragmented sale of Marvel Comics film rights may have helped save the company from bankruptcy in the 1990s, but it created a host of problems for the company that wanted to establish itself in Hollywood for ten years. later.

In 2019, Iron Man is one of the most iconic superheroes of pop culture. In 2008, it was far from the case. Is there a chance for Marvel to launch the MCU with Tony Stark in the foreground had he had Spider-Man or the X-Men available? Probably not. Leading with Iron Man was the choice of a studio with limited tools. This was not necessarily an ideal situation, but Marvel clearly made the most of it.

The success of Iron Man has really shaped Marvel Studios as a whole. Kevin Feige and his many collaborators have managed to create a gigantic and interconnected universe that captures much of what makes the Marvel Universe exceptional, even if they have had to constantly circumvent these behind-the-scenes limitations. They were able to build a coherent universe without mutants. They managed to integrate Spider-Man seamlessly into this universe eight years after its creation. They managed to keep Hulk at the vanguard of the MCU, even though Marvel Studios has refrained from releasing Hulk's solo films.

The rotten tomatoes of each Spider-Man movie

In some ways, these limitations end up working for the better. Some of the biggest names in the Marvel universe being banned, the MCU has instead shone the spotlight on relative unknowns such as Guardians of the Galaxy. In doing so, they raised the Guardians from a series of modest comics to one of the largest franchises in the world.

Marvel is still in a few years to release his own movies X-Men and Fantastic Four, but that does not matter. They have a large toy box that includes less famous but equally promising properties that will be showcased in Phase 4 of the MCU, such as Shang-Chi and The Eternals. If Spidey disappears, they do not miss other brave teenage heroes ready to fill the void.

The MCU is a giant but imperfect tapestry. Between the absence of many iconic heroes and the fact that movies never seem to reflect the characters and conflicts of TV shows, the MCU has never been as transparent and complete as it should be. This collapse of Spider-Man is only the latest example of business concerns that hinder creative desires.

But, even if we hate to see the MCU lose Peter Parker just as he was moving in the foreground, it's not a lethal blow to the latter. Marvel will continue to do what she has always done, telling beautiful stories with the characters at her disposal and bypassing rights restrictions that may occur along the way. The MCU has worked well without Spider-Man for almost a decade. He can continue to grow and prosper for another decade without him.

And in a strange way, it can work for the better. The Sony universe of Marvel characters is a much more appealing prospect if these movies can actually include Spider-Man now. Filmmakers will no longer have to go out of their way to try to present characters like Black Cat and Morbius without reflecting their connection to Peter Parker.

Every spin-movie of Spider-Man in development

Aside from the X-Men, no Marvel franchise is as rich in characters and stories and able to exist on its own. Spidey will be fine all by itself, as long as Sony has learned the lessons of previous cinematic errors (we're watching you, Amazing Spider-Man 2).

The breakup of Sony and Marvel is bad news for fans. There is no way around that. But regardless of Peter Parker's film future, we still have a lot of incredible Marvel movies to hope for in the years to come.

To learn more about the Sony-Disney stalemate, read about the potential involvement of Homecoming's director and Far From Home in a new movie, Sony's statement on "Disney's Decision" of remove Feige from his role as a producer in Spider-Man, what Jeremy Renner and Ryan Reynolds had to say about the news, why some fans were threatening to boycott Sony and the PlayStation 4, and what plot key MCU would filter a Spider-Man without Marvel who would probably be forced to give up.

Jesse is a writer with gentle manners for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket in follow @jschedeen on Twitter.