The future of Spider-Man in the MCU is not as dark as it seems



[ad_1]

Towards the end of Avengers: End of the gameHawkeye runs with the Infinity Gauntlet and asks Captain America what to do with it. To save the universe, they and their fellow Avengers need to put the Infinity Stones that he holds in a safe place. But they stand before an army led by the most formidable generals of Thanos, as well as by Thanos himself.

Seeing that Hawkeye can not overcome all these enemies alone, the Avengers orchestrate a plan on the fly, passing the Gauntlet between them like relay runners heading for the finish line.

It turns out that those who, in turn, wear the Gauntlet are all part of Marvel's next generation of flagship heroes. Black Panther takes it first, then gives it to Spider-Man, including Peter Parker. Then, as the henchmen of Thanos attack them, Captain Marvel arrives with the help.

For the fans, this scene is not just about defeating Thanos: it's a literal transfer, since Marvel reports that Black Panther, Spider-Man and Captain Marvel are ready to save the situation and lead the film universe of Marvel, just like Iron Man, captain. America, and Thor before them.

But this week, this symbolic passage of the torch was a problem.

On August 20, anonymous sources announced the conclusion of an agreement between Sony and Marvel. Since Sony owns the movie rights to Spider-Man even though the character comes from Marvel Comics, the recent partnership between the two studios is the only reason Spider-Man joined the MCU. But the reports suggested that they were at a dead end as they discussed the future of their Spider-Man agreement, with the two sides finally moving away. Result: Spider-Man will not appear in any Marvel movie.

The news throws the confusion on the future of Spider-Man and that of the MCU. Each party has their grievances and complaints, and the fans are right to worry. But there is also a case of hope. Here's why both parties could possibly find a way to let Peter Parker continue hanging out with his MCU pals.

The news of the disappearance of the Spidey MCU is probably related to negotiation and ingenuity

It's important to keep in mind: The whole story of the failure of the deal is probably part of a strategic game from Marvel or Sony, or even both studios, that aimed to gain an advantage in the negotiations . The leak of this kind of news annoys fans who appreciate the image of the Spider-Man MCU and its actor Tom Holland, and whose interest has led to positive reviews of the audience and huge successes in box office for 2017 Spider-Man: Homecoming and this year Spider-Man: far from home.

Spidey's two solo films were shot in the MCU and co-produced by Sony and Marvel. The reaction of the fans, outraged that they will no longer be among them, is putting pressure on both sides. Maybe Marvel and his parent company, Disney, will have to accept less than the 50:50 co-financing they would like to have. Sony may have to yield a little and offer Marvel more than the estimated 5% of its gross income that it would currently share. All this in the name of keeping Spider-Man in the MCU.

Sony has responded to reports of its conflict with Disney / Marvel, not by actively addressing Marvel's money issue and advocacy for a co-funding deal, but by focusing on Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige , and blaming Disney's responsibility:

"Most of today's news on Spider-Man has misinterpreted recent discussions about Kevin Feige's involvement in the franchise.We are disappointed, but respect Disney's decision not to let him continue to play the lead role in our upcoming Spider-Man movie, "said a spokesman for Sony in a statement obtained by the Hollywood Reporter.

"We hope this will change in the future," the statement continues, "but understand that the many new responsibilities Disney has given him – including all the newly added Marvel properties – leave him no time to work on Intellectual property. own. Kevin is great and we are grateful for his help and advice and we appreciate the path he has helped us follow and we will continue. "

Sony's attempt to change the subject to the busy schedule of Feige's upcoming Marvel projects might indicate that it was a Disney source that had revealed the news of blocked negotiations and called Sony "selfish." By publicly blaming Disney, Sony is actually pointing out to Spider-Man fans that he wants Spider-Man to stay in the MCU but Disney does not cooperate.

Meanwhile, anonymous sources interviewed by the Hollywood Reporter have created a story that Sony believes it "no longer needs" Kevin's Playbook "" and that Disney has always taken the highest path in terms of opportunities concerning Spider-Man.

"Just having Spider-Man in one of their movies at the time was a stem cell infusion for Marvel," said one anonymous sources.

Another source cited as a Sony insider added: "Tom [Rothman, Sony’s film head] think, "OK, we've learned everything we need thanks to Kevin's textbook. We were doing Venom ourselves and we did it Spider worms.& # 39; "

Disney has not officially commented. But realistically, it's hard to believe that Disney / Marvel or Sony would proceed without Spider-Man being part of the MCU.

Aside from Captain America and Pepper Potts, there is no character more attached to Tony Stark than Spider-Man, and because of this relationship, Marvel has instructed Spider-Man to perpetuate Tony's legacy. Marvel should rethink and completely reshape his future movies if Spider-Man could not be there.

And Sony can not deny that it has greatly benefited from the Avengers raise the profile of Spider-Man.

Spider-Man: far from home It's now Sony's biggest film ever (earning $ 1.1 billion worldwide). This film was considered the last chapter of Marvel's Phase 3 film series. And star Tom Holland has publicly praised and thrown on the opportunity to work with Marvel and be part of the MCU (Holland also seems to be part of those who are unhappy about Sony in particular because he apparently would have left the studio on Instagram after the news of her Spidey spatula is broken).

Losing your Avengers connection – Far from home included elements and scenarios introduced in End of Game – certainly not help the Spider-Man franchise. And the murmur of a sad or frustrated Holland will not be something that Sony will want to face every time a new Spider Man the movie is coming out.

It is therefore not in the interest of both studios to let this agreement pass.

How Spider-Man and the X-Men fit into the future of Marvel

Sony's statement about Kevin Feige's workload raises an issue that fans have been concerned about since 2017. The question could arise at Marvel's next presentation at the D23 show this weekend: When Marvel will he start using the X-Men and Fantastic Four in his films?

For superhero fans, the big exclamation point of Disney's recent acquisition of Fox's entertainment assets (set in motion in 2017 and finalized in 2019) was that Marvel would finally have X movie rights -Men and Fantastic Four in its catalog. . (Marvel sold the movie rights to these characters, as well as the movie rights to Spider-Man, after declaring bankruptcy in 1996). And at San Diego's Comic-Con in July, Feige confirmed that the mutants would be integrated into the MCU.

The eyes are now on D23, and whether Feige will announce the dates of all X-Men movies. Here is Marvel's confirmed schedule up to now, which covers the studio's plans until 2021:

  • May 1, 2020 – Black Widow
  • November 6, 2020 – The eternals
  • February 12, 2021 – Shang Chi
  • May 7, 2021 – Strange doctor in the multiverse of madness
  • November 5, 2021 – Thor: love and thunder

At some point, there will also be dates for the studio Black Panther and Captain Marvel suites, as well as the third installments of Guardians of the Galaxy and The ant man. Add to that Blade (which was a surprise announcement at Comic-Con), and at least one Avengersmovie -sque team-up peppered somewhere.

At the time of writing these lines, if Marvel continues to produce two to three films a year, his schedule is announced until about 2024, although we do not yet know the planned release dates. And, since 2014, when Marvel announced its five-year film schedule until 2019, it is conceivable that Marvel will unveil its program for 2022, 2023 and perhaps 2024 to the 23rd. A surprise announcement that the X-Men or Fantastic Four are on the list for 2024 or 2025 (an even bigger surprise would be to see them sooner) might well close the presentation.

As Sony rightly points out, this is a large number of projects that Feige could potentially work on.

But there is also historical evidence (perhaps to Sony's dismay) that Marvel values ​​Spider-Man more than any other property it owns. Shortly after Marvel announced its five-year film schedule in 2014, Marvel and Sony announced their partnership with Spider-Man in February 2015. Marvel then delayed the release of Black Panther and Captain Marvel to open a space for Spider-Man: Homecoming, because of the recognition of the name of the character and the importance of Spidey in the story to tell.

Spending two years between the first two films of Spider-Man, the next should appear in 2021, probably around July 4, as Far from home – a spot that no film from Marvel Studios is supposed to occupy (the studio tends to release its films earlier or later in the year, and all its current dates fall in February, May or November).

But even if July 2021 will not work for any reason, it would not be an exaggeration to let Marvel reprogram Shang-Chi, as he did with Black Panther or Captain Marvel, if a new agreement with Sony was to materialize. And despite the anonymous reports and legends of an impending disappearance, it's an agreement that Sony, Marvel and, of course, Spider-Man fans want to see.

[ad_2]

Source link