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The sun seems to be setting on the Age of Superheroes. Despite the late entry of James Gunn’s newly formed DC Universe, the saga of gods and monsters cannot survive the brutal and barren winter left behind by MCU’s recent failures. The problem films of Marvel’s Phases Four and Five were only exacerbated by Sony’s endless attempts to churn out a Spider-Man-adjacent movie franchise.
Marvel now basks in the false optimism brought on by Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and the Russo Brothers’ return to the upcomingAvengersfilm. James Gunn has the luxury of starting fresh, neither burdened by the sins of his predecessor nor the stains of scandal left behind by the disgraced DCEU.
However, Sony shows no such promise. The studio’s refusal to back down, even in the face of humiliating, constant, and radically extreme failures will spell the doom of its prized reputation.
Sony’s refusal to debut Tom Holland’s Spider-Man
There seems to be a method behind the madness of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, although it may not seem so at first. The franchise is replete with an entire universe of characters waiting to be plucked from the comic book lore. But the studio’s desperate yearning for a live-action superhero universe is only supported by its greatest asset and its biggest disappointment: Spider-Man.
Despite the weight behind the name, Sony refuses to debut the wall-crawler in its SSMU films for a reason that is not entirely unwarranted. Marvel has already planted their flag on the Spider-Man IP and the studio is doing a fabulous job of churning out one successful film after another withTom Hollandat the center.
Tom Hardy’s Venom 3 Failed But Critics Should Stop the “Knull Was Wasted” Narrative Already
As such, any attempt to reel in Holland into Sony for its Spider-Man-adjacent universe would be seen as a breach of trust and an invasion by the Marvel fan community. Even though Sony’s contract with Disney/Marvel Studios allows the IP to be loaned out for periods of time, the studio itself stands helplessly by, refusing to bring in Holland – even for brief cameos in its SSMU films.
The Logic Behind Tom Holland’s Absence
According to a report published byVariety, a knowledgeable insider with substantial information on the studio’s internal workings, “Sony has no flexibility. They have a cage that they have to work in…” While such a thing may sound ominous enough, it is an unfortunate side-effect of mega studio corporations trying to work together.
The arrangement between Sony and Marvel is already an unusual one. Given Sony’s existence of a successfulSpider-Versefranchise, the studio could have focused all of its efforts on expanding on that front. However, its insistence on joining the superhero craze race has contributed to a major catch-22. Sony was bound to fumble after loaning out their most important asset to a competitor.
Despite Hardcore MCU Fans Blasting it, Venom 3 Box Office Collection Hits a Milestone That Took Joker 2 a Whole Month
As theVarietyreport suggests: “There was a feeling within the studio that audiences would not accept Holland’s Spidey suddenly popping up in a live-action film that wasn’t a part of the MCU.” The theory especially applies in the post-Multiversal age established bySpider-Man: No Way Home,Loki, andDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
All three films have focused on the universally damning and apocalyptic effects caused by the overlapping of realities and timelines. The boundaries imposed by MCU’s Multiverse Saga have now made it practically impossible for Sony to call back its prodigal son, Spider-Man, to his originally designated studio’s universe.
Simply put, there can be no Tom Holland’s Spider-Man inVenom,Madame Web,Morbius, orKraven the Hunter, even though these characters’ central identity is spun around the existence of the web-slinger.
Venom: The Last Danceis available to buy/rent on Apple TV and Prime Video.
Diya Majumdar
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2409
Diya Majumdar is a Senior Content Writer at FandomWire with over 2000 published articles on the website. Since 2022, she has been working as an entertainment journalist with a special focus on films and pop culture.Among the countless genres and themes of Hollywood, the ones that particularly favor Diya’s tastes include Game of Thrones, DC, and well-aged thrillers and classics.
