In what was undoubtedly one of the biggest stories we've ever covered here on CBM, it was revealed earlier this week that Spider-Man's time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has reached its end after Disney and Sony Pictures failed to reach a new agreement.
Last night, Tom Holland promised to continue playing Spider-Man regardless of which universe the wall-crawler calls home and now Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has weighed in. Reading between the lines here, it really doesn't sound like anything is going to change and it sounds like Feige is just grateful for everything he was able to do with Spidey over the past few years.
"It was a dream that I never thought would happen. It was never meant to last forever," he says in the video below.
"We knew there was a finite amount of time that we’d be able to do this, and we told the story we wanted to tell, and I’ll always be thankful for that."
So, that's that then. It really does sound like Spidey is moving back to Sony for good and where they take the web-slinger next promises to be very interesting indeed. Stay tuned for updates as we have them.
Hit the "View List" button below to see a
recap of Spidey's best moments in the MCU!
10. Taking Down Giant-Man
Spider-Man's first real outing as a superhero in
Captain America: Civil War saw him joining Iron Man and the rest of The Avengers in Germany to take on Captain America's team of, well, Avengers, after Zemo's machinations saw Earth's Mightiest Heroes torn down the middle.
Putting his ingenuity to good use, the wall-crawler took inspiration from a "really old movie" called
The Empire Strikes Back to use his webs to wrap up Giant-Man's legs and take him down just like an AT-AT (with an assist from Iron Man and War Machine). Spidey had a lot of memorable interactions during the airport battle but this stands out as a highlight.
The MCU's version of Peter was very inexperienced at this stage but this sequence provided a glimpse at exactly what he's capable of a superhero and that's something fans should appreciate.
9. Peter Parker Meets Captain Marvel
Like a lot of other heroes, Spider-Man's role in
Avengers: Endgame was a minor one but the Russo Brothers made good use of him. The "Instant Kill" sequence has been somewhat controversial, of course, but Peter (who has a "no-kill" rule in the comic books which us a huge part of the character) was only taking out a bunch of mindless aliens later dusted by Iron Man.
His emotional goodbye to Tony Stark was obviously noteworthy but so too was the youngster's first meeting with Carol Danvers.
Comic book fans will be well aware that these two are close friends in the source material and so seeing Captain Marvel meet Spider-Man before that awesome A-Force moment was very cool and a real treat for moviegoers who love seeing their favourite characters interacting on screen.
8. An Awkward Car Journey
Heading into
Spider-Man: Homecoming's final act, we obviously knew that Adrian Toomes was The Vulture. Peter Parker did as well but what none of realised was that he was also Liz's father!
As a result, we were left every bit as shocked as Peter when the villain answered the door and what followed was a superb sequence in which Spidey tried to play it cool as Toomes slowly realised that the high school student in the back of his car dating his daughter had been interfering with his plans.
It was an awesome sequence and one Marvel Studios successfully managed to keep under wraps before Spider-Man: Homecoming arrived in theaters. It also showed that Peter was willing to do what's right to protect those around him even if that meant giving up what he wanted in the process.
7. Spider-Sense, At Last
Something that baffled fans from the start was the fact that the MCU version of Spider-Man didn't have his Spider-Sense from the comics. It had certainly been alluded to but the web-slinger wasn't exactly dodging incoming attacks the way you might expect. Well,
Spider-Man: Far From Home finally introduced the "Peter Tingle" and, silly name aside, it was awesome.
Introducing it during that final fight with Mysterio made this particular superpower feel earned and while we don't know how it was supposed to develop moving into future movies, it certainly would have been interesting exploring it alongside the webbed warrior.
As it stands, though, Spidey taking out those drones thanks to his "Peter Tingle" remains a highlight.
6. "Hey, Everyone!"
We're actually moving outside the movies themselves for a second to highlight a now iconic moment from the
Captain America: Civil War trailer. It was no secret that Spider-Man would make a cameo appearance in the movie but this teaser pulled back the curtain on the MCU's version of the character in a huge way that wouldn't soon be forgotten.
We'd been wondering whether Spidey might make an appearance in the trailer and him leaping into action and declaring, "Hey, everyone!" was the perfect way to handle this.
The moment played out slightly different in the movie itself, of course, but it's hard not to look back at this trailer and not get goosebumps, especially as it was our first look at Spider-Man in the same world as The Avengers, something none of us ever thoughts we would get to see.
5. "What's The Fu-"
Spider-Man: Homecoming ended with what appeared to be a typical final superhero movie scene as a suited up Peter Parker stood triumphantly in his bedroom decked out in the costume given to him by Tony Stark. However, it's fair to say none of us could have predicted the scene that came next.
As the camera panned around the hero, Aunt May could be seen in the background and she shouted "What the fu-" before the movie ended and we were left for two years waiting and seeing how she would react to the revelation that her nephew is actually a friendly, neighbourhood superhero!
It was an awesome cliffhanger and something which delivered an exciting new status quo for Spidey.
4. More Than A Costume
Spider-Man: Homecoming also made some dramatic changes to what had come before by giving Peter Parker a costume which had been created by Iron Man and was, as a result, packed full of crazy gadgets. However, when a costly mistake led to that being taken from him, the wall-crawler found himself back in that homemade costume.
Well, proving that he didn't need any of those fancy gadgets to be a superhero, Peter managed to dig deep and lift the rubble The Vulture had buried him under before putting an end to Toomes' plan once and for all.
This was a great homage to the comic books and while some fans were unhappy with the hero's fancy new costume, it was also a moment that proved this Spider-Man was still the hero we all know and love. It's noteworthy that in the sequel, he relied a lot less on all of those additions.
3. "Mr. Stark, I Don't Feel So Good..."
Marvel Studios didn't have Spider-Man for very long but, yes, they really did kill the wall-crawler off in
Avengers: Infinity War! In perhaps the movie's most emotional scene (and there were a lot of them), Peter Parker suddenly didn't feel very well and collapsed in Iron Man's arms, making it clear that he wasn't ready to die. Then, he turned to dust.
This scene not only emphasised how young this Spidey is but also effectively got across the horror of what Thanos was doing.
It's hard to imagine this moment working as well with anyone else and Tom Holland's performance here was fantastic. This scene is bound to go down as one of the most powerful in the history of the MCU and it just goes to show how quickly Spidey became this shared world's emotional backbone.
2. Mysterio Illusion Sequence
Wow.
Spider-Man: Far From Home director Jon Watts absolutely outdid himself here and this entire illusion sequence is probably the most comic book-y set of scenes in a superhero movie ever! As the web-slinger found himself fighting off Iron Man's corpse, multiple versions of himself, and a skyscraper sized version of Mysterio, it's hard to imagine any fan not sitting their with their jaw agape.
This was a beautifully crafted sequence in the sequel which perfectly portrayed the lead villain's powers, all while putting Spidey in a position it's fair to say we could have never imagined him in.
I can't wait to watch this again and again when the Blu-ray is eventually released...
1. Spider-Man's Secret Identity Is Outed
Now, if we're talking about jaw-dropping moments, it really doesn't get any better than this. In what appeared to be a pretty straightforward mid-credits scene with Spidey hanging out with MJ, we were treated to both the return of J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson and the mind-blowing moment when the hero's secret identity is outed...oh, and he was framed as a criminal!
As cliffhangers go, this was even more spectacular than the one with Aunt May and it's something none of us ever imagined happening (what is it with Marvel Studios and epic surprises?).
A true game-changer for the wall-crawler's status quo, the mind boggles with where this particular plot thread was meant to go and if your jaw didn't literally drop when this happened, you may very well be dead inside.
Spider-Man: Far From Home was one heck of a movie but this was the best mid-credits scene of all-time. Now, here's hoping we get to see Marvel Studios follow up on it.
Continue reading below to see some of the dumb ideas Sony Pictures
had for Spider-Man before they teamed with Marvel Studios!
Spider-Man Joins The Sinister Six
Sony mulled over a lot of different
Sinister Six ideas, many of which we'll touch on later in this article. However, one version would have seen Spidey recruited to the team by Doctor Octopus before the villain inevitably betrays the wall-crawler and shows his true colours.
Drew Goddard reportedly wanted Matt Damon to play him and the likes of Colin Firth, Daniel Craig, Will Smith, and Denzel Washington were also suggested by the studio.
The team would have battled an alien called Gog in the Savage Land (as well as dinosaurs) and the movie's MacGuffin was set to be the actual Pandora's Box. Another idea thrown around would have seen the wall-crawler don the Venom Symbiote and ask the team for help in stopping Carnage. However, there was one big concern: the word "Sinister" might alienate younger moviegoers.
Seriously.
Spider-Man Must Be White And Can't Be Gay
This rather controversial rule is actually something Marvel specified when Sony Pictures purchased the film rights to Spider-Man. You see, while Sony does technically have full control of the web-slinger, there are indeed some things they can't do, and that means ensuring that he's a white male who
"is not a homosexual (unless Marvel has portrayed that alter ego as a homosexual)."
His parents must always be absent from his childhood, he must be bitten by a spider, and the black costume has to be a Symbiote and not a suit of his own design. Also, Spidey
"does not torture; does not kill in defense of self or others; does not use foul language beyond PG-13; does not smoke tobacco; does not sell/distribute illegal drugs; does not abuse alcohol; does not have sex before the age of 16; does not have sex with anyone below the age of 16."
I think those last few probably go without saying, but it's good to know Spidey can't be a sex offender!
A Spider-Man For Millennials
It seems Sony realised that Andrew Garfield's Peter Parker wasn't exactly the most accessible version of the character, so it was at this point they decided that the next version should appear to millennials. Apparently, youngsters use "N.B.D." ("No Big Deal") on social media to describe doing yoga and veganism, and the studio wanted to emphases that everything is "N.B.D." to Spidey.
Spider-Man's movements are
"beautiful," so Sony fancied tying that into the Electronic Dance Music craze...providing they could find a
"killer DJ." At the time, Snapchat had introduced its "Story" function and the studio also wanted the web-slinger to get in on that because the hero's Snapchat circle
"would be huge, and very buzzworthy and cool." What a film all this would have made, eh?
Sam Raimi Was Offered The Chance To Return
Sam Raimi was supposed to direct
Spider-Man 4, but that never happened and we got
The Amazing Spider-Man instead. However, out of what seemed to be sheer desperation, Sony approached the filmmaker with the idea that he could return and reboot the franchise...for the third time.
The plan was to make another trilogy and, if needs be, they would have had Raimi serve as a producer.
Interestingly, Sony also considered having Drew Goddard make the leap from
Sinister Six to this
Spider-Man reboot as both a writer and director. There was a lengthy wishlist of directors, though, including names like James Gunn, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, Edgar Wright, and Colin Trevorrow.
The Amazing Spider-Man 3 And 4
If you don't believe that Sony was creatively bankrupt at this point, look no further than what they were mulling over for
The Amazing Spider-Man 3 and
4. The wall-crawler was going to create a formula that would bring back the dead, thereby resurrecting both Captain Stacy and Gwen (presumably, Uncle Ben would have also returned in some capacity).
The lead villain was set to be Harry Osborn's Green Goblin, but we would have also seen Norman Osborn as a Goblin - after that formula was used on his severed head, which was being kept in what was essentially a jar in the bowels of Oscorp.
Marc Webb has also alluded to The Vulture and Sinister Six showing up, while The Gentleman was expected to take on a much larger role in proceedings as well. Needless to say, this all sounds completely batsh*t crazy and it's hard to imagine this being anything other than a disaster. Oh, and
Aunt May spinoff was indeed considered and would have been a spy movie in the vein of
Man Men.
Spider-Man Grows Up
Marvel Studios'
Spider-Man reboot put the wall-crawler straight back into high school, but Sony gave some serious thought to having Peter Parker grow up and enter the adult world from the start.
They wanted to skip the origin story and kick things off with a version of the character
"juggling with adult issues." Sony noted that,
"He’s done so in the comics for decades, and kids still found this fun to read." It also sounded like they would have portrayed him as a science teacher in a high school.
Many fans would love to see an older version of the wall-crawler on the big screen, but this idea was ultimately scrapped when Kevin Feige decided to introduce Spidey as an inexperienced hero.
Kraven's Last Hunt
We know that a movie starring Kraven the Hunter is in the works and that the screenplay does actually include Spider-Man. Well, this is a storyline Sony execs were also high on long before partnering up with Marvel Studios and it sounds like this was their top choice for the first film starring the web-slinger.
Wisely, that didn't happen as it's a very dark, complex storyline which would have felt out of place in a movie that was meant to reintroduce this beloved character to moviegoers.
However, it's hard to escape the feeling that this might be what's next for Spider-Man on the big screen.
How Sony Planned To Outdo Marvel Studios
Something we see in many of the "Sony Hack" emails is apparent frustration over the fact that Marvel Studios is capable of producing fan-pleasing box office hits based on characters who aren't anywhere near as well-known as Spider-Man. However, the studio had some ideas about how they could outdo one upcoming release, in particular: Doctor Strange.
Sony's top choice to play Sandman in Sinister Six was Tom Hardy (an actor who had been eyed to play the Sorcerer Supreme) and, well, it's probably best if you hear this directly from the studio.
"He's gonna storm through London at the end like God-f***ing-zilla," reads one email.
"That is not purple prose. He's going to be AS TALL AS A SKYSCRAPER in the third act of the movie. What does Dr. Strange have? Magic tricks? F*** you, magic tricks — we've got a skyscraper Tom Hardy knocking down buildings!!!!"
So yeah, they have some weird ideas about what fans want to see.
The Sinister Six's Roster
Sinister Six was supposed to be a major tentpole for Sony until Marvel Studios convinced them to shelve it (they couldn't talk them out of working on
Venom, however).
The team was set to include Spider-Man alongside Doctor Octopus, The Vulture, Sandman, Mysterio, and Black Cat. Idris Elba, Francis McDormand, Byran Cranston, and Jackie Chan were wanted for undisclosed roles, as were Woody Harrelson, Channing Tatum, Joel Edgerton, and Jason Clarke. Chris O'Dowd, Michael Peña, Seth Rogen, and Danny McBride were eyed for a comedy role.
As for Black Cat, Sony had a surprisingly decent list of actresses in mind, including Ruth Wilson, Emily Blunt, Kerri Russell, Rose Byrne, Emilia Clarke, and Elizabeth Olsen.
Sony's Resentment Over Spider-Man's Merchandising Rights
This particular piece of information may very well shed some light on why Sony flat out refused to give Disney a larger slice of their Spidey pie. In an email complaining that it took them five years to get another
Spider-Man movie in theaters after
Spider-Man 3, it was noted that,
"Disney will make $300M on Spidey merchandise this year alone. We won’t!"
When you take that into account, you really can't blame them for not wanting to give Disney 30% - 50% of the profits made from future movies - even if they were willing to contribute to the budget.