Former Marvel Legal Counsel Offers Insight on the Sony/Spider-Man Deal

An Ex-Marvel Studios attorney has reassured fans that the relationship between Sony Pictures Entertainment and Marvel Studios will continue without interruption. Tom Holland recently wrapped up his Spider-Man trilogy with the epic culmination film, Spider-Man: No Way Home. However, Holland’s story will continue with Spider-Man 4 confirmed to be in the works by Kevin Feige.

Their relationship wasn’t always so stable, with Sony nearly pulling Holland from the Marvel Cinematic Universe following the massive success of Spider-Man: Far From Home. The two companies initially reached a deal in 2015; however, throughout the first two films, Sony felt that the financial agreement wasn’t fair compensation for the character’s use. Finally, in 2019, the pair reached a deal to further Holland’s involvement in the MCU with a new trilogy of films and team-up movies within the universe.

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Luckily, a former Marvel Studios attorney assures fans that something like this shouldn’t happen again. No Way Home raked in $1.9 Billion at the box office on a relatively small budget of $200 million. This was the first significant blockbuster of the pandemic era, marking the return of audiences to the cinema in sold-out theaters. The deal between Sony and Marvel is simply too profitable to back out on, and with the massive flop of Morbius, it may have been the right choice for the studio.

Spider-Man Is Mutually Beneficial For Both Companies

Through an exclusive interview with ScreenRant, attorney Paul Sarker shared his thoughts regarding the deal between Sony and Marvel and its long-term implications. The full quote from Sarker can be read below:

“Creatively, I think it’s a win-win. Sony gets the benefit of Kevin [Feige] and his amazingly talented team in making their movies. Marvel gets to use Spider-Man, who is one of the most prominent characters in the MCU, in its films. I think the fans ultimately win, because seeing Spider-Man in Civil War, in Endgame and Infinity War is super-cool. And also seeing Doctor Strange or Iron Man in Spider-Man films is also very thrilling.

I haven’t worked at Marvel for the past couple of years, but it makes sense. The importance of Spider-Man to Sony as a movie studio can’t be overstated, right? Because Sony doesn’t have the box office draws that Marvel has, so the fact Sony was able to retain the rights to make Spider-Man movies and also get Kevin [Feige]’s input and his DNA in the movie is a huge win for them.

I think the only other option would’ve been Disney buying back the rights, and who knows how expensive that would’ve been, but long-term that wouldn’t have been a great move for Sony. This helps Sony keep their studio relevant in the comic movie conversation, and it gives Marvel one of its best characters. So I think it’s a win-win. In my own opinion, if Sony didn’t do the deal but continued with its productive approach without Marvel’s input, I don’t think that’s a good result for them. At the same time, if Marvel doesn’t get to have Spider-Man in its films, that’s not great either. Both sides get something important out of this.”

Sony is behind projects like Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage, both of which were thrashed by critics and received mixed reactions from audiences. Earlier this year, Sony released Morbius, regarded as one of the worst comic-book films of all time, and managed to be a massive flop despite a re-release in theaters due to a trending internet campaign. The partnership with Marvel and their careful story-telling is beneficial to the company as that seems to be the weakest aspect of their films.

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However, Marvel is benefiting as well since Spider-Man is one of the most prominent characters within the MCU. A departure of Tom Holland would be a massive loss for the shared universe, primarily if it occurred after Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans completed their roles as Iron Man and Captain America.

With another trilogy coming from Marvel and Tom Holland, we don’t have to worry about Spider-Man exiting the MCU anytime soon.

You can view the original article HERE.