Over the years the larger Marvel world has brought about many iterations of our beloved web-slinger to live-action, with Tom Holland being the latest one to lead the role. Having won over the fans with his natural charm, Holland has quickly become a fan favorite. Many now expect the actor to give them the experience previous Spider-Man films have failed to do.
However, it seems Sony may become a hindrance and the ultimate villain threatening his future. With an unusual rule that could drastically impact the direction of Spider-Man 4 and Holland’s future appearances, Sony’s tight grip on the character and its related characters has left some fans seething while others remain indifferent.
Sony’s Spider-Man Rules Might Hamstring Tom Holland’s MCU Journey
The complicated rights of Spider-Man have always confused fans. While the character used to be Sony property, it is now shared between Sony and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as per the agreement between the two parties in 2019 (see Deadline). Yet the many intricate details of this agreement and previous agreements are still not known to the fans.
Hence, the question remains: what stake does Marvel Studios have in other Marvel characters associated with Spider-Man, whose rights are currently known to be with Sony? However, the famous industry scooper Daniel Richtman might have an answer to that, as he recently tweeted,
Whenever Sony uses a villain, they block Marvel Studios from using them, which means there aren’t many left for MCU Spider-Man to face off against.
A shocking detail, this strict rule prevents the same villains from appearing in both Sony and MCU films, meaning that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man may be left without worthy adversaries. Not only is it limiting, but such a rule also could stun the creative potential of Spider-Man 4, preventing fans from getting the Peter Parker story they truly want.
Sony’s latest trailer for their upcoming Kraven the Hunter showed the film has three popular villains— Rhino, Calypso, and Chameleon— meaning this restricts Holland’s future as Spider-Man to face off against such adversaries, preventing the chance of dynamic battles that fans have come to love and expect.
Marvel Fans React to Sony’s Spider-Man Rules and Their Restrictive Nature
Marvel fans, for a long time, have been vocal about their frustration over Sony owning Spider-Man rights and the huge number of characters associated with the web-slinger in comic books. As more villains are siphoned off into Sony’s Spider-Man universe, fans are concerned about the impact this will have on future Spider-Man movies set within the MCU.
Yet, some fans remain unbothered, since they believe that this gives the MCU a chance to use ‘lesser’ adversaries and transform them into someone worthy of fighting the web-slinger. As the above-mentioned scoop went viral, here are the many reactions fans had:
There's a Venom movie fighting RIOT. There's a Madame Web movie fighting EZEKIEL. There's a Morbius movie fighting… Milo. People go to Spider-Man to watch Spider-Man not his villains. General audience dosen't know them anyway.
— Percy2099 (@percy2099) August 14, 2024
Why do they keep self sabotaging? They make the most money from Tom Holland’s spiderman films. If anything they should just put 100% of their focus into that and not waste these characters in their own movies that now are 2/4 for bombing !
— Sam McGaw (@samkmcgaw) August 14, 2024
Sony is TRASH. the only good thing they’ve done is Miles Morales. they’ve fumbled everything else
— kenny jones (@relientkenny) August 14, 2024
Marvel needs the rights back NOW
— CineMattic_Multiverse (@Webheadmania14) August 14, 2024
Arent that many for him to face off against? Theres no way you are saying that knowing fully well that he has hundreds of villains they could tap into.. some that could be really cool to see too.
— 🎲ItzMeDomino🎲 (@ItzMeDomino) August 14, 2024
At this point disney should buy spiderman rights and after secret wars reboot use everything
— CBM SCENE (@mcuscene) August 14, 2024
Without access to a broader pool of adversaries, Spider-Man 4 and Tom Holland’s future appearances will surely be affected. Yet, some fans still have faith even when others might suggest that Disney should get the rights back.
With Spider-Man 4 release date still unknown, we hope Marvel Studios and Sony can come up with a compelling storyline for Holland’s future flick, even though there might be a lack of more iconic and well-known villains.
The Spider-Man movies can be streamed on Disney+.
