Sony had a golden opportunity to be the next big thing in the entertainment industry long before the MCU. While the studio is still responsible for having the rights of Spider-Man and the characters related to him, it could have many more major Marvel characters. Surprisingly, they could have got their hands on Black Panther, Doctor Strange, and Captain America, which they rejected.
For years, Sony’s relationship with the Marvel Studios regarding the character of the friendly-neighborhood superhero is well-versed to fans. But long ago when the MCU wasn’t a thing, the Spider-Man owners could have acquired more than half of the present pop culture icons.
Why did Sony reject three major Marvel names?
The MCU kickstarted in 2008 with the Robert Downey Jr. blockbuster Iron Man. The movie not only changed the superhero market forever but also established the MCU as the next big thing in the entertainment world.
However, Sony got an amazing opportunity to be something like the MCU long before the latter rose as a franchise giant. It must be remembered that when the MCU was bankrupt, it sold many of the character rights to various companies like Sony, 20th Century Fox, and Universal. Besides Spider-Man, Sony was also offered Doctor Strange, Captain America, and Black Panther for $25 million.
According to the book MCU: THE REIGN OF MARVEL STUDIOS, a former junior Sony executive, Yair Landau said that the studio rejected the three superheroes because they were thought to be not so important.
“Nobody gives a sh*t about anybody but Spider-Man.”
Unfortunately, they were proved utterly wrong many years later when the characters turned out to be immensely successful in the MCU. Presently, the characters are worth $6 billion combined. While it can be said that they made a terrible decision, it must also be noted that the market was different back then and the outcome could have also been very different.
When will Sony release Tom Holland’s Spider-Man 4?
Following the mammoth success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, the fans are eagerly waiting to find out the new life of Peter Parker in the MCU. The Tom Holland movies are made as a collaboration between Sony and the MCU. According to reputed insider Daniel Richtman (via X), the upcoming Spider-Man movie will start production in late 2024.
There are no further details about the project except the fact that we will see a very different version of Peter Parker in this movie. A Peter Parker who has lost everything and has to start a new life from scratch without anyone by his side. Certain rumors suggest that the movie might see itself set after the events of the Daredevil: Born Again series.
The inclusion of Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock who was already seen once before in Spider-Man: No Way Home can be very interesting. Additionally, director Jon Watts and Zendaya are also reported to return in the movie.
