Before Spider-Man: No Way Home gathered decades of web-slinging adventures, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige had to persuade Spider-Man: No Way Home producer Amy Pascal to allow him to make films for her.
In 2021, the two talked to The New York Times about how Pascal contacted Feige to discuss Spidey’s future after The Amazing Spider-Man 2 received unfavorable reviews in 2014. Starring Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, the film was helmed by Marc Webb.
Pascal has acknowledged, though, that she was not, at first, fond of the idea of Peter Parker joining the MCU, which led her to throw a “sandwich” at the Marvel boss. It is hardly surprising that Sony looked to Marvel for support following the critical whipping The Amazing Spider-Man 2 received.
It seemed like Sony was at a loss for what to do with its Webslinger at the time.
Amy Pascal and Kevin Feige Recounted Their Sandwich-Throwing Clash
The New York Times questioned Amy Pascal and Kevin Feige about the start of their partnership during the 2021 interview. Pascal was in charge of Sony and had just wrapped up filming The Amazing Spider-Man 2, starring Andrew Garfield, the Marvel boss recalled.
She called Feige for assistance and quite amazingly shared that this is exactly what happened:
“That is the truth. I called Kevin and said, ‘Help.’ And then he came over to my office for lunch and said, ‘I know how to help you.’ And then I threw a sandwich at him.”
Feige reportedly told Pascal that the only way he knew how to help was to make the movie for her, rather than just offer advice and then walk away. That sparked the aforementioned sandwich-launching incident, which might have put a stop to discussions about Spider-Man in the MCU.
Thankfully, Feige was just like Spider-Man and was not deterred by some flying bread.
Marvel’s boss gave Pascal a call and then visited her home to discuss his idea to bring Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The latter thought the plan was too good to ignore:
“And then Kevin called me and came over to the house and said, ‘I have an idea. What if Tony Stark makes Peter’s suit?’ And as soon as he said that, I understood the possibilities of what we could do together. To have Iron Man and Spidey in the same world, one rooted more in technological innovation — the new suit…felt so much more modern. It has taken a lot of work. But just look at the results. Pretty fantastic, right?”
Pascal was unable to resist the allure of seeing Tony Stark and Peter Parker together on screen, so she and Feige set about organizing the fine print of the contracts to enable this incredible intellectual property exchange. Feige’s persistence was crucial; otherwise, the MCU would not have brought one of its most significant heroes together.
The Latest Scoop: Spider-Man 4 Rumor Reveals Peter Parker’s Fate
Although the project’s plot is being kept under wraps, a recent rumor about Spider-Man 4 suggests that Peter Parker’s role as his alter ego may change.
Insider Alex Perez made this statement regarding Spider-Man 4 in a Discord Q&A session when asked about Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, specifically what Peter would be like going forward (via The Cosmic Circus).
Reacting to the fact that Peter’s first trilogy was “all about establishing his origin in the MCU”, Perez went on to say that this “all leads to the next chapter in his story”. Continuing, he stated:
“The idea now moving forward is to give him a sense of independence. In his mind, Peter Parker is no more… but Spider-Man lives on. Since he has either lost or detached himself from everyone he’s ever loved, all he has to keep him going is being Spider-Man, whether the city loves him for it or not. And as the title of Spider-Man continues to consume Peter’s life little by little, Peter Parker will take a back seat and continue to fade from existence slowly. This story point can be compared to Robert Pattinson’s Batman in The Batman.”
Neither Marvel nor Disney have officially confirmed this, so it should be taken with a grain of salt.
Rewinding to earlier rumors, it was reported that Ant-Man and Daredevil are the heroes that Marvel and Sony want to see in Spider-Man 4, with the former having a “sizable role” in the script and the latter being a “current idea” (see CBR).
Sony has not yet announced a release date for Spider-Man 4. Also, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 can be streamed on Netflix.
