Why Spider-Man Joining The Marvel Cinematic Universe Matters

It's been a tough couple months for Sony. After hackers leaked various Sony emails, numerous employees and the company as a whole came under fire from the press and the general public as well for certain things contained in those emails. As recently as last week, longtime Sony Pictures Entertainment executive Amy Pascal exited her position as Sony co-chairman, leaving many to speculate that Sony was in complete disarray.

However, with this week's announcement that Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios would be working together on the future of the Spider-Man movie franchise, the whole world changed for Sony Pictures. The studio that appeared in disarray last week suddenly looks a lot more on top of it this week.

While the Spider-Man deal benefits both Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios, it's probably the best thing ever that could have happened to Sony at this point. Regardless of if Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios made a deal, it was looking like Andrew Garfield was probably already on his way out as Spider-Man. Sony Pictures was in the unenviable position of likely having to reboot the Spider-Man franchise yet again, which would have created a huge fan uproar.

With the Marvel deal, Sony Pictures actually now gets to reboot the Spider-Man franchise with fans actually being excited about it. What would have been another huge negative for Sony Pictures, now becomes a huge positive. The reality is that Marvel Studios version of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become the defining Marvel movie universe. As a solo superhero from Sony Pictures, the reality is that Spider-Man was viewed as being outside the real Marvel movie universe. What happened to Spider-Man didn't matter in a sense, because it didn't affect the Avengers, so there wasn't as much of a vested interest from fans.

With Spider-Man joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that all changes. Now, Spider-Man matters again. It creates a sense that this is the real and final version of Spider-Man. The fans that helped propel Avengers to a $1.5 billion box office will want to see this version of Spider-Man, because it will impact what happens in the Avengers.

There's also the chance that Avengers could pop up in the Spider-Man solo films, which is another huge draw. Spider-Man is suddenly in continuity, and for the first time ever fans can see him interacting with other major superheroes of the Marvel Universe. It's a whole new world, whole new set of story opportunities for Spider-Man.

People love a good comeback story. Last week, Sony Pictures was on the ropes. This week, they are a contender. What a difference a week makes.