Marvel Fan Outcry Led to Spider-Man Deal According to Disney and Sony Executives

Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe had a scare back in August when Sony and Disney failed to reach an agreement over Spider-Man. After a month of thinking Tom Holland wouldn’t be allowed back in the MCU, the two companies finally reached an agreement. Not only would they be teaming up for one more Spider-Man movie, but Holland is set to appear in one more Marvel Cinematic Universe film. After the exciting news broke, it was revealed that Holland played a key part in getting the companies to reconcile. In a recent roundtable with The Hollywood Reporter, Sony’s Tom Rothman and Disney’s Alan Horn revealed that the fans also played a role in getting the team back together.

“Alan and Tom, you recently had a little dispute over Spider-Man. What was the one thing above all else that resolved that standoff over Marvel producing the next Sony installment?,” The Hollywood Reporter asked.

“The fan base, which is important to all of us, seemed to really respond to what Tom and his folks have done before with our people. They like the fact that the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Kevin Feige were involved [in the two Spider-Man films]. We heard feedback out there that suggested that joining forces once again was probably really a good idea,” Horn replied.

“Will this partnership continue after the trilogy? Tom, you’ve shown you can do Spider-Man without Marvel on the animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” THR asked.

“Yes, we have. But I agree with my distinguished colleague. This was a classic win-win-win. A win for Sony, a win for Disney, a win for the fans. The only thing I would say is that news cycles and the rhythm of negotiations do not necessarily overlap. And this is, in the words of Shakespeare, a consummation devoutly to be wished. We would have gotten there, and the news got ahead of some things,” Rothman answered.

“I agree with that,” Horn added.

Spider-Man 3 is expected to hit theaters on July 16, 2021. Other upcoming Marvel Studios projects include Black Widow on May 1, 2020, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in Fall 2020, The Eternals on November 6, 2020, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on February 12, 2021, WandaVision in Spring 2021, Loki in Spring 2021, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 7, 2021, What If…? in Summer 2021, Hawkeye in Fall 2021, and Thor: Love and Thunder on November 5, 2021, and Black Panther 2 on May 6, 2022. Marvel Studios Disney+ series without release dates include Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk.