Disney and Sony Reportedly Battling Over Rights to Two Key Spider-Man Characters
Disney and Sony Pictures seemed to have settled their differences when it comes to sharing characters – or at least for the most part. A new report states that Sony and Disney still haven't quite come to agreement about two key characters from the Spider-Man Universe – and they are definitely two pivotal characters fans have wanted to see!
According to The Direct, Disney and Sony can't come to a final agreement about the characters of Wilson Fisk (aka The Kingpin) and Jessica Drew (aka Spider-Woman), ostensibly stranding both characters in the Limbo of being co-owned by both studios. That obviously makes use of either character potentially treacherous for each studio, legal-wise, and given the plans that both already have in motion, it's a matter that will need to be addressed sooner, before later.
Why Is Kingpin a "Spider-Man Character?"
Marvel fans all over the world now know Wilson Fisk/Kingpin as Daredevil's nemesis, thanks to Netflix's Daredevil series, and the masterful portrayal of actor Vincent D'Onofrio. However, Kingpin's first comic book appearance was as a pulpy crime lord character in The Amazing Spider-Man #50 (July of 1967). It wasn't until the 1980s run of Frank Miller's Daredevil where the ruthless and cold-blooded Kingpin we know took shape. So, as far as legal technicalities go, Kingpin is a character who belongs to the Spider-Man Universe.
Why Disney and Sony Co-Owning Kingpin Is A Problem
Marvel Studios has already started to make use of Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and he seems to be poised for a lot more to come. Kingpin already appeared in the finale of Marvel's Hawkeye Disney+ series – just as Sony and Marvel shared characters for Spider-Man: No Way Home. However, Kingpin was already announced to be part of the upcoming Echo series that comes after Hawkeye, and he's also expected to be a main player in the big Daredevil: Born Again reboot series with Charlie Cox's Daredevil. With all of that in the works for Marvel, it would seem precarious to have Sony in a position to possibly object or disrupt Kingpin's presence in the MCU.
Why Disney and Sony Co-Owning Jessica Drew is A Problem
Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman's origins in Marvel Comics go all the way back to the late 1970s. She was the original Spider-Woman who had her own solo comic series (of muddled focus), which fell out of favor by the late 1980s. The character was killed off and shelved until the early 2000s, when Drew was brought back as a member of Marvel's New Avengers comic series. Jessica Drew cemented her place in 21st century Marvel lore when it was revealed she was a Skrull queen in disguise, during the "Secret Invasion" storyline. The "real" Jessica Drew was then re-introduced, and has since become a major staple of Marvel's Avengers franchise.
Jessica Drew is a character that Sony is already making use of: Issa Rae is voicing Drew's version of Spider-Woman in the animated sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse in 2023 (with a female-led Spider-Women spinoff also in the works). Sony also has a live-action Madame Web movie in the works, which could have a famous actress (Sydney Sweeney?) already cast as Drew. Madame Web could be Sony's play to establish a larger interconnected Spider-Man franchise under its own roof. Bumping heads with Marvel over Jessica Drew would, again, not be good for either studio, as Marvel has its own plans for Spider-Man, the next phase of Avengers, and the Secret Invasion storyline – any of which could feature Jessica Drew.
In the end, Marvel and Sony made a historic deal to get Tom Holland's Spider-Man in the MCU, and even worked out one disastrous collapse of the deal in 2019 to get Spider-Man: No Way Home made. Hopefully they can work this one out as well.