News ofSpider-Manjoining the MCU in a partnership between Marvel Studios and Sony was such a big moment for fans that it broke the internet once it was announced. Following this shared decision, many people were happy, but some were very bitter. Sony producer Avi Arad’s feelings about the whole situation were recently revealed in the book,Great Power.
Spider-Manhas gone through two different reboots that spawned three different live-action Spider-Men (Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland). It took a lot of convincing by Kevin Feige to get Sony to license the Spider-Man rights, but as of now, Disney-owned Marvel Studios can use the character. Many comic book fans actually prefer it this way and really enjoy Marvel Studios' method over Sony’s.
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At the time the deal was made, Sony was facing a backlash over how the last two Spider-Man “trilogies” ended. Maguire’sSpider-Man 3was not well-received, andGarfield’sThe Amazing Spider-Man 3never ended up being made. In an excerpt from the book titledGreat Power, Arad goes on to call the Sony and Disney agreement “the worst deal.” In the book, Arad says, “They did it for the money. Terrible. Like giving your kids away for adoption, just because you’re not sure what to do with them.”
One thing that seems to be reoccurring is the fans' lack of enjoyment when it comes to the writing process on Sony’s side. Despite having very talented people on board, it seems Sony’s Marvel films can never get on the good side of critics or most fans. This happened with the originalSpider-Man 3,The Amazing Spider-Man 2,the cancelled Sinister Six film, and recentlyMorbius.
Hopefully, Sony and fans are able to see eye to eye one day, as they both want the same thing. Both want a quality product that people enjoy with big spectacle, enriching writing, and deep character studies. Unfortunately, this hasn’t been the reality as of late, and maybe it’s time for new talent to step in for a proper new direction in Spider-Man’s legacy. However, Sony has been delivering on the video game side of things, with an expected2023 release for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
