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Spider-Man May Still Be Part Of Sony’s Villain Universe Despite Marvel Deal
Spider-Man is officially back in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he may also crossover with Sony's villain universe at the same time. The future of Tom Holland's Peter Parker now appears to be back on track. After talks between Disney and Sony broke down over how Marvel Studios could stay involved with the Spider-Man franchise, it appeared as though Holland was heading straight for Sony's Universe of Marvel Characters.
The SUMC was launched with Venom last year and kicked off several other films being in development by Sony - but without the help of Marvel Studios. Now, the third film in the Spider-Man: Homecoming franchise is confirmed to take place in the MCU with a 2021 release date set. Spidey's involvement with the MCU won't stop there though, as he will also appear in another MCU film. This may initially appear to spell doom for the chances of Spider-Man appearing in any of Sony's other Marvel films, but that may not be the case.
As part of the press release issued by Sony and Disney to make this announcement, comments from Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and producer Amy Pascal were included. One part of Feige's comments on the deal tease that even though Spider-Man is now back with the MCU, he could crossover between both Marvel and Sony's shared universes. Here's what he said:
He also happens to be the only hero with the superpower to cross cinematic universes, so as Sony continues to develop their own Spidey-verse you never know what surprises the future might hold.
Feige's quote is a bit buried in the press release, but it is potentially the most significant aspect of this new deal between Disney and Sony. They haven't shared specifics of what this will mean, but it suggests that Spider-Man's future could include him jumping back and forth between the MCU and SUMC, which are two distinctly different universes. That said, Sony's Marvel films will now become MCU-adjacent projects, as they called them long ago, without forcing them to be part of the MCU's actual canon.
All of this essentially gives the MCU, Sony, and Holland the best-case scenario. With their own ambitious slate of movies and Disney+ TV shows, Marvel Studios and Feige can concentrate on crafting a narrative around actual MCU films without worrying about Venom 2 or a Madame Web movie. Instead, Sony will be able to do as they please with those properties and bring Holland's Spider-Man into the mix when they see fit. This deal will allow Holland to continue playing Spider-Man in the MCU (which he loves), but also give him the opportunity to team-up with Tom Hardy's Venom (which he has long wanted to do). Simply put, the main part of Spider-Man's story may stay in the MCU, but he can now go on one-off, side-adventures within Sony's upcoming Marvel films with the potential to link them all together one day.
Spider-Man: Homecoming 3 (2021) release date: Jul 16, 2021
Black Widow (2020) release date: May 01, 2020
Eternals (2020) release date: Nov 06, 2020
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) release date: Feb 12, 2021
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2021) release date: May 07, 2021
Thor: Love and Thunder (2021) release date: Nov 05, 2021
Black Panther 2 (2022) release date: May 06, 2022
Morbius (2020) release date: Jul 31, 2020
