The first trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home is coming soon, but it doesn't appear to reference Avengers: Infinity War or Avengers: Endgame. The trailer debuted at CCXP before it makes its way online and MCU fans have been worried that it could spoil how Marvel Studios plans to conclude Phase 3.
The trickiest part about marketing the Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel is its placement in the larger MCU slate. The Tom Holland starring sequel will actually be the first movie to come out after Avengers 4, and thus is responsible for kicking off Phase 4. Marvel Studios has been operating with complete secrecy though when it comes to what is coming after Avengers: Endgame in an effort to prevent spoilers, but, thanks to Sony and Marvel Studios sharing the rights to Spider-Man, Sony who announced the sequel ahead of time and has it set for release just a couple of months after Endgame. If Spider-Man: Far From Home was completely up to Marvel, it is possible the sequel wouldn't have even been announced, let alone filmed, at this point.
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Not only is it done with production, but Spider-Man: Far From Home also is starting its marketing push at the exact same time as Avengers: Endgame. As most know, what could make this especially difficult is Holland's Peter Parker was last seen being killed in Infinity War, with Avengers 4's trailer confirming he is still missing. But when it comes to Far From Home's trailer, there's no mention of the events of either film. There's obviously a fear of spoilers, but the situation is a lot more complicated than that.
- This Page: Sony's Ownership Of Spider-Man: Far From Home
- Page 2: Why Far From Home's Trailers Need Spider-Man
Spider-Man: Far From Home Is Marketed By Sony, Not Marvel
Even though Spider-Man is currently in the MCU thanks to the deal struck between Sony and Marvel, the character's rights and creative control remains with Sony. This means that while Marvel will help with development and producing, they are not directly involved with the marketing; Sony's marketing team will handle all promotional materials for Spider-Man: Far From Home themselves. And even though the sequel and their newest Spider-Man exists in a larger shared universe, Sony is more concerned with their own franchise. They'll be the ones to profit off of its box office success, and so their primary goal is to market Far From Home as a sequel to their $880 million hit in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
That said, this doesn't mean Sony will intentionally spoil anything about Avengers: Endgame. The specifics of Sony and Marvel's deal are not public knowledge, but due to their hand in production, Marvel and Kevin Feige will be key in many big marketing decisions. Spider-Man: Far From Home's MCU connections are still a key selling point, after all, and it wouldn't be wise for Sony to majorly spoil the MCU film that brings its main character back to life. Sony and Marvel are surely working very close with each other to make sure Far From Home's marketing benefits all parties involved, with Feige's watchful eye checking to make sure the more specific details of Endgame's finale don't leak through.
Spider-Man: Far From Home Is Its Own Story
Building off of Homecoming and focusing solely on Spider-Man: Far From Home is also just the best move for this individual movie. Even though much has been made about the sequel's placement after Avengers: Endgame in the MCU slate, this is a new Peter Parker story first and foremost. It will pick up "minutes after" however Avengers 4 ends, but instead of showing how the various MCU heroes deal with the fallout, it will be solely focused on Spider-Man. By extension, trailers will want to be tight on what Peter Parker is up to now, not where he's been.
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The story of Far From Home also may warrant more explanation than the average solo movie. Peter is going overseas with several of his classmates, allowing for his relationship with Michelle (Zendaya) to potentially blossom and even other major comic romances to begin. The film also introduces Jake Gyllenhaal as the fan-favorite villain Mysterio (although he and Spidey may actually momentarily fight crime together) and sees the return of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), both of whom were also last seen getting dusted in Avegners: Infinity War, who recruit Peter to help on a mission against Elementals, causing natural disasters all across Europe. All in all, there's a lot at play with Spider-Man: Far From Home, so the marketing should be best served by making sure audiences know the story at hand.
Page 2: Why Far From Home's Trailers Need Spider-Man
Marvel Solo Movies Tend To Be Marketed As Standalone
It shouldn't really be that surprising for Spider-Man: Far From Home to be sold as a standalone film, however; for the most part, Marvel likes to advertise their solo movies as being just that, with any Avengers connections a background concern. One of the best and most recent examples of this is with Black Panther. Chadwick Boseman previously debuted as Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War and would eventually be seen in the marketing for Avengers: Infinity War. However, when it comes to Black Panther's own trailers, there's no reference to T'Challa's adventures in Germany; the marketing even sidestepped referencing how T'Challa just lost his father and is now inheriting the Wakanda throne.
Sure, it isn't uncommon for Marvel movies to also include mentions of prior films either; Marvel has leaned heavily on Civil War in the past though to establish the setting for Ant-Man and the Wasp and Spider-Man: Homecoming. However, both of those movies were trying to boost franchises with lower-performing previous entries, making the highlighting of connections a smart move. That doesn't apply to Spidey this time around.
Maybe the best comparison for Far From Home is Iron Man 3. The final solo movie for Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark was the first movie to come out after The Avengers' incredible box office success, yet the first teaser trailer only made a passing reference to the Battle of New York. Iron Man 3 went on to make $1.2 billion worldwide. If it can largely get by without tying itself to the events of Marvel's previous hit, then the fact that Spider-Man: Far From Home is completely devoid of Avengers references is even more understandable.
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A Spider-Man Movie Trailer Needs Spider-Man
This should all be for the best, ultimately, because Spider-Man: Far From Home's trailers need to focus on Peter Parker. The sequel is his story after all and that is what it needs to be selling. Even though the character is currently one of the Decimation victims, most are aware that he'll be brought back to life before Avengers: Endgame comes to an end. The fact that the movie is being made at all is a dead giveaway to this. The how, when, and why of the act is what even the most cynical fans still don't know, and those details may not play that large of a role in the film. Sony and Marvel will work together as much as possible to make sure both studios find the perfect marketing strategy that elevates their individual interests. But, Sony can't market Spider-Man's pile of ash on Titan.
Fans may have liked to see Spider-Man: Far From Home try to sell the movie without confirming Spidey is back alive, but that is almost impossible to do. For every member of the Marvel faithful who appreciated the obvious ploy, there'd be ten general audience members confused why Peter Parker wasn't present or when the movie was set. Holland is the new star and the trailers for the movie need to highlight his involvement, not just for Spider-Man: Far From Home to succeed, but to continue setting up the long-term future and appeal of the franchise.