Spider-Man Star Tom Holland Thinks Peter Parker Belongs In the MCU

According to Tom Holland, Spider-Man belongs in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. One of the biggest news stories of last year was the supposed crumbling of Disney and Sony's deal to allow Spider-Man, whom Sony has owned the rights to for years, to be a part of the MCU. Reports emerged last summer saying the two studios had reached a stalemate during negotiations, and that Holland's Peter Parker would no longer appear within the MCU. Fans were understandably shocked and disappointed by this development, but had reason to celebrate when later Disney and Sony reached a new agreement (partially aided by a drunken phone call from Holland himself) allowing Spider-Man to stay in the MCU for the time being.

Spider-Man's introduction to the MCU was considered a high point for the mega-franchise when he first appeared in 2016's Captain America: Civil War. Since then, Holland has appeared in five MCU films total, two of which are solo Spider-Man adventures. The new Disney-Sony deal currently allows Holland to appear in one more solo film, as well as an additional MCU-set movie. However, Sony's chairman Tom Rothman recently said he hopes to continue the deal beyond those terms.

Following this whole chain of events, Holland has been open about his feelings regarding Spider-Man's near-exit from the MCU. Recently, Holland revealed his Onward co-star Chris Pratt supported him during that confusing time, and now Holland has continued to share his happiness that Spider-Man gets to stay in the MCU. While promoting Onward with MTV International, Holland was asked how excited he is to remain in the MCU, and he was quick to say he is "super excited." He also added that Spider-Man truly does belong in the MCU, saying this:

You know, the future for Spider-Man was still very bright with Sony, and we had a really, really wonderful idea of how we could sort of transition into a Spider-Man without the MCU, and Tom Rothman and Amy Pascal were really confident they were gonna do justice and make a film of the caliber Spider-Man requires. But that said, I'm really glad to be back in the MCU and to have the team back together because I kind of feel like it's where he belongs now.

Spider-Man: Homecoming 3 (which has yet to receive an official name) is expected to go into production later this year, with its current release date set for July 16, 2021. In the meantime, there are rumors suggesting Holland's Spider-Man could cameo in some of Sony's Spider-Man-adjacent films, like Venom 2. This is another result of the renewed Disney-Sony deal, as Sony has the power to set their spin-offs within the MCU. The next Marvel film from Sony will be Morbius, which is already confirmed to be set in the MCU thanks to an appearance by Michael Keaton's Vulture in the film's trailer.

Holland's performance as Spider-Man has been widely praised, and his solo films have added a fresh young adult element to the MCU. Since last summer's Spider-Man: Far From Home ended on a cliffhanger, it would have been incredibly disappointing to not receive a follow-up. Thankfully, Holland will remain with the MCU for at least a while longer, though it sounds like if he has anything to do with it (and clearly he does, based on the drunken phone call), Spidey might stick around for more adventures than initially assumed.

More: Sony Definitely Won The Spider-Man/Marvel Deal

Source: MTV International