Spider-Man may be out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Tom Holland believes the character's future is safe in Sony's hands. The world of superhero pop culture was rocked in August when, without warning, the news broke that Marvel Studios will not be involved in the development of future Spider-Man films, bringing the web-slinger's time in the MCU to an end. It was all the more unexpected since Marvel and Sony's agreement to share the Spider-Man movie rights (which they struck in 2015) has been extremely profitable for both studios so far.
Holland, for his part, is still contracted to play Peter Parker for the foreseeable future, regardless of whether Sony and Marvel ultimately back-track and settle on a new Spider-Man deal or not. The actor has been understandably hesitant to comment on the still-fluid situation up until this point, and simply expressed his love for his fans when he attended the D23 Expo to promote his upcoming Pixar movie, Onward, a couple weeks back. Now, in a brand-new interview, he has promised that Sony will do right by Spider-Man.
In a story for GQ, Holland reiterated his gratitude to Marvel for launching his run as the MCU's Spider-Man in the first place. He then went on to express his confidence in Sony and where they will take his version of the character from here:
“I’m not shy about expressing how incredible the last five years have been with Marvel. I’ve truly had the time of my life, and in so many respects, they have made my dreams come true as an actor. Sony has also been really good to me, and the global success of Spider-Man: Far From Home is a real testament to their support, skill and commitment. The legacy and future of Spidey rests in Sony’s safe hands. I really am nothing but grateful, and I’ve made friends for life along the way."
Obviously, Holland doesn't have any real control over the situation with Marvel and Sony, so it's no surprise he's taken to assuring his supporters that Sony will do justice by the Spider-Man property moving forward. All the same, there is evidence to back his claim. Sony infamously got ahead of themselves when they attempted to use The Amazing Spider-Man 2 to launch a shared universe in 2014, which led to the Sony-Marvel deal in the first place. However, they've since enjoyed the box office success of Venom and released last year's Oscar-winning animated feature, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, to much critical acclaim, in addition to their success with the live-action MCU Spider-Man films. It doesn't erase their mistakes in the past (see also: the Spider-Man 3 fiasco in the late 2000s), but it does suggest Sony has a firmer grip on what to do with their Marvel franchise now than they did before.
In fact, some fans are even looking forward to a Holland-led Spider-Man film outside the MCU. As celebrated as the web-slinger's previous two movies were, they were also criticized for being about Iron Man as much as (if not more than) Peter Parker. By default, the next installment will have to be more about Spider-Man only, and (legally) won't be able to lean on the character's connections to the rest of the MCU anymore. And of course, with the web-head out of the MCU, there's a very good chance Holland will make a cameo or more in next year's Venom 2, Morbius, and the other Spider-Man antihero movies Sony's got planned for the next few years. If handled correctly (not at all a sure thing, admittedly), these developments could make up for Spider-Man no longer being able to hang with his MCU pals.
Source: GQ
