Spider-Man is out of the MCU thanks to Sony/Disney standoff

Enlarge / "Mr. Feige, I don't feel so good." Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige will not be producing the next two Spider-Man films with Sony Pictures. (credit: Aurich Lawson / Marvel / Getty)

Deadline Hollywood reports that future blockbuster films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe will likely be missing a key figure: Spider-Man. Apparently, Sony Pictures and Disney/Marvel have failed to reach new terms for the franchise acceptable to both parties. That means Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige will not be a producer on the two more Spider-Man movies reportedly in the works.

It's kind of shocking news, given that this summer's Spider-Man: Far From Home seemed to be setting up young Peter Parker (Tom Holland) as a worthy successor to Tony Stark's Iron Man in future MCU films. But there were hints: Marvel didn't announce any new Spider-Man films at San Diego Comic Con this year—although the studio did reveal a whole slew of projects in development for the next phase of the MCU, now that the original Avengers multi-film storyline has come to a fitting close with Endgame.

So what happened? It's all about money, of course. Under the current arrangement, Disney holds the merchandising rights and gets 5% of first-dollar gross (how much a film makes at the box office on its first day of release), according to Deadline. Sony holds the distribution and screen rights to Spider-Man solo films, starting with Sam Raimi's 2002 Spider-Man with Tobey Maguire. Disney was pushing for a 50/50 co-financing agreement going forward, which Sony turned down flat. Nobody backed down, and so here we are.