Hmmm, what a complicated web. The current working arrangement between Sony and Marvel Studios is a bit hard to understand, especially when no one involved wants to spill too many secrets in fear of spoiling things for fans when some projects won’t be released for years. Just days ago, Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, flatly stated:
“For now, there is NO plan for Venom in the MCU. It’s a Sony Project.”
You see, Sony holds the film rights to Spider-Man and just a few years ago, announced an entire shared universe of ‘Spider-Man’ movies, comprised of their current ‘Amazing’ planned trilogy, ‘Sinister Six’, ‘Venom’ and a female-led movie, which wasn’t specified. This was, of course, modeled after Marvel’s incredibly successful shared universe.
Then ‘Amazing Spider-Man 2’ belly flopped. Not only was the shared universe scrapped, but so was ‘Amazing 3’, leaving the trilogy incomplete. Instead, Sony made a deal with Marvel to share Peter Parker, leading to the casting of Tom Holland as a new, youthful Spider-Man, who debuted in ‘Captain America: Civil War’ battling alongside the fractured Avengers, establishing that this Peter lived in the existing Marvel U.
In ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’, once again, he lives in the MCU with Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans who appear as Tony Stark/Iron Man and Steve Rogers/Captain America, respectively.
In recent weeks, Sony has announced a return to their plans for additional films in the ‘Spider-Man’ brand– ‘Venom’ to be directed by Reuben Fleischer (‘Gangster Squad’), with Tom Hardy in the lead, and ‘Silver and Black’ to be directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (‘Beyond the Lights’) which will bring together the characters Black Cat and Silver Sable. But the question has been, will these films also take place in the MCU? There has even been some doubt as to whether future ‘Spider-Man’ installments would or if this collaboration was just a kick-start.
Sony producer Amy Pascal, seated beside Feige, responded to a question regarding this recently, saying:
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“Well those movies will all take place in the world that we are now creating for Peter Parker. They’ll be adjuncts to it, it may be different locations but it will still all be in the same world, and they will be connected to each other as well.”
“There’s a chance [that Peter Parker will appear in ‘Venom’]. There’s always a chance. I think one of the things that Kevin has done with Marvel that was so brilliant is by bringing the fans along and making each movie seem like a chapter in a book, that you have to read that chapter in order to go forward. And I think the investment that the fans get to feel in being a part of a larger story and understanding what’s happening, I think is something that I know Sony would want to emulate.”
So what do we take away from this? What’s the deal? Do ‘Venom’ and ‘Silver and Black’ take place in the MCU or not? It’s… complicated.
Tom Holland’s Spidey does inhabit the MCU and will also appear in the next two ‘Avengers’ movies and the door is likely open for additional Marvel cameos in his planned two sequels. And Holland may pop up in the “adjunct” Spidey movies. But Marvel will not be involved in ‘Venom’ or ‘Silver and Black’ so don’t expect the Marvel heroes to appear in them, or vice versa. Plus, it’s not as if Star-Lord rubs elbows with the Black Cat on a regular basis.
But… you never know what the future holds.
What would you like? Do you want ALL of Sony and Marvel’s super movies to connect? Or are you okay with the additional movies standing on their own?
Jax's earliest memory is of watching 'Batman,' followed shortly by a memory of playing Batman & Robin with a friend, which entailed running outside in just their underwear and towels as capes. When adults told them they couldn't run around outside in their underwear, both boys promptly whipped theirs off and ran around in just capes.
Then ‘Amazing Spider-Man 2’ belly flopped. Not only was the shared universe scrapped, but so was ‘Amazing 3’, leaving the trilogy incomplete. Instead, Sony made a deal with Marvel to share Peter Parker, leading to the casting of Tom Holland as a new, youthful Spider-Man, who debuted in ‘Captain America: Civil War’ battling alongside the fractured Avengers, establishing that this Peter lived in the existing Marvel U.
