After a 4 year agreement that resulted in a deal that allowed Spider-Man to be reinvented as a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures have decided to go their separate ways. The end of this agreement has been described as a “tragic mistake” by the Russo brothers, American film and television directors who have directed films like ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’, ‘Captain America: Civil War’, ‘Avengers: Infinity War’, and ‘Avengers: Endgame’.
Although, brothers Joe and Anthony Russo have been involved in the arrangement from the beginning when Marvel first approached Sony in the hope of incorporating Spider-Man into ‘Captain America: Civil War’, they have stated that they were not “devastated or surprised” by the split up; this was due to the fact that they knew how difficult it was for the two studios to make the agreement happen in the first place.
They also avoided expressing their thoughts on the matter, that is, until recently. In an interview with the Toronto Sun, the Russos iterated how much they loved working with Spider-Man. Joe Russo, the younger of the two brothers, goes on to say that he feels that now that the deal is over, Sony will suffer. “Stepping back and trying to be objective as possible,” Joe Russo reflects, “I think it’s a tragic mistake on Sony’s part to think that they can replicate Kevin [Feige]’s penchant for telling incredible stories and the amazing success he has had over the years. I think it’s a big mistake.” While Sony might not agree, the Russos definitely have a point.
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The success of MCU in its entirety largely due to the substantial expertise of Kevin Feige who is president of Marvel Studios and visionary film-maker who plans things out years in advance. Since 2015, Feige was essentially given sole control of the MCU after a corporate restructure, which has resulted in the franchise becoming stronger and more formidable after a series of high-profile blockbusters. Feige is good at what he does; talent acquisition, identifying scriptwriters and directors who can turn a film into a success, and giving his directors creative freedom. With ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home‘ becoming Sony’s highest-grossing film ever, it is obvious that Spider-Man benefited from Feige’s leadership.
With that being said, the success of ‘Venom‘ , which grossed over $850 million in the global box office, could be seen as evidence that Sony might not need MCU after all. It has been reported that Feige was not notably helpful with ‘Venom’, and as a result they began to feel they’d learned all they needed from him. While it is arguable that the success of the latest Spider-Man film was due to MCU, it is also a possibility that that may be partially because the superhero genre has gotten bigger than it has ever been. Evidence points to the six superhero movies have broken $1 billion in the last two years, including the record-breaking ‘Avengers: Endgame’.
While there are many possibilities and opportunities for Sony to get past this severance and produce more box office hits, MCU fans are doubtful. Ultimately, only time will tell whether the Russo brothers are right or not.
Do you think that Sony can come back from this? Or will #SonyIsOver be a trend that lasts forever? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
