It's the star-powered custody battle tearing Hollywood apart ⁠— and it's all over your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

On Tuesday, reports indicated that talks between Disney and Sony Pictures broke down, with neither party able to agree on future terms of their shared ownership of the character. As a result, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige will no longer produce additional films in the Spider-Man franchise, meaning Peter Parker's days in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are almost certainly over.

The studios' collaboration on the character was a unique one to begin with. When Disney acquired Marvel for $4 billion in 2009, it inherited a star-studded roster of iconic heroes ⁠— but Spider-Man stayed behind at Sony, the studio that helped shepherd the current superhero era into existence in 2002 with Toby McGuire's take on the web-slinger.

Things changed two sequels and one failed reboot later, when Disney ($DIS) and Sony ($SNE) agreed to share the rights to the radioactive teenager, allowing Spider-Man to appear in Feige's Marvel Cinematic Universe alongside The Avengers, in addition to standalone movies produced by Sony.

Negotiations reportedly collapsed when Disney insisted on a 50-50 stake in future Spider-Man movies, a far cry from the current deal giving Feige and company 5 percent of the series' first ticket gross and 100 percent of merchandising revenue.

That offer reportedly prompted Sony Pictures chief Tom Rothman to walk away from the bargaining table, leaving Peter Parker's fate solely in Sony's hands, signalling the end of Spider-Man's future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Most audiences might not notice the change ⁠— Sony is reportedly already at work on two more sequels led by Spidey's most recent inhabitant, Tom Holland. The studio also owns the rights to other characters in the Spider-Verse, like Tom Hardy's "Venom" and Jared Leto's "Morbius," and has a trove of other highly-adaptable villains and storylines at its disposal.

But don't expect Holland to make any more appearances in Disney's Marvel films alongside tentpole characters Thor, Black Panther, or Captain Marvel as he exits the cinematic universe that was seemingly positioning him to take the reins in a post-Tony Stark future.

Even in a superhero landscape crowded with dozens of caped crusaders, Spider-Man stands out as one of the most valuable pieces of intellectual property in the pop-culture universe. This summer alone, the character helped fuel Disney's 'Avengers: Endgame' and its road to becoming the highest-grossing movie of all time, and then turned in Sony's most successful release ever, "Spider-Man: Far From Home," just a few months later.

In a year that's seen one billion-dollar win after another for Disney, Mickey Mouse finally lost a battle. That's not to say Spidey won't swing back to another studio in the future, especially given Hollywood's volatile past with the character. Sony is leaving the door open for a return; The Hollywood Reporter exclusively obtained a statement from the studio, expressing its disappointment in the split, adding that it hopes "things change in the future."

For now, though, one of showbiz's most lucrative and beloved protagonists is back at Sony ⁠— a massive coup, but one that begs that simple but ominous reminder: With great power comes great responsibility.

Share:
More In Business
Michigan Judge Sentences Walmart Shoplifters to Wash Parking Lot Cars
A Michigan judge is putting sponges in the hands of shoplifters and ordering them to wash cars in a Walmart parking lot when spring weather arrives. Genesee County Judge Jeffrey Clothier hopes the unusual form of community service discourages people from stealing from Walmart. The judge also wants to reward shoppers with free car washes. Clothier says he began ordering “Walmart wash” sentences this week for shoplifting at the store in Grand Blanc Township. He believes 75 to 100 people eventually will be ordered to wash cars this spring. Clothier says he will be washing cars alongside them when the time comes.
State Department Halts Plan to buy $400M of Armored Tesla Vehicles
The State Department had been in talks with Elon Musk’s Tesla company to buy armored electric vehicles, but the plans have been put on hold by the Trump administration after reports emerged about a potential $400 million purchase. A State Department spokesperson said the electric car company owned by Musk was the only one that expressed interest back in May 2024. The deal with Tesla was only in its planning phases but it was forecast to be the largest contract of the year. It shows how some of his wealth has come and was still expected to come from taxpayers.
Goodyear Blimp at 100: ‘Floating Piece of Americana’ Still Thriving
At 100 years old, the Goodyear Blimp is an ageless star in the sky. The 246-foot-long airship will be in the background of the Daytona 500 — flying roughly 1,500 feet above Daytona International Speedway, actually — to celebrate its greatest anniversary tour. Even though remote camera technologies are improving regularly and changing the landscape of aerial footage, the blimp continues to carve out a niche. At Daytona, with the usual 40-car field racing around a 2½-mile superspeedway, views from the blimp aptly provide the scope of the event.
Is U.S. Restaurants’ Breakfast Boom Contributing to High Egg Prices?
It’s a chicken-and-egg problem: Restaurants are struggling with record-high U.S. egg prices, but their omelets, scrambles and huevos rancheros may be part of the problem. Breakfast is booming at U.S. eateries. First Watch, a restaurant chain that serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, nearly quadrupled its locations over the past decade to 570. Fast-food chains like Starbucks and Wendy's added more egg-filled breakfast items. In normal times, egg producers could meet the demand. But a bird flu outbreak that has forced them to slaughter their flocks is making supplies scarcer and pushing up prices. Some restaurants like Waffle House have added a surcharge to offset their costs.
Load More