Is Spider-Man leaving the MCU? Everything you need to know about Tom Holland and Marvel-Sony controversy

We've broken down what this means for Holland's future as the beloved webslinger

Film fans are in uproar following the news that Spider-Man’s Marvel Cinematic Universe future is in extreme doubt.

It was reported by Deadline that a huge dispute between Marvel Studios and Sony Entertainment meant that the former’s president, Kevin Feige, would no longer be able to produce any more Spider-Man films, eliminating Marvel’s involvement in future films starring the character.

While some sources say that negotiations are still ongoing, a Sony spokesman has released a statement that seems to hint that the backlash being heaped upon the studio is unfair; it seems Sony was willing to let Feige serve as a producer on their new Spider-Man films, but Disney is hesitant to permit this.

“Much of today’s news about Spider-Man has mischaracterised recent discussions about Kevin Feige’s involvement in the franchise,” the representative said. “We are disappointed, but respect Disney’s decision not to have him continue as a lead producer of our next live action Spider-Man film.”

While the rep also added this could “change in the future”, there’s no denying that Tom Holland’s future is about to change in a big way.

Spider-Man has been established as the successor to Iron Man in many ways and was no doubt being lined up to be one of the central characters following Avengers: Endgame and his most recent film, Spider-Man: Far From Home, which marked the official end of Phase Three.

There are two more Holland-led Spider-Man films planned, both of which were reportedly set to be directed by Jon Watts, but these are now expected to move ahead with Sony as opposed to Marvel. Holland will star in those, although it’s unknown whether co-stars Zendaya, Jacob Batalon and Marisa Tomei will feature.

This would mean no cameo appearances from fellow MCU characters and, if a deal cannot be reached, would very likely rule Holland out from appearing in any future Marvel films. Sony has been attempting to build its own Spider-Man universe away from the MCU thanks to blockbuster Venom and the forthcoming Morbius film, starring Jared Leto.

All is not lost, though. Feige is said to have helped out on with Venom and did so without receiving a producing credit, so there’s a chance he could do the same with Sony’s next two Spider-Man films. This seems like the best possible scenario should a deal not be reached; at least Feige’s vision could be upheld in some small way.

The worst thing about all of this is the treatment of Tom Holland, an actor who has finally been doing the webslinger justice. His contribution to the MCU has been nothing short of fantastic, winning the series new fans as well as earning the respect of those who were there when Iron Man was released in 2008. Having the fate of your character in the air because of greedy studio interference must be a hard thing to deal with.