Here’s something about me you may not know yet: I’m kind of a nerd (or is it geek?). I’m mainly talking about superheroes like Batman and Superman, but I’m also open to other things like Star Trek, Alien, etc. Yet I don’t consider myself a “super nerd”; at least not now compared to when I was a child. Many people will collect as many items of their favorite thing, join clubs or fan groups, and be so knowledgable about the topic that it’s as if they got a college degree for it! As for me, I may have a few things and know some of the stuff being talked about, but to a certain extent. When we get older, it’s common to have our interests change or expand, and that’s what happened to me. I keep tabs on this world from time to time, but I also like to explore other things. And by keeping tabs, it’s when I decide to google about it or catch wind of it. I’m the worst when it comes to the news and recent events, but I toss that into my “things that keep you away from enjoying life” list. Yet there was one recent event that I couldn’t avoid hearing about, because wherever I went I saw it: Sony is taking Spiderman away from the MCU.
Now the second thing about me: Spiderman is my favorite superhero ever since I was a kid. I’ll admit it, and that’s probably the one thing I’m most knowledgable in when it comes to geek culture. It’s one of the things where if I hear about it on the news, like who will be the villian in the next movie, I keep tabs on it and see if it’s going well. So when I heard about this news that Sony is taking back the rights to Spidey, thus completely changing Marvel’s plans for their next phase, I listened to other’s thoughts on it. The popular opinion is that this is a mistake, because Marvel Studios always makes amazing movies and Sony has struggled to make good movies. While I agree that Marvel does make some good movies, they’re not immune to a few mishaps and mediocre films. And it’s not like Sony has not been watching and learning to see what it takes to make a successful superhero flick. At the heart of it, though, is money in which Marvel wanted a bigger piece of the pie. A pie that is supposed to be theirs, but belongs to someone else. They re-acquired Fox’s characters, and hope to one day get back their biggest hero. The thing is. . . Sony knows exactly the same thing.
They know what they have in their possession. Even though other heroes like Iron Man, Captain America, and Black Widow have become more popular than they ever were, at the end of the day they will never be the face of the company. Spidey is the most successful out of all of them, and this goes back to the Tobey movies; which were made by Sony. And if I read correcly, Tom Holland will still be Spiderman should this split continue and he makes a film for Sony. Though it will be a completely different story from the MCU version, I’m in the minority where I’m kind of hoping this split continues. Let me say, I did enjoy these MCU Spidey movies and he was a good supporting character in the Avengers films. But Spidey shouldn’t be a “supporting” character; he’s top billing. I understand though that it came down to timing. MCU spent years building up Thor, Hulk, and others as the main stars and for someone like Spidey (teen Spidey at that) to come in and lead will be hard to believe. But we’re so used to high school/college Peter Parker, that I’m actually ready for older Pete. One who is in his late 20’s at least and quite experienced at crime-fighting. I want new villians like Kraven, Kingpin, the Jackal; Mysterio was done quite well so I was happy about that. A Peter who is about to marry MJ; I was starting to like Zendaya but I struggled getting used to an oddball version of her and I wonder what Sony will do in that regards.
Marvel wanted to go younger, hoping to create movie after movie as the actor grows older. But in this day in age, it’s hard to keep people in one franchise. Daniel Craig wants to be done with the James Bond series, tv actors leave shows after so many seasons, and of course Robert Downey Jr and others will be stepping away from the MCU to focus on other things. We wouldn’t mind this, if studios would stop “rebooting” for every new actor they bring in. That was the problem with Spiderman, in that we kept getting an origin story of sorts. Uncle Ben dying in the Tobey and Andrew movies, and Tom just learning his abilities. We already know this, we’ve been through this before. Like I said, give us something different where we don’t have an origin feel like learning his abilities or finding his family secrets. I’m hoping (if Sony keeps the rights and makes their own movie) that they just jump straight into older Peter’s life where he struggles at the Daily Bugle or relationship issues, while dealing with the new baddie. A part of me has thought about being a writer for movies before; I may or may not have a trilogy idea for Batman.
Who knows what will happen next, but for now Spiderman is officially done with the MCU. And what a cliffhanger it left us on! That will forever bother me, because I hate seeing things left unfinished. But money can not only get in the way of family and friends, but also major movie corporations. And that’s what happened here, yet no one knows exactly what the MCU had in store for Pete. Sony may have known that, and didn’t like it. Rather than complaining that this was a mistake, we should wait and see what the outcome will be. Maybe Sony learned a thing or two,and will make a more compelling tale. All I know is I already grew up with a high school/college Peter Parker (Tobey), and I’m now ready for the late 20’s version with new adventures. And Sony, you could always surprise us and introduce us to Miles Morales or Miguel O’Hara in these new films too. . .
Novatourist 