Spider-Man Leaves the MCU: Kevin Feige Says Deal ‘Never Meant to Last Forever’

In the midst of all that was unspooling at the D23 Expo this weekend in Anaheim, Marvel Cinematic Universe producer Kevin Feige and Tom Holland both took time to address the recent breakup among Disney, Sony, and Marvel Studios over Spider-Man, who was forced to decamp the MCU proper after a deal couldn’t be reached with Sony.

In backstage interview with Entertainment Weekly and People, Feige said, “I’m feeling about Spider-Man gratitude and joy. We got to make five films within the MCU with Spider-Man: two standalone films and three with the Avengers. It was a dream that I never thought would happen. It was never meant to last forever. We knew there was a finite amount of time that we’d be able to do this, and we told the story we wanted to tell, and I’ll always be thankful for that.”

Tom Holland, who plays the titular web-slinger, added, “Basically, we’ve made five great movies,” referring to his MCU run beginning with 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War.” “It’s been five amazing years. I’ve had the time of my life. Who knows what the future holds? But all I know is that I’m going to continue playing Spider-Man and having the time of my life. It’s going to be so fun, however we choose to do it. The future for Spider-Man will be different, but it will be equally as awesome and amazing, and we’ll find new ways to make it even cooler.”

Holland was in attendance at the Expo to tout his new animated fantasy film “Onward” from Disney and Pixar, where he stars opposite Chris Pratt, another MCU mainstay, as two teenage elf brothers trying to bring some life back into a magical world.

As IndieWire reported from the D23 Expo on Saturday, “Holland has an awkward gift for wizarding to bring their dad back for one day, but that older brother Pratt must tutor him to make it happen.” The film is directed by Dan Scanlon.

Two more Spider-Man films are in development with Tom Holland attached to star and Jon Watts set to direct, but without Kevin Feige as lead creative producer.