Tom Holland Says Sony Had ‘Wonderful Idea’ to Transition Spider-Man Out of MCU
Spider-Man fans breathed a sigh of relief when Disney and Sony announced in September they had come to a new agreement to allow Tom Holland’s web-slinger to remain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for another standalone movie and an appearance in a non-standalone movie. The original agreement to share the character was terminated last August, creating doubt over whether or not Holland’s Spider-Man would return to the MCU after popular appearances in “Captain America: Civil War,” “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Avengers: Endgame,” and “Spider-Man: Far From Home.” The latter grossed over $1 billion at the worldwide box office last summer. Holland’s Spider-Man is staying with the MCU for now, but the actor tells MTV that fans wouldn’t have had to worry if the superhero got pulled away from Disney.
“The future for Spider-Man was still very bright with Sony,” Holland says in the video interview while promoting his new Disney-Pixar adventure “Onward” (via The Playlist). “We had a really, really wonderful idea how we could sort of transition into a Spider-Man without the MCU. Tom Rothman and Amy Pascal were really confident that they were gonna do justice and make a film of the caliber that Spider-Man requires. But that said, I’m really glad to be back in the MCU and to have the team back together because I kind of feel like it’s where he belongs now.”
Holland was a crucial player in getting Disney and Sony to agree to new terms to share the character for at least another MCU movie. It should be stressed the new deal is only for another MCU “Spider-Man” movie and one Spider-Man appearance in another MCU movie, meaning it’s possible after these contractual obligations Holland’s Spider-Man still does exit the MCU. Holland personally called Iger after the news broke the character would be leaving the MCU in order to express his sadness. Holland’s passion to stay in the MCU kept conversations between the two Hollywood studios open.
“I’m really grateful that Bob Iger and Tom Rothman allowed me to be a part of the process of bringing him home,” Holland tells MTV. “It was a pretty cool experience and also the best bragging rights ever: I saved Spider-Man.”
The fourth MCU movie featuring Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has been set for a theatrical release on July 16, 2021.