While Stan Lee and Steve Ditko created Spider-Man while working for Marvel Comics, and Marvel holds the rights to Spidey in the world of publishing, Sony actually controls the rights to make Spider-Man movies. (You can blame Marvel’s bad decade in the 1990s for that; they were so hard up for cash at the time they sold the rights to Spidey movies and shows to Sony for just $7 million. That’s it!)
As long as Sony keeps pumping out Spider-Man movies — good or bad, hit or flop — they hold those rights in perpetuity. And they can also make Spider-Man spinoff films, featuring characters who originated in Spider-Man comics, which is how we wound up with films like Venom, Morbius, and now the new (and quite terrible) Madame Web.
If you’ve seen those movies, you know: A lot of them ain’t great! And Sony has more coming, including another Venom sequel and a Kraven the Hunter film starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson. That’s despite the fact that Madame Web was so bad, that at least one movie theater chain reportedly watched “advance purchase sales declining in real time as buyers were refunding their tickets” as the buzz got worse and worse about the film. So these movies aren’t just bad now, they’re arguably hurting Marvel’s brand name in the marketplace.
But what can Marvel do about that? In our latest video, we discuss the Marvel Sony Spider-Man deal with an attorney (and Spidey super fan) to see what their contract entails, and what Marvel can legally do if Sony keeps making disappointing films. Could Marvel even sue Sony to get Spider-Man back? Watch the video below and find out.
READ MORE: The Evolution of Marvel’s Iconic Logo
If you liked that video on whether Marvel can get Spider-Man back from Sony, and whether it could ever lead to a lawsuit, check out more of our videos below, including one on how Tobey Maguire was almost the Spider-Man of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one on the X-Men ’97 trailer and how it references old Marvel Comics and could influence future MCU films and shows, and one on how Deadpool and Wolverine will show up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Plus, there’s tons more videos over at ScreenCrush’s YouTube channel. Be sure to subscribe to catch all our future episodes. The next Marvel Disney+ show, X-Men ’97, is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on March 20.
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