Home Entertainment Angry Marvel fans have predictably launched petitions to boycott Sony in an effort to keep Spider-Man in the MCU

Angry Marvel fans have predictably launched petitions to boycott Sony in an effort to keep Spider-Man in the MCU

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35
Raboboi

Rewind the clock a few years, and you’d have been witness to the impossible in cinema: A good Spider-Man movie that didn’t need to redo the origin of the webslinger and show us Uncle Ben catching a lethal case of tummy-bullets. Tom Holland’s debut as the webhead in Captain America: Civil War may have been charming, but further adventures in two Avengers movies and a solo sequel proved that maybe this Marvel studio pulling the strings may know what they’re actually doing with the character as opposed to Sony’s previous efforts which were middling at best.

And then things got ugly. Sony still has the lucrative film rights to Spider-Man, but while working with Marvel the deal would have seen them take home 95% of the box office bacon while the House of Ideas under Disney would take a 5% first dollar cut and all profits from merchandising. Which sounds like an alright deal considering all the legal red tape involved, but Disney wanted more.

Disney wanted to renegotiate the deal which would see them fund future Spidey films by 50%, thus allowing them to split profits 50/50 with Sony but current big cheese Tom Rothman decided that they’d be better off by exiting the MCU and going their own way especially if Marvel Studios big kahuna Kevin Feige wasn’t going to have time to guide the franchise.

It’s a tangled web of statements right now with both sides attempting to paint themselves as saints and the competition as money-hungry predators when in reality it’s both sides that are after all that extra green. Naturally, the fans are upset. Like, “we’re going to start a completely ineffectual petition to express our anger” upset.

The current attitude from fans is leaning towards them pointing a finger at Sony specifically, with the hashtag #BoycottSony trending in recent days. One such petition urging the masses to boycott Sony and all of its products already has close to 5000 signatures, while another has an equally unimpressive 11 sign-ups so far due to the fact that it was drafted by someone whose anger was so overwhelming that they couldn’t even bash F7 before they published it:

Spider-Man (1)

It has just been revealed that sony is taking are favorite webslinger out of the mcu and this must not happen. Spiderman has been ruined by sonys live action department ever since spiderman 3, but when spidey was brought into the mcu it was a breath of fresh air.

Other Spider-Man fans are demanding more drastic action, such as a complete boycott of anything Spider-Man related on a Sony product such as last year’s best-selling video game which featured the webspinner in a grand solo return to PlayStation consoles. Considering how Marvel’s Spider-Man is now the best-selling superhero game of all time, it’s probably going to be a hard sell convincing the tens of people who have yet to purchase it to hold off on doing so until there’s justice for Spidey.

Personally, I’m on Sony’s side in this brouhaha. Sony originally signed a five-picture deal with Marvel several years ago over the use of Spider-Man, and while they did reap some hefty profits from his solo films, that was done by them ponying up all the cash to finance those films while Marvel took the creative lead. Even with Marvel’s A-team working on restoring Spidey back to cinematic glory there was no guarantee that those movies would be successful financially or even critically.

Spider-Man

There’s still so much going on behind the scenes that we don’t yet know about and Sony has already commented on how they hope things will change in the future. There could still be some hope that Spidey is a key player in the MCU, but Sony has already proven that they don’t need to be linked to Disney’s monopoly engine to make a good Spider-Man movie.

Just look at last year’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse for proof that a studio taking a gamble on a wild idea with some of the best talent in the industry can create something magical.

Spider-Man (2)

Last Updated: August 22, 2019

35 Comments

  1. “It has just been revealed that sony is taking are favorite webslinger out of the mcu and this must not happen”

    My eyes…

    Reply

  2. Alien Emperor Trevor

    August 22, 2019 at 10:59

    Well as the good book says, “render to Disney the things that are Disney’s; and to Walt the things that are Walt’s”.

    Reply

  3. RinceThis

    August 22, 2019 at 11:19

    Quite frankly if the house of mouse wants 50% so we can get a decent movie, so be it.

    Reply

  4. Raptor Rants

    August 22, 2019 at 11:29

    So much anger and hate in the geekdom lately. Everyone wants to petition everything nowadays. Why can’t folk just accept that not everything can go their way?

    Reply

    • Yahtzee

      August 22, 2019 at 11:29

      Well it’s my way or the highway…and I am just about out of highway.

      Reply

      • HvR

        August 22, 2019 at 16:37

        Considering where you live it is my way or the “national road that is either a parking lot during the day or a death road filled rocks, tyre traps and highway bandits at night”

        Reply

        • Yahtzee

          August 23, 2019 at 08:01

          Pretty much true. All the kek is happening 1 robot away from me. Gotta love this little shithole we call home.

          Reply

    • The D

      August 22, 2019 at 13:15

      A compromise? In this day and age? In this part of the internet? Localised entirely within your unwillingness to realise that you can’t get everything that you want in life?

      Reply

  5. Yahtzee

    August 22, 2019 at 11:29

    • Dr Webster Flexington

      August 22, 2019 at 14:11

      I’m actually picturing this scenario in my head and I can hear JK Simmons’ laugh! 😀

      Reply

  6. Yahtzee

    August 22, 2019 at 11:44

    Can’t believe I came in here and there were zero “Disney mooi” jokes… you people disappoint me.

    Reply

  7. Magoo マグ

    August 22, 2019 at 11:53

    “Petitions to boycott” LOL

    Like who you gonna deliver that petition to? Your local church?

    Hi guys this petition got like a ton of sigs so you are not allowed to go and support Sony. Rules are rules.

    Reply

  8. Gr8_Balls_o_Fire

    August 22, 2019 at 13:41

    Lmao hilarious! They care so much

    Reply

  9. Tbone187

    August 22, 2019 at 13:51

    Well if it means Spidey will no longer be a sideshow laaitjie then I’m all for Sony.

    Reply

  10. Admiral Chief Umbra

    August 22, 2019 at 10:49

    I personally love the rebooted Aunt May

    Reply

  11. Original Heretic

    August 22, 2019 at 10:59

    Disney has the merchandising rights.
    That alone is worth more than the box office takings.
    I mean, that’s what got George Lucas so rich off Star Wars.
    Or have these things changed over the last 40 years?

    Reply

    • Spathi

      August 22, 2019 at 11:36

      Exactly. Disney is amazingly greedy.

      Reply

    • Dr Webster Flexington

      August 22, 2019 at 14:11

      That’s actually a great point, they control the merchandising rights. I still don’t blame Sony for giving Disney the ol’ finger – granted, my stance on Disney is definitely biased, and can best be summed up as “pure unadulterated hatred”.

      Reply

      • Original Heretic

        August 22, 2019 at 14:11

        Out of interest, I Googled this a bit.
        Found an article stating that so far, Black Panther has better Disney the most money with regards to merchandisrle. And that’s only at $200mil.
        But that WAS before End Game, Far from Home, etc.
        But the article was ACTUALLY about Frozen. And how Disney, so far, has made more than $11 BILLION on Frozen merchandise.

        Reply

        • Magoo マグ

          August 22, 2019 at 15:12

          What’s the point of buying frozen merch? Does it go off at room temp?

          Reply

          • Original Heretic

            August 22, 2019 at 15:32

            It only goes off it you hang onto it too tightly.
            You’re supposed to let it go.

          • Magoo マグ

            August 23, 2019 at 11:23

            Ice see what you did there.

        • Dr Webster Flexington

          August 23, 2019 at 14:01

          People forget what a phenomenon Frozen was (or still is). I remember every single kid wanting to be either Elsa or Ana.

          Reply

  12. HvR

    August 22, 2019 at 12:36

    Disney execs must have high on money die vapours when they decided that strong arm Sony after a deal was set AND after they made Spiderman such an important part of the MCU.

    Reply

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