Back in February of 2015, Sony and Marvel made history when they made a deal to bring Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Back in the 1990s, when Marvel was in danger of fading into obscurity, they were forced to sell the movie rights in order to stay afloat. One of those characters was the ever-popular Spider-Man. With Spidey taking up residence over at Sony, when Marvel Studios was formed, it became impossible to bring him into the fold. This deal in 2015 between the two Hollywood behemoths finally made such a crossover possible.

But what were the specifics of the deal? At the time, all we knew was that the deal would allow Spider-Man to cross into their films, and other MCU characters to pop into the Spider-Man films. We also knew that Sony would fully fund, market, and benefit financially from the standalone Spidey films, while Marvel Studios would do the same with their own films — even in the films that featured Spider-Man (though it also sounds like, given certain box office milestones, both studios could ultimately benefit from each other’s work). But who would have creative control? From the vague language we saw in the initial breakdown, it sounded like the standalone film would be a joint effort, with Sony having final say.

However, based on some recent comments from Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, it sounds more like that was lip service to Sony than reality. Here’s what Feige said to THR in a recent interview in regards to the deal.

“It really came down to me telling Amy in her office that I think the best thing for this character is: Sony has the rights, that’s not changing. Have Sony pay for the movie, distribute the movie, market the movie. Just let us make the movie and incorporate him into our universe.”

So based on that comment, it sounds like the job of actually making the movie fell to Marvel Studios — a fact that a lot of fans expected. Now that’s not to say that Sony was completely hands-off — at the end of the day, as the studio paying for the film, they had final say — but it sounds like they entrusted themselves in Marvel Studios’ capable hands. 

With those details laid out, it’s no wonder they seem itching to go out and make their own spinoff films like Venom and Silver & Black. When all said and done, it certainly sounds like they gave up a lot of their power to Marvel Studios. While this will ultimately lead to a lot of free money to them, we wouldn’t be surprised if it felt like a little bruise to their ego.

What do you think of Feige’s statements? Do you read it the same way we do? Let us know your thoughts down below!

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SOURCE: THR