Why Spider-Man should still belong to Disney

Like many preteen girls with an unhealthy obsession with all things Marvel, I fell in love with Tom Holland the second he became our Spider-Man. He shaped my view of superhero movies for the better, and it was because of him that I decided to watch the third generation of Spidey movies. I grew up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so when I heard the news last month that Disney will no longer co-produce the films with Sony, effectively removing Spider-Man from the MCU, it was a cold, hard slap in the face.

Although Sony and Marvel had an agreement to co-produce future Spider-Man movies, Sony decided not to renew its contract because of Tom Holland’s success in recent movies like Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home. This is just a poor decision both artistically and financially.

Disney made Peter Parker more relatable, opening a window for teenagers to see into the life of a superhero. That’s what I find most charming about Holland—his character has no clue what he’s doing as a superhero. I usually have no idea what I’m doing on a daily basis, so it helps me feel closer to him. The Spider-Men under Sony (Tobey Maquire and Andrew Garfield) had cool powers and special effects, but they lacked realism. The humanity of Spider-Man is what makes him so different and likable.

Before the Disney/Sony deal, there were some good Spider-Man movies, but nothing comes close to the success of Homecoming, which made more than $117 million in just its opening weekend, and Far From Home, which has generated $1.109 billion worldwide so far. Both companies made more money from their partnership, and I doubt that Sony will come close to the box office success without the support of the MCU, especially considering their reputation for ruining superhero movies (sorry Andrew Garfield fans).

But Tom Holland? He isn’t going anywhere—he’s just separating from the MCU. In the end, there isn’t anything that we (nor Holland) can do except hope that Sony comes to their senses and realizes that they could make more money with Disney. 

I grew up watching Holland grow into his own character, and now I’m watching him leave. But if this is the end of Spider-Man as part of the MCU, then we bid him a bittersweet goodbye and watch as our favorite underoos-clad superhero enters a new world.