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Description
Bitter? Who's bitter? I ain't bitter.

Okay, made a whole bunch of sloppy errors in this comic. Hitting the corners. Tangents. Blobs of empty space. But, hey, if Sony doesn’t mind making a mess, why should I? Oooh, burn.

And look, you can say that this pop culture disaster is more Disney’s fault than Sony’s. I don’t think I necessarily agree, but neither side deserves a very vigorous defense. They’re all billionaires breaking our hearts. Breaking mine, anyway.

Again.

But plenty of folks are trying to put a silver lining on this fart cloud. I hear them say, “Sony can still make great Spider-Man movies!” Or “The MCU will get on fine without him!” Mm hm. Yeah. Yep. Great. Sure. Problem solved. Thanks.

Except, neither of those points address what made it so great that he WAS in the MCU. It was awesome just knowing that one of our very favorite characters existed in the context of that wider, consistent universe. It elevated the continuity in a way that cannot be easily dismissed. Seeing that his actions impacted other fixtures in a shared setting, why, that’s Marvel comics come to life!

And, hey, let’s not pretend that Sony really deserves another shot, here. They’ve had their chances. The Raimi trilogy, which they screwed up. The Webb films, which were never especially good. But, oh, then there’s Into the Spider-Verse and the PS4 game, both of which were superb in their respective media! And both of which can expect sequels. And both of which were made while Tom Holland was happily ensconced in the MCU. And neither of which owe their success to the suits in charge of Sony’s habitually mediocre live-action endeavors.

In other words, Sony didn’t NEED a live Spider-Man, because their more competent appendages already HAD him in several other thriving properties and formats. Nothing was stopping their animation studio or the Playstation crowd from doing their own thing. All this means, now, is that we’re losing the innovative power of Marvel Studios where Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is concerned, and that is nothing but a loss. And I think I can say without much controversy that Sony is more concerned with making money than with making art. Say what you will about Mr. Feige, the dude has vision.

As for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man himself, excising him from his native land actively degrades both his character arc and the wider Marvel Cinematic canon. Even if his Sony-driven films don’t directly contradict his previous appearances and make play at carrying on from the ending of Far From Home, and even if other Marvel movies can carry on without his proximity, it’s nonetheless a drag knowing that while he ostensibly still exists somewhere in the MCU he’s been reduced to a point where he can barely even be mentioned. Especially since he was, by all appearances, set up to be a standard bearer. After all, he’s always been the heart and soul of Marvel Comics, and it’s only right that he have an impactful presence in the Cinematic Universe as well!

And now he won’t. Oh, the other heroes might mention him in passing here or there. But he won’t be “Spider-Man,” he’ll be “the Kid,” a cautionary tale shunted off to some dark corner, possibly having speculative adventures which may or may not involve a big gooey steroid case with teeth. He won’t take on Tony Stark’s mantle. He won’t lead the next generation of heroes. He won’t strengthen the bonds he’s formed with them, or come to their aid in any way when the world is threatened. His potential will be neutered, and Mysterio’s machinations will have successfully handicapped the amazing career he was promised. He won’t even get to graduate school before he’s relocated. The bad guys won, and that will have been Peter Parker’s story in the MCU. I can’t imagine a sadder ending, and all because that freaking Venom movie made a bunch of cash for the company that holds Spidey’s leash.

So, if you agree (and I’ll understand if you don’t), then just consider doing me this favor: Whatever Sony does next… be it Morbius, or Venom, or Kraven, or S-M:3, or whatever they call their next shiny new sequel in their precious “Venomverse,” bereft of Marvel’s guiding light…. Don’t see it. Or at least wait a few months for it to come on TV. Because money talks, and, as it stands at the time of this writing, showing Sony our displeasure with our wallets is the best chance of ever getting Spider-Man home again. And that’s something I care about to an unhealthy degree. That's obsessive thoughts.

Description
Bitter? Who's bitter? I ain't bitter.

Okay, made a whole bunch of sloppy errors in this comic. Hitting the corners. Tangents. Blobs of empty space. But, hey, if Sony doesn’t mind making a mess, why should I? Oooh, burn.

And look, you can say that this pop culture disaster is more Disney’s fault than Sony’s. I don’t think I necessarily agree, but neither side deserves a very vigorous defense. They’re all billionaires breaking our hearts. Breaking mine, anyway.

Again.

But plenty of folks are trying to put a silver lining on this fart cloud. I hear them say, “Sony can still make great Spider-Man movies!” Or “The MCU will get on fine without him!” Mm hm. Yeah. Yep. Great. Sure. Problem solved. Thanks.

Except, neither of those points address what made it so great that he WAS in the MCU. It was awesome just knowing that one of our very favorite characters existed in the context of that wider, consistent universe. It elevated the continuity in a way that cannot be easily dismissed. Seeing that his actions impacted other fixtures in a shared setting, why, that’s Marvel comics come to life!

And, hey, let’s not pretend that Sony really deserves another shot, here. They’ve had their chances. The Raimi trilogy, which they screwed up. The Webb films, which were never especially good. But, oh, then there’s Into the Spider-Verse and the PS4 game, both of which were superb in their respective media! And both of which can expect sequels. And both of which were made while Tom Holland was happily ensconced in the MCU. And neither of which owe their success to the suits in charge of Sony’s habitually mediocre live-action endeavors.

In other words, Sony didn’t NEED a live Spider-Man, because their more competent appendages already HAD him in several other thriving properties and formats. Nothing was stopping their animation studio or the Playstation crowd from doing their own thing. All this means, now, is that we’re losing the innovative power of Marvel Studios where Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is concerned, and that is nothing but a loss. And I think I can say without much controversy that Sony is more concerned with making money than with making art. Say what you will about Mr. Feige, the dude has vision.

As for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man himself, excising him from his native land actively degrades both his character arc and the wider Marvel Cinematic canon. Even if his Sony-driven films don’t directly contradict his previous appearances and make play at carrying on from the ending of Far From Home, and even if other Marvel movies can carry on without his proximity, it’s nonetheless a drag knowing that while he ostensibly still exists somewhere in the MCU he’s been reduced to a point where he can barely even be mentioned. Especially since he was, by all appearances, set up to be a standard bearer. After all, he’s always been the heart and soul of Marvel Comics, and it’s only right that he have an impactful presence in the Cinematic Universe as well!

And now he won’t. Oh, the other heroes might mention him in passing here or there. But he won’t be “Spider-Man,” he’ll be “the Kid,” a cautionary tale shunted off to some dark corner, possibly having speculative adventures which may or may not involve a big gooey steroid case with teeth. He won’t take on Tony Stark’s mantle. He won’t lead the next generation of heroes. He won’t strengthen the bonds he’s formed with them, or come to their aid in any way when the world is threatened. His potential will be neutered, and Mysterio’s machinations will have successfully handicapped the amazing career he was promised. He won’t even get to graduate school before he’s relocated. The bad guys won, and that will have been Peter Parker’s story in the MCU. I can’t imagine a sadder ending, and all because that freaking Venom movie made a bunch of cash for the company that holds Spidey’s leash.

So, if you agree (and I’ll understand if you don’t), then just consider doing me this favor: Whatever Sony does next… be it Morbius, or Venom, or Kraven, or S-M:3, or whatever they call their next shiny new sequel in their precious “Venomverse,” bereft of Marvel’s guiding light…. Don’t see it. Or at least wait a few months for it to come on TV. Because money talks, and, as it stands at the time of this writing, showing Sony our displeasure with our wallets is the best chance of ever getting Spider-Man home again. And that’s something I care about to an unhealthy degree. That's obsessive thoughts.