After a clash involving movie rights to comic book hero Spider-Man, Sony and Walt Disney agreed to keep the vigilante in Marvel's cinematic universe. Spider-Man fought alongside the Avengers in the hit movie franchise.
Image: picture-alliance/empics
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A new Spider-Man movie, starring the UK's Tom Holland as the hero, will also be part of Marvel's cinematic universe, US media reported on Friday.
Sony and Walt Disney, which owns Marvel, reached an agreement to keep the hero in the setting spearheaded by Marvel's Avengers. Marvel producer Kevin Feige said he was "thrilled that Spidey's journey in the MCU will coninue," according to his statement cited by Hollywood Reporter and CNBS.
The two companies had a falling out in August over financial shares for the next installment in the franchise, which is set for release in 2021. The news that Spider-man might be leaving the popular franchise caused dismay among many fans.
The second movie, "Spider-Man: Far From Home" was released in early June and has so far grossed over $1,13 billion (€1.03 billion), according to Box Office Mojo website. The story is influenced by events in "Avengers: Endgame" which was published earlier this year.
What happens when Spider-Man's identity is revealed
Spider-Man returns to the silver screen for the final superhero film in a trilogy from the Marvel universe, titled "No Way Home." Actor Tom Holland again plays the masked crusader.
Tom Holland is now one of Hollywood's favorite superheros. His first depiction of Peter Parker hit US theaters in July 2017. Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios were excited to welcome the British actor in "Spider-Man: Homecoming."
Image: picture-alliance/empics
Taking Spider-Man under his wing
Robert Downey Jr. was also part of that movie's star-studded cast. Having played a superhero himself, Downey Jr. joined that Spider-Man installment playing the role of a mentor to Peter Parker: the one and only Tony Stark.
Image: picture-alliance/empics
Attack of the Elementals
In the second film of the three-part series "Far From home," Spider-Man battles the Elementals, creatures of fire, water, stone and air which haunt London and other European cities. Spider-Man is supposed to battle them with the help of a task force. Just as in the previous film "Homecoming," Holland plays the title hero in the sequel, directed by Tom Watts.
Image: Imago Images/Columbia Pictures
Now, there's 'No Way Home'
In the third film of the Spider-Man trilogy starring Holland, Spider-Man, whose identity was revealed for the first time in the history of the comic, seeks advice from Doctor Strange, played by Benedict Cumberbatch. The wizard from the "Avengers" films turns back the wheel of time, but with dire consequences. The new film was released in the US and in Europe in mid-December 2021.
Image: Sony Pictures/picture alliance/dpa
How it all started
Dating back to the 1960s as a comic book, Spider-Man first hit cinemas in 2002. Tobey Maguire played the role of Peter Parker in that first installment, with his arachnid abilities not only impressing the audience, but also his love interest, played by Kirsten Dunst.
The first Spider-Man movie did extremely well at box offices around the world, prompting a sequel in next to no time. "Spider-Man 2" hit cinemas two years later, and was also a success at the Academy Awards, where it won an Oscar for best visual effects.
Image: Imago/Unimedia Images
One, two, three...
The commercial success of the franchise led to a third film in 2007. "Spider-Man 3" went above and beyond expectations with its impressive special effects, including its skillful use of CGI effects. It grossed nearly $900 million (€800 million) at the box office.
Image: Imago
Spider-Man reloaded
Despite the huge success of the "Spider-Man" franchise, the producers decided to stop developing a fourth film. Instead, they reinvented Peter Parker as "The Amazing Spider-Man" and decided on Andrew Garfield to play the role, with Marc Webb as director. Emma Stone was cast as his love interest, and the movie hit theaters in 2012.
Image: 2012 Sony Pictures Releasing GmbH
Part of the Marvel universe
The sequel, "The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro" in 2014 turned out to be somewhat of a flop, forcing Hollywood to take a different approach to the whole Peter Parker saga. The release of "The First Avenger: Civil War" in 2016 featured Spider-Man as one of many superheroes populating the Marvel universe — but only for about 10 minutes in total, much to the dismay of his fans.
