Spider-Man 4: Clash of Interests Between Marvel and Sony

It's not an easy time for all Spidey fans: after the huge success of "No Way Home", part 4 seemed to be going well. However, a clash of interests between Sony and Marvel regarding the future of the spider could now lead to some issues.

With impressive box office takings of over 1.9 billion US dollars, "Spider-Man: No Way Home" not only made the cash tills ring, but it also raised expectations for a potential fourth installment in the franchise. Despite works on "Spider-Man 4" currently being on hold, rumors have been circulating for months.

As Comic Book Movie reports, with reference to reliable insider Daniel Richtman, "Spider-Man 4" is facing an interesting dilemma: apparently there are two fundamentally different visions as to how the fourth adventure of the friendly spider should be created. The funding studios Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios, which have already worked together on the previous movies, are faced with a challenging creative process.

On the one side, Sony is aiming for another blockbuster in the style of "No Way Home" - or more precisely, another big reunion of many well-known Marvel characters. Thanks to the multiverse, the last film already featured previous "Spider-Man" actors Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire, who provided plenty of support. Sony seems to find this idea of an epic reunion extremely appealing.

On the other side, Marvel boss Kevin Feige is advocating a more grounded approach in "Spider-Man 4": instead, the plot should focus more on the personal and emotional aspects of Peter Parker. That would make perfect sense, after all, Peter was erased from everyone's memory by the events in "No Way Home".

The different approaches of the studios point to another dispute over the future of Spider-Man in the MCU, as was the case with the predecessor: back then, actor Tom Holland had to pick up the phone personally to talk to Disney boss Bob Iger about the subject. It seems that Spidey's future is once again on shaky ground.

Fans can only hope that the creative minds behind the scenes will be able to find another solution that takes into account both Sony's demands and Marvel's vision. Part 4 is still a long way off anyway - a theatrical release before 2026 is currently unlikely.