By: John Hall, Editor-in-Chief
With Spiderman: Far From Home ending the third phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are a lot of questions as to who will lead the MCUand what exactly it will contain. In July 2019, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige unveiled several projects that peaked fans interests.
The projects included, Black Widow, Eternals, Wanda Vision, Loki, HAWKEYE, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Shang-Chi, Doctor Strange 2, What If…? and Thor Love and Thunder. Despite the allure of each series in the lineup, there’s a void left behind by the explosive events that occurred within Post Infinity War.
The messy public discourse between Sony Entertainment and Disney over the royalties received from Tom Hollands’ Spider-man only conjures more questions about the universes’ future. August 2019 saw Disney and Sony at odds as Disney opted to renegotiate the terms of the agreement, as they sought to negotiate a 50-50 split (scrapping the previously negotiated 5% of the first dollar gross on Spider-Man films.)
@7MCU- All Characters: It is yet to be seen how fans will respond to the remaining characters of the MCU, as Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans’ departure seems untimely.
The results of Avengers Endgame and Spider-Man far From Home, projected that the new proverbial glue for the team would be everyone’s young and loveable web-slinger however, with tension brewing between the two conglomerates his future appears uncertain. How then can Disney pivot away from the seemingly unmovable position they have taken?
Assistant Professor of Literary Studies, Dr. B. Lee Hobbs has a few theories regarding the position Disney has taken. He believes that Disney could be playing a long game, as there are several acquisitions it plans to take in the future.
Alternatively, the battle over Spider-Man could be made publicly to stoke the flames of interest in fans to elicit support for Phase 4. Using Tom Holland as a totem to represent the youth and revitalization that will take place, is an ingenious move that will secure Marvel Studios’ success for at least another five years.
Regardless of the reasons, Marvel Studios will not be stagnant throughout the process, every film and T.V. Show has been plotted out with great detail. Spider-Man as central as he appears is still one proverbial cog in the wheel of the grandfather clock, which is the MCU.
Fans will have to adjust to a life without Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man and Chris Evans’ Captain America while acclimating themselves to a new roster of characters. The larger question is, however, whether these characters will be enough to maintain the level of commitment from fans experienced in the last decade.
