Spider-Man is one of the greatest superheroes of all time. He first made his debut way back in 1962, and his origins are so humble that everyone knows them: he was bitten by a radioactive spider, developed superpowers, lost his uncle Ben to a criminal, and devoted the rest of his life to keeping the streets of New York safe.
He was a teen hero who struggled to do the right thing, who never got recognition or reward for his sacrifices, and yet never gave up the fight for justice. And when Spider-Man made the jump from comics to movies, he was just as amazing.
Check out the trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home below:He first appeared on the big screen in Sam Raimi's movie trilogy, starring Tobey McGuire, and then in the Amazing Spider-Man duology, starring Andrew Garfield. Then it was announced that Spider-Man would be brought into the MCU in Captain America: Civil War, and fans were enthralled - especially when Tom Holland's performance won many people over.
MCU Spider-Man appeared in five Disney-made films. But now, Marvel Studios Disney has lost the movie rights to the character - which have reverted back to Sony - who bought the film rights to the web-head back in 1999, when the comic book industry was struggling.
Fans have been left outraged by the loss of the character, and many have petitioned Sony to give the rights back. Now, a group has been created on Facebook, which is urging MCU fans to besiege Sony Pictures and demand that they restore Spider-Man to the Avengers right away.
Scheduled to take place in Madison Avenue, New York, at 12 am on Saturday, October 19, the proposed protest is called: "Storm Sony And Bring Spider-Man Home To The MCU." The event's description states: "We storm Sony Pictures in solidarity dressed in Spider-Man costumes and bring our boy home! This is a peaceful demonstration and violence will not be tolerated."
Check out this iconic Spider-Man scene from Infinity War Below:Sony Pictures has released a statement on Twitter, in which they have attempted to explain the situation to anxious Marvel fans. A spokesperson for the studio wrote: "Much of today’s news about Spider-Man has mischaracterised recent discussions about Kevin Feige’s involvement in the franchise. We are disappointed, but respect Disney’s decision not to have him continue as a lead producer of our next live-action Spider-Man film."
They continued: "We hope this might change in the future, but understand that the many new responsibilities that Disney has given him – including all their newly added Marvel properties – do not allow time for him to work on IP they do not own. Kevin is terrific and we are grateful for his help and guidance and appreciate the path he has helped put us on, which we will continue."
Check out the trailer for Into the Spider-Verse below:On social media, many fans have been left despondent by the news, and even Hawkeye himself has expressed his wish that Spider-Man can still have a home in the cinematic universe.
Taking to Instagram, actor Jeremy Renner uploaded a picture of himself in costume as the master archer, and captioned the pic: "Hey @sonypictures we want Spider-Man back to @therealstanlee and @marvel please, thank you #congrats #spidermanrocks#? #please [sic]"
Check out some of the fan reactions to the news below:
Sadly, it seems as though the loss of the rights to the character means that a proposed Wolverine, Deadpool and Spider-Man spin-off movie will now have to be shelved.