Sony and Marvel’s Spider-Man deal may create one universe, but two worlds
Spider-Man: Homecoming is due out in theaters on July 7th, kicking off the third solo Spider-Man franchise in 15 years. It’s a huge deal for the Hollywood studio system: Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment share the rights for the wallcrawler, meaning Spidey can appear in major Marvel projects, while Sony develops its own franchise around the character and his supporting cast.
But there’s some confusion as to how all this will work in practice. Homecoming exists squarely in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the massive storytelling vehicle that ropes all of Marvel Studios’ major movie superheroes into one interconnected narrative. Sony is working on Venom and Silver & Black, which don’t fit into that continuity. And Sony has…
