Oh, Spider-Man. The recent drama with Sony and Disney over the wall-crawler has fans’ heads spun. It doesn’t help with rumors about a new player, as Apple may buy Sony. And there’s all sorts of folks in the business who’ve spoken out over the ordeal: from Kevin Feige to Tom Holland, from Jeff Goldblum to Kevin Smith, to Joe Russo and Jeremy Renner. Now, another voice has spoken. David Koepp was the screenwriter of the very first Spider-Man film under Sony’s watch. The same movie that was directed by Sam Raimi. Koepp expressed how “weird” he thought it was for fans to side with Disney in this mess.
Den of Geek recently sat down with Koepp. The writer spoke about his other projects, Mission: Impossible, Cold Storage, Jurassic Park, and the upcoming, fifth Indiana Jones movie. The interviewer asked about his thoughts on the recent Spider-Man debacle.
“I’ve read a few articles about it, yes. I understand both sides. Disney wants what it wants, and obviously it’s used to acquiring and controlling. But I understand Sony’s point of view better: ‘But wait, it’s ours. We own it. You can’t just have half of it. You can’t just take it.’ So it’s a tough situation. And I think certainly the last couple of Spider-Man movies have been terrific. But the animated film that they did without Disney’s involvement was, you know, even more terrific. What’s weird to me is those Marvel movie fans who are quick to spring to Disney’s defense like they’re a plucky underdog who needs to be defended. [laughs] They are not a plucky underdog.”
Lets take a moment to agree that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was amazing. There have been plans to assemble a Sinister Six in past movies. But not only did the animated film collect Spideys from across dimensions, but there was also a full Sinister team of villains. Not to mention, that epic battle occurred in a tiny living room.
But I also have to agree on the “weird” loyalty to Disney. Don’t get me wrong. I love the MCU. Avengers: Endgame was a massive achievement. And while I didn’t think Spider-Man: Homecoming was the best Spidey-flick, I thoroughly enjoyed Spider-Man: Far From Home. And just like with Amazing Spider-Man 2, I’m upset that there were seeds sown that won’t be able to grow now. But I really loathe the fact that people crap on any Marvel movie that’s not produced by Disney. If a property or character isn’t handled by the House of Mouse, comments all over social media express how they need to be in the MCU.
Any case, we’ll have to wait and see what happens. If Sony wins, they’ll have Peter join Venom and Morbius. But if Disney wins, and that includes the proposed Apple acquisition, then Spider-Man, Venom, and Morbius will join The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men, and Deadpool. Yet, with all of them under Disney’s rule, would that really be a win for anyone?
Avengers: Endgame is available on Digital and Blu-Ray now. Spider-Man: Far From Home is available on Digital now, and Blu-Ray, October 1st. And for the love of Stan Lee, give Morbius a chance when it arrives in theaters, July 31st, 2020. For everything else Marvel, stay tuned to ScreenGeek.