After months of rumors, Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures have reached a deal to incorporate Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, meaning future Spider-Man cinematic appearances will take place in the same canonical timeline as the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy franchises.
Sony Pictures owns the rights to The Amazing Spider-Man franchise, while Disney-owned Marvel Studios produces the franchises for primary Avengers characters Thor, Captain America, the Hulk and Iron Man, as well as ABC's Agent Carter and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. All properties in question were originally created and are still owned by Marvel, but many of the film rights were granted to other studios before the establishment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The first MCU installment of Spider-Man will be released on July 28, 2017.
Amy Pascal, who recently stepped down as Sony Pictures chairwoman in the wake of the Sony hacking scandal, will remain a producer on the Spider-Man franchise she's overseen over 13 years, five films, two lead actors and a canonical reboot.
"I am thrilled to team with my friends at Sony Pictures along with Amy Pascal to produce the next Spider-Man movie," Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said in a statement.
The deal opens up Spider-Man to appear in upcoming Avengers films, a critical plot-point as the web-slinger frequently appears in the Avengers various print comics and plays a pivotal role in the Marvel: Civil War timeline, which Marvel Studios is gearing up to bring the big screen starting with Captain America's next solo film.
As Aint It Cool News points out, "It looks like Marvel is moving release dates of Thor 3, Black Panther and more to make room for the most important character in their universe."
"Marvel's Thor: Ragnarok will hit theaters Nov. 3, 2017," Marvel confirmed in a separate statement, pushing the Avengers' third film back over three-months to accommodate Spider-Man's July 2017 release.
"The following year, Marvel's Black Panther will make its way to theaters on July 6, 2018, and Marvel's Captain Marvel on Nov. 2, 2018. Finally, Marvel's Inhumans will now debut in theaters July 12, 2019. The previously announced dates for Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 and Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 on May 4, 2018 and May 3, 2019, respectively, remain unchanged."
With Spider-Man on board, of Marvel's primary film franchises, only the X-Men and Fantastic Four fall outside the umbrella of the MCU.