Sony says "the door is closed" on Spider-Man MCU return... for now

The Spider-Man saga, involving Sony, Marvel, and the character’s return to the MCU for Marvel Phase 4 or beyond, has come to an abrupt end.

Sony Pictures chairman Tony Vinciquerra has told Variety that “for the moment the door is closed” on Tom Holland’s character being placed back into the MCU. He also adds that there is “no ill will” between Sony and Marvel after the back-and-forth over the past few weeks, which included the latter releasing a statement suggesting that Kevin Feige’s newfound responsibility with Fox properties meant he could not focus on Spider-Man.

This comes off the back of Holland saying earlier this week that the future of Spider-Man “rests in Sony’s safe hands,” which would indicate that any potential talks have collapsed and the two parties have retreated from the negotiating table.

Of course, many will cling to the optimistic use of “for now” – a teasing tactic if ever I’ve seen one – as evidence that this isn’t truly over. Much like the comic book counterparts, dead never truly means dead. There’s always one last trick or twist potentially still to come. Whether it will happen in this case, though, remains to be seen.

There is slightly better news for fans of the webhead, however. Vinciquerra has teased that “five or six” new TV shows set in the Spider-Man universe are on the way. When coupled with the fact that Venom 2 – which now has Andy Serkis attached as director – and several Spider-Verse productions and spin-offs are in the works, the immediate forecast for Spidey doesn’t quite seem so gloomy.

Relive both Sony and Marvel's finest Spidey adventures with our look at the best Spider-Man movies.

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.