In August of last year, Deadline reported that Disney and Sony Pictures were unable to agree to a new MCU Spider-Man deal. This resulted in Marvel Studios no longer being allowed to use Spider-Man and all of his related characters in any future standalone or crossover films set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
It was also revealed that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige would no longer be producing any future Spider-Man related projects and that the sequel to Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: Far From Home would now be set within Sony's Cinematic Universe of Marvel Characters where Tom Holland's Spider-Man would now be able to interact with characters like Venom and Morbius.
After an emotional phone call from actor Tom Holland, Disney CEO Bob Iger resumed negotiations with Sony Pictures chairman Tom Rothman. It was eventually reported by Variety in September that Sony and Disney had finally agreed to a new Spider-Man deal.
This allowed Marvel Studios to now be able to continue producing the third Spider-Man movie and include Tom Holland's Spider-Man in another MCU film. However, unlike the 2015 Spider-Man deal that allowed the character to first be introduced into the MCU, Variety also reported that:
“There could be a call and answer between the [MCU and SUMC] as they acknowledge details between the two in what would loosely be described as a shared universe.”
If this latest report turns out to be true, Sony’s "big plans" for Spider-Man that producer Matt Tolmach recently teased are finally becoming apparent.
RUMOR
According to Jeremy Conrad from MCU Cosmic, one of his sources claims that Sony's Morbius movie will feature references to the MCU's Spider-Man and the events that transpired in Marvel Studios' Spider-Man: Far From Home.
WHAT THIS MEANS
Kevin Feige recently stated that:
“[Spider-Man] also happens to be the only hero with the superpower to cross cinematic universes, so as Sony continues to develop their own Spidey-verse you never know what surprises the future might hold.”
Producer Amy Pascal’s previous statement on how the MCU Spider-Man films will be “adjunct” to Sony’s Marvel films appears to be coming to fruition. It’s unlikely that Marvel Studios will consider Morbius’ connection to the MCU as canon, as these references are only related to Spider-Man.
Fans should not expect to see Tom Hardy's Venom reference Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark in Venom 2 and it's unlikely that Jared Leto's Morbius will make an appearance alongside actor Mahershala Ali in Marvel Studios' Blade movie.
Although Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige are set to produce the third standalone Spider-Man film, Sony still has final creative control, so it remains to be seen if SUMC characters and references will be used in future MCU Spider-Man films.
