Sorry Marvel Fans, the 'Spider-Man' Films Might Not Make It to Disney Plus

Between working from home, spending hundreds on food delivery, and even subscribing to new streaming platforms because mega movie releases were put on hold, the coronavirus pandemic has truly changed the way we live our everyday lives.

For a time, movie theaters were completely closed down (some still are), and even though the country is slowly reopening with the hope of vaccines leading the way, there are still some questions surrounding highly anticipated films and their release plans.

Marvel film Spider-Man: No Way Home is no exception to this. Fans have been stoked to hear that there are plans to bring several Marvel movies and shows to Disney Plus, but will Spider-Man: No Way Home be one of them? 

There have been numerous announcements recently about some of Marvel and Disney Plus’s plans to bring content to the platform. So, it’s no wonder that some would assume this includes Spider-Man: No Way Home, especially since COVID-19 hindered its chances to hit actual theaters on its planned December 2020 release date. However, reports are saying that the chances of the film being on Disney Plus are slim to none. 

According to The Verge, Ricky Strauss, Disney’s head of content and marketing for Disney Plus, said at a recent media day that there aren’t any plans to bring the existing two Spider-Man live-action films to Disney Plus due to the rights of the film belonging to Sony. “That makes it infinitely more difficult for Disney to bring the movies over to its own streaming service,” The Verge reported.

“We love our friends at Sony, but we don’t have any plans to have the live-action Spider-Man movies on Disney Plus,” Ricky Strauss said. “We will have all the Spider-Man animated shows that we did so they’ll be on there under the Marvel banner. But who knows what can happen in the future?”

Since Sony owns the right to Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home, they are the ones who ultimately get to decide where these films can be watched. Business Insider reports that Sony and Netflix announced a five-year agreement that gives Netflix domestic streaming rights to Sony's theatrical releases beginning with its 2022 lineup. This means that Spider-Man: No Way Home will most likely find a home on Netflix after its theatrical release.

“Netflix will also have a first-look option for any movies Sony is making directly for streaming or planning to license for streaming, and Netflix has already committed to a number of those,” the outlet reported. “The deal includes future Sony Spider-Man movies and other titles that are part of Sony's universe of Marvel characters like Morbius, which hits theaters in January 2022 and stars Jared Leto as a vampire that is a frequent Spider-Man villain in the comics.”

When the news came out that, first, the new Spider-Man film had an official title: Spider-Man: No Way Home and second, that it would be “only in theaters,” Twitter sounded off. One fan wrote about the irony of Sony acting like Disney and said, “Spider-Man No Way Home literally having a tagline of 'only in movie theaters' is the most Disney thing Sony has done.” 

Another fan joked about the title of the film and its connection to Sony and Disney's relationship. “Do you think No Way Home is Sony's way of telling Disney / Marvel they're never getting Spider-Man back?,” they wrote.