Spider-Man is joining Marvel's Avengers, thanks to Sony deal


It looks like Peter Parker is (re-)joining the most lucrative team of superheroes in movie history. In a deal announced late Monday, Sony has partnered with Marvel Studios (and its corporate parent, Disney) to bring Spider-Man back into the "Marvel Cinematic Universe," with the new iteration of the famed web-slinger appearing first in a Marvel film and then, in July 2017, in a new Sony-produced Spider-Man movie.
Marvel sold Sony the film rights to Spider-Man in 1999, and Sony will retain on-screen creative control. This will be Sony's third reboot of the $4 billion superhero franchise — we'll get a third Peter Parker in 14 years, after Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield — and recently departed Sony Pictures co-chairwoman Amy Pascal will team up with Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige to come up with a "new creative direction" for Spider-Man.
Spider-Man will probably join The Avengers in next year's Captain America: Civil War, Variety reports. That leaves plenty of time to get excited.
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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