Why Both Sony & Marvel Can Make Spider-Man TV Shows

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Today, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is incredibly successful, but it wasn’t always that way. In the late 1990s, Marvel was facing bankruptcy and had to sell the rights to make movies about its most popular characters to different studios just to stay afloat. Eventually, Marvel created its own studio and was bought by Disney, allowing it to regain control of many of these properties – a process greatly sped up when Disney acquired 20th Century Fox. However, Spider-Man is an exception. Sony Pictures still owns the rights to make Spider-Man movies, meaning Marvel Studios can’t create its own films featuring Spider-Man or related characters without Sony’s permission. The rules for television are different, though, allowing for more flexibility.

The complicated situation with Spider-Man’s TV and movie rights started when Sony first obtained the rights to make both live-action and animated Spider-Man content. They initially used this to create shows like Spider-Man: The New Animated Series for MTV. Things changed when Sony and Marvel began talks about bringing Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). To allow Spider-Man to appear in MCU films and receive financial benefits, Sony reportedly gave Marvel back the rights to create animated TV shows, but with strict rules about how those shows could be made. This resulted in a split system where Sony controls Spider-Man in movies, while Marvel handles animated TV series.

What Are the Rules of Spider-Man’s TV Rights?

The 2014 Sony hack revealed the specifics of the agreement between Marvel and Sony regarding Spider-Man. Sony has the sole right to create live-action TV shows of any length, and animated shows with episodes longer than 44 minutes. Marvel Studios, however, can develop animated Spider-Man projects as long as each episode is 44 minutes or shorter.

Although the agreements haven’t been officially updated in over ten years, both studios are still clearly following the rules set within them. This explains why Sony is making the live-action Spider-Noir series, starring Nicolas Cage as an older detective in a 1930s setting. Since it’s a live-action show, Sony has full control and can release it on MGM+ and Prime Video independently, without involving Marvel Studios or needing to fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s storyline.

At the same time, Marvel Studios has been making the most of its rights by releasing the animated series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. The show tells a fresh origin story for Peter Parker (voiced by Hudson Thames) within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, reimagining familiar villains to fit this new storyline. By keeping each episode to around 30 minutes, Disney can maintain creative control while respecting Sony’s ownership of the Spider-Man character.

As a huge movie fan, I’ve been watching the relationship between Sony and Marvel grow beyond just TV, and it’s really exciting! The new Spider-Man: Brand New Day movie is a perfect example. Not only is it hitting theaters, but they’re bringing in big characters like Jon Bernthal as the Punisher and Mark Ruffalo as Hulk. It feels like a level of teamwork we never thought we’d see. What’s even more interesting is the buzz that Sony is being more open to letting their characters play a bigger role in the overall Marvel Cinematic Universe. Some people are saying this could lead to even more collaborations on Disney+ and other TV platforms once the current ‘Multiverse Saga’ wraps up and the MCU starts fresh.

Spider-Noir will debut on MGM+ on May 25th, and then become available worldwide on Prime Video on May 27th. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is coming to theaters on July 31st. Plus, a second season of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is planned for 2026, though the exact release date hasn’t been announced yet.

Should Marvel Studios get complete control of live-action Spider-Man TV shows? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-02-17 23:42