While it sort of sounds like an extreme case of denial, a new theory from CinemaBlend suggests that the Disney-Sony divorce that’s taken the world by storm is really nothing more than a brilliant marketing scheme.
Though Marvel has been known to incorporate misleading information into its ad campaigns, this idea, from the site’s own Mack Rawden, would far more than take the cake. The basis of his argument though is that Disney and Sony are only pretending to break up to tease audiences and build up hype for some grand Spider-Man return down the road. The divorce will feel authentic; Sony will make its own Spidey flick, maybe even two, and while they may not earn as much money as they did when they were working alongside the MCU, the facade will be complete.
Meanwhile, over at Disney, Marvel will have Kevin Feige’s complete, undivided attention for all the new characters they’ll be introducing, such as Blade and the X-Men. As Rawden puts it, some may work and “some of them will not,” but no matter what, the House of Mouse will not achieve the same level of anticipation as it had for Avengers: Endgame.
The two studios will continue to go their separate ways for several years – five or six Rawden predicts – until both run out of steam, longing for their glory days. And then…
“[It’ll] come. A rumor or maybe a report in one of the trades. Marvel and Sony are in talks to rekindle their partnership. Spider-Man might be coming back! The internet will freak out. Yes. Yes. Yes. We want that, we’ll all scream. And Marvel and Sony will heroically work out their differences and agree to a sensible revenue split that “wasn’t possible” during the initial break-up.”
He then predicts that Peter Parker’s next MCU adventure will make 2 billion dollars, as it will “remind people why they love Spider-Man.”
As far as business schemes go, I’m not entirely sure how practical this “pretend until it starts to hurt” really is – especially on Sony’s side. But while this theory may be far flung, it’s certainly hopeful. In any case, if you want to get a glimpse of what the future may or may not hold for Spider-Man, go ahead and give the article a look for yourself via the link below.