MCU Star Asks Sony To Return Spider-Man To Marvel, Following Dispute

The news that Spider-Man might be leaving the Marvel Cinematic Universe has, unsurprisingly, caused much dismay and disappointment amongst superhero movie fans. Marvel Studios parent company Disney and Spidey rights-holders Sony are in dispute over the financing of future movies featuring the web-slinger. While most actors involved within the MCU have remained quiet on the issue, there's one MCU star who has expressed his opinion--Hawkeye actor Jeremy Renner.

Renner posted the same image on both Twitter and Instagram, stating, "Hey Sony Pictures, we want Spider-Man back to Stan Lee and Marvel please, thank you." The issue isn't quite as simple as that--Sony has owned the movie rights to Spider-Man since Marvel sold them in 1999, and this dispute is over each studio's financial stake and whether MCU producer Kevin Feige will continue to be involved with Spidey films. Nevertheless, Renner's post has struck a chord with fans, with over 1.5 million likes on Instagram, and more than 40,000 retweets. Check it out below, and see if you can make sense of the bizarre hashtags that Renner has included:

Shortly after the story of the dispute broke, Sony responded with a statement. The studio claimed that many of the reports have "mischaracterized" discussions between the studios, and expressed "disappointment" that Feige would no longer be involved, laying the decision at Disney's feet.

Of course, the big question remains about the future of the character in the MCU. Spider-Man: Far From Home was the official end of the MCU's Phase 3, setting the stage for what's to come from the universe of films. With Feige no longer being involved, it's possible that the Spider-Man franchise could instead exist outside of the MCU.

Sony has already been building a non-MCU Spider-Man universe thanks to the film adaptation of Venom, as well as the upcoming Morbius movie, in which Jared Leto stars as the titular living vampire. Sources told Deadline that there were already two more planned Spider-Man films starring Tom Holland as the web-slinger, with director Jon Watts expected to return. For now, an extended cut of Spider-Man: Far From Home will hit theaters on August 29.