While the tensions continue to build between Sony and Walt Disney Studios, Stan Lee’s daughter has decided to weigh in on the Spider-Man drama, and you might be surprised by what she had to say.
In a recent conversation with TMZ, JC Lee seemed to agree with Sony on the dispute, however she did go on to slate both Disney and Marvel for their treatment of her late father.
Citing her anti-trust concerns, JC spoke of wanting to see her dad’s creations ‘checked and balanced’ while they continue to be developed.
She told the publication:
Marvel and Disney seeking total control of my father’s creations must be checked and balanced by others who, while still seeking to profit, have genuine respect for Stan Lee and his legacy.
The Marvel publisher helped hundreds of characters come to life, including Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the original X-Men and many others.
While Marvel owns the rights of Spider-Man, JC has raised concerns over a lack of communication from Walt Disney Studios after her father’s death, Comicbook reports.
JC continued:
When my father died, no one from Marvel or Disney reached out to me. From day one, they have commoditised my father’s work and never shown him or his legacy any respect or decency.
In the end, no one could have treated my father worse than Marvel and Disney’s executives.
This comes after it was revealed Disney is asking for 50 per cent of the profits related to Spidey, rather than the previous deal which saw them bag five per cent.
Although this seems a bit of bum deal from Sony’s perspective, it seems like the two franchises have managed to reach an agreement.
In a statement, Sony said:
Much of today’s news about Spider-Man has mischaracterised recent discussions about Kevin Feige’s involvement in the franchise. We are disappointed, but respect Disney’s decision not to have him continue as a lead producer of our next live-action Spider-Man film.
We hope this might change in the future, but understand that the many new responsibilities that Disney has given him – including all their newly added Marvel properties – do not allow time for him to work on IP they do not own.
Kevin is terrific and we are grateful for his help and guidance and appreciate the path he has helped put us on, which we will continue.
Though details are vague, this could suggest Spider-Man is no longer part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the future movies will take place out of the Avengers-led world.
The deal was initially struck in 2015 between the two studios, whereby they could share rights to Spider-Man, resulting in Tom Holland’s first appearance in Civil War, two standalone Spider-Man movies and two Avengers films. Sony handled the standalone movies, while Disney did the group efforts, according to MovieWeb.
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Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.