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What to Expect from the MCU’s Next Spider-Man Trilogy

Although it looked at one time like it might not make it, the first MCU-set Spider-Man trilogy has come to its conclusion in Spider-Man: No Way Home. The film grossed $1B in just 12 days and Sony and Marvel Studios have already confirmed that they are developing another film in the franchise. As is always the case in the world of comic book movies, the events of the film neatly tied up the plot while setting the table for what comes next. In this case, what comes next is likely another MCU-set trilogy in addition to some opportunities for star Tom Holland to participate in other films both in the MCU and Sony’s universe of Marvel films.

With No Way Home having been in theaters for two weeks, it’s time to join the conversation about what we might expect from the next Spidey trilogy. Of course, the conclusion and the mid-credit scene of No Way Home did set the stage for a couple of storylines to unfold, so let’s start there and work our way out:

J. Jonah Jameson Out to Get Spidey

Spider-Man: No Way Home did end on a little more upbeat note with Spidey swinging through New York in his shiny, new suit during the Christmas season, but that was preceded by Peter Parker suffering through a great deal of personal loss. Present and looming large over Parker while he struggled with the loss of May was the huge, talking head of J. Jonah Jameson. Jameson, who had been dogging Parker throughout, made a final appearance in the film (following the spell that erased Peter Parker from peoples’ minds) with the promise that he’d get to the bottom of the menace that is Spider-Man.

It’s a familiar feeling for long time fans of the Spidey films, especially since J.K. Simmons is back in the role, but there’s reason to believe that unlike the Jameson we saw in the Raimi films, the Jameson might be more than a loud mouth who bullies Parker at the Daily Bugle. The comics lay out a path that could potentially put Parker in real danger due to Jameson’s determination to “bring Spider-Man to justice.” Over the course of a half dozen or so issues beginning in The Amazing Spider-Man #20, Jameson served as essentially an outright villain. He first hired Mac Gargan to investigate how Peter Parker was able to get so many great pictures of Spidey and then took a key role in Gargan being turned into the Scorpion. When that didn’t work, Jameson hired Spencer Smythe to build the first generation of Spider-Slayers.

Having Jameson working against Parker in Spider-Man 4 could really make things difficult for the young hero. An adaptation of the events described above could allow for Michael Mando, who played Gargan in Spider-Man: Homecoming, to return in a beefed up role and allow for the Spider-Slayers to finally make their way to the big screen, maybe even one with Jonah’s mug plastered on it.

The Black Suit

The mid-credit scene in Spider-Man: No Way Home caused as much excitement as any Marvel Studios’ stinger since Nick Fury showed up at Tony Stark’s home in Iron Man. Defying the whole premise of Doctor Strange’s spell to send visitors from other universes back where they belong, a portion of the symbiote worn by Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock in Sony’s Venom films was left behind in the MCU. This is one stinger that’s going to pay off in a big way, especially Marvel Studios’ favorite way: selling toys.

Obviously, that symbiote is going to find its way to Parker and some point and fans will see Spidey in the infamous black symbiote suit for the first time since Spider-Man 3. It’s highly likely that Parker will wear it for a while, certainly long enough to showcase it in the all-but-certain Secret Wars project. It’s also likely we’ll get a little more comic-accurate arc for the symbiote this time that sees the symbiote attempt to permanently bond with Parker because it truly, deeply cared for him. And, like in the comics, when the symbiote leaves Parker it’ll find a new host, only this time it might not be Eddie Brock. With Hardy’s Venom franchise having the success it’s had at the box office, there’s no need to complicate things by adding another Brock to the mix, especially not when Holland can face off against him in the Sony films. No, it might rather make more sense to have the symbiote find another one of its comic book hosts, one that would be happy to cause some problems for Parker.

Mac Gargan Becomes Venom

Should Gargan turn up in Spider-Man 4 and once again be defeated by Spidey, it wouldn’t be too shocking to see him teed up for one more run at the Wall-Crawler, only this time on a level playing field. In the comics, after joining with Brock and becoming Venom, the symbiote developed an unsatiable bloodlust. That bloodlust grew larger when it bonded with Gargan and together, they became a much more monstrous version of Venom. For reasons that shouldn’t be too hard to understand, any MCU Venom should probably be VERY different from Sony’s and the Gargan version of the character would easily accomplish that. Should it work out, it would also allow for Gargan/Venom to join the Thunderbolts and/or Dark Avengers.

A New Romance

Fans across the globe felt the pain of Peter Parker walking away from MJ at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home. While it’s hard to believe she’ll be out of the picture forever, her being temporarily out of the picture does allow for Parker to meet one of his many other romantic interests from the comics. And while fans might be feeling the urge to cheer for Gwen Stacy to appear, it’s time for Felicia Hardy to get her time in the spotlight. Felicia showed up for a beat in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 but the character, who has been a staple in Spidey comics since 1979, has yet to be fully realized.

The two met at a time when they were both young and vulnerable and despite being on different sides of the law as their alter egos, Spider-Man and Black Cat fell in love with one another. Peter revealed his secret identity to Hardy who, for a time, became his partner. Their relationship lines up nicely with Secret Wars and they both have a history with one particular NYC crime boss.

A Daredevil Team-Up

Spider-Man has always been a staple in Marvel Team-Up comics and no partner makes more sense for him to team-up with in an upcoming Spider-Man film than Daredevil. With Charlie Cox’s return an Daredevil in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the stage is set for the two high flying crime fighters to run into one another on the rooftops of NYC. And with the Kingpin running NYC’s organized crime, the opportunity is there for the perfect team-up. Vincent D’Onofrio, who plays the Kingpin, recently reiterated his wish to take on Spidey. Tom Holland has indicated interest in taking on the big guy. What more is there to discuss?

Peter and Johnny Storm’s Friendship

While it wasn’t always the case, over the years Peter has developed one of his closest friendships with Johnny Storm. It was a rocky start for the two in Spidey’s early days, but by the late 1970s, Spidey and the Human Torch were the cover boys for Marvel Team-Up #1. To honor his friend, Parker replaced Johnny on the Fantastic Four following his death; when Johnny came back, the two were roommates for a time. Johnny even helped Peter build the Spider-Mobile. With the rights to the Fantastic Four now residing at Marvel Studios, a Fantastic Four film in development and set to be directed by Jon Watts, who directed all 3 MCU-set Spidey films, it seems like an absolute sure thing that we’ll get to see these two hang out at the Statue of Liberty at some point in the next decade.

Miles Morales

Over the last several years, Sony has begun development on a lot of Marvel films. One can learn as much, if not more, from the films they aren’t developing as the ones they are, however. And one property that Sony has yet to develop into a live-action property is Miles Morales. Arguably one of the most important comic book characters of the last 20 years, Morales already exists in the MCU and, hopefully, Sony and Marvel Studios will work to bring him into play during the next trilogy.

Miles was referenced by Donald Glover’s character in Spider-Man: Homecoming and the crazy events within the Sacred Timeline of the MCU can work to Marvel and Sony’s advantage in bringing the character along at the right time. Homecoming was set in 2017 and then, a year later, Thanos Snapped away half the population of the planet. This gives Marvel Studios the opportunity to work around any age issues and introduce Miles as a 15-or-so-year old at some point in the next trilogy, which will all be set in 2025-ish or later. While it’ll be great to see the two Spider-Men share the screen for a time, allowing Miles to grow into the role of Spider-Man for a while clears the path for Marvel Studios and Sony to do something truly major at the end of the next trilogy.

The Death of Spider-Man

Even though he is beloved in the role, Holland isn’t wrong when he says that by playing Spider-Man forever, he’s taking an opportunity away from someone else. And even though he’s going to be paid a pretty penny for this next trilogy, one has to imagine Holland won’t want to keep putting on the spandex every other year for the rest of his life. To that end, Spider-Man 6 should feature the death of Spider-Man and the true passing of the torch to Miles Morales. To date, Marvel Studios has had no problem killing off their heroes and Spider-Man should be no different. A Miles Morales-led Spider-Man trilogy will not only be a box office boss, it’ll also be a major cultural event. Sony and Marvel Studios must know that. Also…in comics nobody is ever really dead, so if Holland gets bored he can come plan an adult Peter when he’s in his 40s. It worked for Tobey Maguire.

December 27, 2021
New ‘The Batman’ Trailer Features More Footage of Riddler and Catwoman

It looks like a new poster has finally dropped that offers a closer look at the upcoming March release of The Batman. Matt Reeves‘s new epic will reintroduce the world to a new take on the iconic Caped Crusader. We’ve had some amazing posters in the past, but the latest offers a look at the mystery surrounding Riddler’s true goal and even features more of Zoe Kravitz’s take on Selina Kyle.

This is a more action-packed offering than those before, which focused primarily on the detective aspect. The dynamic tease between Bruce and Selina is also quite intriguing, as it may offer a fresher take that can evolve throughout most films. It’s still crazy to think we’re getting a new interpretation of the character that leans more into the gothic side that has been heavily used throughout comics and even the animated projects. We cannot wait to see it once it releases in March and kicks off a new year for superhero offerings.

Source: YouTube

December 27, 2021
Connecting Imaginary Dots: Daredevil vs. Stilt-Man in the MCU

It’s been a little over a year since we first reported that Charlie Cox was making his big MCU debut in Spider-Man: No Way Home, an appearance that has garnered praise and excitement. The future of Daredevil in the MCU is bright with many rumored appearances in the pipeline. In addition to the long-rumored She-Hulk appearance of Matt Murdock, the subreddit /r/MarvelStudiosSpoilers now alleges that the Man Without Fear is slated to appear in Armor Wars as well.

Daredevil’s inclusion in such a sci-fi industrial spectacle may seem unusual at first but one look at the show’s source material, the titular Armor Wars by David Michelinie and Bob Layton, gives an idea of how he could possibly tie in.

For the uninitiated, Armor Wars is basically about a bunch of supervillains getting their hands on coveted Stark technology. Characters like Titanium Man and the Crimson Dynamo are some of the many tech-based baddies to get a Stark upgrade in the story. One particular tech-based that appears early in the story is Stilt-Man, infamous for being… a man with stilts. And it so happens to be that Stilt-Man is a classic Daredevil villain.

Interestingly enough, MODOK showrunner Jordan Blum said a while back that they originally had plans to bring Stilt-Man into the show but were prohibited for reasons uncertain. Blum’s quote coincided with Kevin Smith‘s own comments about how they weren’t allowed to use Werewolf by Night in the Howard the Duck show they were working on. As evidenced by the MCU’s history, when things like this happen, it’s usually because Marvel Studios has dibs on those characters. Months later, We now know that Marvel Studios is, in fact, already working on a Werewolf by Night D+ Halloween special, adding credence to Blum’s comments. ‘

Could a fun Stilt-Man appearance in the MCU be on the books? Is Kevin Feige revving up to give us a Daredevil vs. Stilt-Man showdown, a match-up harkening back to the 8th issue of Daredevil from 1965? Should the rumor be true, it certainly would be a nice way to bring Daredevil into the fold while staying true to the tech-based premise of Armor Wars.

It does seem like Marvel Studios is keen on bringing more of the Silver Age elements of the character into the fold, such as the rumored classic yellow costume for She-Hulk. Bringing in Stilt-Man would be another great Silver Age aspect that would deepen the tapestry of the live-action Daredevil.

December 27, 2021
‘Hawkeye’ From Page to Screen: Episode 6
With the finale in the rearview mirror, Marvel Studios’ Hawkeye series has come to a close. Each week we have looked at ways in which the live-action series has adapted parts of the Matt Fraction and David Aja Hawkeye comic book run. Between the origins of Lucky the Pizza Dog, Clint’s capture by the Tracksuit Mafia, Episode 3’s car chase and trick arrows, the connection between the live-action LARPERs and the comics’ neighbors, and Kingpin’s role, the series has covered a lot of ground. Looking at the finale episode of Hawkeye, a few things stand out as having strong ties to the source material: (1) the importance of Kate taking on the “Hawkeye” mantle; (2) the six-day Christmas-themed adventure; and (3) Kate’s parents’ role in the organized crime that the Hawkeyes go up against.

Hawkeye and Hawkeye

Marvel Studios’ ‘Hawkeye’ Episode 6

Marvel Studios’ ‘Hawkeye’ Episode 6

A clear goal of the live-action Hawkeye series was to introduce and establish Kate Bishop as the next “Hawkeye.” While the show follows Kate from her pre-superhero days through her first adventure with Clint, in the Hawkeye comic she is already established as Hawkeye alongside Clint’s own Hawkeye persona. While the series finale ended just shy of officially referring to Kate as Hawkeye, it’s almost certain that the next time we see Hailee Steinfeld’s character there won’t be any question about her superhero identity.

The live-action and comic Hawkeye stories also both seem to have built a greater appreciation for Kate’s character over time. While both the series and comic are premised on Clint Barton’s story, Kate is a major character throughout his story. The Hawkeye series of course ends in a way that reflects Kate’s new role in Clint’s life and as a hero. The Hawkeye comic ends with a similar acknowledgment of the significance of the relationship between the two. On its final page, it also calls the Hawkeye comic run a “Clint Barton/Kate Bishop Comic Book,” giving further credit to Kate being deserving of the Hawkeye mantle on the same level as Clint.

‘Hawkeye’ #2 (2012)

‘Hawkeye’ #22 (2015)

Six Days of Christmas

Marvel Studios’ ‘Hawkeye’ Episode 6

Hawkeye made itself a Christmas show, and it made sure you knew how Christmas-y it was as often as it could. The series was clever to use its six episodes to cover the six days leading up to Christmas, which served as a countdown for Clint to get home to his family for the holiday. Not only did the second issue of Hawkeye explore a heavy Christmas theme, it also specifically looked at the six days of Clint’s life during that time. The comic version of the six days of Christmas had cameos from Tony Stark, Wolverine, and Spider-Man, which obviously the series did not. But it did heavily feature Kate, as well as the Tracksuit Mafia like the live-action series, did. In Hawkeye, the six days were presented out of order, and that added to the intrigue of the narrative––it’s interesting to think about how the Hawkeye series would have played out if its reveals and investigative themes were similarly distorted in order.

Both six-day stretches end with Clint having company for Christmas. In the Hawkeye series, Clint makes it home to Missouri with Kate to spend Christmas with his wife and kids. Comic Clint has a much different family life than MCU Clint, though. He is divorced with no children and is living alone. At the end of his six days, a family that lives in his apartment building comes to keep him company in a warming moment for the self-deprecating and down-on-his-luck archer.
- ‘Hawkeye’ #6 (2012)
- ‘Hawkeye’ #6 (2012)
- ‘Hawkeye’ #6 (2012)
- ‘Hawkeye’ #6 (2012)
Bishop Family Values

Marvel Studios’ ‘Hawkeye’ Episode 6
- ‘Hawkeye’ #20 (2014)
- ‘Hawkeye’ #20 (2014)
‘Hawkeye’ #22 (2015)

One of the major reveals of the Hawkeye series was that Kate’s mother Eleanor Bishop was working for Wilson Fisk, also known as Kingpin, and her ties to New York City’s criminal underground was essentially the catalyst for the entire series. In the comics, Kate Bishop’s mother is the one who is presumed dead, and her father Derek Bishop raised her. In the live-action series, of course, the parents’ statuses are reversed, but in both iterations, they made deals with Kingpin among other criminal figures and organizations that ultimately impacted Kate and her safety.

In any event, the Bishops were a wealthy family which gave Kate the status as a socialite on top of being a superhero. As a result, we get to see Kate bring Clint to a fancy event in a skyscraper in order to investigate some criminal activity in both the comic and the series.
- Marvel Studios’ ‘Hawkeye’ Episode 6
- ‘Hawkeye’ #2 (2012)
December 27, 2021
REVIEW: ‘Cobra Kai’ Season 4 is the Best Season Yet

The hit follow-up series to the Karate Kid film franchise is thriving in its newfound home on Netflix following the streamer’s acquisition of the series with Season 3. Now, Season 4 is here and the show looks ready to kick some more butt. With the return of a few familiar faces and the future of karate in the valley on the line, Cobra Kai is back and it might be better than ever with an absolutely enthralling fourth season that will have you on the edge of your set the entire time.

The season picks up right where Season 3 left off, with Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang Karate coming together to defeat Cobra Kai at the All Valley and shutdown Cobra Kai for good. This is one of the season’s most interesting dynamics as both sides have their very obvious and glaring differences, it leads to some intriguing conflicts and interactions that you would never think would happen.

The latest season of Cobra Kai does an excellent job of tackling character relationships. Developing new and old relationships is something Season 4 does quite well. It’s Daniel and Johnny’s rivalry that sticks out the most this season, while both men try to hold onto the father/son relationship they’ve developed over the past few seasons with Miguel and Johnny. We also get to delve deeper into the relationship between John Kreese and Terry Silver, and seeing how their relationship fluctuates over the course of the ten episodes is thrilling; it’s well-written with plenty of moments that’ll keep you guessing. For the first time on the series, these two men feel like more than merely “villains,” which makes their “big, bad” moments all the more terrifying.

But the absolute for-sure highlight of this season is the return of Thomas Ian Griffith as Terry Silver. When we first meet him, he wants absolutely nothing to do with Cobra Kai or Karate, as the season progresses, however, he slowly begins to become obsessed with it once more. Griffith becomes an absolute menace the second he steps back into the dojo and becomes a serious threat, and not just in the world of Karate. Terry Silver is even more ruthless than John Kreese and doesn’t have the same soft spot for Johnny as Kreese does, as he looks to right many mistakes they made in the past and will not stop at anything to get things done.

The extent of Silver’s influence and antagonist development can be seen in the introduction of a new character named Kenny, played by Dallas Dupree. Robby was actively trying to help Kenny stand up to his bullies through karate as the series looks to redeem Robby and eventually bring him and his father together. Unfortunately, though, the introduction of Silver to Cobra Kai turns Kenny into a product of Silver’s malicious and violent nature, pivoting a once kind and promising student into a killing machine.

While the character development is a strong point this season, the show looks to have kicked it up a notch on the nature of the show, with what seems to be some of its most violent and mature fights yet. The excellent fight choreography is on full display during the All Valley tournament, with each of the kids truly getting a chance to shine.

Overall, Season 4 of Cobra Kai may just be the best installment yet of the beloved series. It’s smart, well-written with plenty of stunning fight choreography. At a time when many shows are lucky to tell a cohesive story over multiple seasons that doesn’t falter, Cobra Kai proves it still has plenty of moves left to unleash as it readies for a fifth season. A tight, cohesive season that manages to successfully take the series in a new direction for Season 5? It’s hard not to enjoy this latest return to the Karate Kid franchise.

The fourth season of Cobra Kai is set to premiere on December 31st, only on Netflix. The show’s fifth season has already wrapped production, but a release date has yet to be revealed.

December 27, 2021
‘Final Fantasy XVI’ Delayed by At Least Half a Year Due to COVID

Sadly, it looks like the ongoing pandemic has caught another victim, as producer Naoki Yoshida has announced on Twitter that Final Fantasy XVI is facing delays by at least a half year due to COVID-19. The entire production is facing quite a challenge, which had allowed them to tweak quite a few important elements of the core game. Still, this means that we won’t get any updates on the game until Spring of 2021.

https://twitter.com/finalfantasyxvi/status/1475335618905669635

We only got the initial trailer some time ago with our first real details back in October of 2020. So, we haven’t had any details for almost a year, which is why this update may be a bit of a dark surprise for some given how long we’ve already waited. It also means that other productions might be affected in similar ways, as we’re still waiting for news on the sequel to Final Fantasy VII Remake as well.

To be fair, that game hasn’t been given a trailer or official announcement which means it isn’t technically getting a “delay” but the lack of any updates has been a bit disheartening. Still, the health of the teams behind these games is important and here’s hoping they aren’t further affected by the ongoing pandemic.

Source: Twitter

December 27, 2021
Warner CEO Confirms HBO Max Date for ‘The Batman’

When the calendar turns over to 2022, fans will notice a change in the way WarnerMedia distributes their films. In 2021, films such as The Matrix Resurrections and The Suicide Squad were released on HBO Max the same day they hit theaters through an experiment called “Project Popcorn.” This strategy, while appreciated by fans who weren’t ready to return to theaters during an ongoing pandemic, certainly put a dent in the box office returns for those films. In October, WarnerMedia brass indicated that while there will still be movies that debut on HBO Max (as many as 11), they will be returning to debuting many films in theaters.

One of WarnerMedia’ first big tentpoles to debut exclusively in theaters in 2022 will be Matt Reeves‘ The Batman. Reeves began developing the film in early 2017 after Ben Affleck, who was set to star and direct, hit some creative roadblocks. Reeves’ new take on the Caped Crusader will star Robert Pattinson as a young Bruce Wayne taking on the Riddler as he terrorizes Gotham City. Reeves is a long-time fan of the character and has plans for a trilogy and multiple spinoffs have already gone into development; to that end, The Batman represents a MAJOR investment for WarnerMedia and a successful theatrical run for the film is important.

That does not diminish the importance of HBO Max to the studio’s future success, however, and so while “Project Popcorn” is no more, Warner announced that films that debut theatrically, like The Batman, will have a 45-day run in theaters and will hit HBO Max on Day 46. While speaking with Peter Kafka on the Recode podcast, WarnerMedia CEO, Jason Kilar, confirmed this to be the case for The Batman, indicating it will debut on the streaming service on April 19, 2022. Kilar went on to confirm that the studio intends to follow suit with the releases of Black Adam and The Flash. With Disney, Warner’s chief competition, experimenting with longer windows for some of their bigger budget films, it looks like a new battle of the Streaming Wars in underway.

December 27, 2021
‘Morbius’ Eyeing a Longer Runtime Than ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’

Sony is currently on a roll after the success of Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Spider-Man: No Way Home. They aren’t taking a break though, as their Marvel expansion is about to release in January with the Jared Leto-led project Morbius. He’ll tackle the role of the Living Vampire and it seems that the film might be eyeing the usual length of other films, as the website of Cinemark has included its runtime at around one hour and 48 minutes. It’s longer than the previously released Venom sequel, which was quite a surprisingly short entry as other superhero films continue to increase their runtimes.

No one expects an Avengers: Endgame runtime from a film about a man turning into a vampire, but there’s quite a bit of lore and character work that can pad it out. We’ll see how the film shapes, as we near its release in the new year, as most discussions focus on the confusing connection it has to Spider-Man. Each trailer adds more and more elements from across the multiverse, which adds some uncertainty if this is now part of Tom Holland‘s MCU run, or potentially a separate project.

No Way Home confirmed Venom isn’t part of that universe due to the post-credit sequence. So, him pretending to be the symbiote would indicate he’s from that same universe. So, the inclusion of Michael Keaton‘s Vulture adds to the confusion. Here’s hoping that the next trailer might offer a clearer picture and they were pulling our leg to add some discussion for the multiversal storyline that just recently passed the $1 billion mark.

Source: Cinemark via The Direct

December 26, 2021
RUMOR: Jonathan Hickman and Chris Bachalo May Be Marvel Comics’ New Spider-Team

Back in August when Jonathan Hickman announced he would be leaving the X-line of Marvel Comics following the completion of Inferno, he mentioned he’d be doing so to go work on his “Next Big Marvel Thing.” When Hickman signed on with Marvel Comics, it was to, in his own words “try things.” According to some speculation by Rich Johnston at Bleeding Cool, the next thing he chooses to try might just be taking the reigns on writing duties for Marvel Comics most popular character: Spider-Man.

Following the end of Nick Spencer’s long run as the writer of Spider-Man, the publisher went to a weekly arc, Spider-Man Beyond, that will end in March. The announcement for this year’s Free Comic Book Day, which will be May 7th, includes a description of Spider-Man/Venom #1, which promised “the first glimpse at Spider-Man’s new era.” Finally, this week artist Chris Bachalo, who worked with Hickman the 2019 Spidey anthology, The Amazing Spider-Man: Full Circle, retweeted one of his 2008 covers from The Amazing Spider-Man. As it turns out, Bachalo’s most recent book, Non-Stop Spider-Man, was cancelled and Hickman is a big fan. As Johnston pointed out, the new Spider-book is expected to have a high profile creative team and, given the convergence of events, it is reasonable to speculate that Hickman and Bachalo could be that team.

Hickman, of course, has spent some time with the Wall-Crawler before. Following the death of Johnny Storm in Hickman’s Fantastic Four #587, he replaced him on the newly renamed team, the Future Foundation, with Spider-Man, in FF #1. When Storm returned from “the dead”, Spidey left the team but showed up on and off throughout the remainder of the series.

Hickman’s well-known for his high-concept sci-fi and while Spider-Man is, like many of Marvel’s heroes and villains, the result of a scientific accident, he’d be the most “street-level” hero Hickman has tackled to date at Marvel. If Hickman is indeed the brain behind the main Spider-book, it’ll be incredibly interesting to see what direction he takes the Web-Slinger in next. Of course, Hickman also did quite a bit of work with Miles Morales in Secret Wars, including bringing him into the 616 continuity…

Source: Bleeding Cool

December 26, 2021
‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Swings to $1 Billion Worldwide

It has finally come, just as we discussed it yesterday, Spider-Man: No Way Home has officially joined the $1 billion club. With $467.3M domestically and $587.1M internationally, the film stands at a strong $1.05B over the Christmas weekend. While it did face a harsh drop, we’re in a very different situation given the effect the holidays have every year and it ties with Avengers: Infinity War for the spot of second-fastest to pass that milestone.

This milestone is quite impressive, as it goes against all odds given the omicron variant on the horizon. It’s also the first film to manage this in around two years, which hasn’t been kind to many films’ success at the box office when compared to the usual releases. Its drop can also be attributed to the fact it faced not one, but three new releases this weekend. At this point it has doubled Shang-Chi‘s already fantastic $224M.

Welcome to the $1 billion dollar club, Spider-Man…we weren't expecting anyone this year.

Sony's SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME has netted $467.3M domestic and $587.1M overseas, for a total of $1.05B–the top grossing film of 2021 and soon Sony's #1 film of all-time, of any time.
— Exhibitor Relations Co. (@ERCboxoffice) December 26, 2021

Spider-Man wasn’t the only one to web up quite a bit this weekend, as Sing 2 managed to take the second spot at the domestic box office with $23.7M while The Matrix Resurrections landed in third with a mellow $14M. To be fair, the latter is also available on HBO Max, which may have become the main way of watching it for some audiences. Plus, the sequel to the 2016 animated film targeted parents with younger kids, who are the current audience group most uncertain about returning to theaters. Sadly, The King’s Man was struggling with a $10M opening, which only barely beat out American Underdog.

Source: Twitter, Variety

December 26, 2021