It's been a hard week for Spider-Man fans, and the man behind the iconic web-slinger feels your pain. On Saturday, Aug. 24, Tom Holland addressed the Spider-Man dispute between Disney and Sony Studios during the D23 panel for his upcoming Pixar film Onward. While he didn't go into details about the disagreement between the studios that has seemingly led to Spider-Man exiting the MCU, for now at least, Holland did offer fans a supportive message that made it clear that's he's just as confused about Spidey's situation as everyone else is.
Per IndieWire, Holland told the D23 crowd, "It's been a crazy week, and I love you all from the bottom of my heart, and I love you 3000." Adding in "I love you 3000" was a particularly poignant touch since it's a line that Iron Man says to his daughter in Avengers: Endgame, and — spoiler alert for Endgame and Far From Home — fans know, Peter is now the heir to Iron Man's technology.
After the panel, Holland shared more in depth thoughts on the Sony/Disney dispute with Entertainment Weekly. "Basically, we've made five great movies," Holland told EW. "It's been five amazing years. I've had the time of my life. Who knows what the future holds? But all I know is that I'm going to continue playing Spider-Man and having the time of my life. It's going to be so fun, however we choose to do it. The future for Spider-Man will be different, but it will be equally as awesome and amazing, and we'll find new ways to make it even cooler."
On Tuesday, Deadline reported that talks between Disney and Sony to continue sharing the Spider-Man character had broken down. The root of the issue is co-financing and profit sharing. Sony owns the rights to Spider-Man, and previously produced two versions of the franchise without any input from Marvel. However, since Holland's appearance in Captain America: Civil War, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has played a key creative role in guiding the character and incorporating Spider-Man into the MCU. If the studios can't reach an agreement, then Spider-Man will no longer appear in the MCU, and Feige will have no role in the future Sony films.
Sony released a statement on Tuesday that reads:
"Much of today's news about Spider-Man has mischaracterized recent discussion 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."
(Bustle also reached out to representatives, Disney, Marvel, and Tom Holland for comment.)
Holland is signed on for two more Spider-Man movies with Sony, per Deadline, both of which are set to be directed by Jon Watts. And while the MCU may be facing a future without Peter Parker, the actor is clearly committed to keep Spider-Man's story going, even if it means moving forward without his Marvel family.
