The world of cinematic superheroes changed forever when Sony suddenly killed their partnership deal with Marvel in August 2019. The news spread like wildfire over Twitter with hashtags like #savespiderman trending for days and users turning their backs on Sony for taking Spider-Man out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Disney loyalists are calling for Sony to give up the web-slinger, claiming the company can’t make a great Spider-Man blockbuster without the help of Disney. But for everyone else, or at least the people who read the details of the deal, Sony’s exit made a lot of sense and was a great move for the company.

So what exactly happened that lead to Spider-Man’s departure from the realm of the Avengers and Infinity Stones? Long story short, Disney got greedy, and Sony didn’t like it. For Sony, their decision to end ties came at a good time; if they had stayed and agreed to the deal, they would lose a large chunk of money and basically lose control of Spider-Man altogether. Disney is known for purchasing assets and taking complete control of them, whether for better or worse. Fox and Lucasfilms are two of the most notable victims to be consumed by the mouse. Sony was not going to join them.

The big question remains: what is going to happen to Spider-Man? Now that he and all of his friends and enemies are no longer a part of the MCU, it’s up to Sony to continue the Web-head’s story post-Avengers. As a lifelong fan of Spider-Man and a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I have faith in Sony to make quality films; they’ve done it before, and they can do it again.

Back when director Sam Raimi brought Spider-Man to the big screen for the first time, Sony was the sole provider for the superhero trilogy. Collectively, the three flicks made $6.3 billion worldwide, which is nothing to scoff at. The second film in particular is regarded as one of the best “Spider-Man” films and even one of the best superhero films ever. The story of Peter Parker struggling with balancing his normal high school student life and the life of being a web-swinging crimefighter makes for a personal yet unbelievable story. Easily one of the best parts of the movie is Doctor Octopus, played by Alfred Molina. His ability to switch from vulnerable to frightening to sympathetic all in under two hours makes for a dynamic character that the audience can get invested in.

And that’s not all. Sony’s latest Spider-Man iteration was a massive success as well, generating $375.5 million worldwide. Sony Pictures Animation and Columbia Pictures created a banger of a superhero film in 2018 with “Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse,” developing a brand new animation technique that immerses the audience in the pages of a comic book. Along with a new art style, the world was introduced to a whole new group of spider-people. Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Ham and Peni Parker all made their big screen debuts to comic book fans’ delight and set up a future “Spiderverse” series. The film won numerous film awards, most notably Best Animated Feature Film at the 79th Golden Globe Awards and Best Animated Feature at the 91st Academy Awards, cementing it in cinema history. There are plenty of arguments going around for it being the best Spider-Man film, and it has the accolades to back it up.

Sony’s Spider-Man movies are totally capable of reaching success even without the inclusion of Disney. Although the Marvel Cinematic Universe will dearly miss “Ol’ Web Head,” they will still make billions of dollars off the rest of the Marvel properties they have. As for Sony, their future with Spider-Man is still unknown. But you can bet that they have the imagination and dedication to take Spider-Man to new heights, both literally and figuratively. With recent rumors of the two companies back in discussions, there is still a chance for a deal in the future. But for now, all we can do is wait in anticipation for what Sony will do with our favorite web-swinging hero.