Marvel Studios addresses why theMarvel Cinematic UniverseTV shows have not featured a single appearance from Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. By December 2025, it will have been four years since Peter’sSpider-Man: No Way Homeending, which was the last time the web-crawler was seen in the MCU. While Holland is set to return as the Marvel icon inSpider-Man 4, which shoots later this year, there have been a lot of questions as to why Peter has never appeared in any of the ongoing Marvel Studios shows on Disney+.
In a new interview with thePhase Heropodcast, Marvel Studios Head of TV, Streaming, and Animation, Brad Winderbaum, was asked if Holland’s Spider-Man is allowed to show up in any of the live-action MCU shows that air on Disney+. In response,Winderbaum commented about the hero’s long-form television rights,as he shared the following:
I’m not sure exactly what the rules are, but I think they have long-form television rights at Sony… he can do like 30-minute animation, I think.
Even thoughthe MCU timelinehas established Spider-Man’s place in the franchise,it has always been odd that the web-slinger is nowhere to be seen when it comes to the live-action TV shows. Given Winderbaum’s explanation, it seems that Sony and Marvel Studios have either never attempted to make a deal where they can borrow the character for their MCU TV shows, or the former has simply not wanted to have Holland’s Spider-Man appear in any of the Disney+ series. It’s also possible that Marvel Studios has not tried to work in a Spider-Man appearance with Holland in the Disney+ properties.
That makes shows like Nicolas Cage’s upcomingSpider-Noirare happening on MGM+ and Prime Video all the more important, as Sony Television can utilizethe Spider-Man TV rightsacross various platforms. This may also serve to explain how Marvel Studios was able to launch something like theYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manthis year on Disney+, since they have the animation rights. Whether or not Holland’s availability has played a factor in the lack of Spider-Man in the MCU series remains to be seen.
Winderbaum’s comments help add more context to Spider-Man’s MCU story, and sadly suggest Holland’s Spider-Man is unlikely to appear intheDaredevil: Born AgainTV show, despite it arguably being a perfect project to utilize the character outside the films. Time will tellwhether or not this may be something that Sony and Marvel Studios attempt to work out forDaredevil: Born Againseason 2, especially as the next season will be out the same year asSpider-Man 4. But for now, it remains to be seen if theMCU’s TV shows will ever have a future for Holland’s version of Spider-Man.
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount’s Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
