So, is the MCU just going to pretend Spider-Man never existed?

Sony is taking Spider-Man back full-time, eliminating the chance for him to appear in future MCU films. And we have a lot of questions.

When it was first announced that Marvel Studios and Sony Entertainment were partnering up to bring Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spidey fanatics leapt for joy. And while this agreement never formally transferred the rights to use Stan Lee’s favorite superhero onscreen, fans were hopeful that adding him to the MCU would open the door for, at the very least, more shared projects between the two studios in the future.

And things were looking promising. Spider-Man: Far From Home finished off Phase 3 with a bang. We couldn’t wait to see where Peter Parker’s story would take him next.

Then it came: The dreaded split we hoped would never happen. Sony, which still has the full rights to Spider-Man, has taken him back fully into their grasp. At this point, it’s been confirmed we probably won’t be seeing Spidey in the MCU moving forward.

Why’d you go and break our Tom Holland-loving hearts like that, Sony? What did we ever do to you?

Technically, there’s still a chance Marvel and Sony could reach an agreement of some kind. But no matter what happens, the question still stands: If Spider-Man disappears from the MCU (for real this time), will Marvel just … write him out of the universe forever?

This is, in comparison, an easy transition for Sony. Unlike Marvel, they don’t have to figure out how to restructure a pre-planned cinematic timeline in the absence of a central character they were counting on — pun totally intended — sticking around. They can just make new movies using the same licensed character. Good for them.

OK, so maybe some Twitter users don’t think Sony will have such an easy time:

Thankfully, it doesn’t seem like Marvel would completely erase him from the universe. He has become too important of a character to never be mentioned again. There’s going to be a name drop, or reference of some kind — unless they aren’t legally allowed to do even that.

But they’re going to have to get creative when deciding how to handle his unexpected absence. They obviously weren’t planning on having to write Spider-Man out of the story anytime soon.

Luckily, Marvel has time to figure it out. There weren’t any Spider-Man standalone projects scheduled for Phase 4 even before all of this went down. But eventually, they’re going to have to decide whether they’re going to formally address his permanent absence onscreen or never mention him and hope audiences shrug it off as an inevitable necessity.

Honestly? I would much rather them figure out a creative way to give Spidey an exit that makes sense and isn’t just a cheap and easy way out.

This Twitter user accurately depicted all of our feelings right now:

Spider-Man’s character has completely changed the MCU over the past three years, and the new life Tom Holland brought to Peter Parker has been unforgettable. He deserves a proper goodbye of some kind. Even if it means killing him off — which, as evidenced by Into the Spider-Verse, isn’t too crazy of a move. Even Spider-Man isn’t immortal.

Also, can we get some not-so-subtle Tom Holland cameos in future movies? Brief ones? Just because it’s Tom Holland and we’re going to miss him terribly? Thank you.

How are you handling the news? Are you OK? Feel free to vent your sorrows in the comments.