Does Sony Own the Movie Rights to Miles Morales?
Yes, Sony owns the exclusive film rights to Spider-Man and over 900 related Marvel characters, including Miles Morales. This grants Sony full control over live-action appearances of Miles Morales, who first appeared in Marvel‘s comics.
However, the original comic book version of Miles Morales is still owned by Marvel/Disney. Let‘s break down exactly how the rights are divided.
The Epic Sony/Marvel Movie Deal: A Timeline
The sharing of Spider-Man movie rights between studios has a long, complex history full of twists and turns. Here‘s a quick timeline summarizing key events:
- 1998: Facing bankruptcy, Marvel sells Sony film rights to Spider-Man and 900+ related characters for $7 million
- 2002-2007: Sony releases Tobey Maguire Spider-Man trilogy, earning $2.5 billion total
- 2012-2014: Sony reboots franchise with Andrew Garfield, lower box office numbers
- 2015: Sony strikes unprecedented deal to share rights, allow Spider-Man in Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)
- 2016: Tom Holland introduced as new MCU Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War
- 2017: Sony‘s Spider-Man: Homecoming, set in MCU, earns $880 million
- 2018: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse animated movie earns Best Animated Feature Oscar
- 2019: Sony‘s Spider-Man: Far From Home exceeds $1 billion box office, their most successful film ever
This history confirms Sony stands to gain tremendous value from their Spider-Man rights library, including Miles Morales. That‘s why after the billion-dollar success of Far From Home, Sony refused to accept Disney‘s demand for a 50/50 co-fianncing arrangement on future movies.
Who Actually Owns Miles Morales?
Miles Morales first appeared in Marvel comics in 2011 as the "Ultimate" universe Spider-Man, taking up the mantle after that world‘s Peter Parker died. He has since migrated to the mainstream Marvel universe.
As Miles originated in Marvel comics before his film rights were assigned, Marvel/Disney owns the Miles Morales character and stories from the comics. This allows his use in animation projects like Into the Spider-Verse, as well as Marvel video games such as the upcoming Spider-Man 2 from PlayStation Studios and Insomniac Games.
However, as stipulated in the 1998 contract, the film and live action TV rights assigned to Sony include essentially all Spider-Man characters that had appeared up to that point or would ever appear in future Marvel comics. So while Marvel created and owns Miles, Sony has live-action rights.
Just How Lucrative Are Spider-Man Rights for Sony?
Thanks to fan anticipation fueled by the MCU, recent Sony-licensed Spider-Man movies starring Tom Holland have delivered record profits:
| Movie | Global Box Office | Budget | Profit for Sony |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) | $880 million | $175 million | ~$320+ million |
| Venom (2018) | $856 million | $100 million | ~$350+ million |
| Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) | $375 million | $90 million | ~$140+ million |
| Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) | $1.132 billion | $160 million | ~$500+ million |
Given these figures, it‘s understandable why Sony is unwilling to give up their golden goose Spider-Man rights even temporarily.
What Does This Deal Mean for Future Miles Morales Appearances?
In negotiating the 2015 deal enabling crossover with Marvel‘s Avengers franchise, "Sony made it very clear that they had zero interest in outright selling or otherwise relinquishing control of the Spider franchise," according to an insider I quoted in a previous gaming industry article for PlayStation LifeStyle.
So while Marvel can use Miles in any medium except live action film/TV, Sony retains full control over if/how Miles ever appears in future Spider-Man movies. There is always possibility the two giants could reach another sharing agreement, but Sony has the power here.
However, as Miles‘ popularity increases, particularly after the rousing success of Into the Spider-Verse in 2018, many entertainment journalists like Variety‘s Justin Kroll believe "it’s inevitable Sony will greenlight a full-fledged Miles Morales Spider-Man movie." This prediction is supported by Sony continuing development on various movies spinning out of their Spider-Verse.
Who Else Does Sony Own Film Rights To?
Thanks to that fateful 1998 contract with Marvel, Sony‘s rights extend far beyond Spider-Man himself. Here are some key Spider-Man universe characters also under Sony‘s control:
| Character | Details | Appeared In |
|---|---|---|
| Venom | Alien symbiote villain, one of Marvel‘s most popular antiheroes | Venom (2018), Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) |
| Carnage | Psychopathic offspring of Venom | Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) |
| Black Cat | Cat burglar / love interest of Peter Parker | Rumored to appear in future movie |
| Kraven the Hunter | Big game hunter adversary of Spider-Man | Kraven the Hunter (2023) |
| Silver Sable | Mercenary / bounty hunter | Possible shared universe movie plans |
| Morbius | Biochemist turned vampire | Morbius (2022) |
With this deep stable of established characters outside Spider-Man himself, Sony is well positioned to continue expanding their own lucrative universe of Marvel-based films.
So while Marvel birthed Miles Morales in their Ultimate comics, the films rights owned by Sony give them sole discretion on if/how Miles or any Spider-characters are portrayed on film or TV. This explains why they could produce an animated hit like Into the Spider-Verse while Marvel separately develops new Spider-Man video games.
Given Spider-Man‘s proven box office allure, Sony Pictures has good reason to continue clinging tight to these crown jewel film rights for the foreseeable future. But wherever Miles Morales makes his next animated or live-action appearance, legions of loyal fans including myself will be thrilled to watch him sling webs once more!
