Spider-Man Is Joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe

— -- Disney-owned Marvel Studios has announced a major deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment that will bring Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe -- meaning Spidey could soon finally join his "Avengers" pals onscreen.

While Spidey has always been a Marvel character, a 13-year-old licensing deal allowed only Sony to release movies featuring the web-slinger.

The results of late have been mixed: While the franchise has generated $4 billion for the studio, both the box office receipts and comic fan cred of a recent pair of reboot films paled in comparison to the Marvel Studios movies released by Disney, which include blockbusters like "The Avengers," "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," and "Guardians of the Galaxy."

The new deal will see the producer behind those and other hits, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, produce new Spidey movies for Sony but, even more exciting for fans, the deal will let Spidey join Iron Man, Captain America, The Hulk and his fellow Avengers on the big screen for the first time.

"I am thrilled to team with my friends at Sony Pictures along with Amy Pascal to produce the next Spider-Man movie," Feige aid in a statement. "Marvel's involvement will hopefully deliver the creative continuity and authenticity that fans demand...I am equally excited for the opportunity to have Spider-Man appear in the MCU, something which both we at Marvel, and fans alike, have been looking forward to for years."

The first Spider-Man film that will be co-produced by Feige under the new Sony deal will be released on July 28, 2017.

However, before that, Spidey will most likely appear in the Disney release "Captain America: Civil War," set for release on May 6, 2016.

The web-slinger and his alter-ego Peter Parker play a major role in the Civil War comic series' plot, which sees Cap and Iron Man at each other's throats regarding a government program to register superheroes.

The July 28, 2017 Sony Spidey release has led Marvel Studios to also announce some new release date changes for its upcoming Disney flicks.

Marvel's "Thor: Ragnarok" will now hit theaters November 3, 2017; "Black Panther" will make its way to theaters on July 6, 2018; "Captain Marvel" will be released November 2, 2018; and Marvel's "Inhumans" will now be released July 12, 2019.

Release dates for "Avengers: Infinity War Part 1" and "Avengers: Infinity War Part 2" haven't changed -- they hit theaters on May 4, 2018 and May 3, 2019, respectively.

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