I was shocked to realize that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man and Robert Pattinson’s Batman share a controversy that plagues both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and The Batman‘s Elseworlds DC Universe. While there have been many live-action Batman actors, Pattinson’s performance as Bruce Wayne in 2022’s The Batman helped him become one of my favorites to have ever donned the coveted cowl. While I am disappointed that it is taking so long for Matt Reeves to get The Batman 2‘s story right, I’m excited about where the franchise could go, though I have one issue with the overall story.
Recently, I came to notice how my one problem with Pattinson’s Batman extends itself to Holland’s Spider-Man. While I could not possibly be more excited about what Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s story and cast could look like, I think the MCU has dropped the ball with the hero in one key way after the franchise’s latest project. Pattinson’s Batman and Holland’s Spider-Man are two of the most popular versions of their iconic comic book heroes, so I hope Marvel and DC come up with a satisfying way of making up for how they were part of a similar controversy.
Robert Pattinson’s Batman Did Not Stop Gotham’s Gang War
The Batman Universe Has Expanded Into The TV Realm
While The Batman 2 has been delayed multiple times, now set to arrive in 2027, the franchise has already released a new chapter after its original installment. Instead of a movie with Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne as the lead, The Batman franchise’s second release was The Penguin, the prestige HBO series that followed Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb as he worked his way up in Gotham City’s criminal underworld. After Carmine Falcone died in The Batman, I was interested to see how the franchise would explore that power vacuum, and The Penguin did so with a major Gotham gang war.
Oz orchestrated a war between the Falcones and the Maronis, roping in other Gotham crime families. While I was thrilled by The Penguin‘s dark storyline, one aspect of it held the show back in my point of view. That would be Batman’s absence. Despite Gotham being in the midst of a gang war, which included several deaths and a major explosion in the city, the only inclusion of Batman came at the very end, with the Bat-Signal lighting up the sky after Oz became Gotham’s new crime boss. The Penguin promo teased that Batman might not have been in Gotham.
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man Did Not Show Up When Kingpin Took Over New York
The MCU’s Street-Level Corner Has Been Thrust Into A Major Event
Tom Holland’s latest MCU appearance came in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. The MCU’s Peter Parker will next be seen next year, with the hero expected to appear in Avengers: Doomsday, even though he has not been announced yet, and confirmed to star in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. However, while Spider-Man’s MCU future is exciting, I can’t help but think of how the hero would have been perfect for a 2025 Marvel project he was even mentioned in but never showed up. Disney+’s Daredevil: Born Again season 1 completely changed the landscape of the MCU’s street-level corner.
In the past, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige claimed that Charlie Cox’s Daredevil and Holland’s Spider-Man would be the faces of the MCU’s street-level heroes moving forward. Daredevil: Born Again season 1 laid the groundwork for that to happen through Kingpin’s plans. In the Disney+ series, Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk became the Mayor of New York City, increasing his influence throughout the show’s first nine episodes. By the end of Daredevil: Born Again season 1, Kingpin managed to become the most powerful he has ever been, outlawing New York City’s vigilantes and putting New York under martial law.
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Potential Heroes For Daredevil’s MCU Army |
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|---|---|
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Character |
Actor |
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The Punisher |
Jon Bernthal |
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The Swordsman |
Tony Dalton |
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Ms. Marvel |
Iman Vellani |
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Spider-Man |
Tom Holland |
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Jessica Jones |
Krysten Ritter |
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Luke Cage |
Mike Colter |
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Iron Fist |
Finn Jones |
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Hawkeye (Clint Barton) |
Jeremy Renner |
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Hawkeye (Kate Bishop) |
Hailee Steinfeld |
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Echo |
Alaqua Cox |
While Marvel has many heroes that operate in New York, Spider-Man is the one that has become synonymous with the city. As such, I was disappointed when he never appeared as Kingpin took over the city, nor did Marvel explain his absence. Early in Daredevil: Born Again season 1, Wilson Fisk even mentioned Spider-Man alongside Daredevil and the Punisher as vigilantes who had to be stopped. At the end of the season, Daredevil revealed that he would need an army to stop Kingpin, and while I hoped Spider-Man would be part of it, no heroes were revealed for the team.
Why Did Batman & Spider-Man Not Appear in The Penguin And Daredevil: Born Again?
The Reasons For The Major DC And Marvel Absences Are Very Different
When it comes to Spider-Man’s absence from Daredevil: Born Again, I can be a bit more understanding than Pattinson’s Batman being missing from The Penguin. The reason for that is the complicated rights situation involving the character. Marvel is only able to use Holland’s Spider-Man through an agreement with Sony, who owns Peter Parker’s live-action rights. Speaking with Phase Hero, Marvel Studios’ Head of TV, Streaming, and Animation, Brad Winderbaum, explained that it seems like Sony has the rights to use Spider-Man in long-form TV shows, which would rule out him appearing in Daredevil: Born Again or other MCU series.
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As for Pattinson’s Batman absence from The Penguin, there were no rights issues that made it difficult for him to appear. It all came down to a creative choice. The HBO series played with a few different concepts of how Bruce Wayne could appear, with a scene where Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne meets Rhenzy Feliz’s Victor Aguilar being scrapped before ever making it to filming. In the end, the creatives felt The Penguin needed to stand on its own feet, as Batman’s appearance would have overshadowed Oz Cobb’s story, with Matt Reeves claiming it would have thrown “things off too much.”
How Pattinson’s Batman & Holland’s Spider-Man Can Correct Their Mistakes
Marvel And DC Have The Perfect Way To Make Up For The Characters’ Controversial Recent Absences
While I was disappointed by how Batman was missing from The Penguin and Spider-Man did not show up in Daredevil: Born Again as the heroes’ cities were taken over by villains, Marvel and DC already have the projects to make up for that. If The Batman 2 ever gets going, the film is the natural stage to address Os Cobb’s rise to power. Farrell’s Penguin is confirmed for the movie, and the Bat-Signal at the end of the HBO series hints that Bruce Wayne is aware of Oz’s actions and will go after him, so Batman can finally stop Oz.
The Devil’s Reign storyline with Kingpin and Daredevil’s army could build up to a major all-out war in New York City.
As for Holland’s Spider-Man, the rights situation makes it hard to imagine him appearing in Daredevil: Born Again season 2 or any future season of the MCU series. Instead, the Devil’s Reign storyline with Kingpin and Daredevil’s army could build up to a major all-out war in New York City. That story would have the necessary high stakes for a movie, which could end up being Spider-Man: Brand New Day or a future film for the wall-crawler in the MCU. As long as Spider-Man and Batman get to be involved in those storylines in some way, I will be happy.
All Announced Upcoming MCU Movies
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Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
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May 2, 2025
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
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July 25, 2025
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Avengers: Doomsday
- Release Date
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May 1, 2026
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Spider-Man: Brand New Day
- Release Date
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July 31, 2026
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Avengers: Secret Wars
- Release Date
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May 7, 2027
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Upcoming DC Movie Releases
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Superman
- Release Date
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July 11, 2025
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Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow
- Release Date
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June 26, 2026
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The Batman Part II
- Release Date
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October 1, 2027
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