Over the years a battle has brewed between the Walt Disney Company (DIS) and Sony Corp (SONY). The battle stems from the controlled interest Sony has in one of the most popular comic book characters of all-time: Spider Man.

What Happened

In the 1990's, a near bankrupt Marvel sold the rights to its Spider Man character to Sony Corp. Several other characters were sold to movie studios to bring cash into the struggling comic book company. In 2009, Disney acquired Marvel for $4 billion and gained access to a huge library of characters. Since then, the entertainment giant has been able to turn out multiple blockbuster movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and dominate the domestic and worldwide box office.

Disney has clashed with Sony over how to develop future Spider Man movies and how to share the brand and split profits. A new report shows Disney could be sniffing around to acquire Spider Man from Sony again. GiantFreakinRobot reports that Disney is in talks with Sony to acquire Spider Man rights or the entire film division from the company.

Why It’s Important

Tom Holland's run as Spider Man is set to come to an end with “Spider Man: No Way Home,” scheduled for a December 2021 release. Holland appeared in six movies across the Spider Man and Marvel Cinematic Universe, including “Captain America: Civil War,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” and “Avengers: Endgame,” which are all Disney movies.

“Spider Man: Homecoming” grossed $334 million domestically and $880 million worldwide. “Spider Man: Far From Home” grossed $391 million domestically and $1.13 billion worldwide.

In 2019, Disney reached a deal to have the merchandising rights for Spider Man and share in profits for Spider Man related movies, as well as have several Marvel characters also appear in some Spider Man movies.

While the merchandising rights are said to be worth more in revenue and profits than the box office figures, Disney would likely love to get its hands on Spider Man and a lineup of other characters to utilize in its Marvel Cinematic Universe of movies and shows for theaters and Disney+, its streaming service.

Disney offered a reported $4 billion to $5 billion for the rights to Spider Man in 2019. Reports are unclear if that price tag has gone up or down since then between the two companies.

Disney acquired the movies segment from Fox Corp (FOX), which gave it control over the X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises, two Marvel properties it lacked control over. Disney also gained control back of several characters like Punisher and Daredevil, which had previously belonged to Netflix Inc (NFLX).

The rumor comes from a smaller publication but it shouldn’t be brushed aside as Disney has wanted control over Spider Man for years, and an acquisition wouldn't be surprising at this point.