Jeremy Renner asks Sony to give Spider-Man back to Marvel

Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe expressed anger and sadness about Tuesday's news that Spider-Man may be leaving the MCU. Two of those fans were Marvel superheroes themselves. 

Jeremy Renner, who plays Hawkeye, posted about the news on Twitter and Instagram late Tuesday. 

"Hey Sony Pictures, we want Spider-Man back to Stan Lee and Marvel please, thank you," the actor wrote.

Fans were thrilled to have an Avenger on their side. By Wednesday morning, Renner's Instagram photo had been liked 1.3 million times, and his tweet had been retweeted more than 40,000 times and liked more than 99,000 times.

One Instagram user snarked, "Sony, 'if you're nothing without Spider-Man, you shouldn't have him.'"

That's a tweak of a line from 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming, in which Spidey worries he's nothing without his superhero suit and Tony Stark/Iron Man sets him straight.

Ryan Reynolds, who plays Deadpool for Marvel in the movies, didn't directly plunge in to the Sony-Marvel fight, but did respond when asked about it. A fan tweeted at Reynolds and Spidey star Tom Holland, asking, "Can we get a Spiderman & Deadpool movie now?"

And Reynolds responded, "You can. But you can only see it in my heart."

That's an answer Reynolds has used before. Back in 2018, when asked if a fan image of Deadpool and Captain America (Chris Evans) was real, Reynolds responded, "It's real in my heart."

In a statement issued Tuesday, a Sony Pictures spokesperson said much of the Spider-Man news has "mischaracterized" Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige's involvement in the franchise, and that it was the decision of Disney, owner of Marvel Studios, that Feige no longer continue with the Spider-Man films.

Other Marvel and Sony actors, including Holland himself, have refrained from commenting on the news. 

Flip through 32 Marvel-ous images from this super exhibit

+29 more

See all photos