Poor Kevin Feige. Marvel Studios’ president was having such a good summer until now. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was a huge hit, and Spider-Man: Homecoming looks like it’s going to bring the Wall-crawler back to box office supremacy. Even Sony’s off-brand Marvel movies with Venom, Silver Sable and Black Cat couldn’t bring Feige down. But one awkward interview later, Feige has become a meme to rival Sad Ben Affleck. Judging from the clip, it sure looks like Feige is just as surprised about Spider-Man’s involvement with those spinoff films as we are! What in the J. Jonah Jameson is happening here? Today’s Nerdist News is breaking it all down!

Join host and the third woman to be bitten by a radioactive spider, Jessica Chobot, as she walks us through the key moment in Feige’s co-interview with Amy Pascal to promote Spider-Man: Homecoming. It’s important to note that Spidey’s return to the MCU probably wouldn’t have happened without Pascal’s support, which is why she’s a producer on Homecoming even after she left Sony. Still, Pascal clearly went off script when she said “those [spinoff] movies will all take place in the world that we are now creating for Peter Parker. They’ll be adjuncts to it, it may be different locations but it will still all be in the same world, and they will be connected to each other as well.”

This is not impossible, but it is something that both Sony and Feige have previously denied. Unlike the deal that ties Spider-Man to Sony, there is an expiration set for the Marvel and Sony alliance. When that arrives, Sony and Marvel either have to make a new deal or Sony will once again get Spidey all to themselves. Unless there is a specific contract provision that says otherwise, Sony can put Tom Holland’s Spidey into their Venom or Silver and Black films. If Sony wants to force the issue or let Marvel’s current deal expire, then there’s nothing that would stop it from happening.

The concern is that Venom and Silver and Black will muck with the tone and continuity that have been so carefully crafted by Feige and Marvel Studios for the better part of a decade. It would be a much better alternative for Sony and Marvel to work together more closely on those projects, and the MCU could become an even deeper place with the introduction of two more heroines and an alien threat with personal ties to Spidey. Just opening the door to even more heroes and villains from that corner of the Marvel Universe would be an exciting development, however unlikely that seems at the moment. We believe that there’s still a possibility that Pascal is simply teasing an aspect of the Marvel and Sony deal that just hasn’t been announced yet. Here’s hoping the Spiderverse remains united with the MCU. That really would be the best solution.

What do you think about the possibility of Spider-Man appearing in the Sony spinoff films? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!