Here’s Why ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Isn’t on Netflix

Netflix has long been the home of Marvel content, stretching all the way back years ago when the streaming service announced they were gonna make a whole bunch of TV shows set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In addition to Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, Netflix is also the streaming home of ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and a few of the kid-friendly cartoon series, too. And starting in 2016, Netflix’s big Disney deal gave them exclusive access to all of those blockbuster Marvel Studios movies.

For the last year and a half, it’s been a safe bet that every Marvel Studios movie would land on Netflix roughly 7 months after it opened in theaters. The deal applied to every Disney movie released after January 1, 2016, which means it kicked in with the start of the MCU’s Phase Three and has continued up to this month when Thor: Ragnarok arrives on Netflix. But there’s one noticeable hole in the schedule: Spider-Man: Homecoming.

So far, all of the Disney and Marvel Studios movies have hit Netflix in the order of their theatrical release. The wrinkle is that Thor: Ragnarok came out after Spider-Man: Homecoming, and the wall-crawler is still not on Netflix even though Ragnarok will be soon.

Here’s what the release schedule has looked like so far:

Captain America: Civil War
Theatrical Release: 5-6-16
Netflix Debut: 12-25-16
Netflix Departure: 6-25-18

Doctor Strange
Theatrical Release: 11-4-16
Netflix Debut: 5-30-16

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Theatrical Release: 5-5-17
Netflix Debut: 12-5-17

Spider-Man: Homecoming
Theatrical Release: 7-7-17
Netflix Debut: ?

Thor: Ragnarok
Theatrical Release: 11-3-17
Netflix Debut: 6-5-18

So what gives? What makes Spider-Man different from all the other heroes? Is Netflix afraid of teens or spiders? Riverdale’s inclusion on Netflix disproves the former. If your guess is the latter, then obviously you haven’t watched Spiders on Netflix.

No, the real difference between Spider-Man: Homecoming and all the other Marvel movies is Sony. Unlike Doctor Strange, Thor, and the rest, Homecoming was a co-production of Marvel Studios and Columbia Pictures, distributed by Sony. All the other films were produced solely by Marvel and distributed by Disney. That’s because in order to get Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Disney/Marvel had to make a deal to share the character with Sony, who still owns the film rights to Spider-Man (and all of his tangential characters, which is why we’re being subjected to that unrelated and bizarre looking Venom movie later this year).

While we don’t know for sure if this is why Spider-Man: Homecoming isn’t available on Netflix, it seems likely that it is. After all, the deal was between Netflix and Disney, and Sony/Columbia is a whole other thing. It would totally make sense if that would keep Homecoming out. In fact, instead of hitting Netflix in February like many would have predicted, it actually went to STARZ (where it is still streaming)!

That may be why there’s a spider-sized hole in Netflix’s MCU lineup. Other than that, you have a solid 20-day window within which to stream four other MCU movies after Ragnarok arrives and before Civil War departs. Plan your streaming accordingly (and maybe figure out another way to stream Spider-Man: Homecoming)!

Decider has reached out to Netflix to confirm whether or not Spider-Man: Homecoming is included in the Disney/Netflix deal.

Where to stream Spider-Man: Homecoming