The Week in Geek: NYCC drops bombs, Tom Holland saves Spidey, and Joker and Harley go solo

It's the end of another week, but it's also the weekend of New York Comic Con, so geeky week doesn't end so much as it bleeds into the next one. Even so, we need to adhere to our somewhat arbitrary demarcations, and luckily a lot has already happened. Like fall! Fall happened. It was 90 degrees one day, below 50 the next. Wild.

But this ain't weather.com. You can tell because we don't have any articles about why India banned onions, the threat of mysterious Florida lakes, which brands millennials don't like anymore, and other obviously weather-based articles. Boom. Weather.com burn.

Anyway, here they are: the five biggest stories from ... The Week in Geek!

NEW YORK COMIC CON IS IN FULL SWING AND THWIP

So yeah, New York Comic Con is happening all dang weekend. SYFY WIRE is there and is hosting events at Hammerstein, MSG, and on the show floor itself with the SYFY WIRE Live Stage. Already, we've had a packed lineup, including the cast of Netflix's Big Mouth, Todd McFarlane holding court, the cast of the new Grudge movie, Felicia Day talking about her new book, and friggin Ralph Fiennes looking classy as ever while talking about The King's Man.

We've got Angel reunions, we've got Star Trek interviews, we've got people rolling giant 20-sided dice and answering weird questions. There will be live art on stage, there will be cosplay competitions, there will ... not be blood. Hopefully.

So if you are at NYCC, keep an eye out. There's no shortage of things happening.

Credit: Marvel Studios/Disney

TOM HOLLAND SAVES THE MCU SPIDER-VERSE

This story might not be the full truth of the Spidey saga, but it's so darn upbeat and nice and this world is so reprehensibly cruel most of the time that we're going with it anyway.

So. You remember that time Spider-Man was a part of the MCU? But then he wasn't? And Sony and Disney were squabbling over the details so it looked like Peter Parker was more likely to hang out with Madame Web than he was with Iron Ma-err, uh ... Steve Roger-ohgosh ... Doctor Strange? Sure. The point is that Spider-Man: Far From Home left Peter Parker on a huge cliffhanger, one that connected him to MCU's cosmic universe but also kind of set him up as the new Tony Stark. And having to suddenly abandon those storylines felt like a solid gold bummer.

But then, miraculously, Sony and Disney made up! Spider-Man will be in at least one more MCU crossover movie with his name on the banner. And you might be wondering: Who do we have to thank for that?

The answer, it turns out, might be Peter Parker himself: Tom Holland.

The rumor goes that Holland made "multiple appeals" to both Disney chair Bob Iger and Sony's Tom Rothman to find a resolution. That resolution came in the form of a 75-25 split of profits and with Disney footing 25 percent of the bill for the next Spider-Man movie. Original demands were supposedly by Disney for a 50-50 split of box-office gains.

Anyway. Now we have a new deal, a continuation of Far From Home, and it's basically, probably, maybe Tom Holland's doing. Respect.

LONG-AWAITED BIRDS OF PREY TRAILER IS, SURPRISE, GOOD

Harley Quinn has been in high demand since she first appeared on Batman: The Animated Series in the early '90s, but demand for everyone's favorite pigtailed psycho may never have been higher than it has been these past couple months. As details about Birds of Prey (and the Emancipation of One Fabulous Harley Quinn) were slowly, achingly revealed, people's cravings for an actual, factual trailer only grew.

And now we have one. Directed by Cathy Yan and written by Christina Hodson, the new Birds of Prey film represents one of those wild things that people seem to crave for some crazy reason: women's stories written and directed by actual women. Much like Thursdays: what a concept!

It looks glitzy, it looks comical, it's got a kid throwing a stick of dynamite while Harley hypothesizes what terms you can use for a woman ("chick" is out, "bitch" is in, if you wanna know). Seems fun. Now we just have to wait until February 7, 2020, to actually see the whole thing.

Credit: Warner Bros.

JOKER IS IN THEATERS

While Harley Quinn's adventures in Birds of Prey are, in small part, part of a post-Joker breakup romp, this week there is also the matter of an actual, feature-length movie starring the Joker as its hero to contend with.

Joker has been plagued with controversy, and director Todd Phillips' complaints about "woke" culture and how it ruined comedy aren't helping, nor is the fact that police are preparing to keep an eye on theaters during the film's debut in the event of any incel violence.

But as the weekend arrives, most people are looking to see what the fan response will be for Joker. Will DC fans come out in support of Joaquin Phoenix's take on the Joker? Will that translate into big box-office numbers? Is Joker a sign of DC films to come, or will it be just another misfire as Warner Bros. continues to perfect the secret sauce that will grant them the same financial success Disney's Marvel movies have been enjoying over the last decade?

SHAWN LAYDEN LEAVES SONY

If you've watched any of Sony's E3 press events over the last many years, you know Shawn Layden at least on sight. Layden's latest role was as chairman of SIE Worldwide Studios, but he's served as CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America and in multiple other leadership roles at Sony dating back to 1987.

This week Sony announced that Layden has departed the company.

This is one of those quiet pieces of news that slips under most people's radars because it's not noisy or splashy, but it's a pretty big deal for Sony. Layden has been a major guiding hand in the direction Sony's consoles have taken for a long time. His absence will be felt.

Shortly following Layden's departure, rumors began to surface that there was uncertainty over the exact details of Sony's upcoming console (which will probably be called the PlayStation 5). Developers are rumored to have doubts over the quality behind Sony's next-generation hardware, and it's hard not to equate this rumor with Layden's departure.

Inevitably, gamers will see some kind of sea change with such a major figure within Sony moving on, regardless of the reason.

And that's it. Your week in geek is over. Go in peace. Let us know what you thought of these stories and what stories were grabbing your attention.