Unlike a lot of people on the internet, I don’t take pleasure in a studio’s failure. That’s because when a studio makes money, it gives them the opportunity to make even more movies, and hopefully, take even more risks. It’s the reason why we even have a Phase 5 and a Phase 6 of the MCU in the first place. Because if not for 2008’s Iron Man being a mega-hit, we wouldn’t have upcoming Marvel movies like Thunderbolts* and Avengers: Doomsday.
However, I have to call it how I see it. With a recent article from The Wrap detailing how Kraven the Hunter’s failure might spell the end of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (at least for a while), I honestly do hope they stop making Spider-Man-adjacent movies, and I have a few reasons why.
I'm Tired Of All The Teases Of Spider-Man That Are Never Going To Come
I will never forgive seeing Spider-Man in the Morbius teaser trailer. Never ever. In fact, it’s what led many of us to wonder if Spider-Man would actually appear in Morbius, with the answer being a resounding “NO!” once we eventually saw it.
But, this wondering if the ol’ Web-Head would ever appear in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe has been a question ever since the first Venom movie. Honestly, it never made sense to me that there would be a Venom movie without Spider-Man since the two characters are so intrinsically intertwined.
That said, they got away with it in the first Venom movie, so I was hoping that if they were going to continue making Spider-Man movies without Spider-Man. Then they would at least stay as far away from the MCU as possible.
But then Sony got greedy. First we saw Venom lick Tom Holland’s face on the TV screen at the end of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, which filled us all with false hopes. Then there was the Tom Hardy cameo at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Hell, even Jon Watts, director of the first three MCU-set Spidey movies, thought it would be “pretty special” if the two characters met.
However, after all that teasing with no pay-off, I’m glad that we hopefully no longer have to wonder if Spider-Man will ever appear in the ironically-titled Sony Spider-Man Universe. It’s kind of a shame, too, since Kraven the Hunter is my favorite Spider-Man villain, but more on that later.
I Also Never Liked The Idea Of Two Ongoing Universes
As I mentioned earlier, Tom Hardy making a post-credit cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Tom Holland (on a TV screen!) making a cameo in Venom: Let There Be Carnage solidified the fact that there were two ongoing universes, and I’m glad that one of them is hopefully over.
Honestly, the Sony Spider-Man Universe was seriously dragging down the MCU’s Spider-Man, whether Sony was willing to admit it or not. The thing is, it could have worked, as Spider-Man: No Way Home could have merged the two. Because if there was any movie to introduce Venom into the MCU, it was the one where we got all three Peter Parkers.
Remember, the infamous Spider-Man 3 was the one where we actually got Venom in it. And I’m sure they could have somehow explained a way for Tom Hardy’s Venom to be pulled into the MCU.
But no, we didn’t get that. Instead, we somehow had an alternate Spider-Man universe with Morbius, Madame Web, Kraven the Hunter and, oh yeah, Venom (who occasionally licks TV screens with “That guy” on it). And, oh, oh, yeah! Remember The Vulture being in Morbius? That scene made so little sense that even Michael Keaton didn’t even understand what he was doing there.
All of this is to say that I really didn’t like there being two ongoing universes, with Sony desperately wanting to merge with the MCU, while the MCU just kept on driving and blocking the lane. What a waste.
After Venom, They Picked Some Of The Strangest Spider-Man Characters To Make Movies Around, And I Hope There Won't Be Any More
When the Sony Spider-Man Universe started with Venom, I thought it was weird to not feature Spider-Man, but in the end, it made sense. Venom is, after all, a very popular and recognizable character.
But when they went with Morbius next, all I could do was raise an eyebrow. Because Morbius? Seriously? Being a ‘90s kids, I of course knew who Morbius, The Living Vampire was. I read his comic growing up and even remember his cheesy appearance on Spider-Man: The Animated Series. Even so, Morbius seemed like the last character I thought they would pull from the Spider-Man universe.
At least, that’s what I thought until they announced Madame Web. When I heard that, I remember thinking, "Are they insane?" I had a similar reaction when I first heard that the MCU was adapting Guardians of the Galaxy, since I definitely considered them D-tier Marvel growing up compared to A-tier characters like Hulk, Spider-Man and the X-Men.
But, I could tell that Guardians of the Galaxy would be something special from the very first trailer. Not so with Madame Webb, which had one of the most mediocre trailers I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Now we have Kraven the Hunter. Kraven is actually a well-known Spider-Man villain, but that’s just it. Why are they using Spider-Man villains?
If I were a higher-up at Sony, I would have tried to get Andrew Garfield (the best Spider-Man) in an alternate universe movie following Spider-Man: No Way Home. I don’t care how much it would cost. The fans would love The Amazing Spider-Man 3 now. But no, Sony gave us Morbius, Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter. What were they thinking?
Let's Be Honest With Ourselves. None Of These Movies Have Been Any Good
Perhaps the greatest cardinal sin, though, is that none of the Sony Spider-Man Universe movies have been any good. Now to be clear, I’m obviously NOT including the Miles Morales Spider-Verse movies, as both Into and Across are arguably the greatest Spider-Man movies of all time.
No, I’m just talking about the live-action movies that DON’T include Spider-Man in them, those being the three Venom movies, Morbius, Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter. Honestly, two out of the three Venom movies haven’t been that bad, but they also haven’t been that good, either.
However, Morbius instantly became a laughing stock, and was even brought back to theaters… only to flop again. Madame Web was D.O.A. at the box office and it’s found on many “Worst of 2024” lists. And as of this writing, Kraven the Hunter is currently sitting below 20% on Rotten Tomatoes.
So what happened? Well, the movies are just plain bad. While I haven’t seen Kraven the Hunter yet (I will eventually), I have watched all of the other movies, and besides the first two Venom flicks, I haven’t found any enjoyment whatsoever out of the other movies.
It’d be different if Madame Web, Morbius or even the recent Venom: The Last Dance were great movies, but they aren’t, and that’s just how it is.
Hopefully Some Of These Characters Can Finally Make Their Way Into An MCU Spider-Man Movie
However, here’s a silver lining. Perhaps some of these characters could one day appear in a future MCU Spider-Man movie. Because as I alluded to earlier, I adore Kraven as a character, and I would love, love, love if he appeared in a future Spider-Man movie.
In fact, my ideal Spider-Man movie would be a Sinister Six story. I know we were supposed to get something like that after The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but that never transpired.
Still, how cool would it be if Tom Holland’s Spider-Man was constantly being chased by six villains, and Kraven was leading the hunt? I know Sony has kept a tight fist on some of these characters, but now that the Sony Spider-Man Universe is apparently ending, I assume the studio might be a little more lenient to lend these characters out (especially if there was a high price tag involved).
None of this is to say that any of this would happen, but I think there’s now more hope than ever to find a new version of Venom, Kraven or even Morbius in the MCU. Hey, stranger things have happened.
So those are my reasons. Are you happy that the Sony Spider-Man Universe is possibly ending? For more news on upcoming movies, be sure to swing by here often.
