Will Sony's Spider-Man Be Responsible for Marvel's Cinematic Multiverse?

If you've been keeping up with all of the news from Marvel Studios of late, you'll know very well the Kevin Feige-led outfit is all about the multiverse. Kicking off in WandaVision in January before continuing in Spider-Man 3 and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the storytelling for the Burbank-based outfit has gone from an iron-clad single timeline continuity, and before long at all, it's going to open up a whole new can of worms as characters and actors you've seen in movies produced by other studios begin to pop up on the silver screen once again.

Though a multiversal storyline is peak comic book goodness, there may be a more practical reason involved as to why Marvel Studios is choosing to go the route of a multiverse — and it all leads back to Sony Pictures. It wasn't too long ago the deal to keep Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe expired, leaving fans of Hollywood's largest film franchise scrambling after its most famous character.

At the same time Marvel Studios was producing and releasing some of the highest-grossing features the box office has ever seen, Sony was building a universe all of its own. Though the House of Ideas had juggernauts in the form of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, Sony launched its Universe of Marvel Characters with Tom Hardy's Venom. It didn't fare too well with critics, but the symbiotic thriller has a hit at the box office, and a franchise was born.

Venom found itself as a money-maker in theaters, and Tom Holland's Spider-Man turned into the most profitable take we've ever seen with the character. Suddenly, Sony had all the leverage in the world.

With the opportunity for a new deal to come across the table, Sony finally had a way to tie its fledgling franchise into the biggest in Tinsel Town. Though Feige hasn't put his name on Venom, Morbius, or any of the other features within the SUMC, the one common denominator has been everybody's Friendly Neighborhood crimefighter.

Now a new deal has been established, Feige himself has confirmed Spidey can jump from one universe to the next, and it's something we've seen come to fruition in the form of this week's bonkers Spider-Man 3 news. With the multiverse opening up as a result of the Sony-owned Spider-Man franchise, Marvel Studios suddenly has a storytelling world even larger than it was before.

Should those at Marvel choose, a multiverse would allow them to use any characters from any previous points in time and explain it away with inter-dimensional travel. See Ryan Reynold's Deadpool franchise joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe from 20th Century's X-Men world. Maybe Marvel wants to bring back Michael Chiklis as The Thing in a cameo, or Wesley Snipes' Blade.

Whatever the studio's deepest desires related to Marvel-based film and television, it's now possible, and that may be the direct result of the new collaborative effort between two cross-town studios.

Spider-Man 3 is currently set for release on December 17, 2021.

Would you want to see all Marvel films and television shows lumped into one multiverse? Why or why not? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter to chat all things MCU!

Cover photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney