Kevin Feige Says Spider-Man/Venom Crossover Is “Likely”, But Up to Sony

Sony has owned the rights to Spider-Man for decades and delivered a highly successful trilogy of films focusing on the character in the 2000s, yet their Amazing Spider-Man reboot films fell short of expectations. The studio ultimately partnered with Marvel Studios for a unique deal that allowed the character to be brought into the Marvel Cinematic Universe while Sony retained the rights to the Wall-Crawler’s supporting characters, including Venom. Last year’s Venom earned mixed reviews, but had a strong enough showing that it will be getting a sequel. As far as whether or not the anti-hero will ever collide with Spider-Man, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige says the decision rests with Sony.

“I think probably it’s up to Sony,” Feige revealed to CinemaBlend at the prospect of a team-up film. “Sony has both those characters and, has Venom in their world. I don’t know what their plans are for another Venom or if they’re doing that. But it seems likely at some point.”

Back in 2015, the announcement was made that Spider-Man would debut in Captain America: Civil War before getting his own solo film, Spider-Man: Homecoming. While this seemed to have settled matters about the character’s place in the franchise, Venom didn’t feature Spider-Man, leading audiences to wonder if the events of that film fell within the MCU or if the Venom-Verse was its own franchise. Were there to be a crossover, the question remains about whether Tom Holland would portray the character or if a new performer would bring Spider-Man to life, with Feige’s comments implying that Sony will ultimately be the ones to decide the future of the characters.

Venom only scored 21% positive reviews according to aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, though it went on to earn $855 million worldwide. Some of the divisive reactions came from fans who were expecting a darker take on the character, which included rumors that the film would earn an R rating. The film planted the seed that the sequel will explore Carnage, a brutal serial killer, leading audiences to think the sequel could deliver more mature subject matter.

“You know what? When you hear Venom…forget Venom. When you hear, Carnage, the only thing you can think of is R. But, if you know his story, if you really know the comic, there’s no R here,” producer Avi Arad clarified last year. “He’s a tortured soul. It’s not about what he does, because we never have to show the knife going from here to there, and the blood is pouring. What you have to show is, what is the motivation? Was he born like that, or it’s someone we should feel for, because if you are succeeding to make a villain someone you can feel for, jackpot.”

Stay tuned for details on the future of the Venom series.

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