The Spider-Man spinoff universe is done, and while that’s not exactly breaking news anymore, it’s still a topic up for debate. People were hoping that Peter Parker would eventually meet Madame Web, Morbius, and the most talked-about villain fans were dying to see face off with the hero, Kraven the Hunter. Venom might not be the biggest issue, though, since the post-credits scene in Spider-Man: No Way Home already left a window of possibility open for the alien to pop up in future MCU projects. Sony did have a plan to expand its universe, like with the Sinister Six, but if there’s one thing the studio really struggles with, it’s scripts. Thanks to weak stories and a lack of overall franchise development, the audience’s response was underwhelming and failed to meet box office expectations. Kraven the Hunter ended up at the bottom of the franchise’s box office rankings.
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The question now is: what did the future originally hold for these characters from the Spider-Man universe? Is there still a chance for them to come back, especially with Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars on the horizon? Or could it be that Sony, not ready to give up on Spider-Man’s world, has a backup plan? Given everything that happened in 2024, it’s tough to get excited again, and most fans have pretty much given up. The ship seems to have already sunk. But has it, really?
Where Did Sony Intend to Take Its Spider-Man Spinoff Universe Characters?
Sony’s idea of creating solo films for Madame Web and Spider-Man’s villains was a way to introduce them to the public before possibly integrating them with Peter Parker at some point. When the first Venom movie came out and earned $800+ million at the box office (proving he’s always been a popular character in Marvel comics), it gave Sony the initial impression that the spinoff universe could succeed, even without Spider-Man in the story. In fact, the box office was solid, which encouraged them to try the same solo film format with other characters. This could even allow the studio to build its own franchise, with the potential for crossovers and sequels, similar to what the MCU is.
Also, even though the agreement with Marvel Studios allowed the Web-Slinger to be included in these projects, Sony firmly believed that it wouldn’t sit well with the public to see Spider-Man in a production that wasn’t part of the MCU. They were confident that this strategy would work; however, that didn’t happen, and Sony made things really difficult and confusing, as the scripts of the spinoffs also made it seem like there was no real development toward or organized plan for the future. Nothing about Madame Web, Morbius, or Kraven the Hunter has been clearly defined since then, making it hard to speculate on how these films would move forward toward a showdown with Spider-Man.
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Perhaps we should remember the idea of linking some villains to Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man. Sony had plans to create a cinematic Sinister Six, which was even suggested as a possibility after The Amazing Spider-Man 2. The idea was to bring together Spider-Man’s enemies Dr. Octopus, Vulture, Electro, Rhino, Sandman, and Mysterio, but with the mixed reception of the second film and other production issues, this villain team-up event was rethought. Tom Holland was then introduced as the new Spider-Man for the MCU.
Does this mean Sony’s Sinister Six team-up plan had to be canceled? Not completely, maybe just postponed for a long time. The COVID-19 pandemic also affected the planning, based on reshoots of Morbius‘ post-credits scenes and even changes to Madame Web‘s script to ensure they didn’t disrupt the MCU Spider-Man franchise. Maybe the idea was for Morbius to be part of the villain team since he was invited by Vulture. Kraven isn’t too far off, after all, he’s officially part of the Sinister Six in the comics. Madame Web, on the other hand, could assist Peter with his foes, just like she does in the source material.
Reshaping the villains to be more antiheroes than anything else made it difficult to see them as enemies of the Web-Slinger, so it’s really uncertain how Sony would make it work without it feeling forced. This especially applies to Kraven, who went through a significant shift in his choice of victims during his movie. Still, there are possibilities for him to become a full-fledged Spider-Man villain if Marvel Studios is still considering making fans’ dreams come true. With the cancellation of the spinoffs, the truth is that all is not lost. There are still ways to take advantage of some of the doors that Sony’s productions have left open.
How Can Kraven the Hunter, Morbius, and Madame Web Fit Into the Future
Marvel Studios itself had already spoken out about the issue of Sony ruining Spider-Man at the very beginning, along with criticism from fans toward Avi Arad, co-founder of the MCU and a producer with great influence ovrer the Spider-Man brand. It’s worth mentioning that the script for the Web-Slinger’s fourth film was recently praised by Holland, but reportedly, it still seems to be undergoing rewrites due to issues with the plot. It’s hard to expect this new production to feature Madame Web, Morbius, or Kraven the Hunter, although nothing is impossible within the current Marvel Multiverse Saga. Is it possible that Kevin Feige is currently trying to fix Sony’s mistakes? One thing is certain: despite harsh criticism from fans and a lack of hope, many would still love to see a Spider-Man crossover with the new characters introduced.
Starting with Madame Web, this is perhaps the easiest to create something new with right now. With a story set in 2003, she could easily connect with Peter Parker in the present day, especially if you also consider Julia Carpenter, Anya Corazรณn, and Mattie Franklin, who have abilities even beyond Spider-Man’s. The movie ended with the three of them not yet being heroes, but with Cassandra seeing them as such in the future, there’s room for development. It’s worth mentioning that, considering the era portrayed (2000s), even though it’s unlikely that Tobey Maguire will return, Madame Web could still encounter his Spider-Man. Who knows? The MCU is famous for surprising.
As for Morbius, although his story is the least likely to connect to the web-slinger, one of the post-credits scenes helps a lot. Vulture, who appeared as a villain in Spider-Man: Homecoming, shows up to propose a partnership to the Living Vampire, precisely because he believes he has changed universes due to something related to Peter. That’s an open door for Morbius to cross paths with the hero at some point. As for Kraven, the safest thing to say right now is that his ending paves the way for him to go to New York in search of the Jackal (aka Prof. Miles Warren) and eventually meet up with Spider-Man.
Sony lost its way, but it’s not totally over for these characters. There are still chances to get it right โ it’s just a matter of waiting to see if Marvel Studios has plans to save them first. Would it be worth bringing them into the next Avengers films? The multiverse still has plenty of time to be explored. It’s something to think about.
Some of the Sony Spider-Man Universe spinoff films are currently streaming on Netflix. Kraven doesn’t yet have a home release date.