Sony’s Spider-Man Universe may be one of the most beautiful catastrophes in superhero movie history. An attempt at recreating the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe entirely with Spider-Man characters, the SSU began and ended in the space of six years. Venom kicked off the universe in 2018, only for Kraven the Hunter to bring the franchise to an unceremonious end in 2024.
The SSU was doomed from the beginning, failing to get audiences excited about a Spider-Man cinematic universe without Spider-Man. Out of the franchise’s six films, five were box office bombs and critical failures. However, Sony could have changed everything with a few well-placed projects following characters whom audiences actually cared about.
Black Cat Is One Character Audiences Actually Want to See on the Big Screen
Felicia Hardy as Black Cat from Marvel ComicsImage via Marvel Comics
Felicia Hardy/Black Cat is one of the few Spider-Man enemies who deserve to lead her own spinoff film. A cat burglar with a penchant for mischief and an on-again-off-again romance with Spider-Man, Black Cat has slowly grown to become one of Marvel’s most popular antiheroes. Sony reportedly had plans to develop a Black Cat spinoff film, perhaps teaming her up with Silver Sable, but these were eventually scrapped along with the rest of the SSU. Unlike the other cancelled SSU films, a Black Cat solo project would have had the potential to be a hit.
Black Cat is a much more versatile character than Morbius or Kraven the Hunter. Sony would have had free rein to portray her as a full-fledged villain, a troubled antihero, or a hero, depending on what they wanted the character to represent to the larger SSU. Her complicated backstory and playful personality would have made her exactly the kind of protagonist that Sony needed to find success in contrast to its other mediocre and unmemorable main characters. Surprisingly, Black Cat still hasn’t appeared in any Spider-Man movies, though Felicity Jones played the Felicia Hardy alter-ego in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Now, with rumors that Black Cat could finally appear in the MCU’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Marvel has a chance to put a spotlight on her character, which Sony never did.
Agent Venom Could Have Been the Hero the SSU Needed
In the comics, Peter Parker’s high school bully turned best friend, Flash Thompson, assumes a superhero identity of his own when he becomes Agent Venom. After losing his legs fighting in Afghanistan, Flash is recruited for a top-secret government program that has apprehended and subdued the Venom symbiote. He bonds with the alien, which allows him to grow back his legs and get back to fighting evils, domestic and abroad. As Agent Venom, Flash Thompson quickly becomes one of the coolest heroes in the Marvel universe.
There were rumors of an Agent Venom movie in development at Sony after Venom: The Last Dance. The third and final Venom film references a masked character named Thompson, who is seemingly injured during a fight with the symbiote. This could have given the SSU something it desperately needed: a bona fide hero who could fill Spider-Man’s shoes. While rumors of this project were exciting, they came far too late to save the SSU. Now that the franchise has come to an unceremonious end, an Agent Venom spinoff seems less likely.
Doctor Octopus Is One of Spider-Man’s Most Intriguing Villains
Doctor Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus is easily in the top three most iconic Spider-Man villains of all time. Sporting a genius-level intellect and four additional metal arms, Doc Ock has tangled with Spider-Man hundreds of times over the years and has even bested the web-slinging superhero on more than one occasion. Despite his importance to the Spider-Man mythos, there has only ever been one iteration of Doctor Octopus in live-action, and it doesn’t belong to the SSU.
Sony’s decision to focus on lesser-known characters like Morbius the Living Vampire and Madame Web is mind-boggling, especially when they had access to iconic characters like Doctor Octopus. While fans would still prefer to see Doc Ock tangle with Spider-Man on the big screen, a solo film about his villain origin story would still be far more interesting than the characters that Sony wanted to bring to the big screen. By the time the SSU ended, Sony still hadn’t figured this out, with plans for films about D-list villains like El Muerto and the Hypno-Hustler. Literally anything involving Doctor Octopus would have been more interesting to fans and casual viewers than spinoffs about characters no one has even heard of.
Spider-Woman Could Have Been a Central Figure of the SSU
For some reason, the Sony Spider-Man Universe was fixated on putting villains and antiheroes in the spotlight. Even if Spider-Man was never a part of their plan, the company would have been free to use any other member of the Spider Family, including Spider-Woman. Jessica Drew possesses many of the same powers and skills as Spider-Man, but runs in very different circles. A former spy who has a history with Hydra, Spider-Woman is one of the most complicated heroes ever introduced in the Marvel universe.
Even if Sony wanted to focus on morally ambiguous characters, Spider-Woman would still fit in with the darker world of the SSU. Her complicated history as a double agent sometimes leads her to walk in the grey areas between the titles of hero and villain. Spider-Woman could have been the perfect central figure for the SSU, perhaps even as the franchise’s complicated protagonist. Sony should have seen an opportunity to flesh out a character who doesn’t get nearly enough credit and has yet to appear in live-action.
The Green Goblin Legacy Is Expansive Enough to Build a Franchise Around
Green Goblin arrives in Spider-Man: No Way HomeImage via Sony Pictures/Everett Collection
The Green Goblin is, without a doubt, Spider-Man’s scariest and most iconic villain yet. For some unknown reason, Sony was firmly against including the character in its cinematic universe. The SSU would have had multiple options for a Green Goblin solo movie, whether it be about Norman Osborn, Harry Osborn, Phil Urich, or even one of the dozens of Goblin copycats like Hobgoblin or Queen Goblin. Yet, the Green Goblin is not so much as referenced in the entire SSU, which chooses instead to focus on bottom-of-the-barrel Spider-Man villains whom most viewers have never heard of.
The legacy of the Green Goblin is dramatic and complex enough to build an entire franchise around. The intense relationship between Norman and Harry Osborn, as a son desperately tries not to follow in his father’s footsteps, would have made for an emotionally rich and ultimately tragic story. This is what was always missing from the SSU. In six movies, the franchise never offered anything unique to the already oversaturated superhero genre. The Green Goblin would have made an excellent subject for a film trilogy that reinvents the genre.
Silver Sable Is One of Spider-Man’s Most Underrated Supporting Characters
Silver Sablinova/Silver Sable is the princess of Symkaria and the leader of the international mercenary group known as the Wild Pack. Originally introduced as an enemy of Spider-Man, Silver Sable eventually befriended the superhero and became one of his chief allies. Her adventures alongside the Wild Pack take her around the globe as she fights terrorists, dictators, and other lowlives who threaten the well-being of innocent people.
Silver Sable is yet another antihero whose adventures would have been way more interesting to see play out onscreen than those of Morbius the Living Vampire or Madame Web. A film following her character could have dipped into the spy genre for a globetrotting adventure that mixes espionage with high-octane action. Audiences would have been thrilled with a story about Silver Sable and the Wild Pack, who have never appeared in live-action.
Kraven’s Last Hunt Would Be Way Better Than Sony’s Kraven Movie
Although the subjects of Sony’s Spider-Man spinoffs didn’t deserve their own films, Kraven the Hunter is one character complex enough to carry his own story. Unfortunately, Sony completely wasted Kraven the Hunter with a lackluster origin story that failed to capture the best elements of the character. 2024’s Kraven the Hunter tried too hard to make its protagonist a hero, to the point where the film rewrote his motivation so that he would fight to preserve animal life rather than hunt big game. There is material in the comics for a much better Kraven the Hunter spinoff than Sony delivered.
“Kraven’s Last Hunt” is a seminal storyline that features the villain’s descent into madness as he makes one final attempt at Spider-Man’s life. When Kraven the Hunter was announced, most comic book readers assumed that it would loosely adapt this storyline. However, the film bears no resemblance whatsoever to “Kraven’s Last Hunt,” which may be the biggest missed opportunity in the entire SSU. Even without Spider-Man, a film based on this story could have been a dark and tragic tale that did justice to Kraven’s character.
Sony Could Have Exchanged Spider-Man for the Scarlet Spider
Despite building a cinematic universe completely centered around Spider-Man, Sony seemed dead-set against including Spider-Man in the franchise. This decision left the SSU with a void, as it lacked a character to tie together all the various plot points and loose threads from the franchise. However, Sony wasn’t without alternatives for Spider-Man. The studio owns the film rights to many heroes who could have filled the web-slinger’s shoes. Perhaps the best of these would be Ben Reilly/the Scarlet Spider.
Ben Reilly is one of Marvel’s most popular characters who never really gets the chance to shine like he should. A clone of Peter Parker created by the villainous Professor Miles Warren, Reilly eventually assumes the mantle of Scarlet Spider to follow in his predecessor’s footsteps. The comics tend to shove Ben Reilly aside in favor of the original Spider-Man, but the SSU could have finally given the Scarlet Spider the spotlight as the centerpiece of its growing universe.
Maximum Carnage Would Have Made the Character Way Better
Venom: Let There Be Carnage is one of the SSU’s most disappointing projects in large part because of the way it handled its main villain. Cletus Kasady/Carnage is one of the deadliest, most brutal villains in all of Marvel Comics, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake whenever he shows up. Let There Be Carnage was extremely loosely based on the “Maximum Carnage” storyline from the comics, but a straighter adaptation would have been much more satisfying for fans.
“Maximum Carnage” follows the titular symbiote as he builds a “family” of other villains and wreaks havoc on the streets of New York City, killing dozens of innocent people in the process. This storyline lets Carnage flourish in one of Marvel’s darkest stories ever, a far cry from the toned-down version depicted in the Sony Spider-Man Universe. An R-rated film that explores the depth of Carnage’s depravity would have played very well for longtime fans of the character. In hindsight, it is absolutely inconceivable that Sony was willing to give an R-rating to Kraven the Hunter and not a film featuring Carnage as its main villain.
The Sinister Six Deserves a Team-Up Movie
The Sinister Six emerges in Marvel ComicsImage via Marvel Comics
Even before the Sony Spider-Man Universe began, the studio had designs on producing a Sinister Six team-up movie featuring Spider-Man’s most iconic villains working together to take the web-slinging superhero down. These plans originally would have set the film in the same world as The Amazing Spider-Man and would have included an appearance from Andrew Garfield’s hero. For a while, it seemed as though Sony still wanted to make a Sinister Six film, this time set in the SSU and featuring characters like Morbius, Venom, the Vulture, and Kraven the Hunter. While this film never came to be, it could have been enough to save the SSU.
While Spider-Man never seemed to be too thrilled about the idea of a movie focusing on the Sinister Six, the very idea is enough to entice audiences into the theaters. Sony could have saved its universe had it even tried to set up the Sinister Six in a meaningful way. The only real setup to the team came in Morbius’s shoddy post-credits scenes, which quickly became a laughingstock among fans. Morbius’s failure seemingly scared Sony away from introducing the Sinister Six, leading the studio to pivot toward a King in Black storyline featuring Knull. Neither of these crossovers ever came to fruition, however, with the SSU officially ending in 2024.