It’s unclear what the future holds forSony’s Spider-Man Universeafter the upcoming December 2024 release ofKraven the Hunter. Originally planned as a series of spinoff movies from Marc Webb’sThe Amazing Spider-Man 2in 2014, Sony’s Spider-Man Universe was born following the sequel’s disappointing performance, the establishment of a deal with Marvel Studios to bring Spider-Man into theMCU, and the redevelopment of a stand-aloneVenomproject.Sony’s Marvel franchisehasn’t managed to match the success of its behemoth cousins, however, throwing its future into jeopardy.
So far, Sony has released five live-action movies in its shared Marvel universe, each focused onSpider-Man villains and related charactersfrom Marvel Comics. This includes the likes of Venom, Morbius, Madame Web and Ezekiel Sims, whileAaron Taylor-Johnson’sSergei Kravinoff will make his SSU debut inKraven the Hunter, which is scheduled for release on June 29, 2025. Confusingly, this is the lastannounced project in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, so while some of Sony’s other Marvel franchises continue to achieve success, the future is far more uncertain for the SSU itself.
Sony’s Spider-Man Universe Has No Announced Marvel Movies After Kraven The Hunter
Kraven The Hunter Will Premiere On July 25, 2025
Kraven the Hunter, directed by J. C. Chandorand starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the titular role, will mark the sixth movie in as many years of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. The franchise kicked off withVenomin 2018, yet its future is looking far more uncertain.There are currently no announced movies or TV shows set within the world of the SSU scheduled to be released afterKraven the Hunter, which has led to some speculation that the franchise may quietly be coming to an end. After several recent failures, this wouldn’t exactly be surprising.
While theVenomfranchise has always performed fairly well,MorbiusandMadame Webwere critical and commercial failures for Sony. There are severalSSU projects that are presumably still in development, including those focused on El Muerto, Hypno-Hustler and Jackpot, and those penned by Roberto Orci and Olivia Wilde. However,updates on these projects have been scarce, and the TV side of the franchise has never managed to get off the ground, with production onSilver & BlackandSilk: Spider Societyseeming very unlikely after recent developments.
Sony Has Set Up Knull As A Thanos-Level Villain But His Future Remains Unclear
What makes the emptiness of Sony’s upcoming Marvel release schedule even more confusing is that the SSU’s most recent movie,Venom: The Last Dance, established a new Thanos-level threat for the franchise. Andy Serkis debuted asKnull, the creator of the Symbiotes, inVenom: The Last Dance, with the formidable and terrifying villain teasing his release from imprisonment and rampage across Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.Knull has the potential to be a significant threat to the franchise for years to come, but his future hasn’t yet been confirmed.
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It seems unlikely that Knull will appear in the more-groundedKraven the Hunter, and with no further projects announced for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, the villain’s appearance inVenom: The Last Dancemay have been rendered meaningless.There has been speculation that Knull, who is important for the maintenance of the multiverse in Marvel Comics, could crossover into the MCU, perhaps inDestin Daniel Cretton’s upcomingSpider-Man 4. However, neither Sony nor Marvel Studios has commented on these rumors, potentially making Knull one of Sony’s biggest casualties.
The SSU’s Best Future Lies With Furthering Sony’s Deal With Marvel Studios
Since its inception in 2018, Sony’s Spider-Man Universe has always battled against the might of its more-established and much-more-successful cousin, the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel Studios' franchise has delivered almost 50 projects across film, TV and animation since it began in 2008, and has many more announced and in development for the years to come, putting Sony’s Spider-Man Universe to shame.Sony’s deal with Marvel Studios, established in 2015, allowed Tom Holland to debut as Peter Parker’s Spider-Man in the MCU, and strengthening this deal could prove beneficial to Sony.
Spider-Man 4, 5 & 6: Marvel/Sony Deal Impact & Spider-Man Universe Future
Marvel and Sony have extended their Spider-Man deal, meaning there’ll be another Spider-Man trilogy—but what does this mean for the wider universe?
Marvel Studios is evidently better at producing Marvel projects than Sony, as proven by the immense success of the MCU and the faltering popularity of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. Because of this,it would make sense for Sony to choose to end its own Marvel franchise, and perhaps fold its characters into the MCU proper. This would give Marvel Studios more freedom when developingfutureSpider-Manmoviesand new solo projects, while also giving Sony a cut of the more-successful pie. Crucially, this would also provide audiences with a more expansive and better quality franchise full of Spider-Man-related characters.
1 Area Of Sony’s Marvel Future Has A Bright Future
While Sony’s live-action Spider-Man Universe might not be faring so well, there is one corner of the studio’s Marvel future that is looking up. Funnily enough, this actually focuses on Spider-Man, or at least derivatives of the iconic wall-crawler from Marvel Comics.The animatedSpider-Versemovies have been smash-hits for Sony Animation, but the upcomingSpider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Versewill end the trilogy. In its place, however,Nicolas Cage’s Spider-Man Noirwill return in live-action in his own series, and there is a great deal of anticipation for this project.
Development began onSpider-Noirin February 2023, andCage was confirmed to be reprising his role from 2018’sSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Versein May 2024. This was a huge update for the series, which is set to premiere on MGM+ and Amazon Prime Video in the not-too-distant future, which has madeSpider-Noirone of the most anticipated and exciting upcoming Marvel projects in any franchise. However,Spider-Noiris set in an alternate realityto that of the SSU, and will not be connected to the movies at all, so the future ofSony’s Spider-Man Universeitself still needs clarification.
Sony’s Spider-Man Universe
Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU) is a media franchise and shared universe centered around various characters associated with Spider-Man, but without including Spider-Man himself as a central figure. The SSU focuses on antiheroes and villains like Venom and Morbius and has expanded to include additional characters like Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter. The franchise exists independently of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) but has made some minor crossovers.
