Wait, what’s happening with Sony’s Spider-Man universe after this year?

It’s unclear what the future holds Sony’s Spider-Man Universe after the upcoming December 2024 release of Kraven the Hunter. Originally planned as a series of spin-off films from Marc Webb’s film The Amazing Spider-Man 2 In 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 the MCU, and the redevelopment of a standalone game Poison project. Sony’s Marvel franchise has failed to match the success of its giant cousins, putting its future at risk.

So far, Sony has released five live-action films in its shared Marvel universe, each focusing on Spider-Man villains and related characters from Marvel Comics. This includes Venom, Morbius, Madame Web and Ezekiel Sims, while Aaron Taylor-Johnson Sergei Kravinoff will make his SSU debut in Kraven the Hunterscheduled for release on December 13, 2024. Confusingly, this is the last project announced in Sony’s Spider-Man universe, so while some of Sony’s other Marvel franchises continue to achieve success, the future is much more uncertain for SSU itself.

Sony’s Spider-Man universe has no Marvel films announced after Kraven the Hunter

Kraven The Hunter will debut on December 13, 2024

Kraven the HunterDirected by JC Chandor and starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the lead role, it will mark the sixth film in as many years in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. The franchise started with Poison in 2018, but its future looks much more uncertain. There are currently no announced films or TV shows set in the world of SSU scheduled to be released after Kraven the Hunterwhich has led to some speculation that the franchise may be quietly coming to an end. After several recent failures, this wouldn’t exactly be surprising.

While the Poison franchise has always performed quite well, Morbius and Lady Teia They were critical and commercial failures for Sony. There are several SSU projects that are presumably still in development, including those focused on El Muerto, Hypno-Hustler, and Jackpot, and those written by Roberto Orci and Olivia Wilde. However, updates on these projects have been scarce and the television side of the franchise has never managed to get off the groundwith production in Silver and black and Silk: Spider Society seeming very unlikely after recent developments.

Sony created Knull as a Thanos-level villain, but his future remains uncertain

What makes the void in Sony’s Marvel release schedule even more confusing is that SSU’s latest film, Venom: The Last Danceestablished a new Thanos-level threat for the franchise. Andy Serkis debuted as Knull, the creator of the Symbiotes, in Venom: The Last Dancewith the formidable and terrifying villain triggering his release from prison and violence in Sony’s Spider-Man universe. Knull has the potential to be a significant threat to the franchise in the coming years, but his future has not yet been confirmed..

It seems unlikely that Knull will appear in the more grounded Kraven the Hunterand with no further projects announced for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, the villain’s appearance in Venom: The Last Dance may have become meaningless. It was speculated that Knull, important for maintaining the multiverse in Marvel Comics, could move to the MCUmaybe in the next Destin Daniel Cretton movie Spider-Man 4. However, neither Sony nor Marvel Studios have commented on these rumors, potentially making Knull one of Sony’s biggest victims.

SSU’s best future lies in furthering Sony’s deal with Marvel Studios

Since its creation in 2018, Sony’s Spider-Man Universe has always struggled against the power of its more established and much more successful cousin, the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Marvel Studios franchise has delivered nearly 50 film, TV and animation projects since it began in 2008, and has many more announced and in development in the coming years, 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 MCUand strengthening this agreement could be beneficial for Sony.

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. Due to this, it would make sense for Sony to opt to end its own Marvel franchise and perhaps include its characters in the MCU proper. This would give Marvel Studios more freedom in developing future Spider-Man films and new solo projects, while giving Sony a piece of the most successful pie. Crucially, this would also provide audiences with a more expansive, higher quality franchise full of Spider-Man related characters.

1Sony’s Marvel Future Area Has A Bright Future

While Sony’s live-action Spider-Man universe may not be faring so well, there is one corner of the studio’s Marvel future that is improving. Interestingly, this actually focuses on Spider-Man, or at least spin-offs of Marvel Comics’ iconic wall-crawler. The animated Spider-Verse films were a smash hit for Sony Animation, but the next Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse will end the trilogy. In its place, however, Nicolas Cage’s Spider-Man Noir will return in live-action in his own series, and there is a lot of anticipation for this project.

Development began in Spider-Noir in February 2023, and Cage has been confirmed to reprise his 2018 role Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in 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 made Spider-Noir one of the most anticipated and exciting upcoming Marvel projects in any franchise. However, Spider-Noir is set in an alternative reality to SSU and will have no connection to the cinema, so the future of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe itself still needs clarification.

Release Dates for Sony’s Upcoming Marvel Movies