The premise of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, a set of films focused on characters from the Spider-Man comics, but not featuring Spidey himself, earned plenty of skepticism from fans when the idea first surfaced. But even so, the project has advanced far enough for Morbius to be set for release later this year.
While the Venom movies starring Tom Hardy have managed to carve out their own loyal fanbase — plus some box office success thanks to the character’s popularity — there’s no guarantee that a solo film about a much more obscure Spider-Man antagonist will fare nearly as well. As such, one has to wonder if the fate of future Sony-produced Marvel films, including the upcoming Kraven the Hunter movie, rests on Morbius’ shoulders.
Kraven’s First Hunt
Sony has been planning a shared universe of Spider-Man spin-offs ever since the Amazing Spider-Man series, which was intended to launch future movies focused on the Sinister Six and Black Cat. Naturally, these plans fell through when the Amazing Spider-Man series was cut short in favor of having Spider-Man join the MCU — and judging by the massive success of No Way Home, this decision has paid off. But even so, that hasn’t stopped Sony’s attempts to launch their own cinematic universe of Spider-Man spin-offs. As previously mentioned, another entry in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe is already in development: a film centered around the beloved Spidey villain Kraven the Hunter.
It was announced in 2021 that Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron) had been cast as Kraven in the upcoming film, directed by J.C. Chandor (Triple Frontier, A Most Violent Year, Margin Call). The film, currently slated to release on January 13, 2023, currently has no plot details or supporting characters announced. Since Kraven himself will be the film’s protagonist, it’s unlikely that he’ll be fighting Spider-Man in his cinematic debut.
Granted, Kraven has developed into a rich, well-developed character over his decades-long comic history, thanks to stories like J.M. DeMatteis’ masterpiece “Kraven’s Last Hunt”. His dark backstory and charismatic yet twisted personality could easily make him a compelling protagonist — especially since he has his own cast of supporting characters, from his brother Chameleon to his right-hand woman Calypso to his wife Sasha. As for antagonists, Kraven’s had plenty of stories where he hunts down animal-themed villains like Vermin or Gibbon. With a good director, cast, and script, a Kraven origin movie could easily be a bleakly thrilling character study of one of Spider-Man’s greatest villains, similar to what the Joker movie attempted. But considering Sony’s track record, there’s no reason to assume that the film will live up to its full potential.
Spider-Man Without Spider-Man
The fundamental flaw of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe is, of course, the total lack of Spider-Man himself. The Venom movies have their share of supporters — mostly due to the entertaining performance of Tom Hardy and the pre-existing popularity of the title character, rather than overall quality of the movies themselves. And of course, it’s important to keep in mind that Venom has been headlining solo stories in the comics for decades, proving that he can effectively serve as a protagonist without Spider-Man. And while Morbius has also had his own spin-off comics over the years, he’s struggled to find an audience of his own, with all of his solo comics being ultimately short-lived.
Simply put, Morbius lacks Venom’s both popular appeal and his long history as a protagonist with his own supporting cast and rogues’ gallery. So while he may be remembered fondly by comic fans as an antagonist-turned-ally of Spider-Man, there’s little hype around the prospect of a solo film starring the Living Vampire. And while Kraven is one of Spider-Man’s most popular villains — and he certainly has enough depth to carry his own story as protagonist — the idea of a Kraven-focused movie just isn’t as appealing as actually having him face off against Tom Holland’s Peter Parker.
That is perhaps the biggest reason why Sony’s Spider-Man Universe is unpopular with so many fans. Instead of allowing characters like Venom, Morbius, and Kraven to simply be introduced into the MCU like Vulture or Mysterio, Sony instead attempts to make them the focus of spin-off films where they can’t interact with Spidey himself — which is arguably missing the entire point of why these characters are so popular. And while plenty of people are willing to see a Venom movie without Spider-Man, it’s harder to believe that the likes of Morbius or Kraven will command the same interest.
A Tangled Web
Despite plenty of negative reviews and a controversial status among fans, the Venom films have found financial success nonetheless. However, it’s hard to deny that Morbius will be facing an uphill battle. Not only does Morbius himself lack the star power of Venom or Carnage, Sony’s spottier track record compared to Marvel Studios makes positive word of mouth much less likely. It’s highly plausible that Morbius could bomb at the box office — and if that happens, it could put future Spidey spin-offs in jeopardy.
With the Kraven movie currently set to release in about one year, it could be too far into production to cancel once Morbius reaches its new April 1st release date. But of course, it wouldn’t be the first Spider-Man spin-off that Sony shelved after negative reception. Right now, it’s impossible to know for certain whether Morbius will spell doom for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, or if it’ll keep moving forward regardless. But if the Living Vampire’s solo film proves to be a flop, Sony could very well reconsider how many people want to see Spider-Man villains on the big screen without Spider-Man.