Following a renegotiation of Marvel Studios' deal with Sony Pictures, Spider-Man is now a hero who will swing between two different worlds. However, the
Morbius trailer revealed a much bigger link to the Marvel Cinematic Universe than any of us could have imagined when the villainous Adrian Toomes (a.k.a. The Vulture) made a surprise appearance.
Now, time will tell what comes next for the web-slinger as he continues to appear in both the MCU and movies which are part of the SUMC (Sony's Universe of Marvel Characters).
In this feature, we take a look at ten different ways Sony can effectively make Spider-Man a key part of their own shared world while still allowing Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios to tell stories with Peter Parker in the universe characters like Captain Marvel and Black Panther call home.
We're taking a deep dive into how this deal will be able to work in an effective way moving forward, so to check out the breakdown hit the "View List" button or, if that's not currently showing up, the "Next" button to look through each individual page without any lengthy loading times!
A One-Way Street Of Crossovers
Marvel Studios surely would have said goodbye to Spider-Man before letting the stories that Sony tells have an impact on the MCU. With that in mind, there's no way the events of
Morbius will be felt in
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, for example, and what we see in
Venom 2 factoring into a movie like
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3...well, it's not happening!
However, the imprisoned Adrian Toomes appearing in
Morbius along with a poster branding Spidey a "Murderer" following
Spider-Man: Far From Home's shocking ending proves that what happens during Peter Parker's MCU adventures
will be felt in the SUMC.
That could mean future crossovers will essentially be a one-way street. If Spider-Man's name is cleared in his next solo movie, then
Venom 3 wouldn't feature Eddie Brock investigating the web-slinger, but if the Symbiote bonds with Peter and he goes on a rampage through New York City, it's unlikely that we'd get more than a passing reference (if anything at all) in
Spider-Man 4.
Move Eddie Brock To New York
Peter has a lot on his plate following the events of his last solo outing, and it's not up to
Venom 2 to address that. Spidey meeting Eddie Brock before his third movie is doubtful but if the symbiote's sequel ends with the journalist moving to New York to look into the truth behind what happened to Mysterio, the stage is definitely set for a meeting in
Venom 3!
While fans are undeniably anxious to see Spider-Man get caught in the middle of Venom's war with Carnage, rushing it is not the right move and another cool scenario would be Eddie finally embracing his "Lethal Protector" persona and heading to the Big Apple to make the man who killed the world's greatest superhero pay for his crimes.
Even if Peter manages to clear his name, this confrontation could take place before that and there's really nothing to say that Venom would believe him, especially as the most likely outcome is that some of the world will believe Spider-Man is a hero, while others will be convinced by J. Jonah Jameson's claims that he's a "menace" (just like in the comic books).
Set The Stage For The Sinister Six
At the end of
Spider-Man: Homecoming, Adrian Toomes shrugged off Mac Gargan's suggestions that they team-up to make the web-slinger pay, and he's clearly still behind bars during the events of
Morbius.
That must be where he meets Dr. Michael Morbius and while his cameo might be completely pointless and only there to get fans interested in the way these worlds could collide somewhere down the line, there's also a very good chance that it's setting the stage for something much bigger.
Sony started building toward a
Sinister Six movie in
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and if that's not something Kevin Feige wants to rush into in the hero's solo franchise, then the studio could choose to pit Peter Parker against a ragtag team made up of villains like Venom, Morbius, The Vulture, Scorpion, and...well, we'll have to wait and see. Still, it's a concept that definitely has potential.
The Same Spider-Man...But Different
Over the past few years, it's felt like studios have decided that moviegoers are just plain dumb, hence why the Suicide Squad was pulled from Arrow when the movie was released and why we're only just now getting a small screen Superman when it seems Henry Cavill's time as the Man of Steel has reached its end.
Things are beginning to change, though, and while Tom Holland can continue playing Spider-Man, why does it have to be the same Spider-Man?
Yes, the SUMC movies can reference what happens in the MCU but, as we've mentioned, it doesn't need to be a two way street. The Spidey in the SUMC could essentially be a totally different character who goes on his own adventures, while the MCU version continues calling the MCU home which ensures that he remains as popular as ever thanks to Marvel's Studios' superior storytelling.
Bring Him Into The Spider-Verse
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse won an Oscar and is widely considered one of the best superhero movies of all-time. With that in mind, is it not about time that Tom Holland's Peter Parker get to meet Miles Morales?
That would ensure that the sequel is one which would generate a lot of buzz (not that it won't already) and something you have to believe hardcore fans and regular moviegoers alike would kill to see. There would be zero need for Spidey to talk about his trip to another dimension when we next see him in the MCU but this would give Sony the chance to flesh their version out in a big way.
There were rumblings that Sony wanted Holland in the first
Spider-Verse movie but Marvel Studios said no. Things have changed now, though, and there are ways a crossover like this could enhance the studio's larger plans. After all, who wouldn't want to see Miles helping Peter fight Venom in a live-action setting in the not too distant future?
An Unexpected Twist
Something fans couldn't help but notice in the
Morbius trailer is that Sony had used an image of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (lifted from the
Spider-Man video game). Chances are that we're meant to think it wasn't just an artist's interpretation of the hero, but it was still a dumb move and one you have to hope could end up changing in post-production given the way it's been ridiculed.
But what if there's another reason for that Spider-Man costume being used in the movie?
Many fans are convinced that there's a chance Tobey Maguire will reprise the role of Peter Parker one day, and while that could get confusing with the likes of Adrian Toomes showing up, there's a huge demand to see what became of Maguire's Spidey in a world like this one. Then again, it could just be that Marvel Studios isn't allowing Sony to use the costume they've designed...
Tell The Stories Marvel Can't...Or Won't
Marvel Studios has spent years proving that they're expert storytellers and their track record shows how much better they are at that than Sony Pictures. However, as they're intent on launching solo franchises for key heroes and villains, there are certain characters - like Venom - who are now off-limits to Marvel Studios that they either can't, or would rather not, use.
That puts Sony in a unique and potentially very exciting position. While Spidey can hang out with the Avengers in the MCU, he can't fight Venom or cross paths with the Black Cat or Silver Sable!
In the SUMC, though, Peter can get his hands on the symbiote and possibly even embark on a romantic relationship with Felicia Hardy, two very exciting possibilities. We've yet to see any truly bold storytelling from Sony but, who knows, the webbed warrior could become an animated character or even show up in an R-Rated adventure on the studio's watch.
Give Kevin Feige Some Creative Input
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige is a busy man, especially now he's creatively overseeing everything Marvel does (including comic books and TV shows). With the MCU rapidly expanding thanks to Disney+, those claims from Sony that Feige is too busy to work on the wall-crawler might not be all that far-fetched.
However, it would be foolish of Sony to not consult with Feige when it comes to how Spidey is used in the SUMC and that would ensure some consistency and, hopefully, a relationship that benefits fans for many years to come.
Letting Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach - the producers who drove Spidey into the ground with
The Amazing Spider-Man franchise - have free reign with the hero would be a massive mistake and while then having creative input in inevitable, a working relationship with Feige might be the only way this ends up working in the long-term.
Put The Symbiote On Spider-Man
We've already talked about the different ways Spider-Man and Venom's worlds could collide, but there's one thing we need to see which you have to believe would get everyone on board with the SUMC.
It's a crying shame that Peter Parker didn't return from his trip into outer space in
Avengers: Infinity War with the symbiote in tow but it's not too late for him to bond with the alien. Sure, it would all play out a lot differently to the source material but by the time all is said and done, perhaps Venom would actually end up looking like his comic book counterpart, white chest symbol and all!
Tom Holland and Tom Hardy are both keen to make this crossover happen and watching the former's version of Peter come to terms with his "other" in a versus movie of some sort would be, well, amazing!
Utilise The Idea Of A Multiverse
Into the Spider-Verse introduced the concept of a Multiverse long before
Avengers: Endgame and
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so why can't the SUMC be another part of that?
After meeting Miles Morales, perhaps Spidey will use his sense of responsibility to visit worlds that don't have a Spider-Man (it's feasible that Maguire's web-slinger was also branded a killer and then taken out by the authorities) and his battles against Morbius and Venom could take place in those.
Marvel Studios is clearly getting ready to delve into other universes thanks to the Sorcerer Supreme and making Spider-Man part of that concept definitely makes sense and helps ensure that his SUCM and MCU adventures don't clash too much. The aforementioned suggestion of it being a different Spidey who is also played by Holland works with this point as well.
Do you guys think Spider-Man being part of two shared worlds can work? Let us know your thoughts on that and what you read here in the comments section down below.