While Sony was happy to allow Marvel Studios to bring Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they're not giving up on plans to create a shared world for the wall-crawler (even if it doesn't include him). That idea first came to light in 2014 when The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was released and the studio announced that there would be two more instalments of that franchise along with spinoffs for Venom and Sinister Six.
That all fell apart but Sony didn't give up and that's why Venom is hitting theatres in October and we're getting Silver & Black and Morbius the Living Vampire at some point in the near future.
While there's a lot of trepidation surrounding Sony's plans, there's nothing to say these movies can't still be good and that this "Spider-Verse" won't be a lot of fun to see play out even if the web-slinger is excluded from it. What you'll find here then is a look at why we should give this slate a chance so simply click on the "View List" button for the full breakdown!
Venom
If I'm being honest, I'm not remotely keen on the prospect of a Venom movie because Eddie Brock's origin story without Peter Parker doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Both he and the symbiote need their hatred of Spider-Spider-Man to fuel them but glossing over that for a second, this movie could still work if Sony gets the character right.
Even if Venom is created purely by chance because Eddie stumbles across a symbiote, that won't make a sequel putting him against Carnage any less satisfying. The action will be important here but the characters and story are vital. Providing the ball hasn't been dropped in those respects, Venom could finally do him justice after Spider-Man 3 tried and failed.
Silver & Black
A movie teaming up Silver Sable and Black Cat does seem like an odd prospect but can we really fault Sony for taking two of Spidey's best female supporting characters and giving them their own movie? It is a little concerning that it's now updated but here's hoping the studio can get its shit together and make this one a reality sooner rather than later.
While I'm disappointed that Black Cat won't be entering Peter Parker's world in the MCU, she doesn't really work when he's still in high school and so this is probably the best place for her as a result. Moviegoers want more female superheroes and throwing these two together could have spectacular results, especially if Sony picks a good villain.
Morbius The Living Vampire
Jared Leto Is often ridiculed (especially following those bizarre reports about his behaviour on the set of Suicide Squad) but he's a tremendous actor and deserves that Oscar he won for Dallas Buyers Club. As a result, there's really no reason to suspect that he won't do a fantastic job transforming into Morbius the Living Vampire for this movie.
The fact he's not a traditional vampire obviously opens the door to some unique storytelling possibilities, while a superhero horror movie definitely isn't a bad thing as it's so different to what we're used to. I'm really not sure who Sony could use in terms of the villain and supporting cast but with a strong script, there's a very could chance Morbius could exceed expectations in every possible way.
Kraven The Hunter, etc.
I'm not actually sure this spinoff is actually happening, especially as it was named alongside a Mysterio movie as being one of many ideas Sony was considering. What I do know is that standalone origin movies for some of Spider-Man's greatest villains could work...but only of its building to something.
We don't need to spend two hours with a character like Kraven the Hunter if we're just going to watch him transform from big game hunter into someone who heads to New York to find more formidable prey without ever seeing the then fully formed bad guy battle Spider-Man. Perhaps Sony could introduce they own version of the hero with Miles Morales behind the mask rather than Peter Parker?
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
Talking of Miles Morales, we would be remiss not to touch on Into the Spider-Verse. It may be an animated feature but it looks nothing short of incredible and it could very well be the best Spider-Man movie to date. The fact it introduces the concept of a "Spider-Verse" is also exciting as any one of these characters could pop up in a live-action setting.
Miles should obviously be the priority in that respect but what's really thrilling is the fact we could even see a moment where Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield's version of the wall-crawler returns. This animated franchise has unlimited potential and it's going to be very exciting seeing where Sony takes it moving forward, that's for sure.
What Comes Next?
Well, this is the big question, isn't it? Brian Michael Bendis has met with Sony and promises that they have some exciting plans so who knows what these movies are leading to. Could Venom one day take on the Sinister Six or might Miles Morales finally swing into a live-action setting in order to launch a whole new Spider-Man franchise which Sony can play with to their heart's content without Marvel's involvement?
That obviously remains to be seen but it's hard to escape the feeling that Sony has a plan of some sort and even if that isn't what the majority of fans would like, it's still going to be fun watching it play out over the next few years. Now, here's hoping it's more amazing and spectacular than awful and, well, sucky! Either way, we should definitely give the studio a chance and if they fail...well, here's hoping the next merger we get is Disney/Sony!
Are you now more excited about Sony's plans for the Spider-Verse or have we failed to convince you? As always, be sure to let us know your thoughts on that in the comments section below.