It appears that Sony's Spider-Man Universe had the potential to feature Marvel's live-action Spidey characters like Tom Holland's Peter Parker. However, the studio believed that audiences ultimately didn't desire this. Sony's Spider-Man spin-offs could have showcased Holland's Spider-Man along with other Spider-People such as Gwen Stacey and Mary Jane. As per Variety, Sony's deal with Disney didn't prohibit such inclusion. This implies that Sony's Venom franchise, Madame Web, Morbius, and Kraven the Hunter could have featured our beloved Spider-Man heroes, but the studio reportedly didn't think audiences wanted that in a non-MCU project.

Focus on Spidey's Villains

As we are aware, Sony made the decision to center on Spidey's villains. After the success of the first Venom movie, the studio remained committed to this path. We did catch a glimpse of Holland in a Venom 2 post-credits scene, but since then, there has been no sign of Spidey heroes. Now, the question arises: could their inclusion have enhanced the Sony movies?Exhibitor Relations analyst Jeff Bock shared with Variety, "Unfortunately for Sony, they experienced a taste of success with Venom, and that somewhat spoiled everything for them. They thought they could simply spin off all these characters... Not having Spider-Man in these films was a fatal flaw."It seems that Bock is correct as Sony's most recent release, Kraven The Hunter, has received less than impressive reviews and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 15% (up from an original 9% score).However, it's not all bad news. Sony has achieved significant success with its animated Spider-Verse series, which interestingly includes alternate versions of Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy. Fans are now eagerly looking forward to the release of the third movie in the franchise, Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse, which has been indefinitely postponed and is reportedly not set to arrive in 2025.Kraven The Hunter is currently playing in theaters. You can read our Kraven The Hunter review for our comprehensive assessment. For more, stay updated on upcoming superhero movies and refer to our guide on how to watch Marvel movies in order.