Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) is an American

media franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program ...

and

shared universe A shared universe or shared world is a fictional universe from a set of creative works where more than one writer (or other artist) independently contributes a work that can stand alone but fits into the joint development of the storyline, chara ...

centered on a

series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used in ...

superhero film A superhero film (or superhero movie) is a film that focuses on the actions of superheroes. Superheroes are individuals who possess superhuman abilities and are dedicated to protecting the public. These films typically feature action, advent ...

s produced by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

in association with

Marvel Entertainment Marvel Entertainment, LLC (formerly Marvel Enterprises) is an American entertainment company founded in June 1998 and based in New York City, New York, formed by the merger of Marvel Entertainment Group and Toy Biz. The company is a wholly ow ...

. Distributed by

Sony Pictures Releasing Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group (commonly known as Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, formerly known as the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group until 2013, and abbreviated as SPMPG) is a division of Sony Pictures Entertainmen ...

, the films are based on various

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...

characters and properties commonly associated with

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the Si ...

. Work on an expanded universe using supporting characters from the ''Spider-Man'' films began by December 2013.

Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acq ...

planned to use ''

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ''The Amazing Spider-Man 2'' (internationally titled ''The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro'') is a 2014 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. The film was directed by Marc Webb and produced by Avi ...

'' (2014) to launch several

spin-off Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gov ...

films focused on Spider-Man villains from the comics, including a

Venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a st ...

film. After the relative critical and financial disappointment of ''The Amazing Spider-Man 2'', these plans were abandoned and in February 2015, Sony announced a deal to collaborate with

Marvel Studios Marvel Studios, LLC (originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996) is an American film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios produces the Ma ...

on future ''Spider-Man'' films and integrate the character into the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published ...

(MCU). This relationship produced '' Spider-Man: Homecoming'' (2017), '' Spider-Man: Far From Home'' (2019), and '' Spider-Man: No Way Home'' (2021), while Sony separately redeveloped ''

'' (2018) as a stand-alone film later established as beginning its own

fictional universe A fictional universe, or fictional world, is a self-consistent setting with events, and often other elements, that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed, or fictional realm (or world). Fictional universes ma ...

. Sony and Marvel Studios renegotiated their deal in 2019 to share the Spider-Man character between the MCU and their standalone Marvel-based films. ''Venom'' was followed by '' Venom: Let There Be Carnage'' (2021) and '' Morbius'' (2022), both of which have

mid-credit scenes A post-credits scene (commonly referred to as a stinger or credit cookie) or mid-credits scene is a short clip that appears after all or some of the closing credits have rolled and sometimes after a production logo of a film, TV series, or video g ...

that feature elements from the

multiverse The multiverse is a hypothetical group of multiple universes. Together, these universes comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describe them. The dif ...

concept to link the SSU with the MCU. ''Venom'' and ''Morbius'' received negative reviews from critics while ''Venom: Let There Be Carnage'' received mixed reviews. The series has grossed a combined $1.5 billion worldwide. Sony is developing a number of live-action films based on Marvel characters, with scheduled releases for ''

Kraven the Hunter Kraven the Hunter (Sergei Kravinoff; Russian: Сергей Кравинов) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in '' The Amazing Spider-Man'' issue #15 (August 1964) as an adversar ...

'' in 2023, and ''El Muerto'' and '' Madame Web'' in 2024. Several more films are in various stages of development, and

Sony Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production and distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, it is a division of Sony Entertainment's unit Sony Pictures Entertainme ...

is developing several live-action television series set in the same shared universe, beginning with ''Silk: Spider Society''.

Name

Sony officially announced their new shared universe—based on various

properties and characters commonly associated with

—in May 2017, with the title "Sony's Marvel Universe". By August 2018, it was being referred to as "Sony's Universe of Marvel Characters" internally at the company. In March 2019, a Sony Pictures Entertainment presentation referred to the "Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters" (SPUMC), and Sony later confirmed that this was the official name for its shared universe. The presentation applied the title to

' ''Spider-Man'' films and the animated ''Spider-Verse'' films as well as Sony's own live-action Marvel adaptations. The title was widely criticized, with commentators mocking its length compared to shorter franchise names like the

(MCU) and

DC Extended Universe The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films and television series produced by DC Studios and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on characters that ...

(DCEU), as well as the acronym "SPUMC". James Whitbrook of ''

io9 ''io9'' is part of Gizmodo media since 2015, and it began as blog launched in 2008 by Gawker Media. The site initially focused on the subjects of science fiction, fantasy, futurism, science, technology and related areas but over the years has ...

'' questioned why the term "Spider-Verse" was not being used.

president

Sanford Panitch Sanford Panitch is an American film industry executive. Appointed president of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group in October 2019, he served previously as president of Columbia Pictures. Earlier in his career, he founded Fox International Product ...

stated that Sony did not want to refer to their shared universe as the "Spider-Verse" since it encompassed many characters separate from Spider-Man. Despite this, Sony announced in August 2021 that the franchise had been renamed "Sony's Spider-Man Universe" (SSU).

Development

Background

In January 2010, Sony announced that the ''Spider-Man'' film franchise would be rebooted after director

Sam Raimi Samuel M. Raimi ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007) and the ''Evil Dead'' franchise (1981–present). He also directed the 1990 superhero film ''Darkman'' ...

decided to no longer continue his version of the franchise. By March 2012, Sony was still interested in a spin-off film they had been developing centered on the character

, looking to capitalize on the release of the first reboot film, ''

The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its main protagonist. Being in the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bimonthly per ...

'' (2012). That June, producers

Avi Arad Avi Arad (; he, אבי ארד; born 1948) is an Israeli-American film producer who became the CEO of the company Toy Biz in the 1990s and soon afterward became the chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment, and the chairman, CEO, and founde ...

and

Matt Tolmach Matthew Tolmach (born 1964)

discussed ''Venom'' and ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' in reference to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and how the different franchises set in that world crossed over with '' The Avengers'' (2012). Tolmach stated, "Hopefully all these worlds will live together in peace someday." In December 2013, Sony revealed plans to use ''

'' (2014) to establish their own expanded universe based on the Marvel properties the studio had the film rights to, including Venom. Arad and Tolmach would produce the films as part of a franchise brain trust that also included

Alex Kurtzman Alexander Hilary Kurtzman (born September 7, 1973) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for his work on the ''Star Trek'' franchise since 2009, co-writing the scripts to ''Transformers'' (2007), '' Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' and ...

Roberto Orci Roberto Gaston Orcí (born July 20, 1973) is a Mexican-American film and television screenwriter and producer. He began his longtime collaboration with Alex Kurtzman while at school in California. Together they have been employed on television ...

Jeff Pinkner Jeff Pinkner (born November 16, 1964) is an American television and movie writer and producer. Life and career Born to a Jewish family,Ed Solomon Edward James Solomon (born September 15, 1960) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for writing the screenplays to ''Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'' (1989), ''Men in Black'' (1997), and '' Now You See Me'' (2013). Life and career Solo ...

, and

Drew Goddard Andrew Brion Hogan Goddard (born February 26, 1975) is an American filmmaker. He began his career writing episodes for the television shows ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', ''Angel'', ''Alias'', and ''Lost''. After moving into screenwriting in fi ...

, and ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and ''The Amazing Spider-Man 2'' director

Marc Webb Marc Preston Webb (born August 31, 1974) is an American music video director and filmmaker. Webb made his feature film directorial debut in 2009 with the romantic comedy '' 500 Days of Summer'', and went on to direct ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' ...

. However, after ''The Amazing Spider-Man 2'' underperformed and with Sony "under tremendous pressure to perform", the direction of the new shared universe was rethought. Following the November 2014 hacking of Sony's computers, emails between

Sony Pictures Entertainment Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio Conglomerate (company), conglom ...

Co-chairman

Amy Pascal Amy Beth Pascal (born March 25, 1958) is an American film producer and business executive. She served as the Chairperson of the Motion Pictures Group of Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) and Co-Chairperson of SPE, including Sony Pictures Televis ...

and president Doug Belgrad were released, stating that Sony was planning to "rejuvenate" the ''Spider-Man'' franchise by developing an animated comedy film with

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller Philip Lord (born 12 July 1975) and Christopher Miller (born 23 September 1975) are an American filmmaking duo. After a meeting at Dartmouth College, they are known for creating the adult animated sitcom ''Clone High'' (2002–2003), directing an ...

. Sony executives were set to discuss the project further in a discussion regarding several ''Spider-Man'' spin-off films at a summit in January 2015. In February 2015, Sony and Marvel Studios announced a new partnership that would see the latter produce the next Spider-Man film for Sony, and integrate the character into the MCU. Sony still planned to produce the spin-off films without Marvel's involvement, but these were believed to have been "scrapped" by November, with Sony instead focusing on its new reboot with Marvel. Discussing the animated film during that year, Sony Pictures chairman

Tom Rothman Thomas Edgar Rothman (born November 21, 1954) is an American film executive and current chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group. In this role, Rothman oversees all of the studio's motion picture production and distribution activiti ...

said it would "co-exist" with the live-action Spider-Man films, though Sony stated it would "exist independently of the projects in the live-action Spider-Man universe". The animated film '' Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse'' (2018) is set in an alternate universe from the Marvel Spider-Man reboot but introduces the comic-based concept of the "Spider-Verse"

, in which different incarnations of Spider-Man can be brought together; Sony was excited by the possibility of crossovers between the live-action and animated films after seeing the quality of ''Into the Spider-Verse''.

Sony's shared universe

'' was revived by Sony in March 2016, envisioned as a standalone film unrelated from Sony and Marvel's new ''Spider-Man'' films, which would launch its own franchise and shared universe. In May 2017, Sony confirmed that ''Venom'' was not considered a spin-off of any other film, and would officially begin its own shared universe. Sony was looking to build out this new universe gradually rather than rush in as they had previously tried with the ''Amazing Spider-Man'' spin-offs. In July, Columbia Pictures president Sanford Panitch explained that they were looking to "do what's the absolute best for each individual property. I just want to honor the original DNA." Because of this, Sony was hoping that individual filmmakers would give each film its own distinct style rather than having a single person in charge of the universe as with the MCU's

Kevin Feige Kevin Feige ( ; born June 2, 1973) is an American film and television producer who has been the president of Marvel Studios and the primary producer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise since 2007. The films he has produced have a combine ...

. The studio also wanted to avoid "conventional comic-book movies", with the intention of dealing in different genres such as horror or comedy, potential R-ratings, and even lower-than-usual budgets, depending on each project. By March 2018, Sony's executive vice president Palak Patel was overseeing all of the universe's films for the studio. In July, ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

'' interviewed several creatives involved in the universe to try alleviate the fears of some fans concerning Sony's plans. Jonathan Goldstein—writer of the first MCU ''Spider-Man'' film, '' Spider-Man: Homecoming'' (2017)—said the future of the universe would be decided by the success of ''Venom'', and noted that other studios had struggled to replicate Marvel Studios' MCU success.

Brian Michael Bendis Brian Michael Bendis (; born August 18, 1967) is an American comic book writer and artist. He has won five Eisner Awards for both his creator-owned work and his work on various Marvel Comics books.Bendis, Brian Michael and Oeming, Michael Avon, ...

, comic creator of many Marvel characters that Sony planned to add to its universe, consulted on ''Into the Spider-Verse'' and was aware of Sony's plans for its shared universe. He described them as "very cool. Fans wouldn't be annoyed with what they're doing." He added that MCU films such as ''

Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The cha ...

'' (2008) and ''

Guardians of the Galaxy The Guardians of the Galaxy is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It may more specifically refer to: Comic book teams * Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), the original 31st-century team fr ...

'' (2014), which he was also involved in, were considered risks due to the lack of familiarity that general audiences had with those properties, but they both went on to be successful. He said this could also happen to lesser-known Spider-Man characters. In August, Sony was confirmed to have the rights to 900 Marvel Comics characters, and Panitch explained that "Spider-Man connects to a lot of the characters. There are villains, heroes, and antiheroes, and a lot are female characters, many of whom are bona fide, fully dimensionalized, and utterly unique. We feel there's no reason the Marvel characters shouldn't be able to embrace diversity." When asked whether Venom would act as the "common thread" throughout the shared universe, Sony said this was not necessarily the case as they wanted ''Venom'' to be standalone, but said ''Venom'' would have "key points of intersection" with other films. Following the successful release of ''Venom'', Pascal said some of Sony's "previously shelved plans" could now come to fruition, including a crossover based on the villainous

Sinister Six Sinister commonly refers to: * Evil * Ominous Sinister may also refer to: Left side * Sinister, Latin for the direction "left" * Sinister, in heraldry, is the bearer's true left side (viewers' right side) of an escutcheon or coat of arms; see dex ...

team. In March 2019, Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman Tony Vinciquerra said the "next seven or eight years" of the shared universe had been planned.

Marvel Cinematic Universe connections

Feige stated in June 2017 that because ''Venom'' was solely a Sony project, Marvel Studios had no plans to have it crossover with the MCU. However, producer

soon clarified that Sony intended to have their new Marvel-based films take place in "the same world" as ''Spider-Man: Homecoming'', describing them as "adjunct" to that world. She said that ''Venom'' would have connections with the next planned film in Sony's shared universe, '' Silver & Black'', and that there was potential for

Tom Holland Thomas Stanley Holland (born 1 June 1996) is an English actor. His accolades include a British Academy Film Award, three Saturn Awards, a Guinness World Record and an appearance on the ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 Europe list. Some publications h ...

to crossover from the MCU films to the films in Sony's universe. Holland was not contracted to appear outside of a trilogy of ''Spider-Man'' films and several other MCU films, but Sony intended to have the actor appear in their other Marvel films eventually. According to several reports, Holland spent several days during ''Venom''s production filming a cameo appearance as Peter Parker / Spider-Man for the film, but Marvel Studios asked Sony to exclude the scene from the final film. By August 2018, Sony was actively planning to crossover Spider-Man with their own Marvel films, describing the character and Venom as "already in the same universe... we are looking forward to the two of them eventually facing off in the future". Sony was also open to more of their characters appearing in MCU films in exchange for more MCU characters appearing in their own films. In December, ''Venom'' writer

Jeff Pinkner Jeff Pinkner (born November 16, 1964) is an American television and movie writer and producer. Life and career Born to a Jewish family, Pascal added, in reference to a crossover between the MCU ''Spider-Man'' films, Sony's own shared universe films, and Sony's animated ''Spider-Verse'' films, that "there's a world in which everything comes together", but Holland was restricted by his contract with Marvel Studios at that time. By August 2019, Marvel Studios and Disney had spent several months discussing expanding their deal with Sony, with the latter looking to include more films than were originally agreed upon while keeping the same terms of the original agreement. Disney expressed concern with Feige's workload producing the non-Spider-Man MCU films already, and asked for a 25–50% stake in any future films Feige produces for Sony. Unable to come to an agreement, Sony announced that it would be moving forward on the next Spider-Man film without Feige or Marvel. They acknowledged that this could change in the future, thanked Feige for his work on ''Homecoming'' and '' Spider-Man: Far From Home'' (2019), and stated that they appreciated "the path

eige Eigg (; gd, Eige; sco, Eigg) is one of the Small Isles in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It lies to the south of the Isle of Skye and to the north of the Ardnamurchan peninsula. Eigg is long from north to south, and east to west. With an ar ...

has helped put us on, which we will continue." ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'' added that the end of the studios' agreement "almost certainly" meant that Holland's Spider-Man would no longer appear in MCU films, but "significantly increased" the chances of the character crossing over with the rest of Sony's own Marvel films such as the ''Venom'' franchise and the then-in-production '' Morbius'' (2022). In September, Vinciquerra stated that "for the moment the door is closed" on Spider-Man returning to the MCU, and confirmed that the character would be integrated with Sony's own shared universe moving forward, saying "he will play off the other characters" that the studio owns the rights to. In response to backlash from fans following the announcement, Vinciquerra added that "the Marvel people are terrific people, we have great respect for them, but on the other hand we have some pretty terrific people of our own. Kevin didn't do all the work... we're pretty capable of doing what we have to do here." Following a negative fan reaction at Disney's biennial

D23 Expo D23: The Official Disney Fan Club is the official fan club for The Walt Disney Company. Founded in 2009, the organization is known mainly for its biennial exposition event, the D23 Expo. The name ''D23'' refers to ''D'' for ''Disney'' and ''23'' ...

, and at the urging of Holland who personally spoke to Rothman and

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

CEO

Bob Iger Robert Allen Iger (; born February 10, 1951) is an American businessman who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company. He previously served as the President of ABC Television between 1994 and 1995 and the President and Ch ...

, Disney returned to negotiations with Sony. Later that September, Sony and Disney announced a new agreement that would allow Marvel Studios and Feige to produce a third MCU Spider-Man film for Sony. Disney was reported to be co-financing 25% of the film in exchange for 25% of the film's profits, while retaining the merchandising rights to the character. The agreement also allowed Holland's Spider-Man to appear in a future Marvel Studios film, while Feige stated that moving forward the MCU's Spider-Man would be able to "cross cinematic universes" and appear in Sony's own shared universe as well. This interaction was said to be a call and answer' between the two franchises as they acknowledge details between the two in what would loosely be described as a shared detailed universe". Sony described their previous films with Marvel Studios as a "great collaboration", and said "our mutual desire to continue was equal to that of the many fans." Panitch acknowledged in May 2021 that there had been confusion and frustration from fans regarding the relationship between the two universes, but said there was a plan to clarify this and he believed it was already "getting a little more clear for people s towhere we're headed" at that time. He added that the release of '' Spider-Man: No Way Home'' (2021) would reveal more of this plan. In ''No Way Home'',

Doctor Strange Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as Sorce ...

casts two spells: one that brings characters from other universes into the MCU, and one that sends them back to their own universes. The

mid-credits scene A post-credits scene (commonly referred to as a stinger or credit cookie) or mid-credits scene is a short clip that appears after all or some of the closing credits have rolled and sometimes after a production logo of a film, TV series, or video g ...

of '' Venom: Let There Be Carnage'' (2021) shows Venom being transported into the MCU from his universe by the first spell, and the mid-credits scene of ''No Way Home'' shows Venom being transported back to his own universe by the second spell. A small part of the Venom symbiote is left in the MCU. Marvel Studios president

said there was significant coordination between the ''Let There Be Carnage'' and ''No Way Home'' teams to create the two scenes, with ''No Way Home'' director

Jon Watts Jonathan Watts (born June 28, 1981) is an American filmmaker. His credits include directing the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) superhero films '' Spider-Man: Homecoming'', '' Spider-Man: Far From Home'', and '' Spider-Man: No Way Home''. He was ...

directing both scenes during production of that film. In the mid-credits scenes of ''Morbius'', taking place simultaneously with the events of ''No Way Home'', Adrian Toomes / Vulture is revealed to have been transported to the SSU by the same spell, meeting with Morbius in an effort to form a team. In June 2022, Lord and Miller said that they intended for Sony's Spider-Man Universe and the animated ''Spider-Verse'' franchise to connect to the MCU via the

Expansion to television

Vinciquerra stated in March 2019 that the universe would be expanding to television with a set of Marvel projects developed specifically by

. At the time, the studio was "essentially internally auditioning" characters from the 900 it could access to decide which medium they would appear in, with Sony Pictures Television chairman Mike Hopkins describing their progress in selecting characters for television as "pretty far down the road". Hopkins elaborated that Sony planned to have several series set in the shared universe that could "pollinate between each other", and that they would be released by a yet-to-be-determined network partner. An announcement of this partner was expected within the next few months, with the networks owned by Marvel's parent Disney—including their new streaming service

Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...

—being considered alongside others. These television plans were attributed to the success of ''Venom'' and ''Into the Spider-Verse'', which "bolstered confidence that there's an appetite for Sony's slice of Marvel". After their work on ''Into the Spider-Verse'', Lord and Miller signed an overall deal with Sony Pictures Television in April 2019 to develop several television series for the studio, including their Marvel-based series, which could potentially include characters from ''Into the Spider-Verse'' as well as live-action properties. Select projects would be produced in conjunction with Pascal. Discussing these series in August, Miller could not update where or when the series would be released but said there would be several live-action series and they would each be a unique experience with connections to the others. The next month, Vinciquerra said there were five or six individual series in development for the universe. By January 2020, one of these series was believed to be a version of ''Silver & Black'' after development on that film was cancelled in August 2018.

Gina Prince-Bythewood Gina Maria Prince-Bythewood (born June 10, 1969) is an American film director and screenwriter. She is known for directing the films '' Love & Basketball'' (2000), ''Disappearing Acts'' (2000), '' The Secret Life of Bees'' (2008), '' Beyond the L ...

, who co-wrote and was going to direct the film version before it was cancelled, confirmed in April 2020 that ''Silver & Black'' was being re-developed for television. She suggested that it could be a limited series, and had the potential to be released on Disney+. That June, former

Marvel Television Marvel Television was an American television production company responsible for live-action and animated (through Marvel Animation) television shows and direct-to-DVD series based on characters from Marvel Comics. The division was based at affi ...

and Marvel Studios television executive Karim Zreik was made head of television for Lord and Miller, putting him in charge of all their planned series including the Marvel-based ones. The latter were described as a priority for Sony Pictures Television, and Zreik's experience with previous Marvel television series made him a "suitable partner" for planning them. By September 2020, Sony was in talks with

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service pr ...

for the latter to be the streaming distributor for Sony's "suite" of Marvel-based television series, similar to Marvel Television's group of series that streamed on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

. The negotiations with Amazon were said to be complex, with "major issues that need to be resolved" due to the complicated distribution rights for the various characters. The series were expected to be released on a traditional television platform before moving to streaming. Amazon was confirmed at the end of April 2021 to have the rights to stream the upcoming series on Prime Video. In November 2022, the series were set to debut on the television network

MGM+ Epix (pronounced ''epics'' and stylized as P) is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by the Epix Entertainment LLC subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), a subsidiary of Amazon's MGM Holdings, Inc. The channel's pr ...

before streaming on Prime Video.

Films

Released

''Venom'' (2018)

Following a scandal, journalist

Eddie Brock Edward Charles Allan "Eddie" Brock is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane, making a cameo appearance in '' Web of Spider-Man'' #1 ...

attempts to revive his career by investigating the Life Foundation, but comes into contact with the alien symbiote

that bonds with Brock and gives him superpowers. The long-in-development Venom film was revived by Sony in March 2016 as the start of the new shared universe. A year later, Scott Rosenberg and

Jeff Pinkner Jeff Pinkner (born November 16, 1964) is an American television and movie writer and producer. Life and career Born to a Jewish family, In May 2017, Sony announced that Tom Hardy would star as Eddie Brock / Venom in the film, to be directed by

Ruben Fleischer Ruben Samuel Fleischer (born October 31, 1974) is an American film director, film producer, television producer, music video director, and commercial director who lives in Montclair, New Jersey. He is best known as the director of '' Zombieland' ...

Kelly Marcel Kelly Marcel (born 10 January 1974) is a British screenwriter, actress and television producer. She co-wrote the film ''Saving Mr. Banks'' (2013) and wrote the film '' Fifty Shades of Grey'' (2015), and created and served as executive producer o ...

later joined as an additional writer. Filming took place from October 2017 to January 2018, in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

. ''Venom'' was released on October 5, 2018. The producers wanted to focus on telling a standalone story with ''Venom'', rather than having it introduce crossover opportunities for future films. However, the film does include a

post-credits scene A post-credits scene (commonly referred to as a stinger or credit cookie) or mid-credits scene is a short clip that appears after all or some of the closing credits have rolled and sometimes after a production logo of a film, TV series, or video g ...

featuring a clip from Sony's '' Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse'' (2018) that reveals that ''Venom''s universe is part of the Spider-Verse, a shared multiverse. This was added because Sony and the producers of ''Venom'' were excited by the possibility of crossovers between the live-action and animated films after seeing the quality of ''Into the Spider-Verse''.

''Venom: Let There Be Carnage'' (2021)

Eddie Brock continues to rebuild his career by interviewing serial killer

Cletus Kasady Cletus Cortland Kasady is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer David Michelinie and artist Erik Larsen, the character first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #344 (March 1991) as the ...

, who becomes the host of the symbiote Carnage and escapes prison after a failed execution.

Woody Harrelson Woodrow Tracy Harrelson (born July 23, 1961) is an American actor and playwright. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, in addition to nominations for three Academy Award ...

appeared as Cletus Kasady at the end of ''Venom'' as set-up for a potential sequel, which was confirmed in January 2019 when writer Marcel and star Hardy were confirmed to return. Fleischer did not due to commitments to '' Zombieland: Double Tap'' (2019);

Andy Serkis Andrew Clement Serkis (born 20 April 1964) is an English actor, director, and producer. He is best known for his performance capture roles comprising motion capture acting, animation, and voice work for computer-generated characters such as Go ...

was hired as director in August 2019. Filming took place in England from November 2019 to February 2020, with additional filming in San Francisco. ''Venom: Let There Be Carnage'' was released on October 1, 2021. Serkis said ''Venom: Let There Be Carnage'' was set in its own world, with its characters unaware of other heroes such as Spider-Man, though the film does have some references to the wider Marvel Universe. These include the ''

Daily Bugle The ''Daily Bugle'' (at one time ''The DB'') is a fictional New York City Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper appearing as a plot element in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The ''Daily Bugle'' is a regular fixture i ...

'' newspaper, which has the same title treatment in the film as it did in Sam Raimi's ''Spider-Man'' film series. The mid-credits scene transports Brock and Venom to the

due to the spell cast by

in '' Spider-Man: No Way Home'' (2021). Footage of

as Peter Parker / Spider-Man and

J. K. Simmons Jonathan Kimble Simmons (born January 9, 1955) is an American actor, considered one of the most prolific and well-established character actors of his generation. He has appeared in over 200 films and television roles since his debut in 1986. He i ...

J. Jonah Jameson John Jonah Jameson Jr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Spider-Man. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and he ...

from the MCU is shown in the scene.

''Morbius'' (2022)

Suffering from a rare blood disease, Michael Morbius tries a dangerous cure that afflicts him with a form of

vampirism A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or dea ...

. Following a "secret development process" at Sony, Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless wrote a script for a film based on Morbius, the Living Vampire. By June 2018,

Jared Leto Jared Joseph Leto ( ; born December 26, 1971) is an American actor and musician. Known for his method acting in a variety of roles, he has received numerous accolades over a career spanning three decades, including an Academy Award and a Gold ...

was set to star as the title character, with

Daniel Espinosa Jorge Daniel Espinosa (born 23 March 1977) is a Swedish film director from Trångsund, Stockholm, of Chilean origin. Early life He attended the National Film School of Denmark and graduated in 2001. Career His third feature film, '' Easy Mone ...

directing the film. Filming began at the end of February 2019, in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, and was confirmed to have completed by June. ''Morbius'' was released on April 1, 2022. The mid-credits scenes of ''Morbius'' see

Michael Keaton Michael John Douglas (born September 5, 1951), known professionally as Michael Keaton, is an American actor. He is known for his various comedic and dramatic film roles, including Jack Butler in ''Mr. Mom'' (1983), Betelgeuse in '' Beetlejuice'' ...

reprising his role as Adrian Toomes / Vulture from '' Spider-Man: Homecoming'' (2017), with the character being transported from the MCU to the SSU due to a spell cast by Doctor Strange in ''Spider-Man: No Way Home''. Despite these connections, the producers intended to tell a standalone origin story for Morbius as they did with ''Venom''.

Future

''Kraven the Hunter'' (2023)

Richard Wenk Richard Wenk (born 1956) is an American film screenwriter and director best known for his work on ''The Expendables 2'' (2012), '' The Equalizer'' (2014), and '' The Magnificent Seven'' (2016). Early life Wenk was born in 1956 in Metuchen, New ...

was hired to write a screenplay based on

in August 2018.

Art Marcum and Matt Holloway Art Marcum and Matt Holloway are an American screenwriting duo, best known for writing the scripts of ''Iron Man'' and '' Punisher: War Zone''. Career In 2008, Marcum and Holloway wrote the script of Marvel Studios' superhero film ''Iron Man'' ...

had re-written the script by August 2020, and J. C. Chandor entered talks to direct; he was confirmed in May 2021 when

Aaron Taylor-Johnson Aaron Perry Taylor-Johnson (né Johnson; born 13 June 1990) is an English actor. He is best known for his portrayal of the title character in '' Kick-Ass'' (2010) and its 2013 sequel, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) character Pietro Ma ...

was cast in the title role. Filming began in late March 2022 in London, and concluded by mid-June. ''Kraven the Hunter'' is set to be released on October 6, 2023.

''El Muerto'' (2024)

After Sony executives were impressed by the performance of singer

Bad Bunny Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (born March 10, 1994), known professionally as Bad Bunny, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer. His musical style is defined as Latin trap and reggaeton. He rose to prominence in 2016 with his song "Diles", w ...

in their film '' Bullet Train'' (2022) they became interested in having him star in another high-profile film. They settled on the minor Spider-Man-related character El Muerto, a wrestler who has superhuman strength, and looked to move quickly on the project. Bad Bunny made a "surprise appearance" at Sony's

CinemaCon The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) is an American trade organization whose members are the owners of movie theaters. Most of the worldwide major theater chains' operators are members, as are hundreds of independent theater opera ...

panel in April 2022 to announce the film. In October,

Jonás Cuarón Jonás Cuarón Elizondo (born 1983) is a Mexican film director, screenwriter, producer, editor and cinematographer. He is the son of the Academy Award-winner Alfonso Cuarón by the latter's first wife, Mariana Elizondo. Jonás Cuarón studied ...

and Garreth Dunnet-Alcocer were hired to respectively direct and write the film. ''El Muerto'' is set to be released on January 12, 2024.

''Madame Web'' (2024)

After their work on ''Morbius'', Sony hired Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless in September 2019 to write a script centered around Madame Web. In May 2020, S. J. Clarkson was hired to develop and direct Sony's first female-centric Marvel film, which was reported to be the Madame Web film. The studio was looking to attach a prominent actress such as

Charlize Theron Charlize Theron ( ; ; born 7 August 1975) is a South African and American actress and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actresses, she is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. In 20 ...

Amy Adams Amy Lou Adams (born August 20, 1974) is an American actress. Known for both her comedic and dramatic roles, she has been featured three times in annual rankings of the world's highest-paid actresses. She has received various accolades, incl ...

to the project, before hiring a new writer to craft the film with an actress in mind. By February 2022,

Dakota Johnson Dakota Mayi Johnson (born October 4, 1989) is an American actress. The daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, she made her film debut at age ten with a minor role in the dark comedy film ''Crazy in Alabama'' (1999) with her mothe ...

was in talks to portray the lead character, and was confirmed to be starring that April. Filming began in mid-July, occurring in Boston and throughout Massachusetts until that September, before shooting in New York City by mid-October. Filming is also expected to occur in Mexico. ''Madame Web'' is set to be released on February 16, 2024.

Untitled ''Venom: Let There Be Carnage'' sequel

In August 2018, Hardy confirmed that he had signed on to star in three ''Venom'' films. Andy Serkis expressed interest in returning to direct another ''Venom'' film in September 2021, and that December, Pascal said they were in the "planning stages" of a third ''Venom'' film. Sony confirmed the film was in development at CinemaCon in April 2022. In June, Hardy revealed that

was writing the script and that he was co-writing the story with her, and Marcel was set to direct that October.

Other films in development

Sony has scheduled an unspecified film to release on July 12, 2024. The following is a list of known projects in development. * ''The Sinister Six'': Sony's December 2013 plans for their own ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' shared universe included a film based on the

group of Spider-Man villains, with

attached to write. He was confirmed to also be directing the film in April 2014, but it was believed to have been cancelled by November 2015 when Sony was focusing on its new reboot with Marvel. Pascal said the film was "alive" again in December 2018 following the success of ''Venom'', and she was waiting for Goddard to be ready to direct it before moving forward with the project. * ''Nightwatch'': In September 2017, Sony was actively developing a film based on the character Nightwatch, with a script from Edward Ricourt. Sony wanted

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...

to direct the film, and he was confirmed to be interested in the project in March 2018, with

Cheo Hodari Coker Cheo Hodari Coker (born December 12, 1972) is an American former music journalist turned television writer and producer known for such television series as ''Luke Cage'', '' NCIS: Los Angeles'', '' Southland'' and '' Ray Donovan''. Coker also wro ...

re-writing the script. Lee was no longer involved by October. * ''Jackpot'': In August 2018, Sony was considering a film centered on the character

Jackpot Jackpot or Jackpot! may refer to: * A prize, such as a progressive jackpot * Gardena jackpots, a poker variant * Jackpot, Nevada, a community on the Nevada–Idaho state border Comics * Jackpot (comics), several comic book characters * ''Jackp ...

and was actively looking for a writer.

Marc Guggenheim Marc Guggenheim (born September 24, 1970) is an American screenwriter, television producer, comic book writer, and novelist. He is best known as the creator of the television series '' Eli Stone'' (2008–2009), ''Arrow'' (2012– 2020), and ''Leg ...

, a writer on the ''Jackpot'' comic books, was revealed to be writing the screenplay for ''Jackpot'' in May 2020, though he had been working on the film for two years already by that point. * Untitled Roberto Orci project: In March 2020, Sony hired ''The Amazing Spider-Man 2'' co-writer

to write the script for an untitled Marvel film that would be set in Sony's shared universe. The plot will be based on a property from a "different corner of the Marvel universe that Sony has access to" rather than a character affiliated with Spider-Man like Sony's other Marvel films. * Untitled Olivia Wilde project: In August 2020,

Olivia Wilde Olivia Jane Cockburn ( ; born March 10, 1984), known professionally as Olivia Wilde, is an American actress and filmmaker. She played Remy "Thirteen" Hadley on the medical-drama television series ''House'' (2007–2012), and has appeared in the ...

signed on to develop and direct a female-centric Marvel film for Sony with her writing partner

Katie Silberman Katie Silberman is an American screenwriter and film producer. She is most known for writing the screenplays to '' Set It Up'' (2018), ''Booksmart'' (2019), and '' Don't Worry Darling'' (2022). Career Silberman earned her BA from Dartmouth Coll ...

. The project had been a high priority at the studio since early 2020, and was believed to feature the character

Spider-Woman Spider-Woman is the code name of several fictional characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first and original version is Jessica Drew (later impersonated by Veranke), the second version is Julia Carpenter, and the third vers ...

. * Untitled Hypno-Hustler film: In December 2022, Sony was revealed to be developing a film centered on the character

Hypno-Hustler The Hypno-Hustler is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A feature film centered around the character is in development, as a part of Sony's Spider-Man Universe. Donald Glover is cast in the lead r ...

, with

Donald Glover Donald McKinley Glover Jr. (; born September 25, 1983), also known by his stage name Childish Gambino (), is an American entertainer, writer, director, and producer. After working in Derrick Comedy while studying at New York University, Glov ...

set to star and produce, and Myles Murphy set to write. Glover previously portrayed Aaron Davis in ''Spider-Man: Homecoming''. * Other projects: Sony was considering a film centered around

Mysterio Mysterio (Quentin Beck) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #13 (June 1964). He is primarily depicted a ...

by June 2017, with

Jake Gyllenhaal Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal (; ; born December 19, 1980) is an American actor. Born into the Gyllenhaal family, he is the son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, and his older sister is actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. He ...

cast in the role for ''Far From Home''. In December 2018, a spin-off film from the MCU ''Spider-Man'' films or the animated ''Spider-Verse'' films starring Spider-Man's

Aunt May Maybelle "May" Parker-Jameson (née Reilly), commonly known as Aunt May, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Spider-Man. Making her first full appeara ...

was suggested, a notion that Sony previously referred to as "silly".

Television series

''Silk: Spider Society''

Cindy Moon Silk is a Korean American superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Silk is the alias of Cindy Moon, who first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #1 (April 2014) and was created by Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos. S ...

escapes imprisonment after being bitten by a radioactive spider, and is in search of her missing family. By the end of June 2018, Sony and Amy Pascal had begun development on a film centered on the character Cindy Moon / Silk portrayed by

Tiffany Espensen Tiffany Espensen (born February 10, 1999) is an American actress. She began her career as a child actress, before becoming known for her teenaged roles, such as Piper in the 2011 Nickelodeon series ''Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures'' and Beli ...

in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which would be distinct from the version appearing in Sony's animated ''Spider-Women'' film. In late 2019, Silk was identified as a good candidate for a television series, and development on the series version began with Pascal remaining as producer. In September 2020, Lauren Moon was writing and developing the series. In November 2022, the series was titled ''Silk: Spider Society'', when

Angela Kang Angela Kang (born March 23, 1976) is an American television writer known for serving as showrunner on the AMC horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'' for the final three seasons. Early life Kang was born and raised in Irvine, California, th ...

joined to redevelop the series and serve as its

showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also the ...

and an executive producer alongside Pascal and the duo of

Series in development

''Silver & Black'': Sony cancelled its planned female team-up film '' Silver & Black'' in August 2018 with the intention of reworking it as two separate solo films focusing on each of the title characters— Felicia Hardy / Black Cat and

Silver Sable Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical cond ...

. ''Silver & Black'' director Gina Prince-Bythewood was expected to remain involved as a producer. By January 2020, the project was being re-developed as a television series, which Prince-Bythewood confirmed that April. She suggested that it could be a limited series.

Other media

Tie-in comic

A comic book tie-in to ''Venom'', serving as both a prequel and a teaser for the film, was released digitally by Marvel on September 14, 2018, with a physical version available to those who purchased tickets for the film from

AMC Theatres AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (d/b/a AMC Theatres, originally an abbreviation for American Multi-Cinema; often referred to simply as AMC and known in some countries as AMC Cinemas or AMC Multi-Cinemas) is an American movie theater chain fou ...

. Written by Sean Ryan and illustrated by Szymon Kudranski, the comic establishes the film's backstory for the symbiote. SKAN provided the cover art for the comic.

Digital series

In March 2022, Sony promoted ''Morbius'' with the third season of their promotional

web series A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single in ...

The Daily Bugle The ''Daily Bugle'' (at one time ''The DB'') is a fictional New York City tabloid newspaper appearing as a plot element in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The ''Daily Bugle'' is a regular fixture in the Marvel Universe, most ...

'' to

TikTok TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version o ...

, which had been previously used to promote ''Far From Home'' and ''No Way Home''. The videos feature TikToker Nicque Marina as a fictionalized version of herself, reporting on events relative to the events of ''Morbius''.

Cast and characters

Reception

Box office performance

Critical and public response

Accolades

The franchise has been nominated for two

Visual Effects Society Awards The Visual Effects Society (VES) is an entertainment industry organization representing visual effects practitioners including artists, animators, technologists, model makers, educators, studio leaders, supervisors, PR/marketing specialists and pr ...

, among others.

Music

Soundtracks

Singles

References

External links

{{Portal bar, Film, United States, Speculative fiction, Comics Columbia Pictures franchises Continuity (fiction) Fictional universes Film series introduced in 2018 Marvel Entertainment franchises Mass media franchises introduced in 2018 Sony Pictures franchises Spider-Man film series