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Summary
Sony ’s Spider - Man Universe has a villain problem brought on by theMCU , and it did n’t better with the February 14 , 2024 , release ofMadame Web . ThroughoutVenom , Venom : permit There Be Carnage , Morbius , and nowMadame Web , the Spider - Man Universe villains are often under - explored , underpowered , and a bit one - note . In part , this stems from the complicated deal struck between Sony and Disney , which has left both franchise with right to Marvel substance but with difficult - to - follow rule .
Spider - Man ’s MCU timelinehas been largely successful , but that success has unfortunately not extended tothe villains of Sony ’s Spider - Man Universe . While hope were high-pitched forMadame Web , the latest installing in Sony ’s Spider - Man Universe , Madame Webis already experience inadequate ratingsand rough criticism . While not entirely to blame , Madame Webvillain Ezekial Sims has been mentioned in negative reviews as part of the moving-picture show ’s issues , which continues a long - standing problem for Sony ’s Spider - Man Universe .
Sony ’s Spider - Man Universe is still make its terms in the superhero genre with four divisive movies . Here ’s how they rank against each another .
Sony Spider - Man Universe Movie Title
Sony Spider - Man Universe Release Date
Venom
October 5 , 2018
Venom : Let There Be Carnage
October 1 , 2021
Morbius
April 1 , 2022
Madame Web
February 14 , 2024
Kraven The hunting watch
August 30 , 2024
Venom 3
November 8 , 2024
Madame Web Continues Sony’s Poor Spider-Man Villain Trend
Tahar Rahim ’s Ezekial Sims is , regrettably , a new add-on to the tendency of disappointing villains in Sony ’s Spider - Man Universe , although the way out are not with his playing . Rahim is clearly doing the best he can with savourless , on - the - nozzle dialog and minimum natural action sentence . When Ezekial is n’t delivering line that are only overlook maniacal laughter to be to the full cartoonish , he ’s pursuing the teenage girl he keeps envisioning are the cause of his death , reflecting his obsessive aim in the movie . Unfortunately , once he retrieve them ( repeatedly ) , his main power seems to be crawling after them .
Perhaps the most confusing part of Ezekial Sims is the extent of his powers . It ’s clear he can adhere to rampart and presumably has first-rate strength , but it is n’t clear why a chemical group of teenage girl who have yet to develop their power and a fair sex who only recently discovered she can see the future can overcome him relatively easily — and it ’s almost as confusing as how Cassandra Webb can make it to Peru and back in record clock time . Overall , this was a off-key take on a baddie that could have been excellent , which , sadly for Sony , is not new .
Sony’s Spider-Man Universe Movies Make Spider-Man Villains The Heroes
Part of the proceeds with the villain throughout Sony ’s Spider - Man Universe is that the franchise often get Spider - Man ’s major villains the protagonist , include Venom , Morbius , and Kraven . While the MCU has pull off an anti - hero protagonist many times ( such as with Loki and Wanda , to name two major examples ) , the issue with Sony is that they do n’t then present a villain of their own . While internal conflict or , as is true for Ezekial , a more story - based baddie arc can be effective , as a vogue , it is n’t working . Eventually , Sony will have to commit to action - heavy villain combat .
This is a in particular light comparison for Venom . In Tobey Maguire’sSpider - Man 3,Venom is no doubt the villain , but the plot is complicated , and the fight sequences are unattackable . In fact , while not exactly an anti - hoagy , Spider - Man 3’sEddie Brock can be read as a sympathetic character who has lose his way and is having a bit of a dislocation . This , peculiarly while fighting opposite a Spider - Man who has just fight the vicious influence of Venom and succumbed to it for some time himself , can be seen to have append more dimension to the character than the more linear anti - hero write up found in the Sony universe .
The Multiverse & Venom Ruined Sony’s Spider-Man Villains
Does Marvel’s Sony Deal Restrict Which Villains Can Be Used?
Marvel ’s complicated balancing human activity between the MCU and Sony has raise gainsay for both franchises , which is a shame break how popular Spider - Man and his many allies and villains are with audience . While Tom Holland ’s MCU appearance have been a massive success , the confusing kinship between the two franchises has muddied the amnionic fluid . With Sony and the MCU on the face of it making snap for special character , it ’s easy to do to the finish that an attempt to avoid double up is negatively affect both franchises ' theatrical performance of Spider - Man , although Sony much more so than the MCU .
Although both Sony and Disney have avow repeatedly that the MCU and Sony ’s Spider - Man Universe are separate from one another , the two evidently do require to avoid any double up on characters . Perhaps the unspoiled example of this yield is DirectorRyan Coogler desire Kraven the Hunter inBlack Pantherbut being prevented from doing so . While Coogler ensure Kraven as the perfect resister for Black Panther , Sony and Marvel ’s theatrical role crossover concernsultimately made that unacceptable , with Coogler citing legal reasons for his unfitness to let in that lineament .
Even without taking any legal considerations into write up , it makes sensation that neither dealership would desire to repeat characters , particularly scoundrel , as any such repetition would now absorb comparisons between the two . Specifically for Sony , which has n’t had as successful a streamlet even as the MCU faces dropping box seat office bit and increased criticism , that type of question - to - head teacher comparability would likely not go well . While audiences remain bright that Tom Holland ’s Spider - Man will make an appearance in coming Sony projects , there has n’t been any confirmation ( or much reading ) that his crossing will happen .
The Multiverse Is A Problem For Sony
The Multiverse has foul up Spider - Man ’s stories widely subject , particularly with lumbering hitters Doc Ock and Green Goblin pee-pee a reappearance inSpider - Man : No Way Home(2021 ) . Unfortunately , this exciting update for the MCU mean trouble for Sony ’s Spider - Man Universe . It would be rum , givenNo Way Home’sstoryline , for Sony to on the spur of the moment admit these major villains in standalone movies , reflecting not only an government issue with their potential sound agreement but also with timeline persistence . No elbow room Homeestablished that these villains are in other universes , so it would take some serious deflexion for Sony to make their comprehension work .
The MCU Has Done Spider-Man Villains Better
Although not the biggest of the rascal ’s drift , Spider - Man ’s villains have been much more compelling in the MCU’sSpider - Manmovies . InSpider - Man : Homecoming(2017 ) , while main villain Vulture could n’t be placed on the same stage asAvengersvillains Ultron or Thanos , he was consummate for the first solo Spider - Man fight . The twist that Vulture was also the father of the girl Peter had a crush on was also executed brilliantly .
Mysterio , the villain ofSpider - Man : Far From Home(2019 ) , put up an even strong fight for Spider - Man , and his use of Peter Parker offered a more interesting arc than other villains . More significantly , Mysterio revealing Peter ’s identity operator typeset in motion all the events ofNo Way Homeand has radically reshape Peter ’s ( and Spider - Man ’s ) future . While he almost hover as a villain inNo Way Homein that manner , the appearances of rooter - favored villain cameo from Tobey Maguire’sSpider - Manand Andrew Garfield’sThe Amazing Spider - Manare unbeatable .
Kraven The Hunterwill be the next picture release in Sony ’s Spider - Man Universe , so it remains to be project whether this vogue will persist . alas for Sony , they have thus far seemed unable to get around out of this troublesome trend . While theMCUhas also been taking on some heat for other projects recently , in condition of their ownSpider - Manmovies , the dealership ’s upper hand compared to Sony is undeniable .
