# Sony's Spider-Man Universe
**Sony's Spider-Man Universe** (SSU) is an American shared-universe film franchise of superhero movies produced by [Sony Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/sony-pictures)' Columbia Pictures, centered on secondary characters from [Spider-Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/spider-man) comics rather than on Spider-Man himself. It comprises six films released between 2018 and 2024, which together grossed $2.17 billion worldwide.[1](https://bengaliexperience.wtf/marvelmultiverseatlas/eras/sonys-spider-man-universe/) The franchise is separate from the [Marvel Cinematic Universe](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-cinematic-universe) (MCU), though the two are connected through the Tom Holland Spider-Man films that Sony co-produces with Marvel Studios, and viewing guides treat the Venom trilogy and Kraven as a separate entity with only occasional crossover.[2](https://www.gamesradar.com/how-to-watch-marvel-movies-in-order-mcu/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Films | Six theatrical releases, 2018 to 2024: Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Morbius, Madame Web, Venom: The Last Dance, and Kraven the Hunter[1](https://bengaliexperience.wtf/marvelmultiverseatlas/eras/sonys-spider-man-universe/) • [3](https://time.com/7202182/is-kraven-the-hunter-the-end-of-sonys-spider-man-universe/) |
| Combined gross | $2.17 billion worldwide across the six films[1](https://bengaliexperience.wtf/marvelmultiverseatlas/eras/sonys-spider-man-universe/) |
| Biggest hit | Venom (2018) grossed over $856 million worldwide despite mixed critical reception[4](https://shapes.inc/fandom/sony-s-spider-man-universe/timeline) |
| Biggest failure | Kraven the Hunter (2024) grossed $62 million worldwide against a reported budget of $110 million or more[5](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/27/sony-spider-man-universe-without-spider-man-pointless) |
| Production spend | A report in The Wrap put Sony's production costs for the franchise at $465 million[3](https://time.com/7202182/is-kraven-the-hunter-the-end-of-sonys-spider-man-universe/) |
| Original name | Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters, used in Sony investor materials in 2019[6](https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/IR/library/presen/irday/pdf/2019/presen_E.pdf) |
| Status | The universe officially ended with Kraven the Hunter, and Sony has planned a reboot[7](https://comicbook.com/movies/feature/the-death-of-sonys-spider-man-universe-explained-how-it-went-from-box-office-records-to-a-reboot-in-8-years/) • [5](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/27/sony-spider-man-universe-without-spider-man-pointless) |
## Origins
Sony Pictures bought the film rights to Spider-Man in 1999, long before [Marvel Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-studios) began producing its own films, and built the character's theatrical franchise on that ownership.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/sep/23/is-it-time-to-put-sonys-spider-man-universe-out-of-its-misery) In February 2015, Sony and Marvel Studios announced a deal under which a new Spider-Man would first appear in an MCU film, with Sony thereafter releasing the next installment of what the press release called its $4 billion Spider-Man franchise, co-produced by Marvel's Kevin Feige and Sony's Amy Pascal. Sony retained financing, distribution, ownership, and final creative control of the Spider-Man films.[9](https://www.sonypictures.com/corp/press_releases/2015/02_15/020915_spiderman.html) That partnership produced [Spider-Man: Homecoming](https://www.edgepedia.org/spider-man-homecoming) (2017), [Spider-Man: Far From Home](https://www.edgepedia.org/spider-man-far-from-home) (2019), and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), while Sony separately re-developed Venom (2018) as a stand-alone film with its own fictional universe.[10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5WMWagyj6w)
The success of Venom and of the animated [Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse](https://www.edgepedia.org/spider-man-into-the-spider-verse) (2018) encouraged Sony to build its own roster of films. In the early 2020s it developed projects under the name Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters, a label it used briefly before settling on Sony's Spider-Man Universe.[11](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/your-full-list-of-all-upcoming-sony-spider-man-universe-movies-with-key-details/) • [6](https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/IR/library/presen/irday/pdf/2019/presen_E.pdf)
## The films
The Venom films anchored the franchise. Venom (2018) opened to mixed reviews but became a massive box-office success, grossing over $856 million worldwide, a result that demonstrated the commercial viability of a Spider-Man-less universe built on anti-heroes.[4](https://shapes.inc/fandom/sony-s-spider-man-universe/timeline) [Venom: Let There Be Carnage](https://www.edgepedia.org/venom-let-there-be-carnage) (2021) continued [Eddie Brock](https://www.edgepedia.org/eddie-brock)'s story, and Venom: The Last Dance (2024) closed the trilogy while introducing the symbiote god Knull, whom director [Kelly Marcel](https://www.edgepedia.org/kelly-marcel) described as the start of a much bigger story.[12](https://bacol.todayz.workers.dev/post-https-me.ign.com/en/movies/225708/feature/sonys-spider-man-universe-how-to-watch-the-venom-and-spider-man-movies-in-chronological-order)
The non-Venom spin-offs fared far worse. Morbius (2022), starring [Jared Leto](https://www.edgepedia.org/jared-leto) as the living vampire Michael Morbius, was undermined by a generic script and a widely mocked post-credits scene bringing back [Michael Keaton](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-keaton)'s Vulture from Spider-Man: Homecoming.[7](https://comicbook.com/movies/feature/the-death-of-sonys-spider-man-universe-explained-how-it-went-from-box-office-records-to-a-reboot-in-8-years/) [Madame Web](https://www.edgepedia.org/madame-web) (2024) became, in one retrospective account, a case study of what can go wrong on a superhero movie, and it notably never shows its lead, Cassandra Webb played by Dakota Johnson, in a recognizable version of her comic costume until the final seconds. It does, however, show baby Peter Parker being born, technically making it one of two SSU films to feature Spider-Man at all, alongside Venom: Let There Be Carnage, whose mid-credits scene shows Peter Parker (Tom Holland) on television.[7](https://comicbook.com/movies/feature/the-death-of-sonys-spider-man-universe-explained-how-it-went-from-box-office-records-to-a-reboot-in-8-years/) • [12](https://bacol.todayz.workers.dev/post-https-me.ign.com/en/movies/225708/feature/sonys-spider-man-universe-how-to-watch-the-venom-and-spider-man-movies-in-chronological-order) • [17](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/venom-let-there-be-carnage-credits-scene-explained) Kraven the Hunter (2024), with Aaron Taylor-Johnson as a hunter whose comic-book target is Spider-Man, ended without the hero ever appearing.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/27/sony-spider-man-universe-without-spider-man-pointless)
## Box office and reception
The franchise's financial record splits cleanly in two. The Venom trilogy performed well enough to sustain the universe, while Morbius, Madame Web, and [Kraven the Hunter](https://www.edgepedia.org/kraven-the-hunter) were, by a Time summary, almost unanimously agreed to be awful, bombing with critics, audiences, and the box office.[3](https://time.com/7202182/is-kraven-the-hunter-the-end-of-sonys-spider-man-universe/) Kraven's $62 million worldwide gross against a reported budget of $110 million or more illustrates the scale of the losses on the later entries.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/27/sony-spider-man-universe-without-spider-man-pointless) Against that, The Wrap reported total production costs of $465 million for the franchise as audience interest steadily declined.[3](https://time.com/7202182/is-kraven-the-hunter-the-end-of-sonys-spider-man-universe/)
Commentators identified a structural problem: the films were built on peripheral figures of the Marvel mythos while the central hero appeared nowhere, and audiences remained largely indifferent to a narrative that lacked him.[7](https://comicbook.com/movies/feature/the-death-of-sonys-spider-man-universe-explained-how-it-went-from-box-office-records-to-a-reboot-in-8-years/) The Venom movies rarely referenced Spider-Man, although Venom: Let There Be Carnage featured [J. Jonah Jameson](https://www.edgepedia.org/j-jonah-jameson) appearing on television discussing Spider-Man and prompting Venom to react, and the franchise offered little connective tissue between projects despite being marketed as an interconnected universe on the MCU model.[13](https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/sony-spider-man-universe-explained-future-movies-plans-king-black-crossover/) • [18](https://www.thewrap.com/venom-2-mid-credits-scene-explained-spider-man-mcu/)
## Relationship with the MCU
The SSU and the MCU are distinct continuities. The Holland Spider-Man films belong to the MCU, and the Sony villain films do not continue that story, though Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) connected the various Spider-Man film universes through its multiverse plot and Venom's brief crossing into the MCU.[2](https://www.gamesradar.com/how-to-watch-marvel-movies-in-order-mcu/) • [13](https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/sony-spider-man-universe-explained-future-movies-plans-king-black-crossover/) The corporate relationship itself wavered: Disney and Sony's deal soured in the early summer of 2019 before being repaired, reportedly at Tom Holland's behest, keeping the character in the MCU.[11](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/your-full-list-of-all-upcoming-sony-spider-man-universe-movies-with-key-details/)
## End and aftermath
Sony's Universe of Spider-Man Characters officially ended with the release of Kraven the Hunter in December 2024.[14](https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/spider-man-spinoff-movies-ranked-worst-best-sony-universe/) In early 2026, reports indicated Sony planned to reboot the franchise, and the studio's Spider-Man-related output has since shifted toward projects that feature the hero or his variants: the MCU film Spider-Man: Brand New Day, released July 31, 2026 through Columbia Pictures; the animated Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, dated June 18, 2027; a Spider-Noir series starring Nicolas Cage as Ben Reilly on Amazon Prime Video; and spin-offs focused on Spider-Gwen and Spider-Punk in development.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/27/sony-spider-man-universe-without-spider-man-pointless) • [15](https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/IR/library/presen/er/pdf/26q1_supplement.pdf) • [16](https://www.creativebloq.com/entertainment/movies-tv-shows/sonys-spider-man-cancellation-explained) Commentators read the shift as an acknowledgment that Spider-Man himself, and his variants, are the brand rather than the villains.[7](https://comicbook.com/movies/feature/the-death-of-sonys-spider-man-universe-explained-how-it-went-from-box-office-records-to-a-reboot-in-8-years/)
## References
1. [Sony's Spider-Man Universe in Order — Every Title, 2018–2024, Marvel Multiverse Atlas](https://bengaliexperience.wtf/marvelmultiverseatlas/eras/sonys-spider-man-universe/)
2. [How to watch the Marvel movies in order, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/how-to-watch-marvel-movies-in-order-mcu/)
3. [Is Kraven the Hunter the End of Sony's Spider-Man Universe?, TIME](https://time.com/7202182/is-kraven-the-hunter-the-end-of-sonys-spider-man-universe/)
4. [Sony's Spider-Man Universe Timeline — Complete Chronology, Shapes](https://shapes.inc/fandom/sony-s-spider-man-universe/timeline)
5. [A Spider-Man Universe without Spider-Man is completely pointless, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/27/sony-spider-man-universe-without-spider-man-pointless)
6. [Sony IR Day 2019 presentation, Sony Corporation](https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/IR/library/presen/irday/pdf/2019/presen_E.pdf)
7. [The Death of Sony's Spider-Man Universe Explained, ComicBook.com](https://comicbook.com/movies/feature/the-death-of-sonys-spider-man-universe-explained-how-it-went-from-box-office-records-to-a-reboot-in-8-years/)
8. [Is it time to put Sony's Spider-Man Universe out of its misery?, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/sep/23/is-it-time-to-put-sonys-spider-man-universe-out-of-its-misery)
9. [Sony Pictures Entertainment Brings Marvel Studios Into The Amazing World Of Spider-Man, Sony Pictures press release](https://www.sonypictures.com/corp/press_releases/2015/02_15/020915_spiderman.html)
10. [BREAKING Sony Pictures Selling SPIDER-MAN Back To Marvel Studios (video description), YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5WMWagyj6w)
11. [Your Full List of All Upcoming Sony Spider-Man Movies and series, Rotten Tomatoes](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/your-full-list-of-all-upcoming-sony-spider-man-universe-movies-with-key-details/)
12. [Sony's Spider-Man Universe: How to Watch the Venom and Spider-Man Movies in Chronological Order, IGN](https://bacol.todayz.workers.dev/post-https-me.ign.com/en/movies/225708/feature/sonys-spider-man-universe-how-to-watch-the-venom-and-spider-man-movies-in-chronological-order)
13. [What's Going on With Sony's Spider-Man Universe?, ComicBook.com](https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/sony-spider-man-universe-explained-future-movies-plans-king-black-crossover/)
14. [Sony's Spider-Man Universe Movies Ranked, Worst To Best, ComicBook.com](https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/spider-man-spinoff-movies-ranked-worst-best-sony-universe/)
15. [Sony FY26.1Q Supplemental Information, Sony Corporation](https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/IR/library/presen/er/pdf/26q1_supplement.pdf)
16. [Sony didn't "cancel" Spider-Man: here's what's really happening, Creative Bloq](https://www.creativebloq.com/entertainment/movies-tv-shows/sonys-spider-man-cancellation-explained)
17. [Venom Let There Be Carnage Credits Scene Explained, syfy.com](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/venom-let-there-be-carnage-credits-scene-explained)
18. [Venom 2 Mid Credits Scene Explained Spider Man Mcu, thewrap.com](https://www.thewrap.com/venom-2-mid-credits-scene-explained-spider-man-mcu/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Superhero and comic-franchise film entries › Comic films of the 2020s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license