Sony needs a fresh approach to fix its Spider-Man universe

The Sony Spider-Man Universe (SSU) is effectively dead. It ended not with a bang but with a dud in Kraven the Hunter. Despite the Venom trilogy’s financial success, the successive failures of Morbius, Madame Web and Kraven left the initiative in tatters, and Sony Pictures Chairman Tom Rothman has since announced a “fresh reboot” with “new people” as the MCU’s first trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day renews interest in Peter Parker’s world.

The SSU’s problems began as an attempt to mimic the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sony leaned on loosely connected, often poorly conceived spin-offs rather than building a cohesive shared franchise, and Marvel Studios leadership seemed uninterested in involvement.

That lack of interconnectivity eroded a key strength of the MCU, and centering films on obscure characters or stretching villains into leads produced misfires such as Morbius, Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter. A different strategy would prioritize Spider-heroes over more villain origin films.

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