Everyone is very excited about the release of Venom, the long-awaited Tom Hardy take on Spider-Man’s most anti- of anti-hero antagonists. Although oddly, despite Venom primarily being known as a Spider-Man-adjacent character, due to rights issues Spider-Man is unlikely to appear in the film.
Venom you see is a Sony movie, and while Sony do own the rights to Spider-Man (a Marvel character) after having bought the rights from Marvel Comics, Sony has since licensed them back to Marvel Studios, makers of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (isn’t capitalism weird and disgusting?) – which is where Spider-Man: Homecoming came from.
However, Sony still own the rights to most of Spidey’s pals and nemeses, and are determined to get most of them on the big screen in what is apparently known within the Sony camp as SUMC – Sony’s Universe of Marvel Characters, a name it is generous to say “needs work”.
Between the MCU and SUMC, there’s a lot of Spider-and-thereabouts projects on the way and if Venom is a hit (let’s face it, it’s probably going to do very well - Tom Hardy is in it…) we should be able to expect a regular stream of Spidey-villian films for, we don’t know… the next 100 years.
Here’s everything that’s in the pipeline so far…
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Which universe is it in? Oh, you know what? Just to complicate things, this animated movie is in neither the SUMC or the MCU. It’s in its own thing, but also introduces the idea of a multiverse, with Spider-People from different universes encountering one another. Sort of like how in Rick and Morty there’s loads of other Rick and Mortys. Kinda.
What’s the big idea? So, there’ll be the Spider-Man of one universe, Peter Parker, and the Spider-Man of another, Miles Morales, and weird ones like Spider-Man Noir from the Noir Universe – as we say, it’s a big multiverse-spanning celebration of arachnid-based vigilantism.
Who’s involved? There’s an amazing voice cast including Jake Johnston as Peter Parker, Hailee Steinfeld as Spider-Gwen and, incredibly, Nicolas Cage as Spider-Man Noir and John Mulaney as Spider-Ham, from the universe where the radioactive spider bit a pig. Which is bonkers.
Does it have a release date? December this year.
Avengers: Infinity-Plus-One War (actual title TBC)
Which universe is it in? The MCU.
What’s the big idea? Spider-Man was one of the people to find themselves a little less corporeal following the events of Avengers: Infinity War, but logic, release dates, announcements of future films and Tom Holland’s inability to keep his Spider-Gob shut mean it’s pretty much a certainty that he comes back to life in the followup.
Who’s involved? Pretty much everyone involved in Infinity War.
Does it have a release date? May 3rd 2019.
Spider-Man: Far From Home
Which universe is it in? The MCU.
What’s the big idea? This is the dead giveaway for Avengers 4 – Spider-Man: Homecoming has a sequel. This one sees the webslinger having adventures in Europe, hence the title.
Who’s involved? The majority of Spider-Man: Homecoming’s cast are returning – Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Zendaya, Marisa Tomeia and Jacob Batalon – plus Jake Gyllenhaal is showing up as Mysterio (amazing), and Samuel L Jackson and Cobie Smulders are expected to pop up as Nick Fury and Maria Hill.
Does it have a release date? July 5th 2019
Morbius The Living Vampire
Which universe is it in? The SUMC.
What’s the big idea? Morbius – who it’s rumoured might show up in Venom, or at least be mentioned – is another Spider-Man baddie who went on to be the star of his own stories. He’s a scientist turned vampire, a man who in trying to cure his blood condition accidentally transforms himself into something that very much resembles Dracula. Obviously.
Who’s involved? Jared Leto is playing Morbius (as you can see from above, he’s pretty much a dead ringer for the character), and Daniel Espinoza, director of Life (the one with Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds that weirdly seemed like it could be a Venom prequel) is directing.
Does it have a release date? No
Kraven The Hunter
Which universe is it in? The SUMC.
What’s the big idea? Initially a second-tier, slightly silly character who showed up, fought Spider-Man, lost to him and that was that, Kraven the Hunter became a more complex character in the ‘80s, particularly in one storyline where he appeared to have killed Spider-Man and taken over his role in order to prove he can do everything better. It’s a powerful, moving storyline which would make a great film but needs Spider-Man in it…
Who’s involved? The amusingly-named Richard Wenk, screenwriter of The Equalizer, is writing it.
Does it have a release date? No.
Black Cat
Which universe is it in? The SUMC.
What’s the big idea? For a while this was going to be called Silver & Black and focus on Silver Sable and Black Cat, two more of Spider-Man’s extensive rogues’ gallery, but it is now apparently being retooled to focus solely on Black Cat. The daughter of a famous jewel thief, Felicia Hardy follows him into the family business, combining extreme cunning with incredible acrobatic skills and, in some comic iterations, “the psionic ability to affect probability fields”, a.k.a the power of ‘good luck’. Her costume, as shown above, makes no sense for a burglar yet loads of sense for a character designed to make twelve-year-old boys feel a bit funny under their tummies and truthfully, it’s 2018 now and that stuff isn’t really cool anymore.
Who’s involved? Director Gina Prince-Blythewood (Love & Basketball, The Secret Life of Bees) has just left the project as director but remains a producer on it.
Does it have a release date? No.
Silver Sable
Which universe is it in? The SUMC.
What’s the big idea? In a move which seems engineered to make this article “too long”, as well as Silver & Black being retooled into a solo film, Silver Sable is getting her own film. The character is a stoic mercenary and fighter of Nazis. Her skills are effectively - being silver and being hard as nails with most weapons and also without any weapons. Standard stuff really.
Who’s involved? Nobody as yet.
Does it have a release date? No.
Nightwatch
Which universe is it in? The SUMC.
What’s the big idea? We wrote more about it here, but he’s generally a pretty deep-cut character, a doctor with a nanotechnology suit he acquired from a future version of himself. Again, this makes it sound a bit like that one specific episode of Rick and Morty where future Rick gives him the portal device. But we’re assuming it’s probably not really that. Even though it definitely is.
Who’s involved? Spike Lee is set to direct, which actually gives us quite a lot of hope for this one.
Does it have a release date? No.
Silk
Which universe is it in? The SUMC.
What’s the big idea? After being bitten by the same spider as Peter Parker, Korean-American Cindy Moon generates similarly spiderlike powers, then trains for years with an eccentric billionaire, ending up with powers even more impressive than Parker’s. It’ll be a tricky one to do without including Spider-Man himself, though – if he isn’t in it for her to be a more badass version of, then the character could look like a bit of a cheap ripoff.
Who’s involved? Nobody as yet. Nickelodeon star Tiffany Espensen played Cindy Moon in Spider-Man: Homecoming, but that was the MCU so don’t get your hopes up. God, it’s all so complicated.
Does it have a release date? No.
Jackpot
Which universe is it in? The SUMC.
What’s the big idea? Jackpot’s story takes place within a larger Marvel tale in which superheroes are licensed and government sanctioned – as a superhero identity, the Jackpot name is passed back and forth between two characters over the course of several years, like wrestling gimmicks sometimes are. Both holders of the name are superhuman costumed vigilantes, although one got her powers from exposure to experimental gene therapy and the second from what are essentially mutant steroids.
Who’s involved? Nobody yet.
Does it have a release date? No.
