It's unclear what the future holds for Sony's Marvel franchise hasn't managed to match the success of its behemoth cousins, however, throwing its future into jeopardy.

So far, Sony has released five live-action movies in its shared Marvel universe, each focused on announced project in Sony's Spider-Man Universe, so while some of Sony's other Marvel franchises continue to achieve success, the future is far more uncertain for the SSU itself.

Sony’s Spider-Man Universe Has No Announced Marvel Movies After Kraven The Hunter

Kraven The Hunter Will Premiere On December 13, 2024

Kraven the Hunter, directed by J. C. Chandor and starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the titular role, will mark the sixth movie in as many years of Sony's Spider-Man Universe. The franchise kicked off with Venom in 2018, yet its future is looking far more uncertain. There are currently no announced movies or TV shows set within the world of the SSU scheduled to be released after Kraven the Hunter, which has led to some speculation that the franchise may quietly be coming to an end. After several recent failures, this wouldn't exactly be surprising.

While the Venom franchise has always performed fairly well, Morbius and Madame Web were critical and commercial failures for Sony. There are several SSU projects that are presumably still in development, including those focused on El Muerto, Hypno-Hustler and Jackpot, and those penned by Roberto Orci and Olivia Wilde. However, updates on these projects have been scarce, and the TV side of the franchise has never managed to get off the ground, with production on Silver & Black and Silk: Spider Society seeming very unlikely after recent developments.

Sony Has Set Up Knull As A Thanos-Level Villain But His Future Remains Unclear

What makes the emptiness of Sony's Marvel release schedule even more confusing is that the SSU's most recent movie, Venom: The Last Dance, established a new Thanos-level threat for the franchise. Andy Serkis debuted as Knull, the creator of the Symbiotes, in Venom: The Last Dance, with the formidable and terrifying villain teasing his release from imprisonment and rampage across Sony's Spider-Man Universe. Knull has the potential to be a significant threat to the franchise for years to come, but his future hasn't yet been confirmed.

It seems unlikely that Knull will appear in the more-grounded Kraven the Hunter, and with no further projects announced for Sony's Spider-Man Universe, the villain's appearance in Venom: The Last Dance may have been rendered meaningless. There has been speculation that Knull, who is important for the maintenance of the multiverse in Marvel Comics, could crossover into the MCU, perhaps in Destin Daniel Cretton's Spider-Man 4. However, neither Sony nor Marvel Studios has commented on these rumors, potentially making Knull one of Sony's biggest casualties.

The SSU's Best Future Lies With Furthering Sony's Deal With Marvel Studios

Since its inception in 2018, Sony's Spider-Man Universe has always battled against the might of its more-established and much-more-successful cousin, the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel Studios' franchise has delivered almost 50 projects across film, TV and animation since it began in 2008, and has many more announced and in development for the years to come, putting Sony's Spider-Man Universe to shame. Sony's deal with Marvel Studios, established in 2015, allowed Tom Holland to debut as Peter Parker's Spider-Man in the MCU, and strengthening this deal could prove beneficial to Sony.

Marvel Studios is evidently better at producing Marvel projects than Sony, as proven by the immense success of the MCU and the faltering popularity of Sony's Spider-Man Universe. Because of this, it would make sense for Sony to choose to end its own Marvel franchise, and perhaps fold its characters into the MCU proper. This would give Marvel Studios more freedom when developing future Spider-Man movies and new solo projects, while also giving Sony a cut of the more-successful pie. Crucially, this would also provide audiences with a more expansive and better quality franchise full of Spider-Man-related characters.

1 Area Of Sony’s Marvel Future Has A Bright Future

While Sony's live-action Spider-Man Universe might not be faring so well, there is one corner of the studio's Marvel future that is looking up. Funnily enough, this actually focuses on Spider-Man, or at least derivatives of the iconic wall-crawler from Marvel Comics. The animated Spider-Verse movies have been smash-hits for Sony Animation, but the Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse will end the trilogy. In its place, however, Nicolas Cage's Spider-Man Noir will return in live-action in his own series, and there is a great deal of anticipation for this project.

Development began on Spider-Noir in February 2023, and Cage was confirmed to be reprising his role from 2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in May 2024. This was a huge update for the series, which is set to premiere on MGM+ and Amazon Prime Video in the not-too-distant future, which has made Spider-Noir one of the most anticipated and exciting Marvel projects in any franchise. However, Spider-Noir is set in an alternate reality to that of the SSU, and will not be connected to the movies at all, so the future of Sony's Spider-Man Universe itself still needs clarification.

Sony's Marvel Movie Release Dates