Over the next twelve months, there are a whopping nine superhero movies coming from four different studios, a new record from the industry. But while there are reasons to get excited for Earth's Mightiest Heroes and The Amazing Spider-Man rebooted to keep the rights, then a sequel tried to set up an entire universe of spinoffs but failed so badly the entire thing was scrapped and the character moved over to the MCU. Even after Fox delivered X-Men Origins: Wolverine and DC spiraled ever downwards with the Justice League series, Sony's tact has remained the low-bar for the genre.But they seem to have learned from their mistakes, diversifying the output and taking chances. Here's how 2018 could be the year of the alternative Spider-Men.What Makes Sony's 2018 Spider-Man Films So Exciting? (This Page)
Tom Hardy's Venom Hasn't Put A Foot Wrong
The prospect of a Venom movie has been around for years. It was one of the first Amazing spinoffs announced (along with , made over $500 million) and an incredibly close release date of October 5, 2018 (it was a little over 19 months at the time). After everything that had happened prior, it felt as if Sony had tasted the return of Spidey success from Civil War and rushed to double down. Things did not look good.
And then they cast Tom Hardy.
No casting in recent memory has had quite a fundamental shift on the perception of a project as Hardy as Eddie Brock. Because of the actor's general discerning approach to his roles - even if the movies aren't hits, there's a clear depth to the characters he plays - all of a sudden Venom gained legitimacy. This wasn't a run-and-gun brand exercise, but a deep, brutal character piece. The later additions of Riz Ahmed, Woody Harrelson, and Michelle Williams only further sealed the deal. Add on the flair of Zombieland's Ruben Fleischer and an R-rating and it ticks a shocking number of boxes. Whether it can deliver is another matter, but the hype is real - all thanks to Tom.
Read More: Why Tom Hardy is the Perfect Actor to Play Venom
The move also reshaped the perception of the wider spin-off enterprise. Sony has always wanted to pivot into Spider-Man-lite rogue gallery movies, and are speeding ahead with the Dark Universe - but that the creative angle on Venom appears to be somewhat about quality cultivates excitement for the rest regardless of how they end connecting to each other or the MCU.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Moves The Brand Beyond Peter Parker
We've known about the Animated Spider-Man film since 2014, but despite some very smart casting - Shameik Moore as Miles Morales, The LEGO Movie. That latter masterwork appears to be the reason they're here, and from the trailer they've come over to the Marvel world successfully.
That teaser did for Spider-Verse was Hardy did for Venom. With eye-popping visuals and an art style at once fluid and comic-inspired, it felt wholly unique in a well-defined genre. We still know very little about what the film entails beyond the presence of multiple Spider-Men, and so making declarations beyond hype are tricky, but the potential for this one is massive. After all, while animation is well-revered in of comic book adaptations, there's not been many high-profile, wide release cases; the most "recent" is The Incredibles, which was an original idea and came out fourteen years ago.
Why Sony Beats The Competition
We've established why Sony are ones to watch in 2018, but why is that enough to make hype for their two movies stronger than the lofty competition? It's not a case of any of the others lacking in hype - the overused phrase "it's a good time to be a superhero fan" is truer now than ever - rather than Sony's positives rise above the other's shortcomings.
There's no denying Marvel's really upping their game in 2018 - and looks set to reap the box office rewards as a result. Each of their three releases offers things we haven't seen before and thanks to an unprecedented seventeen movie run come with an assured sense of quality. But there is still the formula: Marvel movies are marked out as a type beyond the opening logo, with a classical plot structure (especially for origin films), weak villains who exist to only lionize the heroes, and an overbearing sense of humor and "fun" even if the story doesn't demand it. This doesn't make them bad, but can lead to a rather rigid set of films, with directors simply putting their outside stamp on the same machine. We know what to expect - and what not to.
Related: The Marvel Cinematic Universe's Movie Villain Problem
If any trio can break through that complaint, it's Ryan Coogler, the Russo brothers, and Peyton Reed, but in light of this, everything Sony is doing feels unique, which is definitely appealing after nearly two decades of the genre. It's also worth noting that within the formula one of the key appeals for the MCU this year comes from Sony: Spider-Man. It's Marvel Studios who've returned Peter Parker to past glories, but any success with the character in Infinity War has to be in some small part attributed to the studio doing the loaning.
Meanwhile, DC is essentially taking a year off to reassess their shared universe, something that was always the plan but very helping considering they're still recovering from the critical and box office disaster of Justice League. There's only one film coming from the DC Films label - Aquaman - and despite being directed by perpetually entertaining popcorn expert James Wan, the character's blunt introduction in Batman v Superman and Justice League leaves massive question marks. It's hard to not plump for Eddie Brock.
Finally, there's Fox, which is the studio Sony's closest to in feel (at least with their villain series). The X-Men have grown a lot in the past few years and 2018 has always been marked as their time for expansion, with three releases for the first time ever (they did two in 2016). What's so remarkable is that those three films continue the trend for more varied, higher-reaching and adult genre fare started with the raunchiness of Deadpool sequel/spinoff X-Force is still on the cards). Plainly put, there's forward momentum at Sony, not at Fox.
Sony's New Future Begins in 2018
Sony has long been a laughing stock amongst movie fans, and not just with superhero output either; out of all the major studios they're the ones who seem to flail to almost comedic measures, consistently turning in inexplicable reboots and bizarre original properties (with only Bond to bring in some prestige and money). This peaked with the All The Money in the World and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.
This is reflected in their Spidey expansion. Sony have always had a near-limitless cast of characters care of the character's film rights, but until now have felt restricted by Peter Parker. That's understandable considering their ownership dates back to a time when only Batman and Superman were believed able to front a Hollywood production, but Avengers and X-Men shows the depths audiences are willing to go. They started off trying the shared universe route, building things off the main Spider-Man series, but after Deadpool and, to a lesser extent due to prior connections, Logan, it's become apparent (or, should it be, re-apparent) audiences will come out for good stories. Venom and Into the Spider-Verse, above all, look like good stories.
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It's still unclear at this point whether the two diametrically opposed Spidey films will succeed, and if the studio's long-term plans for a Spider-lite superhero universe really can be pulled off, but as it stands they offer something more collectively exciting than the rest of the pack. Now let's just how they don't Sony it up.
