10 Sony Spider-Man Universe Problems 2024’s Cancelled Movie Could Have Solved

January 2024 was supposed to have been the release date for the Sony Marvel movie El Muerto, and there were several problems that it could have solved before it got canceled. After being announced in April 2022, El Muerto was initially planned to star Puerto Rican musician and actor Bad Bunny and depict the story of the Mexican luchador granted powers by his mask. Since then, the movie has been pulled from Sony’s production schedule, and Bad Bunny has all but confirmed that the movie is no longer in production. Instead, Madame Web is the next movie in the shared cinematic universe set to release on February 14.

The eponymous El Muerto, real name Juan-Carlos Sánchez, is one of the less well-known Spider-Man villains and would have been a real departure from the norm had Sony stuck with the original plan. Spider-Man villains are among the most famous in comic book history, with the likes of Venom, Morbius, and Kraven the Hunter boasting enough star power to warrant their own movies. El Muerto, on the other hand, would have been a risky endeavor for Sony – but there are myriad reasons why it could have paid off for the studio.

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10 El Muerto Could Have Properly Introduced Spider-Man

El Muerto’s Origin Is More Closely Linked To Spider-Man

So far, the Sony Spider-Man Universe has yet to physically feature its titular hero beyond Easter eggs throughout the franchise. El Muerto could have been the movie to finally change this, either by physically featuring the iconic web-slinger or through passing mention. El Muerto’s unusual origin story is inexorably linked to Spider-Man in the comics, as he is tasked with unmasking a hero to survive the wrath of El Dorado and resolves to make that hero Spider-Man in the wrestling ring. This would have made it difficult for the movie to deal with El Muerto’s origin without at least referencing Spider-Man once.

9 El Muerto Was A Chance To Reset What Audiences Thought Of The Sony Spider-Man Universe

El Muerto Could Have Reinvigorated The Franchise As The Dust Settles After Morbius

Although it isn’t beyond redemption, the Sony Spider-Man Universe is a mixed bag so far. Its early reputation may have been propped up by the success of Venom, but Morbius is a widely lambasted and gleefully memed-on Marvel movie that Sony needs to veer away from. El Muerto was an opportunity to flip the script with a villain so unique and obscure that Sony had free reign to take the movie in whatever direction it pleased.

8 El Muerto Could’ve Established The Sony Spider-Man Universe’s First Hero

El Muerto Is Easier To Turn Into A Hero

The Sony Spider-Man Universe has committed to depicting the origin stories of various Spider-Man villains, but El Muerto is decidedly less villainous than the franchise’s current stars. His powers and origins are inextricably linked to the mask that he wears under duress, with his reluctant adoption of the El Muerto moniker forced upon him by the godlike villain El Dorado. His tussle with Spider-Man is more a matter of necessity than nefariousness. This makes El Muerto a more sympathetic figure and distinctly less terrifying than a symbiote that hungers for human flesh.

7 El Muerto Could’ve Expanded The Sony Spider-Man Universe’s Audience Way Further

Bad Bunny Has Huge Star Power

One of the more exciting factors of El Muerto was the star cast in the titular role: Bad Bunny. The musician and actor caused a stir when he featured as The Wolf in Brad Pitt’s Bullet Train and was publicly very enthusiastic about his potential tenure as a prominent Marvel character. Aside from bringing a fresh face to the industry, and one with a lot of potential, the movie would have also benefitted from Bad Bunny’s vast popularity.

Bad Bunny is one of the biggest musicians in the world and carries the fan base to prove it. Sony could have capitalized on Bad Bunny’s star power, bringing in a brand-new audience to the comic book movie fold as his legion of fans would have no doubt flocked to see him in a starring movie role. As the icing on the cake, Bad Bunny has frequently appeared in WWE, including in the ring, extending his influence further while cementing his credentials to star as a wrestling antihero.

6 El Muerto Could Have Simplified The Sony Spider-Man Universe

El Muerto Could Have Interacted With Venom Or Morbius

While it is still in its early stages, the connectivity of the Sony Spider-Man Universe movies is incredibly vague. El Muerto may have been the movie to start bringing the cinematic universe together. From what has been seen thus far, Madame Web looks like it will largely take place at a time that precedes Venom and Morbius, leaving little room for the movie to start bridging the gaps within the shared universe. El Muerto could have dealt with a modern-day character’s experience of the events that take place in the cinematic franchise.

5 El Muerto Could Reestablish The Sony Spider-Man Universe’s Tone

El Muerto Could Have Been More Lighthearted

Similarly to how El Muerto could have helped steer Sony away from the sour taste left by Morbius, Sony could have re-established the tone for its franchise by using the innately larger-than-life concept of its main star to its advantage. Having a well-known musician star as a Luchador with a mystical mask opens the door wide for a more colorful and entertaining depiction of a Sony Spider-Man Universe movie. El Muerto was a solid opportunity for Sony to emulate the off-the-wall yet initially successful tonal shift of the Thor franchise, for instance. Instead, Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter look set to continue Sony’s more serious themes.

4 El Muerto Could Have Proved The Sony Spider-Man Universe Can Have A Good Box Office Even Without Venom

El Muerto Was Another Opportunity For Sony To Emulate Venom’s Success

So far, Venom is the flagship franchise of the Sony Spider-Man Universe, with the original raking in over $800 million for the studio and its sequel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, earning just over $500 million. Unsurprisingly, Morbius failed to repeat that success, leaving Sony in want of a movie that could hold a candle to its debut offering. El Muerto’s main star, along with a solid script, could have helped to prove that Sony’s lineup of movies includes more than just one character capable of pulling in a significant profit for the studio. Instead, that responsibility now rests with Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter.

3 El Muerto Could Have Set Up Way More Marvel Villains For The Franchise

El Muerto’s Obscurity Could Have Helped Introduce New Characters

While El Muerto is a more obscure Spider-Man character, Sony could have leaned into this obscurity and turned it into one of his main strengths. Given that El Muerto’s mythos is far less fleshed out than his cohorts, Sony has more scope to incorporate many other villains, both obscure and recognizable, as part of his origin story. By contrast, Venom’s comic book lore is exceptionally rich with a definitive origin story that Sony could hardly stray from without generating ire from fans, with Venom’s main interactions being with Spider-Man or other Symbiotes.

2 El Muerto Could Have Had A Truly Great Soundtrack

Bad Bunny’s Musical Talents Could Have Been Reflected In The Soundtrack

While details around the movie never developed far beyond its main star, the fact that Bad Bunny is a well-known musician could have been particularly conducive to the quality of the movie’s soundtrack. Much like the movie itself, the Venom theme penned by Eminem received mixed reactions and constitutes just one stand-out moment of musicality in an otherwise cut-and-dry movie soundtrack. With Bad Bunny starring, the El Muerto soundtrack could have been markedly different and a particularly outstanding feature, leaning into the musical talents of its star to formulate something that may have even held a candle to Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse.

1 El Muerto Could Have Grounded The Larger-Than-Life Sony Universe

El Muerto Is An Underdog

It is no secret that audiences love an underdog, and El Muerto, a wrestler with pretty uninspiring powers granted through a mystical mask, could have fit that bill perfectly. When compared to the current lineup of Spider-Man characters in the Sony Spider-Man Universe, El Muerto is a decidedly more grounded character with the potential to garner widespread empathy as a more mundane star of the franchise. El Muerto‘s reluctant involvement in the paranormal chaos of the world around him could have quickly turned him into a fan favorite had his involvement in the Sony Spider-Man Universe not been curtailed.