Warning! Spoilers ahead for Morbius.
Sony’s Spider-Man Universe is building a franchise filled with iconic Marvel villains, but Morbius confirms that these characters aren’t villainous enough. With hundreds of heroes populating the MCU and dozens of new Avengers being introduced in Phase 4, it would be a breath of fresh air to spend some time with the villains. Sony’s Spider-Man Universe is the ideal place to do this, as it not only presents characters like Venom, Carnage, and Morbius as some of the most notable superhumans in their home universe but also gives them a darker edge than heroes like Captain America or Spider-Man.
Logically, the audience should empathize with the main characters in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe — to some degree. Venom and Morbius have sided with the heroes multiple times in the comics, and they generally come to blows with Spider-Man due to conflicting motivations rather than out of pure villainy. The previous SSU movies Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage understood this and rightfully earned their titular symbiote-infused character the “Lethal Protector” nickname long before he met Spider-Man.
Morbius sheds some light on where this approach is lacking. The movie promised to be the closest Marvel would get to the horror genre, where the antagonistic force of the story is the main draw. Like Pennywise and Hannibal Lecter, Morbius could have been a charismatic villain who both attracts audiences and demands to be stopped by the good guys. His involuntary thirst for blood also provides an interesting twist, as he can’t control the impulses that make him a monster. Unfortunately, what could have been a very unique conflict in the superhero genre became instead a straightforward battle between a hero and his dark mirror — an overused trope that has been worn down by countless superhero movies already, ranging from Iron Man to the pairing of Doctor Strange and WandaVision.
In the SSU, Venom’s hunger for human brains has been kept in check quite easily, and he has focused his efforts on stopping two evil versions of himself: Riot and Carnage. Given how patently evil these two symbiotes are, Venom’s heroism has been unquestionable. Similarly, Morbius’ dependence on blood is still unresolved by the end of Morbius, and yet, he already established himself as a full-fledged hero when he saved New York from his dark counterpart and former friend, the vampiric Milo. Kraven the Hunter risks repeating the same story with a fully heroic Kraven, who could take a stand against another mercenary, his brother Dmitri Smerdyakov a.k.a. Chameleon.
Without the need to tie directly into the MCU, Sony had the chance to make Marvel movies that truly stood apart from anything Disney had done so far. Horror-inspired films centered on iconic Marvel villains could have been revolutionary. And if a Sinister Six team-up is Sony’s endgame, it is even more fitting to introduce characters who will be willing to tear Spider-Man apart. Otherwise, it will be difficult to believe that these villains will refuse to join forces with Spider-Man before duking it out. After all, Venom and Morbius proved themselves to be heroes just like him.
Key Release Dates
Kraven the Hunter
Release Date:2024-08-30
