Sony’s Spider-Man Universe had the prospect to adapt some nice Marvel characters from the comics, however the franchise ended up not doing its greatest for fairly a couple of of them, and now that the SSU is over, their potential has been wasted. Kraven the Hunter is reportedly the ultimate film within the SSU. It is smart, because the movie completed its worldwide field workplace run with simply $61.8 million. That whole is the worst of all SSU motion pictures.
It additionally makes Kraven the Hunter the one movie within the franchise to gross underneath $100 million. All of this exhibits that curiosity within the SSU was at an all-time low by the tip of 2024, which is why not one of the 2025 Marvel motion pictures come from the franchise, which eliminated its June 27, 2025, launch date for an untitled film. Through the years, many thrilling characters have been wasted by the SSU, which embody the next:
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Anne Weying
Eddie Brock’s Ex-Fiancée In The Venom Franchise
First up is Anne Weying. The character is just not a significant one in Marvel Comics, however the SSU might positively have completed extra together with her than it did. Within the franchise, Michelle Williams gave life to Anne in two out of three Venom motion pictures. Anne was Eddie Brock’s ex-fiancée. Williams had nice chemistry with Tom Hardy, which is why her not being included in Venom: The Final Dance in any respect was bizarre.
2018’s Venom noticed Anne briefly don the symbiote, nevertheless it by no means actually delved into her being She-Venom because it might have.
Within the comics, Anne takes up the title of She-Venom, displaying a extra harmful facet of her. 2018’s Venom noticed Anne briefly don the symbiote, nevertheless it by no means actually delved into her being She-Venom because it might have. With the ultimate film within the Venom trilogy introducing a number of symbiotes and characters bonding with them, it was the right alternative for Anne’s potential to be realized, however she was nowhere to be seen.
9
Rhino
One Of Kraven The Hunter’s Fundamental Villains
Rhino ended up being one of many important villains and the largest bodily risk to Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Kraven in Kraven the Hunter. Whereas one might argue that he was not wasted within the sense that Sony’s Spider-Man Universe gave the Spider-Man villain an enormous position, what he ended up doing within the movie was not as thrilling because it might have been. There may be additionally the difficulty that Rhino’s dialogue was riddled with exposition.
Including to that, the “silent scream,” because it has been described by SSU Rhino actor Alessandro Nivola, was one of the vital cringeworthy moments within the SSU. After Rhino was handled as a joke in The Superb Spider-Man 2, Kraven the Hunter tried to make him horrifying. Moments like that scream detracted from that, and the villain’s plan might have been higher labored out. Rhino’s potential to enhance was reduce brief by Sony’s choice to kill him in Kraven the Hunter.
8
Carnage
The Villain Of Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Carnage is likely one of the hottest villains in Marvel Comics. There’s a lot that may be completed with the character. Even in a shared universe that doesn’t have Spider-Man, Carnage might very properly function Venom’s important villain, which the SSU did for Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Nevertheless, the truth that the darkish villain was given a PG-13 film as an alternative of an R-rated one was a waste of his potential.
Carnage is the kind of bloodthirsty character who might thrive in a extra mature movie. As an alternative, Sony watered down the character, losing what was an ideal piece of casting. Woody Harrelson has the appearing abilities to make Cletus Kasady simply as a lot of a daunting power as his symbiote. Nevertheless, that was not the case in his Venom film look, and Carnage deserved higher.
7
Knull
Venom: The Final Dance Teased A Villain Return That Might By no means Occur
Knull is the poster boy for wasted potential within the SSU. If there’s one main character from the comics that was introduced in solely to do nothing, then it needs to be Knull. The character was arrange because the villain from the shadows in Venom: The Final Dance. Knull’s powers embody with the ability to ship his Xenophages by way of portals to anyplace within the universe.
Nevertheless, the villain remained trapped in Klyntar for the entire film. One among Venom: The Final Dance‘s most complicated moments comes from Knull’s return within the post-credits scene. With Venom sacrificing himself, the Codex, which is the important thing to releasing Knull, was destroyed. As such, the villain’s return, with Knull claiming that he was coming for every little thing, made little sense. By the tip of the Venom trilogy, Knull’s predicament merely didn’t change in any respect, so his risk meant little or no.
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Chameleon
The Villain Solely Began To Shine At The Finish Of Kraven The Hunter
The Chameleon had little or no to do in Kraven the Hunter. The character was truly enjoying an extended recreation from the shadows to take over his father’s felony empire. The one downside with that’s the villain ended up not enjoying as a lot of an lively position within the movie as he might have. Chameleon’s time within the SSU movie was largely devoted to his backstory.
Associated
Kraven the Hunter’s closing field workplace numbers are in, and its failure exhibits why Sony’s Spider-Man Universe was proper to take away a 2025 film date.
It was solely on the finish of the movie that Fred Hechinger’s Marvel character turned his comedian book-accurate self. Chameleon was now capable of change form and switch into anybody he wished to impersonate. Sadly, Kraven the Hunter was the SSU’s greatest field workplace bomb. As such, Chameleon’s story won’t ever be continued, which is a waste, because the character had solely began to get good after not doing a lot within the movie.
5
Ben Parker
Spider-Man’s Greatest Connection In The SSU
Severance‘s Adam Scott performed Ben Parker, aka Uncle Ben, in Madame Net. Scott’s position within the SSU film was saved a secret for a key motive, with the beginning of the movie confirming that he was certainly Peter Parker’s iconic uncle from Marvel Comics. It was enjoyable to see a youthful model of Uncle Ben onscreen, and Scott was simply probably the greatest characters within the movie due to his charisma.
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Each Actor Who Has Performed Uncle Ben Parker In Films |
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|---|---|
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Cliff Robertson |
Spider-Man (2002) |
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Martin Sheen |
The Superb Spider-Man (2012) |
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Cliff Robertson (Voice Solely) |
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018) |
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Adam Scott |
Madame Net (2024) |
The issue is that Madame Net ought to have leaned extra into that character if he was to be included. Whereas Ben helps Dakota Johnson’s Cassandra Webb at instances, he spends lengthy intervals with out displaying up. Madame Net was at its strongest when Ben and Cassandra’s chemistry was the main target of the movie. If Uncle Ben needed to seem, then he ought to have performed a extra lively position within the story and been with Cassandra by way of her journey.
4
Foreigner
Kraven The Hunter’s Highly effective Villain Shrouded In Thriller
The Foreigner is kind of an obscure character in Marvel Comics. Nevertheless, Kraven the Hunter introduced him in a mysterious mild that made the villain extra attention-grabbing. The issue is there was by no means actually any payoff to the mysteries constructed across the character. The Foreigner’s origin isn’t actually defined, and whereas his powers have been cool visually and harmful for his enemies, he had the potential to be greater.
Similar to Rhino, the Foreigner is a personality who suffers from Sony’s imaginative and prescient for the movie. The studio didn’t intend for the villain to return for the attainable Kraven the Hunter sequel that may now by no means come. The Foreigner was killed by Calypso, who shot him within the eye with a crossbow. The Foreigner was an attention-grabbing character who ought to have been developed extra as an alternative of simply wanting cool and dying with mysteries unsolved, much like Star Wars’ Boba Fett.
3
Julia Cornwall
Sydney Sweeney’s Marvel Potential Was Wasted On Madame Net
Sydney Sweeney is likely one of the hottest names in Hollywood proper now. The actress is being wanted by main studios and isn’t out of labor. That’s the reason getting her for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe amid the criticism the franchise confronted was stunning. Madame Net‘s gifted solid was the primary factor the film had going for it earlier than launch. Nevertheless, Sweeney’s Marvel character was not dealt with properly.
Sydney Sweeney is rumored to be enjoying Black Cat within the MCU’s Spider-Man 4.
Julia Cornwall behaved nothing like her comedian guide counterpart does. In Madame Net, she is a shy teen who is simply too afraid to have an lively position within the story. Within the comics, Julia Carpenter is a extra charismatic and succesful character. Sweeney’s position didn’t add a lot to the movie, and that may be a disgrace, as Julia’s time as Spider-Lady would have been extra attention-grabbing to see than what Madame Net did together with her.
2
Anya Corazón
One other Spider-Woman Wasted By Madame Net
Sweeney’s Julia Cornwall was not the one one in every of Madame Net‘s Spider-Ladies to be completed soiled by the film. One of many greatest points in a movie riddled with flaws is that the long run scenes with the Spider-Man-like heroines have been what the film ought to have been about within the first place. Isabela Merced’s Anya Corazón is likely one of the most well-known Spider-Man-like heroes in Marvel Comics.
The issue with Merced’s Anya Corazón is that she is the least memorable of the trio of Spider-Ladies within the movie. Whereas Sydney Sweeney’s Julia Cornwall was the good-natured, shy teen and Celeste O’Connor’s Mattie Franklin was the daring, imply lady, Merced’s Marvel character stood in between. As such, she had no discernible character that made the character pop. Hopefully, James Gunn’s DC Universe will deal with the actress higher when she seems as Hawkgirl in July’s Superman film.
1
Mattie Franklin
Madame Net Did Not Deal with Its Spider-Ladies Proper
Lastly, Mattie Franklin is the third and final of the Spider-Ladies from Madame Net that Sony’s Spider-Man Universe might have completed rather a lot higher with. Similar to the opposite two teen characters within the film, Franklin’s actions and character felt pressured. It’s as if Madame Net wished the trio to suit sure character archetypes and forgot to make them characters that the viewers would join with and care about.
As an alternative of simply being cool, it felt just like the film was making an attempt too exhausting to make Mattie Franklin the cool one of many trio. The character had some cringeworthy strains and moments within the movie, like being excited by the terrible diner dance scene for the fellows there. Mattie had a variety of potential as a hero who softened as she bought her powers. Sadly, Sony’s Spider-Man Universe selected to depart the Spider-Ladies’ powers as a imaginative and prescient for a future that may by no means come, because the franchise is over.
Sony’s Spider-Man Universe
Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU) is a media franchise and shared universe centered round varied characters related to Spider-Man, however with out together with Spider-Man himself as a central determine. The SSU focuses on antiheroes and villains like Venom and Morbius and has expanded to incorporate further characters like Madame Net and Kraven the Hunter. The franchise exists independently of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) however has made some minor crossovers.
