Sony does not have the rights to (live-action) Spider-Man, but that didn’t stop them from making a live-action universe of Spidey characters. Kraven the Hunter, Venom, Carnage, Madame Web, Spider-Woman, and even Morbius got time in the limelight.
Those movies largely failed. The feeble attempts to cross over (with each other and the MCU) did not work. Everything other than the first Venom movie was both critically panned and derided by audiences. Venom only got audiences on board, for the record.
So they’re going to reboot the universe, according to a new report. The Spider-Man agreement with Disney is complicated, but they’re basically going to have to try with Spidey-adjacent characters again. Here’s who they should use this time.
Who Should Be Next for Sony Spider-Man Villain Universe?
Let’s assume that most of the existing characters will not return. Kraven, Madame Web, and Morbius are absolutely not getting a second chance at their own movie or series. Venom could and should; he’s become an anti-hero, and there needs to be some sort of “good guy” for any of this to work.
They have the rights to any villain associated with Spider-Man. That opens up quite a few possibilities, even if Kraven, Morbius, Madame Web, and others are excluded. First and foremost, while he also serves as a Daredevil villain, Kingpin would make a lot of sense.
The best choice, though, would be Doc Ock. It’d be hard to make him as impactful without his connection to Peter Parker, but there’s a good origin story movie there about a scientist trying desperately to cure his own disease, succeeding via technology that begins to rot his moral compass.
Selfishly, Green Goblin sounds like an awesome choice, too. He’s the best Spider-Man villain, and he’s probably the most iconic. Having him wreak havoc on New York while his alter ego (be it Norman Osborn, Harry Osborn, or someone else) is none the wiser is a fun concept. Hobgoblin would be fun, too, but the character would likely have to be connected to Green Goblin in some way.
In some way, this Sony Spider-Man Villain franchise should bring in all the members of the Sinister Six for an eventual crossover team-up movie that would thrill comic book fans. That means, aside from Doc Ock, they’d have to bring in Vulture, Electro, Mysterio, Sandman, and Kraven, although they could swap him out for someone else if they want to distance themselves from the failed Aaron Taylor-Johnson film.
Black Cat, in a similar vein to the aforementioned Venom, could also be a great choice. She’s a borderline anti-hero and could be the de facto hero of this universe. Scorpion, Rhino, and Sandman would also be fun choices for a potential universe.
Basically, any of the main Spider-Man villains would be good. However, not all of them would make sense for their own movie. They all have origins, but we have to consider whose beginning could make a full-length film and remain interesting.
Ultimately, the best choices would be Venom, Doctor Octopus, Black Cat, Green Goblin, and Sandman. After they get established, others can follow suit, but those would make the best starting points for the second attempt at a Spider-Man villain franchise without the webhead.
Conclusion
It was an understandable effort by Sony to try to make use of the Spider-Man characters they did have access to. Peter Parker’s with Marvel, but his iconic rogues gallery is not tied to them. It didn’t work, partly because they didn’t put a strong effort in, but also because Sony had one hand tied behind its back without the main character. If they’re going to try again, they need to be smarter this time.
