Yes, Sony Is Making An Actual Spider-Man Shared Universe

Ever since Sony announced that it was making Spider-Man spinoff films, there have been more questions than answers about the direction of these films, whether or not Tom Holland's Peter Parker will be a part of them and their relationship to the MCU. It has also never been explicitly spelled out if these spinoffs are just meant to be standalone films or part of a shared universe. Some light has been shed on this matter, though, because Emily Carmichael, co-writer on Pacific Rim Uprising, took met with Sony last year for one of the spinoffs, and it was apparent to her that this is indeed going to be a shared universe, as she explained:

I was one of the directors called in to pitch on Silver & Black. At one of my early meetings on the project I got a peek at the phonebook-sized compendium of characters Sony has the rights to, all characters tangentially related to Spider-Man. It's a cinematic universe, all right.

So if there was any doubt, it looks as though Sony will join the MCU and the DCEU in the shared comic book universe game. What Emily Carmichael revealed to Vulture paints a clear picture that Sony's goal is to build a shared universe, where the many characters of Spider-Man's rogues gallery, his allies, foes and frenemies will all populate, exist and interact in the same universe. As someone who was in the running for Silver & Black, Emily Carmichael was naturally shown some of what Sony is hoping to do with that film and the wider universe. The fact that she saw a binder full of characters goes to show just how many assets Sony's Spider-Man rights grant it access to. It's all more than enough to build out a shared universe.


Given that having a cinematic universe is the aspirational goal of pretty much every studio these days, I think we all assumed that Venom is meant to be the first chapter in a shared universe. However, up until this point it hasn't been made entirely clear. Venom, Silver and Black and Morbius could just as easily have been individual standalone franchises, despite the modern expectation that comic book properties cross over. The knowledge that this is going to be a shared universe provides us with greater insight into what we can expect from these films, while also leaving many questions and raising a few more.


What we've seen from Venom so far indicates that Ruben Fleischer's film will be rather dark and more adult than what we are accustomed to in Peter Parker's adventures. With this universe being shared, that means that Silver & Black and Morbius will theoretically have to conform to this tone to fit seamlessly together. One also now assumes that like all shared universes, the Spider-verse will be building towards something, like a team-up event film. The big question is what that event will be.


There are many pros and cons to what we've seen and heard about Sony's Spider-verse so far, and the Spider-Man of it all still remains unresolved. If this is indeed a shared universe, then what ties everything together if not the Web-Slinger? I'm guessing Eddie Brock might fill that role, but we won't know for sure until Venom hits theaters on October 5. Although perhaps Comic-Con this week might provide more answers.