Sony’s Spider-Man Universe has had one glaring problem since 2018, a problem made worse by Sony’s acknowledgment of this and refusal to fix it.

Sony’s Spider-Man Universe has a big problem that the studio has known about for six years, yet has done nothing to fix. Since the cancelation of The Amazing Spider-Man 3, the franchise has been largely split into two halves. One half is the MCU’s Spider-Man timeline, which has provided several great Tom Holland movies and even redeemed Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men through Spider-Man: No Way Home. The other half has been Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, the studio’s attempt at crafting a franchise based on the Web-Slinger’s biggest villains.

The most recent entry into the Sony Spider-Man Universe was Madame Web. Much like Morbius was before, Madame Web was critically panned and a box office failure. While the movie itself is of low quality, one of the big reasons behind Madame Web‘s failure was the changing of the film’s story seemingly implemented by Sony Pictures. One of these changes included the removal of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man from Madame Web, as revealed in concept art for the film. This proves that Sony knows the biggest issue with its universe, yet does not take steps to fix it.

Madame Web Is Sony’s 4th Attempt To Integrate Spider-Man Into The SSU

Sony’s attempts at capitalizing on Spider-Man is proof the studio knows the franchise’s problem.

The problem in question is the lack of Spider-Man in a universe named directly after him, something that Sony evidently knows is an issue. The proof of this is found in Sony’s repeated attempts to include a version of Spider-Man in the SSU, all of which have failed to come to fruition. Thus far, the only movie in the SSU with no ties to Spider-Man in any capacity is Venom. Since then, Sony has attempted to integrate an iteration of Peter Parker into the franchise’s four other installments, all of which have frustratingly been walked back by the studio.

The first attempt was Venom: Let There Be Carnage‘s post-credit scene, which saw Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock ever so briefly enter the MCU. This was reversed directly after with little to no impact on the character. Morbius‘ first trailer then showcased visible graffiti of Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, which was removed in the final cut. The end-credits scene of Morbius included Spider-Man: Homecoming‘s Vulture and a mention of the Web-Slinger, though the scene has not been built upon since. Finally, Madame Web‘s concept art proves Holland’s Spider-Man was meant to appear before the idea was scrapped.

Is It Too Late For Sony’s Spider-Man Universe To Get A Spider-Man?

Time is running out for Sony to include Spider-Man in its universe.

These endless attempts to integrate Spider-Man into the SSU prove that Sony knows the franchise’s issue is the lack of its eponymous character. However, the constant removal of different variants of Spider-Man similarly proves that the studio is not fixing this issue, all while begging the question of whether it is too late for the SSU to have an active, present Spider-Man involved. On one hand, it may seem too late for the SSU to have a Spider-Man. Venom 3 will seemingly end the SSU’s most successful sub-franchise, meaning the most desired crossover with Spider-Man will be no more.

Aside from the Venom movies, the SSU seems doomed to fail. The other non-Venom movies in the franchise have been complete flops, meaning one or two more without the promise of Venom‘s success to offset this could see the entire franchise come to a close. With this in mind – and the difficulty of explaining why Spider-Man is absent with each release – the SSU’s chances of including the character are increasingly slim.

On the other hand, it could be the case that Sony is saving Spider-Man for one last movie: the Sinister Six. Sony has long desired to make a Sinister Six vs. Spider-Man movie, going back to the studio’s plans for The Amazing Spider-Man franchise. Vulture’s Morbius appearance teased this, meaning Sony’s movies could build to the team-up the studio has wished for. This could see the final film of the SSU involving Spider-Man as an endcap to the franchise, finally fixing its biggest issue.