Sony's Spider-Man Universe follows a set of antiheroes and villains connected to Spider-Man, starting with a failed reporter bonded to an alien symbiote.
A failed reporter is bonded to an alien entity, one of many symbiotes who have
invaded Earth. But the being takes a liking to Earth and decides to protect it.
This guide is based on a video from my YouTube channel Cinema
Awards Archive, where I cover every film currently in Sony’s Spider-Man
Universe (SSU), from Venom to Kraven the Hunter.
It is a 2018 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, it was directed by Ruben Fleischer from a screenplay by Jeff Pinkner, Scott Rosenberg and Kelly Marcel.
The first film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU).
In the film, Eddie, a struggling journalist, gains
superpowers after becoming the host of Venom, an alien symbiote whose species
plans to invade Earth.
Following Venom's appearance in Spider-Man 3 (2007),
Sony Pictures attempted to develop a spin-off film based on the Venom character
which was stalled due to issues with the company's ongoing Spider-Man
franchise.
It premiered at the Regency Village Theater on October 1st
2018 and was released in the United States on October 5th.
Despite generally negative reviews from critics, Hardy's
performance and his character's relationship with Venom were praised and the
film became the seventh-highest-grossing film of 2018, earning $856.1 million
worldwide and setting several box office records for an October release.
Two sequels have been released, Venom: Let There Be
Carnage (2021) and Venom: The Last Dance (2024).
2. Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
It is a 2021 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Venom, it was directed by Andy Serkis from a screenplay by Kelly Marcel.The sequel to Venom (2018) and the second
film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU).
In the film, Eddie and the alien symbiote Venom must face serial killer Cletus
Kasady (Harrelson) after he becomes the host of an offshoot of Venom named
Carnage.
It premiered in London on September 14th 2021 and was
theatrically released in the United States on October 1st after multiple delays
from an initial October 2020 date due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The film received mixed reviews from critics but was a box office success, grossing $506 million worldwide and becoming the seventh-highest-grossing film of 2021.
A sequel, Venom: The Last Dance was released on October 25th
2024.
READ : Part 1: The Complete Marvel Cinematic Universe Explained!
3. Morbius (2022)
It is a 2022 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, directed by Daniel Espinosa and written by the writing team of Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless.Produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel
Entertainment, Arad Productions and Matt Tolmach Productions and distributed by
Sony Pictures Releasing as the third film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU).
In the film, Michael Morbius and his surrogate brother Milo
(Smith) become living vampires after curing themselves of a rare blood disease.
There were previously two notable attempts to adapt the
character of Michael Morbius into a cinematic form since 1998, those being a
role in the Blade franchise as an antagonist and having a solo
film produced by Artisan Entertainment, neither of which ever came to fruition.
After announcing plans for a new shared universe of films
inspired by Spider-Man related characters beginning with Venom (2018),
Sony began developing a film based on Morbius.
Morbius premiered at the Plaza Carso in Mexico
City on March 10th 2022 and was theatrically released in the United States on
April 1st after being delayed several times from an initial July 2020 date,
primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The film was a critical and commercial failure, receiving
criticism for the writing, visual effects and post-credits scenes, although
Smith's performance received some praise; the film also grossed only $167.5
million worldwide.
It became the subject of Internet memes mocking its
reception and quality; the popularity of said memes led Sony to re-release the
film in theaters the following June to another commercial failure.
It later received five Golden Raspberry Awards nominations,
including Worst Picture and ended up winning Worst Actor for Jared Leto and
Worst Supporting Actress for Adria Arjona.
4. Madame Web (2024)
It is a 2024 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character of the same name, was directed by S. J. Clarkson from a screenplay she wrote with Claire Parker alongside the writing team of Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless.It is the fourth film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU).
The film depicts the origin story of Cassie Webb (Johnson),
who confronts her past while trying to save three young women (Sweeney, Merced,
O'Connor) from Ezekiel Sims (Rahim) who wants to kill them before they become
Spider-Women in the future and kill him.
The film premiered at the Regency Village Theatre in
Westwood, Los Angeles on February 12th 2024 and was released in the United
States two days later by Columbia Pictures via Sony Pictures Releasing.
The film was panned by critics and was a box-office failure,
grossing $100.5 million worldwide against a net production budget of $80
million.
It received three Golden Raspberry Awards: Worst Picture
(for Lorenzo di Bonaventura), Worst Actress (for Dakota Johnson) and Worst
Screenplay.
5. Venom: The Last Dance (2024)
It is a 2024 American superhero film written and directed by
Kelly Marcel, which features the Marvel Comics character Venom.
The sequel to Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021),
it is the fifth film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) and the third and
final film in the Venom trilogy.
In the film, Eddie and Venom are on the run from both of
their worlds.
It was premiered at the Regal Times Square theater in New
York City on October 21st 2024 and was released in the United States on October
25th.
The film received mixed reviews from critics, with criticism
aimed at its convoluted story while Hardy's performance, the action sequences
and visual effects were praised.
Despite being the lowest-grossing film in the trilogy, it was still a box
office success, grossing $478.9 million worldwide.
6. Kraven the Hunter (2024)
It is a 2024 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character of the same name, directed by J. C. Chandor from a screenplay by Richard Wenk, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, and a story by Wenk.It is the sixth film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU).
The film explores Kraven's relationship with his father and his path to becoming the greatest hunter.
Following two years of delays, it was released in the United States on December 13th 2024 by Sony Pictures Releasing.
The film was a box-office failure, grossing $62 million worldwide against a $110–130 million production budget and received generally negative reviews from critics, who criticized its screenplay and visual effects.
It received three nominations at the 45th Golden Raspberry Awards including Worst Supporting Actress for Ariana DeBose.
Looking for more cinematic universes, long-running sagas, and connected movie timelines? Dive into these in‑depth franchise guides:
- The Evolution of the Predator Franchise
https://www.cinemaawardsarchive.com/2025/12/the-evolution-of-predator-franchise.html - The Bourne Cinematic Universe Explained
https://www.cinemaawardsarchive.com/2025/12/the-bourne-cinematic-universe-explained.html - Unleashing the Transformers Movie Universe
https://www.cinemaawardsarchive.com/2025/12/unleashing-transformer-movie-universe.html - The MonsterVerse Movies Explained (Godzilla, Kong & more)
https://www.cinemaawardsarchive.com/2025/12/the-monsterverse-movies-explained.html - Rocky – The Ultimate Film Franchise
https://www.cinemaawardsarchive.com/2025/12/rocky-ultimate-film-franchise.html - Complete Alien Film Series Breakdown
https://www.cinemaawardsarchive.com/2025/12/complete-alien-film-series-breakdown.html
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