Four popular comic book Spider-Man villains now appear to be effectively banned from joining Tom Holland in the MCU. The executives in charge of these complicated character rights have seemingly ruined all hope of Spider-Man fighting his full rogues' gallery.
Despite its ambitions, Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) has been met with largely negative reception, with critics and fans alike criticizing its inconsistent tone, underdeveloped characters, and lack of a cohesive narrative. While Tom Hardy's Venom franchise managed box office success, other entries like Morbius, Madame Web, and Kraven the Hunter were widely panned and failed to perform.
By 2024, the franchise's string of disappointments made it clear that audiences had grown weary of Sony's villain-centric spin-offs, and the studio quietly shifted focus away from the SSU's film slate. With no new movies in active development, the SSU appears to have run its course, marking a soft conclusion to a once-ambitious but ultimately flawed cinematic experiment.
However, that doesn't mean damage hasn't already been done, as several key characters from those lousy, cheap movies seem to be forbidden from joining the MCU.
4 Spider-Man Villains Banned from the MCU
Kraven
Kraven's live-action debut in Kraven the Hunter failed to capture the character's menacing essence, instead offering a poorly received portrayal of him as a vigilante. The film's negative reception, alongside its weak narrative and lack of development for Kraven's character, makes him unlikely to return to the MCU.
A more faithful take on Kraven, one that aligns with his classic comic book obsession with hunting Spider-Man, could have offered a compelling villain, but the film's flawed execution undermined any future chances for the character to square off against Spidey. In addition, this was the rare case where the actor, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, had already been in the MCU as Quicksilver. With the MCU's focus on well-crafted storylines, it would be a significant challenge to reintroduce Kraven after leaving a bad taste in many fans' mouths.
Morbius
Morbius, portrayed by Jared Leto in the 2022 film, also saw a critical and commercial failure, with the character's transformation into a vampire feeling rushed and unsatisfactory. Ironically, the post-credits scene of that movie connected itself to Spider-Man in a major way. Michael Keaton's Vulture seeks out Michael Morbius in some multiversal shenanigans, teasing a future team-up.
However, all signs point to that duo never facing off against any Spider-Man in the future. In fact, the odds of ever seeing Leto's Morbius back on screen are bleak to say the least.
If handled better (probably by Marvel Studios), Morbius could have been a tragic anti-hero, blending horror and superhero elements with a focus on his internal struggle between his vampiric curse and his moral compass. However, due to the film's inability to develop these themes effectively, Morbius' introduction to the MCU is highly unlikely.
Madame Web
Madame Web was another character from the Spider-Man universe whose potential was wasted in the SSU. Madame Web's convoluted plot, laughably awful ADR, and lack of meaningful development for the character left audiences disengaged. In addition, Dakota Johnson seemed miserable playing the role and the entire project felt like a cheap money grab.
Madame Web's psychic abilities and connections to Spider-Man lore could have made her an intriguing addition, especially in a multiversal storyline, but the movie's poor reception and failure to properly utilize the character makes a future MCU appearance improbable. In an alternate reality, the character could've made for an interesting avenue into the multiverse, similar to Doctor Strange or America Chavez. Unfortunately, trying to modernize the character as the lead in a widely released film was simply never going to work.
Ezekiel Sims
It's still infuriating how Tahar Rahim's Ezekiel Sims was never referred to as a "spider man" in Madame Web, even though he has every characteristic.
Regardless, Ezekiel failed to make much of an impact in Madame Web, serving more as a background character than a significant figure. His minimal presence in the SSU, combined with the film's weak villain arc, likely eliminates any chances of him being resurrected in the MCU.
In the comics, Ezekiel is a mystical figure with connections to Spider-Man's powers, making him a potentially interesting mentor. However, the lack of development left little room to build on his character, and Marvel Studios would likely choose to focus on more fully realized characters for any future Spider-Man stories. In fact, Mr. Negative is already rumored to be a main villain in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, a character who was thankfully not tainted by being part of the SSU.
