After almost two years of delays, Morbius, Sony's long-gestating project starringJared Leto, finally aired on April 1st. The film focuses on Morbius the Living Vampire, an anti-heroes in the mythos who rose to prominence by antagonizing everyone in the neighborhood. Sony's Spider-verse is trying to create a cinematic universe mighty enough to compare with Kevin Feige's empire known as the MCU.
Sony's idea is not completely ridiculous. In any given story, villains are often the most interesting and compelling characters. Would Hamlet be as timeless without Claudius? Is The Silence of the Lambs as good without Buffalo Bill? A great villain is more important than a great hero. The villain that creates the conflict and drives the story keeps audiences invested in the action. The Dark Knight is the best live-action Batman movie and the best comic book movie in the eyes of many. Christian Bale's Batman might be the main character, but the puppeteer who pulls the strings of the show is the one who is most famous.
Spider-Man has some of the most dynamic villains in the comic book world. The web crawler's rogues gallery is as famous as Spidey's. They have starred in unforgettable storylines that have solidified their legacies. Spidey's villains are not boring and could make for compelling and entertaining protagonists without sacrificing their villainy. The golden age of the antihero is close to ending, but that doesn't mean audiences aren't interested in seeing a baddie. Why is the Spider-verse failing? Some might think that the answer is straightforward.
Studios seem to be chasing the gold, and we mean the MCU. The Marvel Cinematic Universe left everyone else to collect itz dust and was a game-changer for Hollywood. The MCU is not universally liked. Some people don't like it because it's a cash grab that's slowly eroding the very foundations of cinema as an art form. The success of Spider-Man: No Way Home makes it clear that mainstream audiences don't seem to care. At the worldwide box office, the web crawler's latest cinematic adventure has a value of over $1 billion. It is hard to argue against that level of success.
Everyone in Hollywood wants a piece of that billion-dollar pie. Sony holds the rights to the entire Spider-Man catalog, so it wants in on the action. The studio is cynical in its desire to cash in on Spidey's fame. Isn't it the reason audiences don't like Sony's latest offerings? Morbius orVenom: Let There Be Carnage are not unique or inspired. The same candy but with slightly altered packaging is what every choice seems to be.
Venom seemed fresh to audiences when it came out. It was too tempting to pass on seeing the character on the big screen. The film made $856 million worldwide and was a huge success. Sony quickly announced stand-alone movies based on some of Spider-Man's most notorious villains, letting fans know it was building a Spidey-centered version of the MCU.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage, the follow-up that marked the debut of another fan-favorite villain, was less popular with fans. The film made $300 million less than its predecessor, but it was released during a global Pandemic, making the comparison unfair. Fans were already against Sony's cinematic universe.
Audiences want their cinematic universes to be interesting. Feige took the time to build something from the ground up. He created an intricate puzzle at the end of each of his films. Sony's villain-verse is erratic and aimless. What is the purpose of having a Morbius movie? Morbius is related to Venom or Kraven. What is the common thread?
No Way Home set a precedent for a Sinister Six team-up, and the ending of Morbius strongly suggests that is happening in the near future. It might seem ridiculous to make a movie without Spider-Man, but who says Tom Holland has to go to the Sony-verse when at least two other Spider-Man are waiting for a call? Who says Spider-Man is the main character in this franchise? It would be a new twist in a genre that is already boring and predictable.
Sony had the right idea, but its execution is shoddy. The right villain can be a worthy hero. Sony seems to be choosing characters at random and throwing them into bland PG-13 movies, hoping they will succeed. What is the plan for them after their movie? How do they fit into the larger universe? Before green-lighting a solo movie, Sony needs to ask some questions. Its choices are divisive so far.
Sony ruined Morbius' chances by casting a deeply divisive actor in the title role and surrounding him with the most basic storyline, a plot that fails to justify its existence. Venom proved himself capable of starring in a solo movie, thanks to the character's name recognition and the committed performance of Tom Hardy. The movie's future doesn't seem too bright, but it's too soon to tell. The film seems to be repeating the same tired formula that sank the Venom sequel and Morbius, but no offense to the man.
Madame Web sounds like the most refreshing idea that Sony has had in a long time. Madame Web is a supporting character in the Spider-Man comics who is usually depicted as an older woman with clairvoyance who is an ally and occasional foe for the web crawler. Madame Web is not a popular figure, but there might be something in her storyline to make her worth the time of the audience. Dakota Johnson is playing the title role in the Madame Web project. As she demonstrated in films like The Lost Daughter and Cha Cha Real Smooth, Johnson is an infinitely more interesting performer than Leto or Taylor-Johnson, and with the support of Sydney Sweeney, she has the potential to bring not one but several Spider.
Sony can succeed here. The MCU found its identity with family-friendly, highly comical adventures. DC is best known for its overly dark, auteur-driven projects that showcase the best and worst of its eponymous heroes. Sony needs to find an identity for its Spider-verse beyond its attempt to duplicate Spider-Man's success.
The basic idea is that compelling and complex characters walk the fine line between light and dark. The next step is choosing the right characters, they will probably lack the same name recognition as Spider-Man, but it's Sony's job to do the work and develop them. Madame Web is an intriguing choice, and so would characters like Silver Sable, Mister Negative, or Jackal. Sony can be afraid of doing the work required to build the toys up if they use every toy in their box.
If Sony wants to become a player in the cinematic universe, it needs to let its villains be. Set them free and stop turning them into antiheroes. When Nivola was cast as the main villain in the film, fans rolled their eyes. Fans want to see Kraven the Hunter being cruel and brutal because they don't want to see him as a good guy. Venom works as an antihero, but not every villain will. Some characters are bad. It's lazy to turn bad guys good by having them face another evil foe, and leaves them as something less than the original character.
Sony can win with its villains. The studio's journey is just starting and one mistake does not destroy a cinematic universe. Sony needs to have the guts to create something new. It needs to stop imitating the MCU because it will never catch up. That doesn't mean it can't create something.
Madame Web is not a billion-dollar film, but it can be something fresh for the comic book genre, paving the way for Sony's villains to rise and claim the spotlight. Sony needs to believe in them and give them a chance to shine. What is the point? We already have a lot of great comic book heroes in cinema, but what we don't have is equally great villains who can headline their own films. Venoms and Kravens are important in a world of Spider-Men because of their brutal natures. Please, no more Morbiuses.
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