Sony’s Spider-Man Spinoff Universe May Finally Be Dead as CEO Admits Nothing Is in Development

Sony spent years trying to convince audiences that a Spider-Man universe without Spider-Man could work. Instead, it delivered one disappointment after another with Morbius, Madame Web, and Kraven the Hunter, leaving fans wondering if the experiment had finally run its course.

Now, it sounds like Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group CEO Tom Rothman is wondering the same thing.

Back in February, there was at least a little hope that Sony might hit the reset button on its struggling Spider-Man spin-off franchise.

During a conversation with Matt Belloni, Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group CEO Tom Rothman hinted that the studio could be looking at a fresh start with new creative talent after a string of critical and commercial disappointments.

Now, it sounds like those plans aren’t even be on the table. In a new interview with Variety, Rothman addressed the future of Sony's Spider-Man-related movies, and his comments make it seem like the studio has no immediate plans to continue building that universe.

“Ultimately, the audience wasn’t satisfied enough with [Sony’s Spider-Man spin-offs]. Whether that’s a fair assessment of those movies, who knows. That’s howling into the wind. The audience is the boss, and they didn’t respond. It’s as simple as that.”

Honestly, it's hard to argue with that assessment. The audience spoke loud and clear. Morbius, Madame Web, and Kraven the Hunter weren't rejected because people weren't interested in those characters. They failed because they were built around weak stories, clunky scripts, and forgettable execution.

The movies didn't just miss the mark, they became punchlines. Morbius spawned endless internet memes, Madame Web was a critical disaster, and Kraven the Hunter couldn't convince audiences to show up after multiple release delays.

Those characters deserved better. When Rothman was asked whether fans should expect more movies connected to Sony's extended Spider-Man lineup, he offered another revealing answer.

“Right now, we don’t know. We never looked at it as the ‘Sony-Marvel Universe.’ We looked at if there were worthwhile movies to make with other characters. At the moment, there are none in active development.”

That's a pretty telling statement. It sounds like Sony currently doesn't believe there's a compelling project worth moving forward with using the Marvel characters it controls outside of Spider-Man himself.

I don't think the problem has ever been the characters. There's nothing inherently wrong with Morbius, Madame Web, Kraven, or even some of the other Spider-Man supporting characters Sony has access to.

With the right filmmakers and a genuinely great script, any one of them could headline an entertaining movie. Sony just never seemed interested in telling strong stories and properly building out great characters that audiences would actually care about.

Instead, the studio pushed out movies that felt creatively hollow, hoping recognizable Marvel characters would be enough to sell tickets. They weren't.

That's especially frustrating because Sony has already proven it knows what a great Spider-Man movie looks like. Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy is still widely regarded as one of the best superhero franchises ever made. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse completely reinvented the animated superhero genre and remains one of the best comic book movies ever made.

Then there's the Venom trilogy. Those movies are really the only spin-offs that found a sizable audience, even if they were incredibly divisive. Plenty of fans genuinely enjoyed them, but I was never one of those people. I couldn't help but see the missed potential.

Those films could've been so much better with stronger writing and more ambitious storytelling. Instead, they settled for being entertaining enough for some audiences while leaving a lot on the table creatively.

Sony had every opportunity to turn these Spider-Man spin-offs into something special. Instead, the studio consistently delivered mediocre to outright terrible movies. Morbius, Madame Web, and Kraven the Hunter weren't unlucky. They were simply poorly made movies and ended up being laughably bad.

Rothman is right about one thing. Something had to change. Whether that means rebooting these characters with filmmakers who actually have a strong vision or simply stepping away from the concept for a while, it's probably the smartest move.

Marvel has spent decades proving that even lesser-known characters can become massive hits when they're backed by compelling storytelling. Guardians of the Galaxy was once considered a huge gamble, and now it's one of Marvel's biggest success stories.

Sony's Spider-Man spin-offs never failed because audiences rejected the characters. They failed because Sony never gave those characters the movies they deserved.

For now, it looks like Morbin' Time may finally be over. And after the studio's recent track record, that might be exactly what this franchise needs.