HitFix

Sony’s ‘Venom’ Film Could Now Be Connected To ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Despite Earlier Reports

So the idea of Sony continuing to produce Spider-Man related films was already a strange, questionable idea given Marvel’s production of Spider-Man: Homecoming. While Spider-Man was back in the fold with the rest of the MCU, for at least a few films at this point, anything Sony was planning was reportedly far removed from anything Marvel is doing. That made sense to the point where any of those characters would appear in Infinity War or other Marvel Cinematic Universe films, but seemed silly if they were just stand-alone films without Peter Parker’s involvement.

Then Sony took it a step further by announcing Venom for 2018 with Tom Hardy in the starring role, followed soon by the Black Cat/ SIlver Sable movie that has been rumored since the Andrew Garfield days in the Spider-Man costume. If the Sinister Six film were still in motion, none of us would be surprised at this point, but that also doesn’t mean Sony doesn’t have some more confusing claims up their sleeve. Take this interview with Kevin Feige and Sony’s Amy Pascal for Spider-Man: Homecoming for example:

Both movies will all take place in the world that we’re now creating for Peter Parker. I mean, they’ll be adjuncts to it, there may be different locations, but it will still all be in the same world and they will be connected to each other.

If the look on Kevin Feige’s face is familiar to you, you’re likely as confused by the news of Spider-Man’s connection to Venom as he is. He shouldn’t be, though. The idea that everything is at least slightly connected actually is the smartest thing Sony could do. We don’t need Venom in the Avengers, but having Venom at least facing the same Spider-Man we’re seeing in another film is logical. If Daredevil, Agents Of SHIELD, and every Marvel film to this point has proven anything, not every film needs that Marvel Cinematic Universe connection to do well. While Iron Man has been locked into this version of Spider-Man up to this point, he doesn’t have to in future films. The characters certainly don’t cross paths this frequently in the comic stories.

If this news is actually the truth, it makes Venom and The Black Cat film far more interesting than they would be as just stand-alone films. That path just seems like an open door to confuse audiences and muddle what seems to be a successful adaptation for their franchise character. Having them at least connected in the same world would also open up the possibilities of Fox cutting a similar deal with the X-Men and Fantastic Four characters, giving us the chance for that mega crossover a lot of nerds have been dreaming about.

So what do you think? Is this just weird studio speak? Wishful thinking on Sony’s part? Or just a huge mistake? We’ll get to find out as we edge closer to Venom in 2018.