Spider-Manboasts one of the most iconic rogues galleries in comic book history, and theMCUis only now capitalizing on its potential after Sony’s deal with Marvel Studios made it feel impossible.Sony’s ill-fated Spider-Man franchiserecently drew to a close withKraven the Hunternailing the coffin as theworst-performing movie in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. Kraven was one of four Spider-Man-adjacent characters adapted by Sony into live-action movies, joining Madame Web, Morbius, and Venom.
Despite their close association with Spider-Man in Marvel Comics, the wall-crawler did not appear in any of Sony’s Spider-Man movies (save for the MCU’s Spider-Man cameo in the post-credits scene ofVenom: Let There Be Carnage) either as an adversary or ally. The notable absence of Spider-Man was always asticking point for Sony’s live-action offerings, with Venom propping up the cinematic universe with his billion-dollar trilogy thanks to boasting a similar level of popularity. With Sony’s franchise now out of the picture, the guard rails are off for the MCU and it has already been capitalizing.
Spider-Man’s Villains Aren’t As Rich As They Could Be
Tom Holland joined the MCUas its version of Spider-Man in 2016’sCaptain America: Civil Warand has since gone on to star in one ofthe MCU’s highest-grossing franchises. This is largely due to the quality of the movies he stars in, often topping lists ofthe best MCU moviesever made, though the sheer star power of Peter Parker cannot be overlooked. The MCU’s Spider-Man has faced many villains at this point in his career, though they barely amount to more than a handful relative to the true scale that Marvel can potentially adapt.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
While all are prime examples ofMarvel Studios' expertise with villains, they don’t reflect the full potential of Spider-Man’s rogues' gallery.Spider-Man: No Way Homecame closest to depicting the sheer number of villains that Spider-Man is often pitted against, thougheach came from alternate universes where they were already well-established characters, precluding them from being associated with the MCU’s Spider-Man altogether. The distinct lack of Norman Osborn - arguably Spider-Man’s greatest nemesis - in the MCU remains a sore spot for many Marvel fans, for instance.
While Adrian Toomes is arguably the best example of the kind of villain Spider-Man deserves, Shocker was practically sidelined and barely resembled his comic book counterpart.
Meanwhile, the Elementals were shown to have been illusions crafted by Quentin Beck and aren’t typically associated with Spider-Man in the first place.Quentin Beck is also more closely associated with the MCU’s Iron Man, despite being a foremost villain of Spider-Man’s rogues' gallery in the comics. While Adrian Toomes is arguably the best example of the kind of villain Spider-Man deserves, Shocker was practically sidelined and barely resembled his comic book counterpart.
Sony Cut Off Too Much Of Spider-Man’s Villain Potential
Sony’s Ownership Of Some Of Spider-Man’s Greatest Villains Prevented Marvel From Adapting Them
It’s hard to see how many villains have been stripped back in or excluded from the MCU and not see the association with Sony’s ownership of the rogues' gallery. By spotlighting them in their own attempted franchises,iconic Spider-Man villains like Venom and Kraven the Hunter were never going to be allowed to enter the MCUoutside of Venom’s largely uneventful cameo inSpider-Man: No Way Homemiles from the main event and his main rival. Even iconic Spider-Man villains like Doc Ock and Green Goblin were simply the samecharacters from Sony’s Spider-Man movies.
10 Marvel Villains Perfect For Spider-Man 4 Now That It Has A Release Date
The MCU’s Spider-Man 4 will release straight after Avengers: Doomsday, hinting at the possible villain he will face, with some convincing options.
Norman Osborn is supposed to be a highly influential figure in Marvel Comics outside of Spider-Man’s adventures, yet he is conspicuously absent from the MCU. Introducing Sony’s versions of Spider-Man villains as variants, meanwhile,makes it less likely that Marvel can adapt these with its iconic flair in live-action, cutting off such characters as Otto Octavius (with whom Sony and Alfred Molina admittedly excelled) from the MCU’s Spider-Man mythos. Thankfully, this isn’t the case for Marvel Studios' latest Spider-Man story taking place in an alternate universe.
Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man Is Finally Giving Spider-Man The Right Villain Community
It Has Already Introduced A Large Host Of Villains
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manis the latest animated Marvel offering on Disney+ which explores the story of Peter Parker in an alternate universe to Earth-616. While there are many parallels to be drawn between this version of Peter and Tom Holland’s rendition - such as the relationship between him and Norman Osborn mirroring that of the MCU’s Peter Parker and Tony Stark -the rogues' gallery in this version of New York is comparatively far richer. Making Norman Osborn a key player is an instant win for the show, but it continues to introduce a litany of adversaries, including:
The final two episodes ofYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manwill be released on February 19.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manshowcases a New York that is teeming with villainsin a way befitting of Spider-Man stories. It has additionally taken some creative liberties with many, such as gender-swapping Lizard and debuting a version of Rhino embodied by the father of the original, Aleksei Sytsevich. So far,Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manhas been a big hit with critics, showing how well Marvel deals with the property. Hopefully, now that Sony’sSpider-ManUniverse has failed, this could lead to a richer rogues' gallery in Earth-616.
