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When Tom Holland’s Spider-Man departed the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) for a brief moment — following a Sony/Disney fallout — fans of the web-slingers’ MCU presence were up in arms. How could you remove Spider-Man without completing his character arc (intimately tied to Stark’s) first? How would the MCU move forward without Spidey at its core? 

Tom Holland Spider-Man MCU and Tom Hardy Venom Sony
Tom Holland (Spider-Man) | Chung-Sung Jun/Staff and Tom Hardy Venom | Alberto E. Rodriguez/Staff

Soon after, Disney and Sony worked things out for another standalone installment, and an additional appearance. However, the hope for renegotiation still exists, as there are multiple possible storylines on the table — some more deserving of the cinematic treatment than others — that could come to fruition (given this new Sony/Disney dynamic). 

Following the Morbius trailer, featuring Michael Keaton’s Vulture from the MCU, as well as a picture of Spidey plastered on the wall with the word “murderer” spray-painted over his image, it became clear that the Sony Spider-Verse and the MCU are talking — alluding to each other’s narratives in independent worlds. However, what will the extent of this overlap entail? And, if recent reports surrounding renegotiations turn out to be true, will we get a Venom-Spidey overlap — one of the most memorable ones in comic book history? 

Sony Boss is hopeful for another deal with the MCU concerning Spider-Man

According to The Playlist, referencing a new THR Roundtable discussion, Sony Executive Tom Rothman is hopeful that future negotiations will leave Spider-Man open to both universes. When asked about the matter, he stated:

I hope so…I think this was a classic win-win-win. I think it was a win for Sony. I think it was a win for Disney. I think it was a win for fans and moviegoers. The only thing I would say about that is that news cycles and the rhythm of negotiations don’t necessarily overlap…I think we would have gotten there and the news got ahead of some things.

Rothman 

If Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is destined to stay in both universes, and future negotiations only further plant the character within two currently separate but parallel worlds, will Venom and Spidey come to fight side-by-side, and why would Maximum Carnage make the most sense for the narrative? 

If Venom and Spidey appear together, ‘Maximum Carnage’ would be the best bet 

Venom and Spidey have been forced to work together in the past and, considering Sony’s account of Venom has not been one of pure evil, it would be unlikely for Spidey to target him as a criminal (as opposed to someone in need of help). In the comics, they often team up when Venom needs help…keeping his own spawn in line. 

Carnage was one of Venom’s spawn who, to keep things simple, was definitely misbehaving. In the 1993 comic, Spidey, Venom and a few other heroes team up to take on the monster in Maximum Carnage. It is also important to note that Carnage is more powerful than Spidey and Venom independently, and he survived a beheading and survived being dragged into space by Sentry (who is reportedly coming to the MCU). Thus, a team will be needed to defeat him.

Considering the MCU’s fascination with mash-ups, a Carnage plot could provide the foundation the MCU and Sony Spider-Verse need to feature multiple, interconnected Spidey characters in a single installment, all teaming up to take on another “big bad,” which could also work to set up Spidey’s place in the Avengers roster as a new leader (prepping for the Young Avengers, if and when they actually make it the silver screen). 

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