Sony’s Spider-Man Universehad the chance to adapt some greatMarvelcharacters from the comics, but the franchise ended up not doing its best for quite a few of them, and now that the SSU is over, their potential has been wasted.Kraven the Hunteris reportedly the final movie in the SSU. It makes sense, as the film finished its worldwide box office run with just $61.8 million. That total is the worst ofall SSU movies.
It also makesKraven the Hunterthe only film in the franchise to gross under $100 million. All of this shows thatinterest in the SSU was at an all-time low by the end of 2024, which is why none of the2025 Marvel moviescome from the franchise, which removed its June 17, 2025, release date for an untitled movie. Over the years, many exciting characters were wasted by the SSU, which include the following:
10Anne Weying
Eddie Brock’s Ex-Fiancée In The Venom Franchise
First up is Anne Weying. The character is not a major one in Marvel Comics, but the SSU could definitely have done more with her than it did. In the franchise, Michelle Williams gave life to Anne in two out of three Venom movies. Anne was Eddie Brock’s ex-fiancée. Williams had great chemistry with Tom Hardy, which is why hernot being included inVenom: The Last Danceat all was weird.
2018’sVenomsaw Anne briefly don the symbiote, but it never really delved into her being She-Venom as it could have.
In the comics,Anne takes up the title of She-Venom, showing a more dangerous side of her. 2018’sVenomsaw Anne briefly don the symbiote, but it never really delved into her being She-Venom as it could have. With the final movie in the Venom trilogy introducing several symbiotes and characters bonding with them, it was the perfect opportunity for Anne’s potential to be realized, but she was nowhere to be seen.
9Rhino
One Of Kraven The Hunter’s Main Villains
Rhino ended up being one of the main villains and the biggest physical threat to Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Kraven inKraven the Hunter. While one could argue that he was not wasted in the sense that Sony’s Spider-Man Universe gave the Spider-Man villain a big role, what he ended up doing in the film was not as exciting as it could have been. There is also the issue thatRhino’s dialogue was riddled with exposition.
Adding to that, the “silent scream,” as it has been described by SSU Rhino actor Alessandro Nivola, wasone of the most cringeworthy moments in the SSU. After Rhino was treated as a joke inThe Amazing Spider-Man 2,Kraven the Huntertried to make him frightening. Moments like that scream detracted from that, and the villain’s plan could have been better worked out. Rhino’s potential to improve was cut short by Sony’s decision to kill him inKraven the Hunter.
8Carnage
The Villain Of Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Carnage is one of the most popular villains in Marvel Comics. There is a lot that can be done with the character. Even in a shared universe that does not have Spider-Man, Carnage could very well serve as Venom’s main villain, which the SSU did forVenom: Let There Be Carnage. However, the fact thatthe dark villain was given a PG-13 movie instead of an R-rated onewas a waste of his potential.
Carnage is the type of bloodthirsty character who could thrive in a more mature film. Instead,Sony watered down the character, wasting what was a great piece of casting. Woody Harrelson has the acting skills to make Cletus Kasady just as much of a frightening force as his symbiote. However, that was not the case in his Venom movie appearance, and Carnage deserved better.
7Knull
Venom: The Last Dance Teased A Villain Return That May Never Happen
Knull is the poster boy for wasted potential in the SSU. If there is one major character from the comics that was brought in only to do nothing, then it has to be Knull. The character was set up as the villain from the shadows inVenom: The Last Dance. Knull’s powers include being able to send his Xenophages through portals to anywhere in the universe.
However, the villain remained trapped in Klyntar for all of the movie. One ofVenom: The Last Dance’s most confusing moments comes from Knull’s return in the post-credits scene. With Venom sacrificing himself, the Codex, which is the key to freeing Knull, was destroyed. As such, the villain’s return, with Knull claiming that he was coming for everything, made little sense. By the end of the Venom trilogy,Knull’s predicament simply did not change at all, so his threat meant very little.
6Chameleon
The Villain Only Started To Shine At The End Of Kraven The Hunter
The Chameleon had very little to do inKraven the Hunter. The character was actually playing a long game from the shadows to take over his father’s criminal empire. The only problem with that is the villain ended up not playing as much of an active role in the film as he could have.Chameleon’s time in the SSU film was mostly dedicated to his backstory.
Kraven The Hunter Ended Its Box Office Run As Sony’s Spider-Man Universe’s Biggest Bomb And It Explains Why The Studio Was Right To Remove Its 2025 Marvel Movie Release Date
Kraven the Hunter’s final box office numbers are in, and its failure shows why Sony’s Spider-Man Universe was right to remove a 2025 movie date.
It was only at the end of the film that Fred Hechinger’s Marvel character became his comic book-accurate self. Chameleon was now able to change shape and turn into anyone he wished to impersonate. Sadly,Kraven the Hunterwas the SSU’s biggest box office bomb. As such, Chameleon’s story will never be continued, which is a waste, as the character had only started to get good after not doing much in the film.
5Ben Parker
Spider-Man’s Biggest Connection In The SSU
Severance’s Adam Scottplayed Ben Parker, aka Uncle Ben, inMadame Web. Scott’s role in the SSU movie was kept a secret for a key reason, with the start of the film confirming that he was indeedPeter Parker’s iconic uncle from Marvel Comics. It was fun to see a younger version of Uncle Ben onscreen, and Scott was easily one of the best characters in the film thanks to his charisma.
Adam Scott
Madame Web(2024)
The problem is thatMadame Webshould have leaned more into that character if he was to be included. WhileBen helps Dakota Johnson’s Cassandra Webbat times, he spends long periods without showing up.Madame Webwas at its strongest when Ben and Cassandra’s chemistry was the focus of the film. If Uncle Ben had to appear, then he should have played a more active role in the story and been with Cassandra through her adventure.
4Foreigner
Kraven The Hunter’s Powerful Villain Shrouded In Mystery
The Foreigner is quite an obscure character in Marvel Comics. However,Kraven the Hunterpresented him in a mysterious light that made the villain more interesting. The problem is there was never really any payoff to the mysteries built around the character.The Foreigner’s origin is never really explained, and while his powers were cool visually and dangerous for his enemies, he had the potential to be bigger.
Just like Rhino, the Foreigner is a character who suffers from Sony’s vision for the film. The studio did not intend for the villain to return for the possibleKraven the Huntersequel that will now never come.The Foreigner was killed by Calypso, who shot him in the eye with a crossbow. The Foreigner was an interesting character who should have been developed more instead of just looking cool and dying with mysteries unsolved, similar to Star Wars' Boba Fett.
3Julia Cornwall
Sydney Sweeney’s Marvel Potential Was Wasted On Madame Web
Sydney Sweeney is one of the hottest names in Hollywood right now. The actress is being sought after by major studios and is never out of work. That is why getting her for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe amid the criticism the franchise faced was surprising.Madame Web’s talented cast was the main thing the movie had going for itbefore release. However, Sweeney’s Marvel character was not handled well.
Sydney Sweeney is rumored to be playing Black Cat in the MCU’s Spider-Man 4.
Julia Cornwall behaved nothing like her comic book counterpart does. InMadame Web, she is a shy teen who is too afraid to have an active role in the story. In the comics, Julia Carpenter is a more charismatic and capable character. Sweeney’s role did not add much to the film, and that is a shame, asJulia’s time as Spider-Woman would have been more interestingto see than whatMadame Webdid with her.
2Anya Corazón
Another Spider-Girl Wasted By Madame Web
Sweeney’s Julia Cornwall was not the only one ofMadame Web’s Spider-Girls to be done dirty by the movie. One of the biggest issues in a film riddled with flaws is thatthe future scenes with the Spider-Man-like heroines were what the movie should have been aboutin the first place. Isabela Merced’s Anya Corazón is one of the most famous Spider-Man-like heroes in Marvel Comics.
The problem with Merced’s Anya Corazón is thatshe is the least memorable of the trio of Spider-Girlsin the film. While Sydney Sweeney’s Julia Cornwall was the good-natured, shy teen and Celeste O’Connor’s Mattie Franklin was the daring, mean girl, Merced’s Marvel character stood in between. As such, she had no discernible personality that made the character pop. Hopefully, James Gunn’s DC Universe will treat the actress better when she appears as Hawkgirl in July’sSupermanmovie.
1Mattie Franklin
Madame Web Did Not Treat Its Spider-Girls Right
Finally, Mattie Franklin is the third and last of the Spider-Girls fromMadame Webthat Sony’s Spider-Man Universe could have done a lot better with. Just like the other two teen characters in the movie, Franklin’s actions and personality felt forced. It is as ifMadame Webwanted the trio to fit certain personality archetypesand forgot to make them characters that the audience would connect with and care about.
Instead of just being cool, it felt like the movie was trying too hard to make Mattie Franklin the cool one of the trio.The character had some cringeworthy lines and momentsin the film, like being excited by the awful diner dance scene for the guys there. Mattie had a lot of potential as a hero who softened as she got her powers. Sadly,Sony’s Spider-Man Universechose to leave the Spider-Girls' powers as a vision for a future that will never come, as the franchise is over.
Sony’s Spider-Man Universe
Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU) is a media franchise and shared universe centered around various characters associated with Spider-Man, but without including Spider-Man himself as a central figure. The SSU focuses on antiheroes and villains like Venom and Morbius and has expanded to include additional characters like Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter. The franchise exists independently of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) but has made some minor crossovers.
