Sony"s Spider-Man Movies Have Never Had A Good Villain (And It"s The MCU"s Fault)

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Summary

Sony's Spider-Man Universe has a villain problem, with underdeveloped and weak villains, including the disappointing Ezekial Sims in Madame Web.
Sony often makes Spider-Man's major villains the protagonists, but fails to present a compelling villain of their own, creating a lack of balance in the storytelling.
The complicated deal between Sony and Disney restricts which villains can be used, and the MCU has been more successful in handling Spider-Man's villains compared to Sony's attempts. The multiverse concept also poses challenges for Sony's universe.

Sony's Spider-Man Universe has a villain problem brought on by the MCU, and it didn't improve with the February 14, 2024, release of Madame Web. Throughout Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Morbius, and now Madame Web, the Spider-Man Universe villains are often under-explored, underpowered, and a bit one-note. In part, this stems from the complicated deal struck between Sony and Disney, which has left both franchises with rights to Marvel content but with difficult-to-follow rules.
Spider-Man's MCU timeline has been largely successful, but that success has unfortunately not extended to the villains of Sony's Spider-Man Universe. While hopes were high for Madame Web, the latest installment in Sony's Spider-Man Universe, Madame Web is already receiving poor ratings and harsh criticism. While not entirely to blame, Madame Web villain Ezekial Sims has been mentioned in negative reviews as part of the movie's issues, which continues a long-standing problem for Sony's Spider-Man Universe.

Related Every Sony Spider-Man Universe Movie Ranked From Worst To Best Sony's Spider-Man Universe is still getting its footing in the superhero genre with four divisive movies. Here's how they rank against each another. Sony Spider-Man Universe Movie Title
Sony Spider-Man Universe Release Date
Venom
October 5, 2018
Venom: Let There Be Carnage
October 1, 2021
Morbius
April 1, 2022
Madame Web
February 14, 2024
Kraven The Hunter
August 30, 2024
Venom 3
November 8, 2024
Madame Web Continues Sony’s Poor Spider-Man Villain Trend

Tahar Rahim's Ezekial Sims is, unfortunately, a new addition to the trend of disappointing villains in Sony's Spider-Man Universe, although the issues are not with his acting. Rahim is clearly doing the best he can with flat, on-the-nose dialogue and minimal action time. When Ezekial isn't delivering lines that are only missing maniacal laughter to be fully cartoonish, he's pursuing the teenage girls he keeps envisioning are the cause of his death, reflecting his obsessive aims in the movie. Unfortunately, once he finds them (repeatedly), his main power seems to be crawling after them.
Perhaps the most confusing part of Ezekial Sims is the extent of his powers. It's clear he can stick to walls and presumably has super strength, but it isn't clear why a group of teenage girls who have yet to develop their power and a woman who only recently discovered she can see the future can defeat him relatively easily — and it's almost as confusing as how Cassandra Webb can make it to Peru and back in record time. Overall, this was a sour take on a villain that could have been excellent, which, sadly for Sony, is not new.
Sony's Spider-Man Universe Movies Make Spider-Man Villains The Heroes

Part of the issue with the villains throughout Sony's Spider-Man Universe is that the franchise frequently makes Spider-Man's major villains the protagonists, including Venom, Morbius, and Kraven. While the MCU has pulled off an anti-hero protagonist many times (such as with Loki and Wanda, to name two major examples), the issue with Sony is that they don't then present a villain of their own. While internal conflict or, as is true for Ezekial, a more story-based villain arc can be effective, as a trend, it isn't working. Eventually, Sony will have to commit to action-heavy villain fights.
This is a particularly easy comparison for Venom. In Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man 3, Venom is no doubt the villain, but the plot is complicated, and the fighting sequences are strong. In fact, while not exactly an anti-hero, Spider-Man 3's Eddie Brock can be read as a sympathetic character who has lost his way and is having a bit of a breakdown. This, particularly while fighting opposite a Spider-Man who has just fought the evil influence of Venom and succumbed to it for some time himself, can be seen to have added more dimension to the character than the more linear anti-hero story found in the Sony universe.
The Multiverse & Venom Ruined Sony’s Spider-Man Villains Does Marvel’s Sony Deal Restrict Which Villains Can Be Used? Close Marvel's complicated balancing act between the MCU and Sony has proven challenging for both franchises, which is a shame given how popular Spider-Man and his many allies and villains are with audiences. While Tom Holland's MCU appearances have been a massive success, the confusing relationship between the two franchises has muddied the waters. With Sony and the MCU seemingly making grabs for particular characters, it's easy to come to the conclusion that an attempt to avoid doubling up is negatively impacting both franchises' representations of Spider-Man, although Sony much more so than the MCU.
Although both Sony and Disney have asserted repeatedly that the MCU and Sony's Spider-Man Universe are separate from one another, the two evidently do want to avoid any doubling up on characters. Perhaps the best example of this issue is Director Ryan Coogler wanting Kraven the Hunter in Black Panther but being prevented from doing so. While Coogler saw Kraven as the perfect antagonist for Black Panther, Sony and Marvel's character crossover concerns ultimately made that impossible, with Coogler citing legal reasons for his inability to include that character.
Even without taking any legal considerations into account, it makes sense that neither franchise would want to repeat characters, particularly villains, as any such repetition would immediately draw comparisons between the two. Specifically for Sony, which hasn't had as successful a run even as the MCU faces dropping box office numbers and increased criticism, that type of head-to-head comparison would likely not go well. While audiences remain hopeful that Tom Holland's Spider-Man will make an appearance in upcoming Sony projects, there hasn't been any confirmation (or much indication) that his crossover will happen.
The Multiverse Is A Problem For Sony

The Multiverse has blown Spider-Man's stories wide open, particularly with heavy hitters Doc Ock and Green Goblin making a reappearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). Unfortunately, this exciting update for the MCU means trouble for Sony's Spider-Man Universe. It would be odd, given No Way Home's storyline, for Sony to suddenly include these major villains in standalone movies, reflecting not only an issue with their possible legal agreement but also with timeline continuity. No Way Home established that these villains are in other universes, so it would take some serious bending for Sony to make their inclusion work.
The MCU Has Done Spider-Man Villains Better

Although not the biggest of the rogue's gallery, Spider-Man's villains have been much more compelling in the MCU's Spider-Man movies. In Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), while main villain Vulture couldn't be placed on the same level as Avengers villains Ultron or Thanos, he was perfect for the first solo Spider-Man fight. The twist that Vulture was also the father of the girl Peter had a crush on was also executed brilliantly.
Mysterio, the villain of Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), put up an even stronger fight for Spider-Man, and his manipulation of Peter Parker offered a more interesting arc than other villains. More importantly, Mysterio revealing Peter's identity set in motion all the events of No Way Home and has radically reshaped Peter's (and Spider-Man's) future. While he almost lingers as a villain in No Way Home in that way, the appearances of fan-favorite villain cameos from Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man and Andrew Garfield's The Amazing Spider-Man are unbeatable.
Kraven The Hunter will be the next movie released in Sony's Spider-Man Universe, so it remains to be seen whether this trend will persist. Unfortunately for Sony, they have thus far seemed unable to break out of this troublesome trend. While the MCU has also been taking on some heat for other projects lately, in terms of their own Spider-Man movies, the franchise's upper hand compared to Sony is undeniable.

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