Venom

Venom is a superhero film franchise produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. The franchise is centered on Venom, a Marvel Comics character formed through the union of investigative journalist Eddie Brock and an extraterrestrial symbiote. It began with Venom in 2018 and expanded through Venom: Let There Be Carnage in 2021 and Venom: The Last Dance in 2024. The film series developed from Sony Pictures' long-running effort to create additional films around characters connected to Spider-Man. An earlier Venom project had been discussed during the period of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films and was reconsidered during the development of The Amazing Spider-Man series. Sony initially planned a broader group of Spider-Man-related spin-offs, including villain-focused projects, but the underperformance of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in 2014 led the studio to revise its strategy. In 2015, Sony entered a partnership with Marvel Studios to bring Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Venom was subsequently revived as a separate Sony-led project rather than as a direct extension of that MCU Spider-Man continuity. Sony formally positioned Venom as the starting point for a new shared universe in 2017. That universe was initially given several corporate names, including Sony's Marvel Universe and Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters, before being renamed Sony's Spider-Man Universe in 2021. Although the studio promoted a larger setting containing characters connected to Spider-Man, the films generally emphasized standalone stories and did not develop the tightly interwoven narrative structure associated with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Venom therefore functioned both as an individual film brand and as the most commercially prominent recurring property within Sony's broader Marvel-based film strategy. The first Venom film follows Eddie Brock, a journalist whose investigation into the Life Foundation brings him into contact with the symbiote Venom. Tom Hardy played Brock and also became a producer and creative contributor to later entries. The film received mixed critical reviews but performed strongly in theaters, encouraging Sony to proceed with a sequel. Venom: Let There Be Carnage introduced the serial killer Cletus Kasady and his symbiote counterpart Carnage, while also using a mid-credits sequence to suggest connections with the multiverse and the MCU version of Spider-Man. Venom: The Last Dance continued the Eddie Brock and Venom story and was presented as the concluding chapter of the initial trilogy. The broader Sony universe also included films such as Morbius, Madame Web, and Kraven the Hunter. These productions used characters associated with Spider-Man comics but varied substantially in tone, continuity, and degree of connection. Cross-media references strengthened the impression of a shared setting: the animated Spider-Verse films incorporated characters and locations associated with Venom, and a scene in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse identified the live-action Sony universe as Earth-688. The multiverse framing also allowed Sony properties to interact indirectly with MCU material without fully merging their narrative continuities. Venom's three films were commercially successful relative to several other Sony Spider-Man-related releases, and the wider franchise grossed more than two billion dollars worldwide according to the cited reference material. By late 2024, after the poor commercial and critical performance of Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter, Sony was reported to have stopped developing additional standalone films in the immediate term while concentrating on other Spider-Man projects, including the MCU film Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the animated Spider-Verse series, and the television series Spider-Noir. Later reported plans described a possible fresh reboot and an animated Venom project, indicating that the brand remained strategically valuable even though the future shape of the live-action franchise was unsettled.

Sony's interest in a Venom film predates the current franchise. The character was considered during the development of earlier Spider-Man film projects, and Sony continued to explore spin-offs involving Spider-Man's supporting characters and antagonists. In 2013, the studio planned to use The Amazing Spider-Man 2 as a foundation for an expanded collection of films, including a Venom project. The disappointing response and commercial performance of that film caused Sony to reconsider the proposed universe. In February 2015, Sony announced a partnership with Disney and Marvel Studios under which Marvel would produce a new series of Spider-Man films for Sony and integrate the character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The arrangement did not eliminate Sony's interest in other Marvel properties. Venom was revived in March 2016 as a separate production that would not depend on the new MCU Spider-Man films. Sony announced in 2017 that the film would launch its own shared universe, although the studio emphasized that its individual projects could remain stylistically and narratively independent. The first Venom was released in 2018. It starred Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock, an investigative journalist who becomes bonded with an alien symbiote. The film adopted a darker antihero tone and avoided presenting itself as a conventional Spider-Man spin-off. Despite mixed critical reviews, its commercial performance supported a sequel and encouraged Sony to develop further films based on Spider-Man-related characters. Venom: Let There Be Carnage followed in 2021. It brought back Hardy and introduced Carnage as the principal opposing symbiote. Its mid-credits scene used multiverse mechanics to place Eddie Brock and Venom briefly in proximity to the MCU's Spider-Man continuity. Morbius, released in 2022, used a similar type of scene, although the broader films in the franchise remained only loosely connected. The animated Spider-Verse films also created opportunities for cross-continuity references. In Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the live-action Sony universe was identified as Earth-688, and the appearance of Mrs. Chen from the Venom films served as a direct cross-franchise reference. Sony's wider strategy expanded with Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter in 2024, while Venom: The Last Dance completed the initial Venom trilogy. The Venom films performed better commercially than several of the other live-action Sony Marvel releases, but the broader franchise faced criticism for inconsistent continuity and uneven reception. After Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter failed commercially, reports in late 2024 indicated that Sony had stopped developing further standalone films in the immediate period and was concentrating on other Spider-Man properties, including the MCU film Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the animated Spider-Verse series, and Spider-Noir. Subsequent reported plans suggested that Sony might continue the property through a fresh reboot overseen by different creative personnel and through an animated Venom film. The future of the live-action brand therefore remained unsettled: the original trilogy had reached a narrative endpoint, but Venom remained one of Sony's most recognizable and commercially resilient Marvel-related properties.

• 2024

  Venom: The Last Dance is released

  [1]Sony's Spider-Man Universeen.wikipedia.org

  The third film was positioned as the concluding chapter of the initial Venom trilogy.

• 2023

  The animated Spider-Verse references the live-action universe

  [1]Sony's Spider-Man Universeen.wikipedia.org

  Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse identified the live-action Sony setting as Earth-688 and included a character associated with the Venom films.

• 2021

  The franchise is renamed Sony's Spider-Man Universe

  [1]Sony's Spider-Man Universeen.wikipedia.org

  Sony adopted the SSU name after several earlier labels had been used internally or publicly.

• 2021

  Venom: Let There Be Carnage is released

  [1]Sony's Spider-Man Universeen.wikipedia.org

  The sequel expanded the symbiote mythology through the introduction of Carnage and used a post-credits sequence to suggest multiverse links.

• 2018

  Venom is released

  [1]Sony's Spider-Man Universeen.wikipedia.org

  The first film introduced Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock and established the core tone and commercial identity of the franchise.

• 2017

  Sony confirms the new shared universe

  [1]Sony's Spider-Man Universeen.wikipedia.org

  Sony confirmed that Venom would inaugurate a shared universe of Marvel characters associated with Spider-Man.

• 2016

  Venom development is revived

  [1]Sony's Spider-Man Universeen.wikipedia.org

  Sony restarted Venom as an independent film intended to establish a separate Sony-led Marvel property.

• 2015

  Sony and Marvel Studios announce a Spider-Man partnership

  [1]Sony's Spider-Man Universeen.wikipedia.org

  Marvel Studios became involved in producing a new Spider-Man series for Sony, with the character integrated into the MCU.

• 2013

  Sony plans an expanded Spider-Man-related film universe

  [1]Sony's Spider-Man Universeen.wikipedia.org

  Sony explored using The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and related spin-offs, including Venom, as the foundation for a larger film universe.

A commercially oriented superhero film brand built around a darker, antihero-focused Marvel character. Sony positioned Venom as a standalone, character-led alternative to conventional interconnected comic-book universes, while retaining optional links to Spider-Man, the MCU, and the multiverse.

• Superhero film · 2018

  Venom

  The 2018 launch film follows journalist Eddie Brock after he becomes bonded with an alien symbiote. The story presents Venom as an antihero whose violent instincts are gradually directed toward protecting others. It established the franchise's central character relationship, its darker comic-book tone, and its separation from the MCU Spider-Man films. Tom Hardy portrayed Eddie Brock and Venom.

• Superhero film sequel · 2021

  Venom: Let There Be Carnage

  The 2021 sequel continues Eddie Brock's uneasy partnership with Venom and introduces Cletus Kasady, a serial killer who becomes host to the symbiote Carnage. The film emphasizes the contrast between the two symbiote-host relationships and expands the franchise's mythology. Its mid-credits sequence uses multiverse events to create an indirect connection with the MCU's Spider-Man continuity.

• Superhero film sequel · 2024

  Venom: The Last Dance

  The 2024 third installment continues the Eddie Brock and Venom story and was promoted as the final chapter of the initial trilogy. It serves as the endpoint of the first live-action Venom narrative while leaving open the possibility that Sony could later revisit the character through a reboot, animation, or another format.

• 2024

  Pause immediate development of further standalone filmsStrategy

  Background

  Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter performed poorly, while the Venom films remained comparatively successful. Reports described Sony as reassessing which Spider-Man-related characters should receive live-action films.

  Action taken

  Sony reportedly shifted near-term attention toward the MCU Spider-Man film, the animated Spider-Verse series, and the Spider-Noir television project rather than immediately adding more standalone SSU films.

  Aftermath

  The live-action future of the broader universe became uncertain, although later reports indicated continuing interest in Venom through possible reboot and animated projects.

  Source

• 2021

  Rename the franchise Sony's Spider-Man UniverseStrategy

  Background

  Sony had used several lengthy names for its Marvel-related shared universe, and the terminology attracted criticism for being cumbersome and difficult to distinguish from the Spider-Verse brand.

  Action taken

  Sony adopted Sony's Spider-Man Universe, commonly shortened to SSU, as the public franchise name.

  Aftermath

  The new name clarified the property's relationship to Spider-Man while preserving the distinction between Sony's live-action films and the MCU.

  Source

• 2017

  Establish a loosely connected Sony Marvel universeStrategy

  Background

  Sony wanted to develop multiple characters associated with Spider-Man but was cautious about repeating the rushed universe-building approach attempted during the Amazing Spider-Man period.

  Action taken

  The studio announced that Venom would begin a new shared universe while allowing individual films to use distinct genres, tones, and storytelling approaches.

  Aftermath

  The resulting films shared branding and occasional multiverse references but generally remained more standalone than the MCU.

  Source

• 2016

  Revive Venom as a standalone franchise starterStrategy

  Background

  Sony's earlier plans for a connected group of Amazing Spider-Man spin-offs had been reconsidered after The Amazing Spider-Man 2 underperformed. The studio still viewed Venom as a potentially valuable Marvel-related property.

  Action taken

  Sony restarted development of Venom as a film independent of the new MCU Spider-Man series and designed it to support a separate Sony-led franchise.

  Aftermath

  The decision led to the 2018 film and became the foundation for Sony's later live-action Marvel-related releases.

  Source

1. 1Sony's Spider-Man Universeen.wikipedia.org