Sony's Spider-Man Universe Enters A New Era With Latest Disney+ Release

Published Sep 13, 2026, 10:40 AM EDT

Cooper Hood is the Associate Editor for all new movie releases, in theaters and on streaming. In addition to writing articles about these titles and upcoming releases, he also oversees content planning for each, ensuring that ScreenRant continues to cover major releases for months after their release.

He has written various reviews for ScreenRant that appear on Rotten Tomatoes, coordinated Oscars and San Diego Comic-Con coverage, appeared on CNN to talk about Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and done select interviews with talent over the years.

With Tom Holland's Spider-Man tied to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sony took matters into its own hands to create a new shared Marvel universe. Launching in 2018, Sony's Spider-Man Universe was born as a chance for the studio to use its hundreds of owned Marvel characters in a different way, shining a spotlight on some of Spider-Man's biggest villains.

Kraven the Hunter is one of the movies that came from this initiative. Sony cast Aaron Taylor-Johnson to play the character and bring the skilled hunter to life for the first time. Kraven the Hunter was directed by J.C. Chandor and featured Russell Crowe, Ariana DeBose, Christopher Abbott, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, and others among the cast. It was released in theaters on December 13, 2024.

However, Kraven the Hunter's theatrical release didn't go as planned. It was largely panned by critics, giving it a 15% on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences widely rejected the feature, limiting its worldwide box office to just $62 million, which is roughly half of what it cost Sony to make. Not only did the reception kill any chances of Kraven's story continuing, but it also brought the death of Sony's Spider-Man Universe.

Sony has confirmed that they aren't developing new movies in this continuity, making Kraven the Hunter the end of an era for the franchise. Yet, the SSU is now entering a new era thanks to Kraven the Hunter releasing on Disney+ today, September 13, 2026.

With Kraven The Hunter's Release, Every Sony Spider-Man Universe Movie Is On Disney+

Since Sony does not have a streaming service of its own, its movies, including those in the SSU, bounce around to different streaming homes over time. This includes Disney+ thanks to an ongoing deal between Sony and Disney. Kraven the Hunter's arrival means that every movie in Sony's Spider-Man Universe can now be found in one place.

The entire Venom trilogy starring Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock has been streaming on Disney+ ever since Venom: The Last Dance arrived in August. Jared Leto's Morbius became available to subscribers in 2024, while Madame Web arrived in late 2025. That just left Kraven the Hunter's Disney+ release to complete the franchise, and now we have it.

Kraven the Hunter is the longest of the franchise, with a runtime of 2 hours and 7 minutes. The rest are all under two hours long. Each entry is also rated PG-13, making them easy movies to watch in a single sitting. Anyone who wants to binge every SSU movie now that they are on Disney+ together must set aside just over 11 hours.

Sony's Spider-Man Movies Always Would've Benefited From Being With Disney

With Sony's Spider-Man movies now having the same home as the entire MCU library of movies and shows, it's impossible not to think about how different things would be if they were all part of one singular universe. Sony had already been working with Marvel Studios on Holland's Spider-Man franchise when the SSU began, but they did not want to be held back by another studio to make any movie they wanted.

If they had, the SSU movies likely would have found more success. That's not because the MCU is immune to failure and disappointment. But the characters Sony used were never meant to exist in their own bubble. They are Spider-Man villains. Instead of getting more truthful versions of Venom, Morbius, Madame Web, and Kraven the Hunter and seeing them interact with Peter Parker, they were forced to become something different, and not for the better.

Putting the SSU movies in the MCU would've likely increased their quality with Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige's input. But in the grand scheme of things, the biggest benefit would just be seeing these characters properly utilized in Spider-Man stories. Rather than Sony blocking Marvel Studios' interest in Kraven to make a movie with a version audiences didn't respond to, it would've been better if Kraven could have hunted Spider-Man as he was originally intended to do.

Sony also probably would have seen these films do better financially. When the first Venom came out in 2018, there was some confusion among general audiences about whether it was part of the MCU. The possibility that it would connect seems to have played some part in the film's $856 million box office haul. Once it became clear this was a separate franchise that Holland's Spider-Man was unlikely to ever really play a role in, interest dropped quickly and had completely fizzled by the time Kraven the Hunter came.

What's Next For The Sony Spider-Man Universe Villains?

Sony has no immediate plans to make more movies with these villains, but the Spider-Man characters should get more opportunities on the big screen. Venom is the only one with a confirmed future, as he's getting an animated movie produced by Tom Hardy. He could even potentially appear in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, as could Madame Web, Morbius, and Kraven the Hunter, depending on the planned story.

The bigger question is when Sony will inevitably give some of these characters another crack in live-action. The MCU has already set up a story with Holland's Spider-Man and Venom that could still come to fruition. Kraven the Hunter could feasibly fit into Spider-Man 5 depending on the story's direction, while Morbius or Madame Web having a role in the next chapter seems more unlikely at the moment.

If any of these Spider-Man villains come back to theaters, the expectation will be that they'd all be recast. Hardy's Venom is the only one who has some chance to continue on. He and Holland have both expressed interest in doing a crossover movie, and audiences have campaigned for it too. But Leto won't be back as Morbius, Dakota Johnson has no interest in more Madame Web, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson's days as Kraven should be over, too.

What Sony really needs to figure out is whether they can find ways for these and other Spider-Man villains to have a place in the MCU, including with standalone or team-up films. It's clear Sony is still interested in expanding its Marvel movie output, but they should be hesitant to make them separate from Holland's wildly popular web-slinger again. An agreement with Disney and Marvel Studios to fold additional Sony Marvel movies into the MCU would be a great benefit.

With Kraven the Hunter now bringing the entire SSU movie library to Disney+, it's time for Sony to really figure out what the future holds for these characters. If these titles are popular enough on Disney's streaming service, the studio could even become more interested in coming to terms with Sony on how to best utilize the entire Spider-Man universe for the benefit of both studios.