Spider-Noir will be the last entry in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe for the foreseeable future, and I’m actually excited by how that’ll affect the show. When Marvel regained the rights to Spider-Man, that meant that Sony wouldn’t be allowed to depict the hero in a way that would conflict. Instead, the studio has built its own Spider-Man Universe without the titular hero, but with characters who have a close association with him instead. The SSU released three films just this year alone, but unfortunately to mostly negative reception.
Morbius, Madame Web, Kraven the Hunter, and the Venom trilogy all received mixed to negative reviews. The lack of success with the SSU films led Sony to the decision to discontinue the franchise for now. However, there will still be one more release in this shared universe. The television series Spider-Noir following Nicholas Cage’s Spider-Man Noir is currently in production, and I think that the SSU ending may actually be the best possible scenario for the show’s production.
Spider-Man Noir’s Show Actually Looks More Promising Following Sony’s Spider-Man Universe Ending
Spider-Noir Won’t Have Obligation To The SSU Anymore
Spider-Noir will follow Spider-Man Noir as he deals with being the only superhero in 1930s New York City. Though Cage is reprising his character from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, it will be a completely different version of him. Even though the show has been confirmed to take place in the same universe as projects like Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter, the fact that the SSU doesn’t matter anymore makes Spider-Noir feel extra promising. It will not be tied down to the greater franchise, nor will it be forced to include some sort of overarching story.
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A typical problem found in big superhero franchises is that there has to be some sort of continuity between projects, even if it isn’t what’s best for the narrative. Spider-Noir won’t have the obligation now to set up an upcoming SSU sequel or introduce a character for a future project. The team can focus on the story that they want to tell without feeling like the weight of the SSU is on their shoulders, and it’ll probably make for more creative stories to be told throughout the series.
Spider-Man Noir Can Learn From The Mistakes of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe
The SSU Received Mixed To Negative Reviews
Not only does Spider-Noir not have the pressure of tying into the SSU anymore, but hopefully this means that production will feel more confident taking bigger risks. Most of the SSU has focused on a more conventional superhero formula with each film, but it did not give Sony the results that they wanted. The reception was average to critical, and a big complaint that fans had with the SSU films was that the narrative was bland while wasting interesting characters. Now knowing that’s how the audience feels, Sony will hopefully take that into account while making Spider-Noir.
Television shows have always been a great platform for studios to encourage experimentation as it’s a shorter form of content that is generally cheaper to make. Marvel took risks with shows like WandaVision and Agatha All Along, and they are two of the MCU’s most well-received shows to date. They are both incredibly unique projects in a style that Marvel hadn’t explored much before, and Sony could achieve the same success with Spider-Noir, especially since it has no obligation to the SSU anymore.
Spider-Man Noir Can Use Many Marvel Villains Easier Now
The Show Doesn’t Have To Worry About Villain Overlap
Before the cancelation of the SSU, Spider-Noir was pretty limited in the Marvel villains that it could use. The films from this year alone covered villains like Ezekiel Sims, Knull, and Rhino, and they were all portrayed in the modern day. Since Spider-Noir takes place in the past, any of these villains making appearances would make no narrative sense. However, now that the SSU doesn’t matter anymore, the show can take free reign of the Marvel villains that they use as there’s no need to maintain continuity.
The exact villains that Spider-Man Noir will be facing in the show haven’t been confirmed yet, but there are way more possibilities now that production can take from. The show won’t have to worry about an overlap of villains from past SSU films, nor will they have to avoid villains who Sony wanted to set up in future projects. The SSU being canceled is truly a huge hit for Sony and a shame for the introduced characters that did have potential, but it might’ve actually been the best thing to happen for the sake of Spider-Noir’s creative direction.
Sony’s Upcoming Marvel Movie Release Dates
- Release Date
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December 13, 2024