After bringing Spider-Man to the big screen twice before, Sony has been developing a shared universe featuring several of Marvel Comics’ Spider-Man villains. The Sony Spider-Man Universe kicked off in 2018 with the release of Venom, and continued in the 2021 sequel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, which both feature Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock, a.k.a. Venom. 2022’s Morbius saw Jared Leto assume the role of Michael Morbius, the Living Vampire, and although this project was met with criticism, the franchise is set to continue with a variety of further projects featuring villains from Spider-Man’s rogues gallery.
While Marvel Studios has been developing the story of Tom Holland’s iteration of Peter Parker, a.k.a. Spider-Man, Sony has taken it upon themselves to develop their shared universe of Spider-Man-related villains and antiheroes. These projects appear to be building up towards the formation of the Sinister Six, particularly after Morbius’ post-credits scene brought Michael Keaton’s Adrian Toomes, a.k.a. the Vulture, into the Sony Spider-Man Universe (SSU) after previously appearing in the MCU’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. Here are all the villains featured as part of Sony’s shared universe, and those who are still yet to come.
Eddie Brock & Venom
Tom Hardy debuted as Eddie Brock in 2018’s Venom, the first film in the SSU. Brock is a struggling journalist who gained superpowers after becoming the host to the alien symbiote Venom, whose species plans on invading the Earth. In Marvel Comics, Venom was often depicted as a villain, though the SSU’s depiction shows him to be more of an antihero, doing questionable things with good intentions. Venom’s story is developed further in 2021’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage, which sees Venom and Brock form a closer bond, both realizing the value in being connected to each other.
Carlton Drake & Riot
Riot was another member of the alien symbiote race of which Venom originates, who bonds with Riz Ahmed’s genius inventor Carlton Drake in Venom. Riot plans to use Drake to travel to space and collect the remaining symbiotes, initiating the alien invasion of Earth, but the pair are defeated by Brock and Venom in the film’s final moments. Riot is shown to be stronger than Venom, but is defeated as Venom and Brock use their combined intellect to destroy Riot’s space shuttle, killing both the symbiote and Carlton Drake.
Cletus Kasady & Carnage
Yet another alien symbiote, Carnage debuted in 2021’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage as a symbiote who bonded to Woody Harrelson’s serial killer Cletus Kasady. Kasady considers Eddie Brock to be a kindred spirit, but the pair go toe-to-toe in the film’s final moments, leading to Venom devouring Carnage and killing Kasady, though Let There Be Carnage teases Carnage’s survival as it’s suggested he bonded to Patrick Mulligan, a detective using Brock to find Kasady’s victims’ bodies.
Frances Barrison, A.K.A. Shriek
Naomie Harris debuted as Frances Barrison in Venom: Let There Be Carnage, the childhood sweetheart and later lover who has the ability to emit sonic screams. Described as an isolated soul with a darkness within her, Barrison plays an important role in the final moments of Let There Be Carnage, as she is provoked by Venom into using her ability to separate Kasady and Carnage, allowing Venom to eat the latter and kill the former. It’s unlikely she’ll return to the franchise after being crushed by a falling cathedral, despite her often being seen as an enemy to Spider-Man in Marvel Comics.
Michael Morbius, The Living Vampire
Jared Leto took on the role of Michael Morbius in the SSU’s 2022 fixture. Morbius focused on the titular scientist who suffered from a rare blood disease. Morbius attempts to cure himself, but these attempts afflict him with a form of transgenic vampirism – gaining all the superpowers but none of the weaknesses of well-known vampirism. Depicted as an antihero, Morbius struggles with the moral dilemma of wanting to be a hero despite his thirst for blood. Morbius was a critical and commercial failure, so despite teases of Morbius’ future in the SSU, it’s unclear if he will return.
Lucien, A.K.A. Milo Morbius
Originally based on the Marvel Comics villain Loxias Crown, a.k.a. Hunger, Matt Smith’s Milo Morbius, whose real name is Lucien, was featured as the primary antagonist of Morbius. Afflicted with the same rare blood disease as Morbius, Milo “cures” himself too and fully embraces his vampirism. Morbius ends with Milo being injected with antibodies to reverse his transformation, killing him peacefully, suggesting he won’t return in the SSU’s future. Initially planning to inject himself with the antibodies too, Morbius ended up neglecting to, allowing him to continue operating as an SSU antihero.
Vulture
In the post-credits scenes of Morbius, it was revealed that the spell Doctor Strange cast at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home somehow sent Adrian Toomes, a.k.a. the Vulture, into the SSU. The MCU’s version of the Vulture now being in the SSU is incredibly confusing, but the Vulture seems to be wanting to form the mysterious Sinister Six with Morbius. Adrian Toomes created his technology from alien tech left behind in the MCU after the events of 2012’s The Avengers, though it’s unclear how he got his wings back in the SSU as they would have been left in the MCU.
Simon Stroud
While Simon Stroud isn’t actually villainous, he’s still antagonistic throughout Morbius thanks to how he works against the titular character. This is true to their dynamic in Marvel Comics, as Stroud would repeatedly try and hunt down Morbius under the belief that he was a bloodthirsty monster that needed to be eliminated. Morbius’ future in the SSU is unclear, but if Jared Leto does reprise the role in future SSU installments, it’s likely that Tyrese Gibson’s Stroud would return alongside him.
Sergei Kravinoff, A.K.A. Kraven
While Kraven the Hunter isn’t releasing until October 2023, Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been confirmed to be assuming the titular role of Sergei Kravinoff, a.k.a. Kraven. The maniacal big game hunter has regularly been seen as a formidable enemy to Marvel Comics’ Spider-Man, but the web-slinger won’t be appearing in Kraven the Hunter. Taylor-Johnson has already had a stint in the world of superheroes as the MCU’s Quicksilver from Avengers: Age of Ultron, but Kraven the Hunter will see him take the spotlight as the main character in his own solo feature.
Calypso
West Side Story’s Ariana DeBose is set to debut as Calypso in the SSU’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter. In Marvel Comics, Calypso is a voodoo priestess who is deeply associated with Kraven as the villain’s love-interest. Though it’s unclear how large a role she’ll play in the upcoming film, Calypso in Marvel Comics often enjoys throwing Kraven into fits of rage, so it’s likely that she won’t be a hero in Kraven the Hunter, but that she’ll possibly be a secondary antagonistic force alongside Kraven.
Dmitri Smerdyakov, A.K.A. Chameleon
The White Lotus star Fred Herchinger is set to portray Dmitri Smerdyakov, a.k.a. Chameleon, in Kraven the Hunter alongside Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ariana DeBose. During Morbius, a headline on the Daily Bugle reads “Chameleon’s Great Escape,” which is likely a nod to this character’s existence and his status as a master of disguise. This small reference is a great sign of interconnectivity between each installment of the SSU. Chameleon is also depicted as the half-brother of Kraven the Hunter, so this familial connection will surely be explored in 2023’s Kraven the Hunter.
Felicia Hardy, A.K.A. Black Cat
So far, Black Cat has only been referenced in a small Daily Bugle Easter egg in Morbius, similarly to the Chameleon, which establishes her existence in the SSU. Felicity Jones previously portrayed Felicia Hardy in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and was set to reprise the role in the now-canceled Silver & Black movie along with Silver Sable. Felicia was also set to appear in an earlier draft for Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4, which never went into development. These teases could be building up to the character’s actual introduction into the SSU, which is exciting as she is very closely linked to Spider-Man, even acting as his love-interest in Marvel Comics.
Aleksei Sytsevich, A.K.A. Rhino
Aside from a brief appearance in the final moments of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, the Rhino was also teased in a Daily Bugle headline in Morbius, though this isn’t as explicit as the Chameleon or Black Cat. Alessandro Nivola has recently been confirmed to be portraying the Rhino in the SSU’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter, though this will be a much more comic-accurate version of the character. Whereas Paul Giamatti’s Rhino had a mechanical suit in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Nivola’s version will have a more organic skin-suit.
Sin-Eater
Sin-Eater is another Spider-Man villain whose existence has only been implied. In Venom, Michelle Williams’ character, Anne, briefly mentions that Eddie was run out of New York after “the Daily Globe incident.” The movie doesn’t go into further detail, but it’s most likely a reference to how, in the comics, Eddie lost his job at the Daily Globe after Spider-Man revealed that he falsely declared Emil Gregg to be the serial killer known as Sin-Eater. If that’s the case, then it could mean that a version of Sin-Eater, and the events surrounding him and Eddie Brock, could exist in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.
