12 Villains Spider-Man Faces in Sony’s Marvel Universe

Having previously brought Spider-Man to cinemas twice, Sony has been expanding its own universe centered around various villains from Marvel Comics’ Spider-Man franchise. The Sony Spider-Man Universe debuted in 2018 with Venom, featuring Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock, a.k.a. Venom, and continued with 2021’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Jared Leto later assumed the role of Michael Morbius, the Living Vampire, in 2022’s Morbius, despite receiving mixed reviews. Nevertheless, Sony intends to proceed with multiple additional projects featuring more villains from Spider-Man’s Rogue Gallery.

While Marvel Studios has been focused on Tom Holland’s portrayal of Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Sony has taken charge of developing their shared universe of Spider-Man-related villains and antiheroes. These projects appear to be building towards the creation of the Sinister Six, especially after Morbius’ post-credits scene brought in Michael Keaton’s Adrian Toomes (Vulture), who had previously appeared in the MCU’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, into the Sony Spider-Man Universe (SSU). Here’s a rundown of all the villains that have appeared or are yet to come in Sony’s shared universe.

 1.  Eddie Brock & Venom

In 2018’s Venom, Tom Hardy made his debut as Eddie Brock, a journalist struggling to make ends meet. Brock acquires superpowers after becoming the host to an alien symbiote called Venom, whose species plans to invade Earth. While Venom was typically portrayed as a villain in Marvel Comics, the SSU’s iteration of the character is more of an antihero, committing questionable deeds with the intention of doing good. Venom’s story is further explored in 2021’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage, in which Venom and Brock develop a deeper bond, recognizing the advantages of being united with one another.

 2.  Carlton Drake & Riot

In Venom, another member of the alien symbiote race, Riot, bonds with Carlton Drake, a brilliant inventor portrayed by Riz Ahmed. Riot intends to utilize Drake’s resources to travel to space and acquire the remaining symbiotes, triggering an alien invasion of Earth. However, Brock and Venom team up to defeat Riot and Drake in the movie’s climactic scene. Despite being more robust than Venom, Riot is ultimately vanquished when Brock and Venom collaborate to obliterate his spacecraft, resulting in the destruction of both the symbiote and Carlton Drake.

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 3.  Cletus Kasady & Carnage

In Venom: Let There Be Carnage, another alien symbiote, Carnage, makes its debut as the symbiote that merges with Cletus Kasady, a serial killer portrayed by Woody Harrelson. Kasady sees Eddie Brock as a kindred spirit, but the two clash in the movie’s climactic scene. Ultimately, Venom devours Carnage, killing Kasady. However, Let There Be Carnage hints at Carnage’s survival as it is implied that the symbiote bonded with Patrick Mulligan, a detective who employed Brock to locate Kasady’s victims’ remains.

 4.  Frances Barrison, A.K.A. Shriek

Frances Barrison, portrayed by Naomie Harris, makes her debut in Venom: Let There Be Carnage as the childhood sweetheart and later lover of the protagonist. Barrison possesses the ability to emit sonic screams and is described as a solitary person with darkness inside her. In the film’s climax, Venom provokes her into using her power to separate Kasady and Carnage, enabling Venom to consume the latter and eliminate the former. Despite often being viewed as a foe of Spider-Man in Marvel Comics, Barrison is unlikely to return to the franchise as she is crushed by a falling cathedral.

 5.  Michael Morbius, The Living Vampire

In 2022’s installment of the SSU, Jared Leto took on the character of Michael Morbius. The film Morbius revolves around the eponymous scientist who is afflicted with a rare blood disorder. Morbius’ attempts to find a cure for himself result in him contracting a form of transgenic vampirism that gives him all of the strengths but none of the drawbacks of typical vampirism. Morbius is portrayed as an antihero who grapples with the ethical quandary of wanting to be a hero while also experiencing a thirst for blood. Morbius was met with negative reviews and poor box office performance, so despite hints of his potential future in the SSU, it remains uncertain whether he will make a return.

 6.  Lucien, A.K.A. Milo Morbius

Matt Smith played the role of Lucien, the primary antagonist in Morbius, who was originally based on the Marvel Comics villain Loxias Crown, also known as Hunger. Like Morbius, Lucien also suffered from a rare blood disease, but he chose to fully embrace his vampirism after finding a cure. However, Morbius manages to inject him with antibodies that reverse his transformation and kill him peacefully, suggesting that he won’t return in the future of the SSU. In contrast, Morbius neglected to inject himself with the antibodies, allowing him to continue operating as an antihero in the SSU.

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 7.  Vulture

The end-credits scenes of Morbius revealed that Adrian Toomes, also known as the Vulture in the MCU, somehow ended up in the SSU due to the spell cast by Doctor Strange in Spider-Man: No Way Home. The situation is perplexing, but Toomes seems to be interested in forming the enigmatic Sinister Six with Morbius. Toomes created his technology from leftover alien technology in the MCU after the 2012 film The Avengers, but it’s unclear how he regained his wings in the SSU, as they should have been left behind in the MCU.

 8.  Simon Stroud

Although not a villain, Simon Stroud plays an antagonistic role in Morbius as he works against the titular character. This mirrors their dynamic in Marvel Comics, where Stroud repeatedly attempts to hunt down Morbius under the belief that he is a bloodthirsty monster that needs to be eliminated. Whether or not Morbius will return to the SSU in future installments is uncertain, but if Jared Leto does reprise the role, it is likely that Tyrese Gibson’s Stroud would accompany him.

 9.  Sergei Kravinoff, A.K.A. Kraven

Aaron Taylor-Johnson is set to star as Sergei Kravinoff, better known as Kraven the Hunter, in the upcoming film Kraven the Hunter, which is slated for release in October 2023. In Marvel Comics, Kraven is a ruthless big game hunter who has often been portrayed as a formidable adversary to Spider-Man, but the web-slinger won’t be appearing in the film. Taylor-Johnson, who previously played Quicksilver in the MCU film Avengers: Age of Ultron, will take on the lead role of Kraven in his own solo feature.

 10.  Calypso

Ariana DeBose, known for her role in West Side Story, will make her debut in the SSU as Calypso in Kraven the Hunter. In Marvel Comics, Calypso is a voodoo priestess and a love interest of Kraven’s. While it’s uncertain how significant her role will be in the upcoming film, Calypso in the comics has a tendency to incite Kraven’s violent outbursts, so it’s probable that she won’t be a heroic character in Kraven the Hunter, but may instead serve as a secondary antagonist alongside Kraven.

 11.  Dmitri Smerdyakov, A.K.A. Chameleon

Fred Herchinger, known for his role in The White Lotus, has been cast as Dmitri Smerdyakov, also known as Chameleon, in Kraven the Hunter alongside Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ariana DeBose. In Morbius, a headline in the Daily Bugle suggests Chameleon’s existence and his talent for disguises. This subtle reference indicates strong interconnectedness among the various SSU movies. Chameleon is also Kraven Hunter’s half-brother, implying that their familial bond will be explored in the 2023 film.

 12.  Felicia Hardy, A.K.A. Black Cat

The existence of Black Cat in the SSU has been hinted at only through a small Easter egg in Morbius, much like the Chameleon. Felicity Jones played Felicia Hardy in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and was intended to reprise the role in the scrapped Silver & Black film, which also featured Silver Sable. She was also considered for a role in Sam Raimi’s unmade Spider-Man 4. These hints could be laying the groundwork for Black Cat’s debut in the SSU, which is exciting as the character is closely associated with Spider-Man, including being his love interest in Marvel Comics.

 13.  Aleksei Sytsevich, A.K.A. Rhino

The Rhino, who made a brief appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man 2’s final moments, was also hinted at in a Daily Bugle headline in Morbius. However, this reference is not as direct as those to the Chameleon or Black Cat. Alessandro Nivola has been recently confirmed to play the Rhino in Kraven the Hunter. However, this version of the character will be more faithful to the comics. In contrast to Paul Giamatti’s Rhino, who wore a mechanical suit, Nivola’s Rhino will have an organic skin suit.

 14.  Sin-Eater

Sin-Eater is one of the Spider-Man villains that has been implied to exist in the SSU. In Venom, Anne, played by Michelle Williams, briefly alludes to Eddie’s departure from New York after “the Daily Globe incident.” It’s believed to be a reference to the comic book storyline in which Eddie falsely accused Emil Gregg of being the serial killer known as Sin-Eater, which led to Eddie losing his job at the Daily Globe. This reference suggests that the events surrounding Sin-Eater and Eddie Brock might exist in the SSU and that a version of the villain could potentially appear in future movies.