The distinction between Marvel Studios and Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU) recently became a topic of debate among fans. Fan discussions brought to light concerns that Sony’s contributions to the Marvel landscape may be detracting from the brand’s overall reputation.
A recent Reddit discussion thread questioning if Sony is ‘ruining the ‘Marvel’ name in movies’ received attention from fans. It read:
“I know that Marvel Studios has been putting out mediocre movies since ‘Endgame’ (with the odd exception), but Sony Marvel movies tend to be viewed as bad or just plain terrible. (with the exception of Spiderverse movies and ‘Venom’). I feel that a lot of people don’t differentiate between the two entities. Are they bringing the name down?'”
Upon hearing this, some fans argued that not being an active fan adds to the confusion:
“Man… Yes. It sucks, too, because if you’re not an active fan, you wouldn’t know that Marvel Sony and Marvel Studios are different universes and different studios. It f*cking blows my mind how bad all Sony Marvel movies are. They did such a great job with Tobey McGuire’s Spider-Man. They’ve been chasing that high ever since.”
Saying they would rather have Disney in control, one fan wrote:
“100%… They have no vision. I’d rather Disney / Marvel Studios have control!”
According to other comments, fans express frustration over the general public’s confusion between the two:
“I do think it is. Earlier today, I saw a TikTok of these guys talking about ‘Madame Web,’ and they genuinely thought it was in the MCU. For the everyday viewer, it’s just too confusing, and, of course, Marvel isn’t helping themselves either.”
Another Redditor wrote:
“To be fair, Marvel hasn’t helped by saturating with a few duds. But the fact that even the actors think they’re in MCU films tells you a little about the general public awareness of these franchises and how they do or don’t interconnect.”
Sydney Sweeney Thought She Was in the MCU
This concern is proven in interviews and social media posts where actors like Sydney Sweeney, who stars in ‘Madame Web,’ expressed excitement about joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), only to be corrected by fans that the film is actually part of Sony’s SSU.
This is not just for Sweeney; other actors have reportedly made similar misconceptions, showing that there is a broader issue of misinformation or confusion about the distinction between Sony’s SSU and the MCU.
Sony May Have Been Contributing to ‘Superhero Fatigue’
The ‘superhero fatigue’ phenomenon is also mentioned in discussions, with some fans speculating that the quality and frequency of releases from Sony, alongside other studios like DC and Fox, may contribute to this:
“Disney has done their fair share of damage on their own, but Sony is definitely adding to bad superhero movie fatigue. I had a friend and my father-in-law both text me about ‘Madame Web’ thinking it was in the MCU, so these definitely hurt Marvel’s brand.”
Another Redditor argued that while Marvel Studios has had its own challenges with quality, Sony’s films heighten the issue:
“Do you think the phrase ‘superhero fatigue’ would be even remotely popular if Sony, DC, and Fox hadn’t been releasing such a terrible stream of movies in a short amount of time? It wasn’t until recently that Marvel started releasing lower quality work, and even then, they are still all watchable decent films.”
Critically, Sony’s standalone Marvel-based films have not fared well, with titles like ‘Venom,’ ‘Morbius,’ and the recent ‘Madame Web’ receiving poor reviews from critics and underperforming at the box office. ‘Madame Web,’ in particular, has been criticized heavily, receiving a 13% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and marking a low point for the SSU.
Despite these challenges, Sony’s plans for the SSU continue, with more films and television series in development.
