Despite the criticism it has received, the Venom trilogy has become a box office phenomenon for Sony, managing to capture the attention of a segment of the audience that found a remarkable appeal in this peculiar interpretation of Spider-Man’s arch-nemesis. According to director Rubén Fleischer, the creation of this version of the character was not without complications, mainly due to intellectual property rights that prevented the inclusion of Spider-Man in the narrative, resulting in a significant creative challenge. Fleischer commented in a recent interview that “we were all trying to figure out exactly what [Venom] wanted to be; its definition was always tied to Spider-Man, but our movie couldn’t include him.”
How fitting both franchises is giving them headaches
This inability to unite both characters not only complicated the development of the film but also blurred the coherence of the universe that Sony has tried to build around its heroes and villains. Sony’s collaboration with Marvel, although initially promising, has resulted in a universe of characters that, in many ways, feels more like an incoherent amalgamation than a cohesive universe. This situation has generated mockery and criticism among fans, who often wonder about the future of the characters that are not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Despite these difficulties, the box office success and the entertainment provided by the trilogy cannot be ignored. The films, although they did not reach the level of quality expected by critics, managed to connect with fans and maintain a level of fun that has secured their place in current pop culture. This relative success also highlights the poor management that Sony has had with the character of Spider-Man since it agreed to his inclusion in the MCU, which has led to a palpable confusion among the followers of both universes.
