Even though Sony had been working on a Kraven the Hunter movie since 2018, with The Equalizer‘s Richard Wenk hired to write the script and the Denzel Washington thriller’s director Antoine Fuqua being eyed to step behind the camera, most fans had been expecting the big game hunter to show up as the villain of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man 3 instead.
Director Jon Watts wanted him to become a part of the franchise, and while that may still happen, based on the announcement that Triple Frontier director J.C. Chandor is in talks to helm the latest proposed installment in the SPUoMC, it looks like Sony are still moving full steam ahead with creating their own little cinematic universe based on the Marvel characters they own the rights to.
Of course, the internet was sent into a panic last year when Sony abruptly took their ball and went home, withdrawing Spider-Man from the MCU in the process, but the two sides eventually managed to reach an agreement. While the specifics haven’t yet been made public, the general assumption is that Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is now contractually obligated to appear in both superhero franchises.
Rumors of cameos in everything from Venom: Let There Be Carnage to Morbius have made the rounds, with many believing Sony are building towards a Sinister Six spinoff that will see the nefarious villains try and take out Spider-Man once and for all, but insider Jeremy Conrad has now hinted on social media that the web-slinging superhero could very well show up in Kraven the Hunter as well.
Part of the agreement Marvel Studios has with Sony after the custody battle is to allow Holland to show up in the SPUMC. Feige even confirmed Spider-Man would jump across universes. So don't be shocked of Spidey shows up in Kraven in some way.
— ManaByte (@ManaByte) August 20, 2020
The first trailer for Morbius and background Easter Eggs spotted in Venom: Let There Be Carnage set photos certainly make it look as though the MCU and SPUoMC will be tied together much closer than we first thought, and with Sony announcing new projects on a regular basis, it surely won’t be too long until we find out when Spider-Man will make his first trip into rival territory.