Jared Leto has shown interest in seeing his iteration of Morbius taking on Tom Holland's Spider-Man, but such teases could be a problem if Sony doesn't avoid past mistakes regarding the franchise. Initially expected to release in July 2020, Morbius has been delayed six times already and is now set to come out on April 1, 2022. Directed by Daniel Espinosa and starring Jared Leto, Morbius is another step by Sony in building a universe of Spider-Man characters.

In addition to the released Venom movies and the upcoming Morbius, Sony is currently developing films for Kraven and Madame Web. Kraven The Hunter will be directed by J.C. Chandor and feature Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the villain along with Russell Crowe, who's also in MCU's Thor 4, as Kraven's father. Madame Web will see Dakota Johnson star as the multi-powered character whose intents are often dubious in a film that will also feature Euphoria actress Sydney Sweeney.

Related: Kraven's New Villain Makes Sony's Spider-Man Problem Even Worse

The problem with statements like Jared Leto's is that they run the risk of not being paid off with a proper encounter between the villain and Tom Holland's Spider-Man. Without much confirmation, such statements become more embarrassing than exciting. For those teases to be worth something, there has to be a solid plan for villains like Morbius, Venom, and Kraven to fight Spider-Man at some point. At a time when audiences are craving for more interconnectivity between superhero films, especially for a character so linked to the Multiverse like Spider-Man, questions like that will always be brought before actors and directors. To prevent the statements of its main stars from becoming essentially hollow clickbait, Sony and Marvel must solidly indicate whether Tom Holland's Spider-Man will actually interact with those villains or not.

Morbius Tom Holland Spider-Man(1)

Sony already has a history of unpaid teases regarding the interconnectivity of its universe, with Tom Hardy having spent the press junket of both Venom films answering questions about a possible encounter with Tom Holland's Spider-Man and having nothing to offer but vague statements. To date, Spider-Man has yet to interact with any characters from Sony's pocket universe. The closest to a true interplay between these two corners of the Spider-Man films was Tom Hardy's Venom appearing in the post-credits scene of Spider-Man: No Way Home, with that moment played more as a joke than as a real connection. While Sony's Spider-Man Multiverse is expanding with Kraven and Madame Web, it hasn't yet been announced how or when all of those elements will tie into Tom Holland's Spider-Man — if at all.

The situation becomes even more frustrating considering that some of the most interesting characters in Spider-Man's mythology, many of whom have never had been featured in live-action, may be restricted from interacting with the hero in the near future due to their solo films. In fact, there's not even much clarity about which universe (Sony's or the MCU) each of these movies will take place in. One way to connect all these universes is with Madame Web, a character who has similarly bridged such connections in the comics. Nonetheless, none of this even matters if there isn't a defined outlook on how Sony's and Marvel's Spider-Men will interact in Marvel's upcoming titles.

Jared Leto's statement could be heartening if it weren't for Sony's past mistakes. There's still a lot to be learned about the studios' plans for Spider-Man's adjacent characters, including what universe Morbius takes place in. The lack of clear answers could simply be a momentary marketing ploy, but it could also be a symptom that, as of yet, there is no solid plan for the franchise's future.

Next: Venom 2’s Post-Credits Proves Sony Won The Spider-Man Battle

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