Sony's Venom movie and its Spider-Man universe currently is and isn't part of the MCU. Confused? As it currently stands, it looks like the villain franchise is copying the approach taken by the Marvel TV shows.

In March 2016, Sony announced that they were launching a series of Spider-Man spinoffs. This will finally begin with the release of Venom in October, with a number of other films in the works reportedly including Kraven the HunterJackpotSilk, and Nightwatch. The announcements have generally been received with a degree of skepticism, mostly because viewers are unsure whether or not these films can work without Spider-Man. Sony may have the film rights for over 900 Marvel characters, but they're all secondary heroes and villains who are best known for their interactions with the wall-crawler.

Related: Every Spider-Man Villain Spinoff Sony is Developing

As a result, debate has heavily focused on the question of whether or not Sony's movies are set in the MCU in some way and if there could ever be crossovers. Unfortunately, there's no simple answer to that question; instead, fans have been given a stream of contradictory statements and reports. And that may be the biggest clue of all.

Marvel And Sony (Still) Haven't Confirmed If Venom Is In The MCU

Tom Hardy as Venom and Marvel Spider-Man

Early reports suggested that Venom and the Spider-villain films wouldn't be part of the MCU at all. That was apparently confirmed in March last year, when Spider-Man: Homecoming director Jon Watts explicitly said that Venom was "not connected to the Marvel world." Kevin Feige himself seemed to support this view a few months later, but he added an important clarification: "For now, there is no plan for Venom in the MCU. It's a Sony project." Attentive viewers noted Feige's curious phrasing, with a sentence structure that emphasized the term "For now."

Enter Amy Pascal, Sony producer of Spider-Man: Homecoming and a key force in the Spider-villains universe. On Homecoming's press tour, she suggested that the Sony films were "adjuncts" to the MCU, strongly implying they exist within the same shared universe. Pascal and Feige attempted to row back on this over the following weeks, issuing a confusing stream of comments that did little more than muddy the waters. The final word from Pascal - which Feige said was "the perfect answer" - left it distinctly possible that these films are in the MCU somehow:

"First, there is Spider-Man happily in the place where he’s supposed to be which is in the Marvel Universe. I think everything comes from that. This is the signpost, the tentpole, the signature and… the other movies that Sony’s going to make, in their relationship to this [MCU] Spider-Man, take place in this world. Although you’re not going to see them in the Marvel Universe, it’s in the same reality."

Related: All The Evidence Venom Is Actually In The MCU

Matters haven't been cleared up since, with Venom trailers playing coy and even suggestions that the spinoffs were in "a separate world" to the MCU coming with major asterisks.

The Latest Suggestion Is That Sony & The MCU Could Crossover

The latest report on the entire Spider-Man universe, from Variety, once again raised the possibility that Venom could be part of the MCU. The piece, which is full of new details, contains two conspicuous statements that connect the two franchises: the first is the suggestion that Sony are pushing to make Venom a PG-13, not the once-expected R, to give greater leeway for future crossovers, potentially including the always-family-friendly Spider-Man; the second is the converse suggestion that Sony hopes future movies could involve "other members of the extended Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)."

It's important to note that this isn't a direct quote from a Sony exec or source; it's more editorialization on Variety's insider info. But if the statement is accurate, then some Sony insiders do still believe there's a chance their films could be considered part of the wider MCU. In fact, they even harbor hopes of potential future crossovers.

Page 2: Sony is Making Movies That Could Fit In The MCU

Nothing About Venom Contradicts the MCU

One of the most striking aspects of Venom is how carefully Sony appear to have designed the film so it won't contradict the MCU. The movie is set in San Francisco, a location that's only previously appeared in the two Ant-Man films; there have been no alien invasions, no Avengers missions. The most San Francisco citizens have had to deal with are occasional sightings of Giant-Man, something that can easily be sidestepped. Had Venom been based in New York City, the risks of contradicting MCU continuity would have been far greater.

Related: Sony's Spider-Villain Universe Should Just Recast Spider-Man

Likewise, the plot, inspired by the classic Venom: Lethal Protector comics, involves the sinister Life Foundation using alien symbiotes in secret, is engineered to have an enclosed impact. Plainly, this plot would work just as easily inside the MCU as it does outside of it; the only possible issue is avoiding any alien skepticism, given extraterrestrials have been common knowledge since the Chitauri invasion in The Avengers.

Even Sony's controversial decision to cut Spider-Man from Venom's origin story can be seen as a smart way to prevent any possible continuity issues; while it removes Eddie Brock from Peter Parker, it doesn't inherently preclude them from both existing.

There is No Overlap Between Sony & MCU Characters

Looking beyond Venom, Sony is also avoiding any character contradiction in future movies. To whit, there is no overlap between characters Sony is introducing and those introduced into the MCU; they aren't considering a Vulture movie, seemingly because Michael Keaton's Adrian Toomes exists in the MCU. In June 2017, there were reports that the studio was working on Mysterio spinoff, something that has conspicuously disappeared since Mysterio has been confirmed as the villain of Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Instead, the movies that Sony is currently exploring - Black Cat, Silver Sable, Morbius, Kraven Silk - are all ones with nary a mention in relation to the MCU. It definitely looks as though Marvel and Sony are actively avoiding doubling-up on characters. And, while there's an argument to be made that there's a conscious attempt to avoid conflicting versions of characters, it also creates the potential for these films to be in the same universe.

Related: Maximum Carnage Can Be The Avengers Of Sony's Spider-Villains Universe

Some plot rumors for future movies even point towards this. It was suggested that the (now-canceled) Silver & Black was going to feature a Norman Osborn cameo, but only using an actor for the voice to enable Marvel to cast someone else for the part down the line. If true, this implies Sony wanted Osborn to become a possible link between the Sony villain universe and the main MCU.

Page 3 of 3: How Sony's Spider-Villains Films Could Exist Within the MCU

Spider-Man and Kraven the Hunter

Sony's Spider-Villains Universe Is and Isn't In the MCU Right Now

All of this evidence suggests that, while Sony's spinoffs aren't necessarily officially part of the MCU, they're being carefully designed so they can potentially fit into it. Essentially, it's a Schrodinger's shared universe, presently in both states until the box is opened - or, rather Venom's box office and overall quality as a movie is determined.

Going back to Pascal's claim Sony's movies are "adjuncts" to the MCU, it would seem this is what she's been trying to verbalise all along without making it seem undecided. As intended, the Spider-villain universe is "supplementary" to the MCU; additional stories that take place in the background of the same universe while not directly impacting the grander narrative. That would explain why, although Sony appear to be carefully avoiding contradicting the MCU, there's no evidence Marvel is doing the same in return. And we've seen that one place before...

Sony's Spider-Villain Universe Is Looking More And More Like Marvel TV

Thanos and Agents of SHIELD

This is exactly the same model enjoyed - or endured - by the Marvel TV shows. They're set in the MCU, and some of them are profoundly influenced by events in the movies, but any crossovers and impacts will work one way only. This is somewhat inevitable given more viewers will watch a movie than a TV series, which was the explanation at first. However, the gap has become more pronounced in recent years due to Marvel Studios and Marvel TV operating entirely independently (the former moved directly under Disney control in 2015). This means communication and collaboration is limited

That current situation is not dissimilar to how Marvel and Sony appear to be handling the adjunct universe. Just as Marvel TV builds itself around the movies, so too are Sony making their Spider-flicks so they can be read as slotting in despite that not being a consideration for Marvel Studios. There are, however, two major differences between Sony's position and Marvel Television's. The first is that Sony has a lot more to bargain with; they're in a mutually profitable relationship with Marvel, one that allows Tom Holland's Spider-Man to enter the MCU. The second is that a network may not be able to afford a cameo from a film actor, whereas Sony Pictures very easily could.

And this is, ultimately, where the entire discussion hinges - Sony, evidently, thinks they can become a more integrated part. The question of whether they can or not likely rests upon how profitable Venom proves to be.

More: Venom Movie: Trailer, Cast, Everything We Know

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