With the Sony Spider-Man Universe reportedly over, a seven-year-old tease from theMarvel Cinematic Universecould finally be capitalized on. WithKraven the Hunter’s ending, it has been reported that the Sony Spider-Man Universe is over. This likely comes as a result of not only the commercial failures of several movies in the franchise but also due to their critical reception, with theranking of Sony Spider-Man Universe moviesoften seeing them deemed inferior to their MCU counterparts.
Naturally, attention now turns to the otherupcomingSpider-Manmoviesin development. Be it the final installment of theSpider-Versetrilogy or theMCU’sSpider-Man 4story, the future of the Web-Slinger still looks promising despite the failure of Sony’s live-action franchise. When looking at the MCU’sSpider-Manin particular, a tease that was first included in the franchise seven years ago may now be more possible than ever thanks to the conclusion of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.
One Character Is Left In Limbo After Kraven The Hunter: Where Is Michael Keaton’s Vulture?
After Morbius, No One Knows Where Vulture Is
Before exploring the specific tease in question, it is worth detailing which character is involved and what has been seen of him since: Michael Keaton’s Vulture. Keaton first appeared in the MCU inSpider-Man: Homecomingas Adrian Toomes/Vulture, a man whose occupation was upended by Tony Stark who decided to steal from the billionaire as a result. This saw him clash with Iron Man’s new protégé, Spider-Man, resulting in his arrest. Given that Vulture was not killed, many assumed he was being set up for a villainous role in future movies likeSpider-Man 4.
10 Marvel Villains Perfect For Spider-Man 4 Now That It Has A Release Date
The MCU’s Spider-Man 4 will release straight after Avengers: Doomsday, hinting at the possible villain he will face, with some convincing options.
However, the release of 2022’sMorbiusconfused things. In thepost-credits scene of the superhero movieset in an entirely different universe, Vulture somehow made an appearance. Vulture states that he does not know how he got to that universe, insisting that it had something to do with Spider-Man, despite the Web-Slinger not appearing in any of the SSU’s movies save forMadame Webas a newborn baby. Since then,Vulture has not appeared in either the MCU or the SSU, begging the question of where exactly he isnow thatKraven the Hunterhas effectively ended the latter franchise.
A Tease From Seven Years Ago Can Finally Be Addressed
Custom Image by Milica Djordjevic
With Keaton’s future as Vulture in theMorbiusmovies now in doubt, the MCU could pay off his last appearance in that universe. This came inSpider-Man: Homecoming’s post-credits scene, with Toomes being accosted in prison by Mac Gargan, who wished to know the Web-Slinger’s secret identity. NeitherSpider-Man: Far From HomenorSpider-Man: No Way HomeaddressedHomecoming’s post-credit scene, likely due to Sony wishing to use the character of Vulture in the Sony Spider-Man Universe and the MCU stories simply having no space to include the Vulture or Scorpion as teased.
The next trilogy ofSpider-Manmovies would give more than enough story potential for Vulture and Scorpion to team up in revenge against Peter Parker…
However, now that the Sony Spider-Man Universe is over, Vulture could be used once more in the MCU, finally paying off the post-credit scene fromSpider-Man: Homecoming.The next trilogy ofSpider-Manmovies would give more than enough story potential for Vulture and Scorpion to team up in revenge against Peter Parker, finally addressing a compelling setup for future movies over seven years after it was included in the franchise. AlthoughSpider-Man 4is expected to be a multiversal story tied to the twoupcoming MarvelAvengersmovies,Spider-Man 5could bring Vulture back at long last.
Will Morbius’ Post-Credit Scene Ever Be Explained?
Whether Vulture returns or not, the burning question is whether hisMorbiusdetour will ever be explained. Admittedly, there are ways Marvel Studios could explain theMorbiuspost-credit scene, but it could be easier for the franchise to simply ignore it.Morbiuswas a critical and commercial flop, receiving incredibly poor reviews and earning a worldwide box office total of only $167 million. As such, there are not many who will be overly concerned with the MCU keeping continuity withMorbiusshould Marvel Studios choose to disregard the film.
Secondly, the MCU could directly addressMorbius' post-credit scene thanks to the events ofSpider-Man: No Way Home.This movie saw Spider-Man-adjacent characters being thrown across universes, including the likes of Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock/Venom who also exists in the Sony Spider-Man Universe. Much like how Venom jumped universes briefly from the SSU to the MCU and back again, it could be explained that Vulture simply did the reverse of this. This would allow theMarvel Cinematic Universeto explain away any potential plot holes, all while freeing up Keaton’s Vulture and the seven-year-old post-credit scene for the future.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Cast
Spider-Man: Homecoming follows Peter Parker after the events of Captain America: Civil War as he navigates high school challenges and battles the emergence of a new villain, the Vulture. With mentorship from Tony Stark, Peter strives to prove himself while balancing his responsibilities as Spider-Man and a student.
