How Across The Spider-Verse Sets Up A Canceled Marvel Villain Movie For The MCU
Contains spoilers for "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse"
"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" contains numerous nods to Marvel comics, previous Spider-Man adaptations, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, there's one brief reference that opens up a lot of possibilities for the future of Marvel and can finally make good on a Sony promise that started years ago.
Toward the end of the movie, Miles is sent to the wrong reality, namely Earth-42. This world has no Spider-Man, so New York is riddled with crime. Miles is even held captive by a different version of Uncle Aaron as well as himself that's donned the name Prowler. And during this sequence, a voice on the radio mentions a Sinister Six crime syndicate. This could just be a passing reference that doesn't lead to anything, but it could be Sony setting the stage for the villain team to finally appear in a movie.
Getting the Sinister Six to the big screen isn't for a lack of trying. Sony has tried several times in the past, and it's possible that brief mention could lay the groundwork for bringing the squad into the MCU.
Sony has tried to get the Sinister Six in a movie for a long time
The Sinister Six has taken on various permutations over the years, often trading out certain supervillains for others. It's the ultimate team-up with Spider-Man foes, and Sony has obviously wanted it to take off for some time now.
The team was heavily teased in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" when Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan) works with mysterious forces that already have the Sinister Six gear in storage (like Doc Ock's arms) to lead a team to take down Spider-Man. Drew Goddard was working on a script for a standalone feature focused on the villains for their own spinoff. Unfortunately, "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" wasn't received well critically or financially, so those plans were scrapped.
Lately, it seems like Sony wants another crack at a team-up if the ending of "Morbius" is any indication. A post-credits scene reveals Vulture (Michael Keaton) has been transported to the "Venom-Verse" reality. He tracks down Morbius (Jared Leto) and hints at forming a team. With upcoming standalone Spider-Man villain movies like "Kraven the Hunter" in the pipeline, it wouldn't be out of the question for these various villains to team up in their own "Avengers"-style film at some point. However, "Across the Spider-Verse" hints at a way for the rogues to enter the MCU.
The Sinister Six could try to destroy the Spider-Verse
"Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse" already has a ton of ground to cover. The Spot is still out there and more dangerous than ever. Spider-Man 2099 and Jessica Drew are searching for Miles to ensure his father dies as planned, as per Canon Events. And all while this is happening, Miles is trapped in another world. It's likely the Sinister Six wouldn't factor too heavily into "Beyond the Spider-Verse," but it's possible that passing reference could set them up to become bigger players down the road.
As long as these "Spider-Verse" movies make money, it's safe to say Sony will keep making them, so there's a chance the Sinister Six could factor into the proceedings in animated form. "Beyond the Spider-Verse" could end with a tease of the team breaking out of Earth-42 and causing havoc throughout the multiverse. They could even use the Spider-Society's tech to jump from one dimension to the next. This could even result in their inclusion within the MCU, allowing Tom Holland's Spider-Man (or even a live-action Miles Morales) to deal with a new existential threat. A movie or TV series on Disney+ could explore this scenario, culminating in a meta Spider-Verse.
"Spider-Man: No Way Home" already broke open such a concept for the MCU to explore, and it would be a real fun way to break it open even further by bringing villains originating from the "Spider-Verse" movies into a live-action setting. Then again, Sony may have other plans for the supervillain team. Regardless, the Sinister Six will end up on the big screen at some point.
"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is playing in theaters now.