Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters

The Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters (SPUMC) is a media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment. Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, the films are based on various Marvel Comics properties associated with the character Spider-Man.

Work on an expanded universe using supporting characters from the Spider-Man films began by December 2013. Sony planned to use The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) to launch several spin-off films focused on Spider-Man villains from the comics, including a Venom film. After the relative critical and financial failure of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, these plans were abandoned and in February 2015, Sony announced a deal to collaborate with Marvel Studios on future Spider-Man films and integrate the character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). This relationship produced Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), while Sony separately redeveloped Venom (2018) as a standalone film beginning its own universe. Sony and Marvel Studios renegotiated their deal in 2019 to share the Spider-Man character between the MCU and their standalone Marvel-based films.

Sony is developing a number of live-action films based on Marvel characters, with Morbius and Venom: Let There Be Carnage scheduled for release in 2021, along with several more films that are in various stages of development. Sony Pictures Television is also developing several live-action television series set in the same shared universe as the films. Additionally, the studio released the animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in 2018, which introduced the idea of a multiverse connecting multiple universes. The success of that film led to the development of a sequel, scheduled for 2022, and a spin-off.