Over the Memorial Day weekend, some news broke which hints at a possible merging of characters between the Spider-Man movies produced by Sony and those belonging to the Disney Marvel Cinematic Universe. The news comes from an interview with the Motion Picture Group President of Sony Pictures Sandford Panitch. Speaking with Variety, Panitch was quoted as saying that "there actually is a plan" with regard to dovetailing Disney's version of Spider-Man (currently played by Tom Holland) into Sony's series of upcoming Spider-villain movies such as Kraven the Hunter, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and Morbius. "I think now maybe it’s getting a little more clear for people where we’re headed and I think when No Way Home comes out, even more will be revealed.”
Panitch is confident that even without the presence of Holland, Sony's upcoming Spider-adjacent movies will stand strong enough on their own that audiences won't even "miss Spider-Man." But he follows that up with a tease, asking the rhetorical question: "It'll be exciting if they do meet, right?"
In addition to his teasing questions and declaration that there's a plan in the works to blend the universes together, there are several other breadcrumbs that have been dropped recently which all point in the same direction. Fans who paid close attention to the Morbius teaser trailer last year might have noticed a surprise cameo from Michael Keaton, who played Vulture/Adrian Toomes in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Another less-than-subtle hint came in April when Alfred Molina, who played Doc Ock in Spider-Man 2, dished out details about his role in the upcoming Spider-Man: No Way Home. Specifically, he'll be digitally "de-aged" on screen, presumably to preserve timeline continuity between the 2004 film he first appeared in and the upcoming 2021 production.
Panich finished his interview by gushing about the "very excellent relationship" he has with his Marvel Studios counterpart Kevin Feige: "There’s an incredible sandbox there to play with. We want those MCU movies to be absolutely huge, because that’s great for us and our Marvel characters, and I think that’s the same thing on their side."
Venom: Let There Be Carnage, the first of Sony's upcoming spider-villain movies, is expected to release September 24, with Spider-Man: No Way Home premiering December 17. Morbius, meanwhile, is set for release on January 21, 2022.