Spider-Man Producer Explains Marvel Characters Divided Between Three Cinematic Universes

11/29/2021 12:43 pm EST

Former Sony chief Amy Pascal, who serves as an executive producer on the Sony and Sony/Marvel Spider-Man films, has a pretty simple view of how the three different film iterations of the character currently operate on film. In a new interview, Pascal said that the three different universes have to operate in a way that's complimentary to one another. That way, the animated Spider-Verse movies can coexist with Marvel's multiverse, as well as the Sony Universe of Spider-Man characters, seen in movies like Venom and the forthcoming Morbius. It's a balancing act, she acknowledges, but it's all about the creatives being respectful of one another.

Earlier today, we reported that Pascal had told Fandango that Tom Holland would stick around after Spider-Man: No Way Home, and that Sony is planning on a new trilogy after that film's release. That also might lead to some crossovers, since the Marvel multiverse, the Spider-Verse multiverse, and the world of Venom have enough connective tissue and interrelated characters that fans will demand it.

"Well, there's the Marvel Universe, which is one container, and then there's the Spider-Verse movies, which are different, and then there's the other universe where the Sony characters are in," Pascal explained. "We all are very respectful of each other and work together and make sure that we're only being additive."

The idea of the multiverse has been a part of superhero storytelling since 1961's "The Flash of Two Worlds" by Garner Fox and Carmine Infantino, but live action had generally steered clear of it until pretty recently. The idea has the feeling of harder science fiction than most superhero stories, and for years it seemed Hollywood didn't believe audiences would buy in. The popuarity of The Flash, which started using the multiverse as a storytelling tool in 2015, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) proved that wrong.

Following the events of Avengers: EndgameLoki, and What If...?, Marvel's multiverse seems to be more wide open than ever before, and that has some fans expecting to see Garfield's Spider-Man, as well as Tobey Maguire's, share the screen with Holland. Following the commercial success of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, there's hardly a more commonsense character for Marvel to begin exploring its infinite Earths with. 

Starring Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Marisa Tomei, Jamie Foxx, Alfred Molina, and Benedict Cumberbatch, Sony and Marvel Studios' Spider-Man: No Way Home is scheduled to open in theaters on December 17.  

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