There’s been confusion about what to call Sony’s universe of Spider-Man movies, and the movie studio has finally clarified it. Although, it could use some work.
Some fans have been caught in a web of confusion about what to call Sony’s universe of Spider-Man movies. While I’ve affectionately referred to it as the “Spider-Verse” out of convenience, that name would be returned to sender if I ever put it on an envelope.
No, Sony has something else in store, and IGN has confirmed the universe’s proper name. Everyone, let’s officially welcome the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters. Some confusion arose over the last day or so about the Marvel movies’ name after an official Spider-Man account sent a tweet using the phrase “the Spider-Man Universe of Characters,” and some began to wonder if the “SMUC” would be the official title of this movie-verse.
It’s not to say the new title is bad. But well, it just isn’t as catchy as the MCU. Even saying the “Marvel Cinematic Universe” rolls off the tongue. Perhaps it’s the extra words or the extra syllables that make it a mouthful. But at Sony’s benefit, I’ve gone ahead and came up with 10 other suggestions for the “SPUMC,” free of charge.
- Spider-Man Web of Movies
- Spideyflix
- Arachnocinaphilia
- Tom Holland and Friends Universe
- The Not-Fox Marvel Movies
- The Not-Fox Marvel Movies But Sometimes Disney Marvel Movies
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Other Films
- The One Where Tom Holland Leads It
- The Gang Makes Some Spider-Man Movies
- The Spider-Verse
Of course, these are all just suggestions. Sony can feel free to take one or all of these ideas and make them their own. But there’s no denying that this movie universe needs a little zest when it comes to the SPUMC.
There’s a simple formula for creating a new name if they need a little help.
One: You’ll have to take
“Sony Pictures” out of it. Too wordy and too brand-y for the folks back at home to care.
Two: put the spotlight on the real star of the show: Spider-Man. Yes, there are other heroes and villains in this world, but they all come back, to Spider-Man sooner or later.
And third: K.I.S.S. — Keep it simple, Sony. Less is more, and any brand marketer knows that you need something short and zingy to make it sell. Like “Dash” or “SOHO.”
Or, the alternative to all this is to not have a movie universe name at all. It seems like once the Marvel Cinematic Universe became a household name, everyone was looking to have an interconnected cinematic universe of their own. DC Comics kind of nailed it with the not-so-original DC Extended Universe, or DCEU. (Had to add the extra “extended” in there to keep it fresh.) And Universal tried to make a Dark Universe franchise that largely and unceremoniously fizzled out.
Fox, before they got bought out by Disney, was brave enough not to step on any toes. The X-Men movies never got a “universe” name, even with the spinoff addition with Deadpool movies. And even then with the addition of the Fantastic Four movies, they kept their name out the “universe” game. (Though we’re sure the X-tra Fantastic Universe could have worked.)
In the end, a name’s a name. And it doesn’t change the fact that Sony has some pretty decent Marvel movies under its belt. The more concerning thing is when are Sony and Disney (on behalf of old Fox) going to come together so we can get a Spider-Man and Deadpool crossover? We need answers!