This 6-Part Superhero Franchise is Hitting The Reboot Button — Here's What It Needs To Do

16 hours ago 5

isabela merced looks to the side in the woods in madame web

Published Feb 27, 2026, 6:08 AM EST

Collier Jennings is an entertainment journalist with a substantial amount of experience under his belt. Collier, or "CJ" to his friends and family, is a dedicated fan of genre films - particularly science fiction, fantasy and comic book adaptations, not to mention all forms of animation animation. This stems from a close bond with his father, who introduced him to these genres via copies of X-Men comics and reruns of the original Ultraman series. Using his near-encyclopedic knowledge and bottomless love of genre, he's been able to tackle a wide variety of articles.

2026 is going to be a big year for Spider-Man, as the web-slinger's set to dominate screens big and small with Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Spider-Noir, and Season 2 of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, not to mention a major comics crossover with Superman. That won't be the end of Spidey-themed media, though, as Sony is primed to reboot its slate of Spider-Man-related films. CEO Tom Rothman broke the news on The Town Podcast, confirming that it would be a "fresh reboot" with "new people." Rothman's approach isn't surprising, given that Sony's films have been taken to task for not featuring Spider-Man or not being very good. However, if Sony is going to do a reboot, it needs to take a page from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and introduce the Spider-Society.

The Spider-Society is a group of heroes that includes nearly every Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, or spider-themed hero across the Multiverse. Miguel O'Hara, the Spider-Man from 2099, formed the group to prevent reality itself from unraveling, whether by battling different villains or ensuring "canon events" take place. This group is also the solution to an issue that's been staring Sony in the face: with Tom Holland leading a new set of Spider-Man films under Marvel Studios, it only makes sense to give Spider-Men who aren't Peter Parker the spotlight.

The Spider-Society Is The Perfect Foundation for Sony's New Spider-Man Universe

One of the biggest issues with Sony's previous Spider-Man films is that they attempted to make heroes out of his rogues' gallery. While it worked for Venom, partly because of the Lethal Protector's comic book history and partly because Tom Hardy went for broke with his performance, Morbius and Kraven the Hunter proved that you can only stretch the idea of an antihero so far. Focusing on other Spider-Men will allow Sony to continue to experiment with different genres for films and TV while still keeping what makes Spider-Man intact. The trailer for Spider-Noir is a great example, as it features Nicholas Cage's Ben Reilly shooting webs and throwing back spots in a world that's literally black-and-white, which hasn't been done with Spider-Man on film or TV.

If the Spider-Society returns, lesser-known Spider heroes can finally have their due. Silk: Spider-Society was meant to focus on Cindy Moon, aka Silk, discovering the Spider-Society. It was canceled due to a series of baffling decisions, but Sony has the chance to bring it back and give Silk the spotlight she needs. A reboot would also mean that heroes and villains who were barely developed could get a second chance in the limelight. Take Madame Web: it introduced Anya Corazon (Isabela Merced), a prominent heroine known as Arana, only to make her a footnote. While Merced's shifted to the DC Universe with her role as Hawkgirl, there's still a chance for Arana to helm her own solo film or be part of another Sony project.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Kraven in the woods in Kraven the Hunter

Sony Is Already Launching New Spider-Man Spinoffs

While Tom Rothman has been discussing a reboot, Sony is already making moves to put the focus on more alternate universe Spider-Men. Sony Pictures Animation presidents Kristine Belson and Damien de Froberville recently revealed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that two spinoffs based on Hobie Brown/Spider-Punk and Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) are currently in active development, which means the Spider-Society could potentially feature in one or both of these films. An animated Venom project is also in the works, meaning that Spider-Man and Venom could potentially do battle on the big screen.

If these animated projects are a success, Sony should absolutely make sure its live-action reboot features different Spider-Men. The Spider-Verse is vast, with plenty of potential to give characters who aren't Peter Parker or Miles Morales their limelight. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe potentially heading for a reset and DC Studios having a strong start, the time has never been better for Sony to make use of its second chance.