Part 3/7:
Vinciquerra’s bewilderment brings to light a broader misunderstanding within Sony. The idea that Spider-Man-adjacent films could perform as well as mainline Spider-Man movies is fundamentally flawed. As noted by commentators, characters like Craven and Madame Webb are not recognized as major drawcards among casual audiences, and without Spider-Man, they simply lack the allure necessary to attract a wide viewership. Even as Alibaba and others highlight characters like Venom and Deadpool who have seen success outside of Spider-Man's shadow, the failed attempts at building cinematic universes with lesser-known characters have become starkly apparent.