Entertainment
Sony Proves Everything Wrong With Modern Superhero Movies
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Haters of Sony’s superhero movies featuring Spider-Man villains received mixed news this past week. Amid Kraven the Hunter’s box office failure, Sony has reportedly abandoned its plans to create an interconnected universe of Spidey’s rivals. However, Variety reports that the studio will continue to work in this genre with upcoming releases like Beyond the Spider-Verse and the live-action Spider-Man Noir series starring Nicolas Cage. While nobody can deny the ambitious quality of the Spider-Verse films, the news that Sony will continue making superhero movies depresses me because they exemplify everything wrong with the genre.
Sony Superhero Movies Taste Success
As Exhibitor Relations analyst Jeff Bock noted, Sony’s fatal flaw is that “they had a taste of success with Venom,” and this led them to think they could just crank out “superhero” movies built around Spidey’s colorful rogues’ gallery. He noted how the studio didn’t realize “that Venom could carry a franchise, whereas these other characters could not.” Keeping Spider-Man out of his own villains’ films “was the fatal flaw” because most of these villains aren’t compelling on their own, and the disastrous Madame Web proved that Sony is equally inept when it comes to focusing on a superhero rather than a supervillain for their underbaked movies.
Who Are These Heroes?
That brings us to the first obvious example of Sony’s hubris: they inexplicably assumed that audiences didn’t want any kind of name-brand recognition for these cinematic protagonists. Marvel has been working hard to make Venom a colo comics character since the ‘90s, and accordingly, there was plenty of material to draw from when creating his solo films. But characters like Morbius, Madame Web, and Kraven aren’t nearly as popular or developed, and focusing on them was just as crazy as if the MCU had released Vulture or Mysterio films without Spider-Man.
Speaking of the MCU, comparing them to Sony reveals just how much the latter studio put the cart before the horse with their superhero movies. While Marvel has cast some big names before, many of fans’ favorite characters are played by people who were relatively unknown, including Tom Holland. Marvel took the time to bring in good actors who would win audiences over, but with movies like Kraven and Madame Web, they seemed to hope some familiar stunt casting (hey, look, the guy from Kick-Ass is an antihero now!) would be enough to stoke audience interest.
No Connecting Web
Making matters worse is that Sony never quite figured out how to properly connect its superhero movies. We get gestures toward a shared universe like the MCU’s Vulture in Morbius, and a No Way Home post-credits confirmation from Marvel that Sony’s movies were in their own multiverse. But the movies never seemed to be building to anything nor taking advantage of their shared universe. That wouldn’t matter if the individual heroes and villains were incredibly compelling, but that simply isn’t the case.
The punchline to all of this is that Sony is committed to making more superhero movies, and there are basically no signs that they have learned from the critical and commercial failures of Morbius, Madame Web, and Kraven the Hunter. The studio seems committed to burning millions upon millions of dollars on stuff that looks and feels like the dreck that you’d find on the virtual bottom shelf of Tubi. We can only hope they’ve internalized at least one lesson going forward: that audiences might actually want Spider-Man in a Spider-Man universe film.
Or, you know, they could just hope things like those ironic “it’s Morbin’ time” memes can give these awful films the cultural footprint they would never enjoy on their own dismal merits.
Source: Variety
Entertainment
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
Mother figures are the backbone of the world. Yours may be your biological mother, or maybe she’s your mother-in-law, your best friend’s mom, or simply someone whose motherly instinct has helped you through hard times.
Moms teach you the adulting necessities, give advice even if the problem is your fault, and above all, they put up with your shit and (almost) never complain.
The game plan here isn’t just to snag the last bouquet at CVS just so you’re not the kid who forgot Mother’s Day (but definitely also get flowers). And you don’t even need to spend a lot of money. (Peep our list of Mother’s Day gifts that cost less than $50. Want even more cheap gift ideas?
Skip the generic mugs and show your appreciation with a gift picked just for her: Whether it’s something to make a part of her life easier, something she’s mentioned wanting in passing, or simply something to make her feel like a damn queen, you can’t put a price on everything she’s done for you, but heartfelt gifts certainly help.
After all, they say “No matter how hard you try, you always end up like your mother.” But is that even a bad thing?
Entertainment
Ban subscriptions and get Microsoft Office 2024 for life for just £121
TL;DR: Grab Microsoft Office 2024 Home and Business for PC or Mac for just £120.54 through June 1.
You wouldn’t keep paying for Netflix if you could own your favorite shows, right? So why are you still subscribing to Office apps you use every day? Microsoft 365’s price keeps going up, but there’s finally a way to break free — and it’ll cost you way less in the long run.
Microsoft Office 2024 is the answer you’ve been looking for. Instead of monthly payments, simply pay £120.54 once and be set for life (reg. £188.37). It’s that simple. And, yes, this lifetime download works for PC or Mac.
What’s included?
This license comes with:
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Word
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Excel
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PowerPoint
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Outlook
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OneNote
The newest version of Microsoft Office is a little different from Microsoft 365. But just because you’re switching to a lifetime license doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on some of the most recent updates. Word and Excel both still have AI integrations for text suggestions and smart data analysis, and PowerPoint still has improved tools for recorded presentations.
Once you’ve redeemed your purchase, you can install your apps on one computer. After that, they’re yours to use however you want. No more subscription fees or sudden price hikes to worry about.
Why rent when you can own?
Mashable Deals
Get a Microsoft Office lifetime license on sale for £120.54 with no coupon needed.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 9, 2025
Oh hey there! If you’re here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we’re serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today’s answer.
If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Where did Wordle come from?
Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What’s the best Wordle starting word?
The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?
The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website’s creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?
It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn’t any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle‘s Hard Mode if you’re after more of a challenge, though.
Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:
Gibberish.
Mashable Top Stories
Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter T.
The Wordle answer today is…
Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today’s Wordle is…
TRIPE.
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Wordle.
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
