Crazy Fan Theory Suggests Spider-Man & 'The Shawshank Redemption' Exist in the Same Universe
A multiverse we never thought was possible.
As little as the observation seems to be, it looks like the events of 'Spider-Man' and 'The Shawshank Redemption' are taking place in the same universe. At least that's what fans on Reddit concluded when they noticed that 'The Daily Bugle' – the newspaper Peter Parker works in – has its readers in the Shawshank prison.
While the two worlds do not actually collide a lot, a simple logic prompted fans to think that the MCU and Stephen King 's stories might exist in the same universe – mainly because how King established that his books all happen in a shared universe. This is why, if 'The Shawshank Redemption' does co-exist with 'Spider-Man', so does pretty much every other King's story.
"As The Shawshank Redemption and IT exist in the same literary universe then I think Pennywise will be the next MCU Big Bad." – /Gobscheidt
Some people were clearly willing to connect the Shawshank universe and the Spider-Man events, suggesting that the guy who killed Uncle Ben might have been released from the notorious prison.
Interestingly enough, the first Spider-Man comics were released pretty much at the same time when Andy Dufresne – a protagonist from 'The Shawshank Redemption' – was in prison. Spider-Man first appeared in the comics issued in 1962, when Andy was already imprisoned for two life sentences. In 1966, according to the story, Dufresne escaped Shawshank.
However, a fan theory is likely only highlighting a curious overlap rather than a mysterious connection that could somehow influence the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
That being said, the chances of Pennywise becoming the next MCU big bad guy are low… but never zero.