Venom has been portrayed in a lot of different ways on the page, though many of his adventures have gone down a much darker route than those of Spider-Man, for example. With Cletus Kasady about to step into the spotlight for next month's Venom: Let There Be Carnage, some fans have argued that the first big screen clash between these two should be R-Rated.
It's easy enough to see where they're coming from, and during a recent interview with ComicBook.com, star Tom Hardy confirmed that, "100%, we considered it."
"With all of these symbiotes, you know, you consider it. You read the comic books and it is extreme, but that's not what we're here to do," the actor explained. "We came here to make a movie which, and correct me if I'm wrong, I mean, there's a law and a rule into creating a movie that's accessible to a lot of people, as well as that caters for everybody, including the hardcore fans."
"So, I hope the hardcore fans at least take home that they look at Carnage and go, 'Yeah, I recognize Carnage from the comic books. I'm happy with that.' And yeah, no, we didn't bite everybody's head off, but we did stick a tongue down someone's throat...and managed to come in at a level of rating which is reputable so that grandma can come but also I'll come watch it too."
It's not like buckets of blood are needed to get us to buy into Venom's first live-action meeting with Carnage, and The Suicide Squad proved that throwing a bunch of gore on the screen isn't necessarily going to result in a movie people are more interested in watching. A few recent clips from the Venom sequel have also pointed to this follow-up heading down a darker path than its predecessor.
We'll have more to share with you from Venom: Let There Be Carnage soon, including our own chat with director Andy Serkis about Spider-Man, Venom 3, comic book inspirations, and more!
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the positive impact Venom could have on the MCU!
6. Peter Parker Gets A Powerful New Costume
In an ideal world, Peter Parker would have travelled to Titan in Avengers: Infinity War and returned to Earth with a new, alien costume. Things didn't play out that way, of course, which means that when Spider-Man and Venom do meet, both characters are bound to go through some major changes.
Venom will likely gain webbing and a new chest logo, while Tom Holland should get the chance to explore Spidey's darker side. Given Venom's sentience in Sony's Marvel Universe, it should be fun to watch him interact with Peter, though it's possible that the web-slinger's symbiote will be another of Venom's children (similar to Carnage, for example).
Either way, given Spidey's penchant for switching up his big screen costumes, something tells us his new alien suit could be a permanent addition that follows him back into the MCU. That will be a potential game-changer for how his future stories play out, and the MCU delving into the dark path that takes him down could make for some must-see movies.
5. A New Thanos-Level Threat
Thanos may be dead and gone, but Marvel Studios has plenty of new big bads they can introduce over the next few years. We've already crossed paths with Kang the Conqueror, while Galactus and Apocalypse are almost certainly going to show up in the not too distant future.
However, this working relationship with Sony Pictures could lead to the introduction of Knull. A primordial God of the void who existed before the universe, Knull was enraged when the Celestials despoiled his Dark Kingdom with the Light. In retaliation, Knull created the symbiotes and used them to wage war against all of existence, but ended up imprisoned by his alien army inside Klyntar.
The MCU already has some ties to him in the form of Thor: Love and Thunder's Gorr the God Butcher and the Necrosword, so there are a lot of ways for Knull to be incorporated into the MCU. As a Thanos-level threat to Earth, we could see him battle Venom and Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
4. A Symbiote Invasion
What's the appeal of bringing Knull and a possible army of symbiotes to Earth? Well, for starters, we could end up seeing the likes of Captain America, Thor, and Doctor Strange all forcibly bonded with these aliens with only Spider-Man and Venom left to fend off the mind-controlled Avengers.
That has the makings of one badass movie, and even if it just winds up being one or two MCU characters who find themselves wearing new alien costumes, the visuals could be absolutely epic. This has always been fun in the comic books, and Marvel actually shifts a tonne of merchandise featuring "Venom-ized" heroes (you'll find action figures, Funko Pops, and lots more in stores).
As a result, this crossover could be appealing to both Disney and Sony, but it feels like we could be the real winners. If Marvel Studios is willing to share Spider-Man, then they might just be happy to send a few other familiar faces into Sony's Marvel Universe to square off with Knull's army, while the alternative is that the aliens start showing up in the MCU. That's a win/win, right?
3. Venom Gets Some Input From Kevin Feige
Sony Pictures owns the film rights to Spider-Man and that means they're able to do whatever they wish with these characters (within reason). Leaked "Sony Hack" emails confirmed that Kevin Feige offered some input with The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but in terms of creative, he's not really involved.
However, should Venom find his way into the MCU, then the Marvel Studios President can find ways to improve him. It already looks like Venom: Let There Be Carnage director Andy Serkis' vision for the character is a major upgrade over Ruben Fleischer's, but with Feige involved in the Spider-Man/Venom crossover, we could see Eddie Brock take another step in the right direction.
It could be as simple as enlisting Marvel Studios' talented concept artists to redesign Venom's appearance or as hands-on as actually helping craft the creative direction of this big screen meeting. Either way, we can't help but be confident that with Feige around, good things would follow for Eddie.
2. The Battle We've Been Waiting For
Spider-Man vs. Venom is one thing, but Spider-Man vs. Venom vs. Carnage? Well, that would be on a whole other level. "Maximum Carnage" hasn't aged particularly well, but it was one heck of an event story, with Spider-Man joined by the likes of Black Cat, Captain America, and Deathlok in an effort to put an end to Cletus Kasady's murderous rampage across New York City.
By merging these two worlds - even by heading down the Multiverse route - we can finally get a big screen adaptation of one of the most epic Spider-Man battles to ever grace the page.
It doesn't even necessarily have to be "Maximum Carnage," but Marvel Studios getting involved with what is sure to be an unmissable crossover would be a good thing for everyone. A darker storyline like this one would also feel like something new for the MCU, especially as the studio continues to receive criticism for what many feel is a formulaic style of storytelling in its movies.
1. A New Venom
With Venom about to smash his way into Spider-Man's world, it's not just Peter Parker that Eddie Brock could have an impact on. Mac Gargan was introduced in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and ended up behind bars and badly injured after crossing paths with the friendly neighbourhood superhero.
That movie's mid-credits scene made it clear the villain is looking for revenge, and if becoming Scorpion doesn't work out for him (and we don't think it will), then giving him the Venom symbiote would be a logical next step. This version of the character was an absolute beast, hulking over his foes and taking great delight in eating...everyone. This would be the Venom we've met dialled up to 100.
What this would mean for Eddie Brock is hard to say (perhaps he'd be forced to don another symbiote like Anti-Venom, for example), but there's a lot of storytelling potential here. However, that could only really be made possible by bringing Venom into Spider-Man's corner of the MCU in a meaningful way.