The last timeSpider-Manappeared on the big screen in live action was inNo Way Home,where Tom Holland united with past versions of the character (Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield) to defeat a slew of multiverse villains brought to his world by a botched spell from Doctor Strange.
In many ways,No Way Homefelt like a cap to a certain era of Spider-heroes, but the show will continue to go on in the years to come. This has already begun with the release ofSpider-Man: Across the Spiderverse,the highly anticipated sequel toInto the Spiderversefrom 2018, but there’s also plenty of Sony Marvel movies (Venom 3, Kraven the Hunter) coming alongside the MCU’sSpider-Man 4. There’s also Insomniac’sSpider-Man 2on the way, a continuation of the first game the released in 2018. That game and the MCU’s next Spider-Man will both have to use someone else other than Eddie Brock as Venom (assuming that the next Tom Holland film goes down that route with the story). However, doing so offers a point of originality for both stories, venturing away from Brock (who has been seen repeatedly in the SonyVenommovies) and towards a different alter ego for the classic anti-hero/villain.
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Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2 will not have Eddie Brock be Venom
As stated, Insomniac’sSpider-Man 2will take the character of Venom in a previous direction than most iterations of the character that audiences are familiar with. Every live action version of Venom in the movies has been Eddie Brock,first played by Topher Grace and then Tom Hardyin his very own solo films. This marks a huge change from what most general audiences come to expect from Venom as a character, but it also offers the creators a chance to do something completely different with the character. A new backstory and human bonded with the Symbiote would certainly freshen things up and make things unpredictable for the viewer.
Spider-Man 4 will also have to use someone else as Venom
There are many potential storylines that the MCU’sSpider-Man 4can explore.No Way Homeended with the character officially becoming the classic version of the hero from the comics, including a very accurate suit (that alsoresembled his Spiderverse mentors, played by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield). That means that it’s likely the next phase of Spider-Man in this cinematic universe will include many of his classic villains that have been largely absent thus far, including Venom.
A major change that the MCU made to their version of Spider-Man is that he isn’t interested in photography in the way that the comic book iteration is, as well as the previous live action versions. This Peter Parker doesn’t work for the Daily Bugle, and the Daily Bugle itself is more of a conspiracy theory web show than a trusted newspaper in the city of New York, which means that it’s virtually impossibleto have Eddie Brock be Venomin this world given his roots as a journalist and the fact that the rivalry between him and Peter Parker developed with them as photographers together. There is some comic book precedent for another character besides Eddie Brock to become Venom, so they still are following some sort of connectivity with the source material.
Who should Tom Holland’s version of Venom be?
The MCU does have plenty of options for who can take on the Venom mantle in the franchise inSpider-Man 4. In the comic books, Eddie Brock’s time as Venom was followed by Mac Gargan, aka the Scorpion, another villain of web-crawler. His run as Venom ran for a number of years as well, so there is a lot of history with Gargan as the character. In the MCU, Michael Mando played Scorpion inSpider-Man: Homecoming,so it’s possible that he makes the jumpto take on the Venom mantle at some point in the future. Mando’s iteration of the villain has a huge grudge on Spider-Man, teased by a post credits scene focusing on him seeking revenge, so that could be the perfect set-up to transition him into Venom.
An out-of-the-box choice could also be Flash Thompson, another character who is Venom in the comics. More specially, Flash Thompson is Agent Venom, aka a militarized version of the character that is often more of a hero than a villain.In the comics, Agent Venomwas once part of the Secret Avengers, aka a covert group of heroes that acted in the shadows to save the world. In many ways, Flash’s story as Venom seems more in line with what the MCU would do with the character, particularly as it pertains to making him a relatable antihero, as well as choosing an existing character to play Venom (thus having a great amount of payoff for audiences).
