Ask any dedicated, well versed Spider-Man fan and he or she will tell you that the ultimate Spider-Man villain is Venom!
Hands down, there is no other character foil that even comes close!
Venom is to Spider-Man what The Joker is to Batman or what Lex Luthor is to Superman.
Every superhero needs an enemy that can kick their tail!
Venom represents a dark, evil and completely unconscionable mirror image of our hero!
Venom intimidates Spider-Man on a visceral level! There is no intellect to challenge.
Venom evokes the base emotions of fear and flight!
To say Sony Pictures take on Venom in Spider-Man 3 was disappointing, is putting it lightly. This Venom sucked! There was no intimidation. There was no concern for Mr. Parker’s health and well being. The audience didn’t fear him so why should Parker!
Enter Flash Thompson in the Sony Entertainment 2012 blockbuster, The Amazing Spider-Man. Flash is the high school bully that rules the students through fear and intimidation! Don’t mess with Flash or risk getting your butt kicked! Public humiliation and low self esteem guarantee the reign of this king of the concrete jungle.
The Alpha male has already been established in the new franchise! Why not capitalize on the preset pecking order and let Flash intimidate Peter on a whole new level! And while I’m on the subject, please let the audience know who Venom is up front without the overused plot device of keeping the monster’s identity secret for a late movie reveal!
Originally introduced to readers as Spider-Man’s living costume from The Secret War saga almost 30 years ago, Venom was an alien symbiote that threatened to permanently bond with Peter Parker. Over the years, Venom has bonded with an array of hosts.
As stimulating as it is to fantasize about a film development that addresses the complete history of said symbiote, including its brief encounters with female hosts, there simply isn’t a strong enough fan base with the necessary multidimensional demographic to pull that off.
In Marvel comics NOW (pardon the pun), Venom is Flash Thompson. Assuming the decision is made to allow Flash to become Venom in one of the upcoming Spider-Man films, which interpretation of this almighty antagonist makes the most sense?
Should he be the modern guntoting, utility belt wearing soldier of fortune amputee or the classic horrific mass of muscle with a tongue that would put Gene Simmons of KISS to shame?
Given the choice, I hedge my bets on the completely unpredictable, scary & dangerous classic creature. Marvel NOW’s rendition, while possessed by the spirit of the original Venom which takes control after 48 hours of exposure, presents too much of a story telling challenge. The explanation of Flashes military career and subsequent leg loss would only detract from the main event! The film’s audience could care less about Flashes complete back story! Give a basic run down of how the Venom symbiote possessed him and move on the battle royale! Lets face it, seeing Spider-Man getting destroyed by Venom would be the stuff of legend! It would be just as gratifying as seeing Bane whip up on The Dark Knight or Doomsday give The Last Son of Krypton a death blow!
Don’t pretend you wouldn’t pay $15 to see Peter Parker being torn to shreds in 3 dimensional, I-Max, surround sound glory! I know you would! I would too! Hell, it’s long overdue!
The Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus, Sandman and Lizard were all fine and good but no one can put the smack down on Spider-Man like Venom can! If done correctly with a believable amount of angst and fear, culminating in Spidey’s greatest stand off…the comic community would go ballistic! End the movie with a clear case of Venom winning the fight despite Spider-Mans best effort. Perhaps bring in an Avenger or two to save our hero from eminent demise! Let us see something unexpected, unpredictable and worthy of our hard earned disposable income!