In Venom: The Last Dance's final trailer, we caught a first glimpse at Knull, God of the Symbiotes. It's since been reported that Spider-Man 4 will bring Eddie Brock into the MCU for the two iconic characters to battle the King in Black.
Nothing is confirmed as we write this but the news has received a mixed response from fans, particularly when we previously heard the idea was for Spider-Man and Daredevil to square off with The Kingpin.
There are pros and cons to a Spider-Man/Venom movie, yes, but we're choosing to focus on the former today. In this feature, we dive into the reasons why a Symbiotic team-up to battle a Multiversal villain in Knull could be the best possible direction for Destin Daniel Cretton's Spider-Man 4.
You can read through our breakdown by clicking on the "Next"/"View List" buttons below.
5. Peter Parker Needs The Black Suit
In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker lost everything. His Aunt May, his girlfriend, his best friend, and his very identity as the world forgot he ever existed.
Needless to say, now feels like the right time for Spider-Man to don the alien costume and head down a darker path. Marvel Studios will just need to find a clever way to handle this, especially as Peter #2 already brought him back from the edge and No Way Home's ending was meant as a fresh start for him as Spider-Man.
Beyond a storytelling perspective, the prospect of seeing the MCU's Spidey unleashing the same symbiote powers as those we saw in Insomniac's Spider-Man 2 is unbelievably exciting.
4. A Clash With Venom Is Long Overdue
Sam Raimi was forced to shoehorn Venom into Spider-Man 3 and didn't exactly do right by the character. As a result, the wall-crawler squaring off with one of his greatest foes didn't hit the way we'd hoped and this movie can make up for that.
In an ideal world, Marvel Studios would introduce its own Eddie Brock Variant and perhaps tell the Lethal Protector's story in a way that's 100% comic-accurate.
That doesn't appear to be the plan, but despite their many shortcomings, the Venom movies have established Tom Hardy as Venom. For plenty of fans and casual moviegoers, his version of the anti-hero fighting Tom Holland's Spider-Man is something they're desperate to see.
3. Knull Is A Fitting Choice Of Villain
Had 2023's WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes not happened, there's a good chance Spider-Man 4 would have been released next year as the street-level story Marvel Studios originally intended (more on that soon).
Now, the movie is likely swinging into theaters right between Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. If the former ends how we expect - with Earth-616's destruction - then a team-up with Daredevil doesn't add up. However, Spider-Man joining forces with Venom to battle Knull as the God of Symbiotes looks to bathe what's left of the Multiverse in darkness does.
Knull is too good of a villain to waste on a quick fight in Venom: The Last Dance's final act. Had Sony set him up as an antagonist from 2018, we'd have a different take, but as things stand, Eddie seeking Peter's help to save reality itself has the makings of an epic blockbuster.
2. A Multiversal Epic (With Room For A Street-Level Story)
There's been some chatter online about Spider-Man 4 being both street-level and a Multiversal epic but we hope that's not the case. Yes, things could escalate and, heck, Spidey could turn to Daredevil and The Punisher in fending off a Symbiote invasion.
Thinking about it, that might work...when it comes to the web-slinger and Man Without Fear working together to take down The Kingpin, that's a story which needs to be saved for Spider-Man 5.
Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures are reportedly working on a new trilogy so there's still time to return to this grounded story. We do need one of those after the heightened adventures we got with Far From Home and No Way Home, but it doesn't have to be all or nothing in Spider-Man 4!
1. Marvel Studios Can Fix Eddie Brock
Venom was an absolute mess but people did respond to Tom Hardy's madcap performance and the dynamic between Eddie Brock and Venom. Despite that, a lot of work needs to be done to fix this character.
Marvel Studios can course correct with the Lethal Protector; while we'd expect many of those pre-existing quirks to remain, Kevin Feige can make him a little more serious and all those talented concept artists will surely overhaul his appearance (yes, we're talking about the missing chest logo).
With better writers and directors, Spider-Man 4 can do right by Venom and establish a dynamic between him and Peter Parker which, while likely different from the comics, will still be vastly better than if Avi Arad was in charge of their meeting...