VENOM: 10 Ways The Movie Sets Up The Future Of Sony's Live-Action Spider-Verse - SPOILERS
Venom has slightly exceeded expectations at the box office so a sequel now seems inevitable. Here, we look at the ways the movie sets the stage for that and the future of this live-action Spider-Verse...
Venom had a stronger than expected opening weekend at the North American box office this weekend and while it's too soon to say whether or not the movie will have the legs it needs to be considered a true hit, things are currently looking good for a sequel receiving the green light in the near future.
The question is, what does this movie do to set the stage for both that and whatever comes next for this live-action "Spider-Verse" (which doesn't have a Spider-Man). That's what we're taking a look at here as we break down all the possible directions that the franchise can head in moving forward.
So, to see this glimpse into Venom and the Spider-Verse's future, hit the "View List" button below.
What Comes Next For The Symbiotes
By the time Venom ends, the Symbiotes brought to Earth by the Life Foundation have all perished due to not having a suitable host to bond with. Riot, meanwhile, burns up when the spaceship he's in explodes and that leaves Venom as the only Symbiote - that we know of - still alive on Earth. However, there's an entire asteroid full of them still out there so could that wind up crash-landing on our planet?
It seems unlikely because they'd probably all burn up on entry but Sony has left the door open to more of them being introduced somewhere down the line. The movie's producers have also confirmed that Venom very nearly included a scene set on Klyntar, so it's feasible that we'll get to see what life was like for Venom before he bonded with Eddie Brock. I'm just not sure how relevant that will be to Carnage!
Eddie Brock: Reporter
While Eddie Brock should probably be behind bars by the time Venom ends seeing as he went on a rampage through the city and ate a bunch of people, he actually ends up going back to his roots as a journalist. Now, common sense says that this will play a significant role in his adventures moving forward but will he one day end up being disgraced like his comic book counterpart before him?
It's doubtful as his firing for calling out Carlton Drake pretty much adapted that moment (very loosely, anyway) and it actually seems as if Eddie only got his job back so Sony would have an excuse to pit him against Cletus Kasady, something which could have been achieved by putting Eddie behind bars too.
Spider-Man Isn't Needed
Spider-Man is an essential part of Venom's backstory but this movie went at least some way in proving that the stories of these "Spider-Verse" characters can play out fairly well without the wall-crawler.
Would hating Spider-Man make Eddie Brock a better character whose motivations are significantly more fleshed out. Definitely. However, this movie worked without Peter Parker and a sequel pitting Venom against Carnage also doesn't need the hero so there's no reason to believe that the likes of Black Cat, Jackpot, and Silver Sable can't manage. They just won't be quite as good as they should be.
"I" Becomes "We"
Venom handles the relationship between Eddie Brock and the Symbiote in a very strange fashion. While "I" does become "We" as the story progresses, they're two separate entities; when Venom is in control, Eddie is just a passenger and vice versa. However, now these two have bonded, the stage is set for us to see the Venom from the comic books we all know and love when the sequel finally lands.
There were hints of that in this first instalment and if the follow-up takes the ball and runs with the idea, we could be in for a treat. Now that Eddie and Venom have achieved true symbiosis, the lines between who is who will hopefully be blurred and Sony will explore exactly what that means for them both rather than just playing on their dynamic for laughs and trying to make a wannabe Deadpool.
Ann Weying's Return
On the one hand, I find it hard to believe that Michelle Williams will want to reprise the role of Ann Weying in the Venom sequel but the first instalment still finds plenty of ways to set the stage for the character's return. For starters, there are plenty of hints that Eddie Brock will win his former fiancee back, while she clearly enjoyed being She-Venom for a while, so that could come into play as well.
I wasn't a fan of Venom but that was one of the movie's coolest moments, so while I don't think she'll get a symbiote of her own, Venom might find a way to imbue her with powers as well in order to even the odds against Carnage when that battle inevitably takes place between father (mother?) and son.
Carnage Is Coming
I've mentioned Carnage a few times here and there's a very good reason for that. During Venom's mid-credits scene, Eddie Brock heads to prison to interview Cletus Kasady, a well-known serial killer who intends of getting out of there to cause "carnage." It's since been confirmed on multiple occasions that the two Symbiotes will clash in the sequel and we have a good idea of how that will happen.
Just like in the comics, the Venom Symbiote will more than likely produce an offspring which will bond with Cletus to create Carnage and help him escape, something which is bound to result in a lot of laughs when Eddie questions how his other could have let that happen. The movie's producers have confirmed that the sequel won't boast an R-Rating, though, so forget about seeing anything too brutal.
Eddie Brock's History In New York
One of the most intriguing moments of Venom comes when Ann Weying mentions that something happened while Eddie Brock was working for The Daily Globe in New York City that led to him being chased out of town. Comic book fans will know that he was fired from the newspaper when he was fooled into believing that a copycat was the Sin-Eater and Spider-Man later discredited him.
Eddie plays down what happened in this movie so chances are it wasn't quite that bad but it definitely feels like there's a story to be told there. Perhaps Eddie wrote something about Cletus Kasady's murders and got it wrong? After all, it's been confirmed that the villain went on a spree in NYC.
A Different Tone For This Spider-Verse
Regardless of whether you loved it or hated it, everyone seems to agree that Venom is one weird movie. It's as if Tom Hardy was sent a totally different script to the rest of the cast and the tone is all over the place. After all, we expected a horror style superhero movie but what we actually got was a bizarre buddy comedy/action-adventure. What this probably means is that the rest of these Spider-Verse movies will boast similarly weird tones and probably won't be anything like we're expecting!
Planet Of The Symbiotes
I'm almost certainly getting ahead of myself here but looking at Venom 3, I wouldn't be at all surprised if we get some sort of cosmic style adventure. After all, by that point, the franchise will have done Riot and Carnage so why not either bring a bunch of symbiotes to Earth or sent Eddie and Venom to Klyntar? That would be a bold move on Sony's part but it could work if they have the cajones to do it.
Honestly, I wouldn't bank on it but recent comic books have featured various wars between Venom and his fellow Symbiotes so there are plenty of places the threequel could actually take inspiration from.
The Lethal Protector
Venom's code is a little messed up as Eddie Brock is happy to let him kill criminals simply in order to keep his hunger under control. In fact, that seems to be the only reason the journalist is happy to take down bad guys but this will probably be the closest we get to seeing the "Lethal Protector" version of the character on the big screen. That's better than nothing and can be improved on in the sequel.
In fact, starting the follow-up with Venom serving as San Francisco's superhero would be a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I have much faith in Sony to deliver on that promise but it could happen providing we get a new team of writers and a director a little more capable of handling this.