Venom 2, how to make Venom 2 a good movie, with Carnage

HOW TO MAKE A GOOD VENOM 2

In this article I will outline some of my ideas on how to improve and expand on the ideas presented in the film Venom and how to use them to create a superior product in the Venom sequel.

STEP ONE: STICK WITH WHAT WORKS:

In the original film, the interactions between Eddie and the symbiote were one of the strongest points of the film. So we should play that up. Let’s take some of what works from other superhero movies like Spider-Man 2, and with the sequel, we’ll take the relationship that was established and play with it. Eddie likes protecting innocents, saving the day, being the hero, but it’s hard, and having Venom inside of him constantly is irritating.  The symbiote is far too pushy and has gone so far to suggest Eddie just sleep while the symbiote takes his body for nighttime crime fighting and criminal eating excursions. They argue, the relationship has become strained between the two, I envision Venom 2 as being about fathers and sons and responsibility, which I will get into more later, and this ties into that.

POKE FUN AT WHAT DOESN’T:

Venom as a movie was strongest when it was funny. Unfortunately, the film by its third act gave up on humor in favor of standard 90’s style action movie fare. Lets have some jokes. What if, considering Eddie has had some time to work out his situation, he’s come up with a creative solution to keep people from staring when he speaks to the symbiote in his daily life?

AIRPODS!

As for Cletus Kasady aka Carnage, everyone after seeing the initial end credits scene laughed at just how awful Woody Harrelson’s wig was. So, I say lean into it, have a running joke where people compare him to Raggedy Ann or Ronald McDonald. You can’t get away from criticism, so lean into it.

CARNAGE IS THE VILLAIN:

Cletus Kasady aka Carnage is Eddie Brock’s arch nemesis in the comics. His greatest and most unrelenting enemy. Elaborating on the end credits from the previous film, Cletus Kasady is a fan of Eddie’s journalism, and as the police try to find the locations of this serial killer’s victim’s bodies, Kasady will only tell the truth if Eddie Brock is the one there to interview him. Eddie only has a limited amount of time to interview Kasady though, as he is soon going to be transferred to a mental asylum on the other side of the country in New York: THE RAVENCROFT INSTITUTE run by Doctor Ashley Kafka.

Straining Eddie’s relationship with Venom further, we will have Venom ruins the interview by causing Eddie to freak out, and causing him to lose his interviewing privileges. But, after Kasady is shipped out, Eddie will be able to talk his way into another interview at Ravencroft in New York. 

GIVE MICHELLE WILLIAMS SOMETHING TO DO: 

Eddie will travel along to New York, and on the trip will come his former girlfriend and current “totally platonic friend-friend who Eddie goes bowling with sometimes” Anne Weying, who has just broken up with her doctor boyfriend from the previous movie. It’s mentioned Eddie is still friends with him though, Over the course of the film Venom will help Eddie to get back together with her. Unfortunately, Carnage isn’t the only threat Eddie is going to have to face, there is also his father, the man he moved to the west coast to try and get away from. That part right there is where we can really give Michelle Williams something to do. 

TAKE FROM THE DONNY CATES RUN:

Venom by Donny Cates is arguably the best run of stories Venom has ever had as a character at Marvel Comics, so absolutely use some of what was established there!

What exactly? Well, I mentioned fathers, sons, and responsibility, so here is what I mean. In Donny Cates Venom, it is established that as a teenager, Eddie Brock stole his abusive father’s car and while driving drunk, killed a little boy. Eddie wanted to plead guilty, but his father, Carl Brock convinced him to plead not guilty and paid off the judge and the family of the victim.

 This event is what gave Eddie a desire to help innocents, as a way of making up for when he was guilty and claimed to be innocent. In the film, Eddie can tells this to Anne Weying and we can tie this into why Eddie became an investigative journalist. The film has comedic elements, but we can go dark and dramatic as well. After all, this is a film where Carnage is the main villain.

Another thing we can take from the Donny Cates run: Dylan Brock.

Dylan Brock is Eddie’s son he didn’t know he had, given away by Anne Weying to Eddie’s father. Eddie initially believed Dylan was his younger brother before the truth is revealed. In the film universe, we can establish Anne did this when she discovered she was pregnant after her breakup with Eddie Brock but before the events of Venom. 

THE BREAKUP:

Eddie and Venom will split up in the film. Eddie begins to, during his meetings with Kasady, force the symbiote to wait in the parking lot while Eddie works. It’s here where Venom discreetly gives birth. It will later be revealed after Carnage reveals himself that on Venom’s planet, symbiotes reproduce often and have little to no regard for their offspring, letting them loose right after birth. Before this reveal though, Venom becomes jealous Eddie Brock is spending more time with Anne Weying then him, and so, Venom takes control of Eddie’s body and forces him to fight crime. This breach of trust will cause Eddie to give up Venom, using sonics to force the symbiote off of him. 

FATHERS AND SONS:

Eddie will have a breakthrough in his interviews in New York with Kasady and goad Kasady into revealing the locations of all of his victims bodies. Kasady will demand another interview, but Eddie has everything he needs and no longer needs to spend his time talking to a terrifying serial killer. Kasady tells Eddie he thought they were friends and swears he’ll breakout and have revenge against Eddie for leaving him alone to rot in prison. He’ll take everyone he loves! Eddie calls him a Ronald McDonald looking p.o.s. Kasady’s response? 

At the same time Eddie will attempt to rekindle his relationship with his ex, while also trying to fix his relationship with his father, meeting Dylan. Eddie will after an incredibly awkward and uncomfortable dinner with Anne, Dylan, and his father where he sees his father is just as horrible a father to Dylan as he was to him, and then he will have the truth revealed to him about Dylan’s true father. Eddie will lash out at everyone, and find himself truly alone. He will begin to remember the good times with Venom. 

Cue “Without You” by Harry Nilsson

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=G-ZDKirjQgM

Eddie wanders around in the rain while elsewhere the symbiote eats sadly out of a dumpster having bonded to a stray cat. 

And as this is all happening, Kasady bonds with the Carnage Symbiote, breaks out of prison in an epic action scene, and goes to get revenge on Eddie Brock. He seemingly kills his therapist Dr. Kafka but it’s offscreen so we don’t know for sure. Kasady speaks to the Carnage symbiote, befriending it and telling it that by Earth standards, it’s father leaving it to fend for itself is really messed up. The two put together that Eddie Brock and Venom are symbiotically linked, and agree to work together to destroy the lives of both host and symbiote. 

THE VILLAINS PLAN:

Dylan finds Eddie, there’s some father/son bonding, Eddie never wanted a son but is starting to like it, cue “Father Figure” by George Michael.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=m_9hfHvQSNo

and then Eddie’s dad Carl Brock shows up to take back Dylan because he ran away from home and he thinks Eddie is a bad influence on Dylan. 

Carnage attacks and takes Dylan and Eddie’s father hostage. Eddie attempts to save Dylan and Carnage demands Eddie bring him the symbiote so he can kill them both before leaving with Dylan and Carl Brock. Eddie returns to the hotel, finds Anne, forgives her, and they both go to find the symbiote. They discover the symbiote, Eddie bonds with it to save his son, and then Carnage attacks! We learn that Venom is weakened by sonics because the symbiote planet has no atmosphere and there’s no noise in a vacuum. But, since Carnage was born on earth, it has no such weakness. Carnage defeats Venom with sonics and kidnaps Anne Weying. 

THE VILLAINS REAL PLAN:

Anne Weying, Carl Brock, and Dylan are captured. We reveal Kasady’s therapist Ashley Kafka didn’t die in the attack on Ravencroft, she was only kidnapped. 

Carnage explains he’s never had a family before, as he murdered his abusive grandmother as a child, and subsequently burnt down the orphanage and the abusive headmaster before he could be adopted. Now though, he’s going to have a real family, because his symbiote is pregnant with four symbiotes Kasady named himself:

LASHER

PHAGE:

AGONY:

SCREAM:

THE FINAL BATTLE:

Meanwhile Eddie Brock and Venom regroup, both admit to each other they’ve made mistakes, get a flamethrower, get some grenades, get some guns, and go to save the hostages. We get a suiting up montage to the Eminem song “Till’ I Collapse” as a nod to the Eminem song from the first movie. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ytQ5CYE1VZw

It’s Venom with guns, which is a cool image and promises an exciting final fight.

They fight Carnage, Carl Brock yells at Eddie about how this is all his fault, Carnage is about to kill Eddie, Carl Brock gets a redemption through death moment by jumping in the way to save Eddie and then getting killed. Eddie becomes enraged over his father’s murder and for a moment, becomes the more violent and angry Venom of the comics, showing a bit of Eddie’s darkside. Eddie and Venom calm down then appeal to the Carnage symbiote, asking it to join them, to be with its father, and leave Kasady. It leaves Kasady, and they blow it up with a grenade as Eddie wants vengeance for them killing Carl. Venom and Eddie roar in epic rage. 

They beat up and are about to kill Cletus Kasady but Dr. Kafka convinces them to let him live and Eddie realizes Dylan is watching. 

Venom knocks out Kasady. Eddie reunited with Dylan and Anne. 

SETUP FOR A SEQUEL or; PLANET OF THE SYMBIOTES:

The four symbiotes,

Phage

Lasher

Scream

Agony

All rise up out of the spot the Carnage symbiote was destroyed as Eddie, Anne, and Dylan watch, then escape into the city, moving from host to host in different directions, taking people over momentarily before moving on to the next host in an amazing one shot sequence.

A very apt song for the situation plays:

“It’s The End Of The World As We Know It”   by R.E.M.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0GFRcFm-aY

They’re loose, they’re spreading, and Venom won’t be able to stop them alone. If they aren’t stopped, this will truly be a Planet of The Symbiotes. Cut to Spider-man spotting the symbiotes from above. 

AND THAT IS YOUR HOOK FOR VENOM 3!

But wait, there’s more!

THE END CREDITS:

In the heart of the planet of the symbiotes, something awakens. 

KNULL

So, we’ve “James Cameron’d” the Venom franchise with a sequel that improves on the original and takes things in a totally different direction, and set up for a sequel with KNULL, SPIDER-MAN, and symbiotes capable of asexual reproduction loose on Earth in one of the most populated cities on Earth.  

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