Tom Hardy Addresses 'Venom' Suit Rumors

03/24/2018 12:15 am EDT

Tom Hardy has a simple message for fans worried about the possible lack of Venom in the anti-hero's solo movie: don't believe everything you hear.

Hardy posted a "face eater" insignia to Instagram Friday, attaching this caption:

The actor seems to be calling out recent rumors warning there's not much Venom in the Venom movie.

Manabyte, citing unspecified rumors, is likely referencing a supposed plot leak that surfaced online in February, which claims the recognizable Venom costume is formed only briefly towards the end of the movie — appearing for "about two minutes" during the final fight.

The leak alleges the inky black symbiote mostly manifests as black veins around Hardy's arms and neck or as large additional arms, despite the official movie logo faithfully resembling Venom's iconic look from the Marvel comic books.

The movie was "pretty good despite the lack of actual Venom," the source writes, claiming they saw a pre-visual rough cut.

Studio Sony released a first look at Venom in February in the form of a teaser trailer, receiving a mixed-to-negative reaction from fans — many taking issue with its lack of Venom, the half-human, half-alien creature reporter Eddie Brock becomes when he bonds with the gooey extraterrestrial life form known as a symbiote.

Venom marks the first film out of Sony's Marvel Universe, the studios' own cinematic universe planned to include Spider-Man spinoffs Silver & Black and Morbius, both inspired by supporting Spidey players from the Marvel comic books.

Sony chief Tom Rothman also expressed interest in giving two more iconic Spider-Man villains, Mysterio and Kraven the Hunter, movies of their own.

Earlier this year, Jon Schnepp of Collider claimed Tom Holland was spotted on set filming a cameo as Peter Parker — not Spider-Man — further muddying the waters about whether or not the SMU is actually tentatively tied to the Disney-owned MCU.

Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige and Venom producer Amy Pascal seemingly shot down any connection between the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Venom in an exclusive interview with ComicBook.com last summer. Asked if a future Spider-Man/Venom crossover is on the table, Feige said only: "We never say never."

Venom, starring Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Jenny Slate and Woody Harrelson, swings into theaters October 5.

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