Here’s the Real Reason ‘Venom’ Is Rated PG-13

While there was never any indication that Sony and Marvel’s upcoming Venom movie would be rated R, many fans had hoped that the dark, gritty tone of the trailers was alluding to a much more adult-themed movie. That wasn’t the case, however, as the news arrived Wednesday that the film had been officially given a PG-13 stamp.

It’s easy to assume that the decision to keep Venom PG-13 was all about getting a wider audience to show up to theaters, and that may be partly true. But the main reason that Venom stuck with the PG-13 tone is that someday, hopefully, Tom Hardy’s titular anti-hero can come face-to-face with one of Marvel’s most iconic characters, Spider-Man.

On Wednesday night, when the announcement of the rating was made, Fandago Editor-in-Chief Erik Davis took to Twitter to say that his sources provided him with some insight into the studio’s decision.

“Venom is officially rated PG-13. Hearing from sources the reason is so that Venom and Spider-Man can face off at some point down the line,” Davis wrote. “If the movie is R, it’s hard to do that.”

At this point, there has been no word as to whether or not Venom and Spider-Man can actually co-exist in a film, given the complicated rights situation between Sony and Marvel Studios. As of now, Sony owns the rights to all of the Spider-Man characters, including Venom and Peter Parker himself. However, the studio reached a deal with Marvel a couple of years ago allowing Spider-Man to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This also gives Marvel the chance to bring other Spider-Man characters, like Vulture and Scorpion, into the fold, but Sony can still make their own plans with the properties.

To put it more simply, Sony’s Venom movie isn’t technically part of the MCU. That said, there is still room for Spider-Man to appear in a future Venom film, or for Tom Hardy‘s Venom to potentially crossover into the MCU. Of course, the latter would be totally at the discretion of Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios.

Either way, this news is extremely exciting for any fans of Spider-Man and Venom, because we might finally get that epic showdown that we’ve all been waiting for. Just don’t expect it to happen next month when Venom hits theaters.

Do you think Venom and Spider-Man will appear on-screen together sooner rather than later? Which character do you think will crossover? Let us know in the comments below!

Sony and Marvel’s Venom is set to arrive in theaters on October 4.