Tom Hardy Wants Venom vs Spider-Man

Tom Hardy is ready for a crossover with Tom Holland's Spider-Man. In a recent interview the Venom: Let There Be Carnage star took the diplomatic approach of kind of sort of saying that, should key factors fall into place, he wouldn't mind seeing his Venom finally share the screen with Spider-Man. Given the deep bond and history between the characters, Marvel fans have been expecting Spider-Man and Venom to be in the same movie since Sony holds the rights to both characters. So far that hasn't happened - but from what Tom Hardy says, it seems like a definite possibility for the future.

This is what Tom Hardy had to say about a Venom and Spider-Man crossover movie when asked by Esquire: "Should both sides be willing, and it be beneficial to both sides, I don't see why it couldn't be."

A lot of fans are going to hear this statement from Tom Hardy and give it a hard side-eye. Sony is dropping two films in their Spider-Man Universe this year: Tom Hardy's Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and Tom Holland's Spider-Man: No Way Home. There are a lot of theories that somewhere between those two films we'll see an official crossing over of the Venom and Spider-Man franchises, and if those theories pan out, then Tom Hardy's statement above is a purposeful mislead about something that's already actually in motion.

While Venom and Spider-Man movies colliding is still just theory, there are a few early clues that suggest the groundwork is already being laid for it. First, the Venom: Let There Be Carnage trailers have contained some subtle references to both Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films and Marvel Studios' Avengers universe. That might have all seemed like playful Easter egg dropping before - but thanks to the recent big developments of the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise, they are now potential big signals of things to come.

Spider-Man: No Way Home will be the first big Marvel film to deal with the new Marvel Multiverse that was established in the Loki Disney+ series; that show literally opened the door to all kinds of variant Spider-Man timelines to exist and be referenced by the MCU franchise. Rumors have pointed to No Way Home bringing different versions of Spider-Man and his villains from past movies together for an epic battle. The outcome of a Spider-Verse gone made could easily realign things so that Sony's Spider-Man and Venom franchises finally match up and co-exist.

In the end, Tom Hardy's words could be coming from a place of waiting: Venom vs. Spider-Man could depend entirely on whether or not Venom 2 proves itself worthy of being partnered up with Tom Holland's billion-dollar Spider-Man franchise.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage hits theaters on September 24th. Spider-Man: No Way Home hits theaters on December 17th.