How to Introduce Venom Into Sony's Marvel Universe

Last week, it was announced that Dark Knight Rises and Mad Max: Fury Road star Tom Hardy is starring in Sony’s Spider-Man spinoff film Venom, and the Interwebs have been buzzing ever since! Hardy’s Venom will be the first character and film introduced as part of “Sony’s Marvel Universe,” which will also feature other Spider-Man characters like Black Cat and Silver Sable.

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There are still a lot of questions hanging over Sony’s Marvel Universe and its connection to the main Marvel Cinematic Universe; one of the biggest questions is no doubt Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock even becomes Venom in the first place. In Marvel Comics lore, Eddie Brock was a reporter who inherited the black suit (actually a parasitic alien) Spider-Man wore for a time. With word that Spider-Man is not involved with the Venom movie (and no black suit in sight), Marvel fans have no idea how the Venom character can possibly get a proper cinematic origin.

However, there are still plenty of ways for Venom‘s story to be told in proper fashion on the big screen, while also keeping the character loosely tied to the Spider-Man and MCU franchises, so that any potential future crossovers are an easy possibility. Here’s How to Introduce Venom Into Sony’s Marvel Universe.

Cosmic Avenger

Spider-Man Black Suit in Homecoming in Avengers 3 Infinity War

The most obvious path to bringing Venom into the Sony Marvel Universe (while still keeping him connected to both Spider-Man and the Marvel Cinematic Universe), runs right through the middle of Avengers: Infinity War.

MORE: New Costumes We May See in Avengers: Infinity War

We’ve already discussed the types of new costumes we may see in the two-part MCU crossover event, and one of them that fans have been speculating about (or campaigning for) is Spider-Man’s black suit.

In Marvel Comics lore, Spidey’s black suit was discovered during the cosmic event known as Secret Wars. After Spidey’s traditional costume was damaged in the battle, he went to an alien workshop for some new threads; instead, he ended releasing an alien symbiote, which patterned itself after his costume. It wasn’t until much later (and nearly too late), that Spider-Man realized the danger the suit represented, and found a way to discard it.

One good way to get the traditional Venom origin story onscreen, without having to invest too much time in it, would be to use Spider-Man’s Infinity War costume upgrade as a backdoor origin into the Venom movie. Infinity War will come out months before Venom; however, the time gap between the two film’s respective stories could be used to explain how Eddie Brock got the black suit.

Dark Homecoming

The other way to quickly introduce Venom’s origin into the larger Sony Marvel Universe and MCU would be to do it the way that most film spinoffs are introduced: by using the main film as a launchpad.

We still don’t know all the details of the Spider-Man: Homecoming storyline, but it could easily contain a sub-plot and/or end credits scene that introduces the Venom symbiote into the story – maybe even as Spider-Man’s black suit.

We already know that Peter Parker/Spider-Man will start Homecoming with his Tony Stark upgraded suit – but that he’ll lose that suit at some point during the film. We also know that his climatic arial battle with Michael Keaton’s Vulture will be in a homemade suit Peter designs – but what suit he gets after that is still a mystery.

Other than the traditional origin story, Venom’s Ultimate universe origin involved the symbiote being a creation of science, rather than an alien being – which is a version of the story the movies could use. Spider-Man: Homecoming also deals with the effect alien technology is having on everyday society and the people who now live in a world of superheroes; in that sense, the Venom origin could be a mix of both the traditional and Ultimate universe versions: an alien substance manipulated by science.

Either way, there’s room for Homecoming to end with Peter putting on the black suit, wearing it for Infinity War, and then discarding it in time for Eddie Brock to pick it up in Venom.

More Spider-Man / Venom News

Spider-Man: Homecoming, currently has a 4.13 out of 5 on ComicBook.com’s anticipation rankings. Make sure to rate your anticipation for the movie below!

SYNOPSIS: Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, Peter Parker returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine – distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man – but when the Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened.

The cast includes Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Zendaya, Donald Glover, Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, Tony Revolori, Tyne Daly, Bokeem Woodbine, with Marisa Tomei, and Robert Downey Jr. It also includes Jon Favreau, Martin Starr, Kenneth Choi, Michael Mando, Selenis Leyva, Isabella Amara, Jorge Lendeborg, Jr., JJ Totah, and Hannibal Buress.

Spider-Man: Homecoming hits theaters on July 7, 2017, while Venom currently has an October 5, 2018 release date. The Animated Spider-Man Movie debuts on December 21, 2018, and the rumored Silver Sable and Black Cat films have no release windows.

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