After years spent in development hell, Sony Pictures' Venom movie is finally getting off the ground. Following the announcement a few months back that Venom is back up and running, the studio revealed last week that former Bane Tom Hardy will play Eddie Brock and Zombieland's Ruben Fleischer will direct the feature. Given how Topher Grace's Venom wasn't positively received in 2007's Spider-Man 3, this is a good opportunity for the Marvel character to earn some much needed cinematic redemption.
Because Sony is crafting the Venom movie without using Spider-Man, there are restrictions on what it will be able to do, especially when you also consider what the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going with the Spider-Man mythology. That said, there are still elements from the comics that can be incorporated into the blockbuster to make it as faithful as possible. Here are the main things we want to see in Venom when it arrives in theaters on October 5, 2018.
The Symbiote's Alien Origins
In the Ultimate Marvel continuity, the symbiote was artificially created by Edward Brock Sr. and Richard Parker as a way to cure cancer. An Easter Egg in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 indicated that that series was going the scientific route with Venom, but for this Venom movie, it's better they take influence from the main comics continuity by keeping the symbiote an alien. While it's impossible to have Spider-Man bring back the symbiote from a strange planet, Venom could follow in Spider-Man 3's footsteps by having the symbiote crash-land on Earth, and from there, it finds its way to Eddie Brock. However, unlike Spider-Man 3, it's important that Venom offer at least a little information about where the symbiote came from and why it traveled to our world. Should a sequel be ordered, its background can be expanded upon, like how it's a member of the species known as the Klyntar.
Eddie's Journalism Career
Before he was taken over by sentient black goo, Eddie Brock was trying to make a name for himself as a journalist. He was one of Peter parker's fellow employees at the Daily Bugle, and he was determined to write the story that bring him fame and make a true difference, just like Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward did with the Watergate scandal reporting. The fan-made short film Truth in Journalism, made by Adi Shankar (who also made the ultra violent Power/Rangers) and Joe Lynch, captured Eddie's journalistic enthusiasm perfectly, even though he's not the best at his job or the most ethical. Since Tom Hardy is in his late 30s, it's easy enough to set the Venom movie's Eddie up as a guy who's been working the beat for a while and still hasn't found his lucky break. Which brings us to the next section...
Eddie's Life Being Ruined
Eddie Brock's life collapsed when he started investigating a serial killer called The Sin-Eater. He was contacted by a man named Emil Gregg who claimed he was the Sin-Eater, but after Eddie wrote an expose about his findings, he learned that Spider-Man had captured the real Sin-Eater, and that Gregg was just a compulsive liar. Fired from his job and humiliated, Brock was obsessed with getting revenge on Spider-Man, and the symbiote attaching itself to him gave him the means to accomplish that goal. Once again, Venom can't incorporate Spider-Man's involvement in Eddie's life, but it's still possible to put him in a situation where his personal and professional life are ruined. Once he's at his lowest point, then the symbiote can find him and grant him the power to pick himself back up and become something better.
The Symbiote's Weaknesses
The symbiote is a powerful creature. Along with being a natural shapeshifter, thanks to its time with Spider-Man, it also grants its user the Web-Slinger's replicated abilities. But it's not without weaknesses, and even with Eddie Brock as the main protagonist, it's important that he's not invincible. The creature's primary weaknesses is intense sounds. The only reason Peter Parker was able to get the symbiote off himself is because he did it in a church when a large bell was ringing. The symbiote is also weakened by fire, and by extension in the Ultimate universe, the heat from electricity. Assuming Venom doesn't come cross paths with something that can match him in brute strength, whoever the movie's villain is will need to rely on sound or heat to stand a chance defeating him.
Venom Being An Anti-Hero
Venom started out as a more traditional villain in the comics. That's what you get when your primary mission is to kill Spider-Man. However, he has also built a reputation as an anti-hero in select moments over the years, and I'm not just talking about when Flash Thompson was bonded with the symbiote. Venom's life doesn't revolve around capturing bank robbers or preventing car crashes, but there have been times when he's committed decent acts for the greater good, albeit through extreme methods. Admittedly, Eddie Brock was more firmly rooted in anti-hero territory when he was Anti-Venom, but the Venom movie can take some creative liberties with this. We have no doubt that Eddie's interests won't be entirely benevolent, but it's important that the audience can still sympathize with him, and making him an anti-hero rather than full-fledged villain will help make that happen.
Carnage
We still have no idea who the Venom's movies antagonist will be, but of all the Marvel characters available to Sony, Carnage is the best candidate. The Carnage symbiote is actually an offspring of the Venom symbiote, and that "baby" attached itself to serial killer Cletus Kassidy, who was Eddie Brock's cellmate in prison. Unlike Eddie, Cletus lacks a moral compass and embraces the freedom of chaos, just like The Joker in DC Comics. Empowered as Carnage, he can kill even more innocents. As mentioned earlier, Venom likely won't be a fully heroic character, but if Carnage is wreaking havoc, it will be up to Eddie to put a stop him, whether it's because he feels personally responsible since the Carnage symbiote came from his own symbiote, or because of his deep-rooted need to do what he believes is right. The chances of Spider-Man ever fighting Carnage in a movie are looking slim, and with Venom reportedly aiming to be an R-rated sci-fi/horror movie, the best approach for the villain is to use Carnage as a twisted foil of the main character.
