Can There Really Be A Spidey Universe Without Spider-Man?

Written by Sarah Minazzo

Buzz has been building since a sneak peek at the upcoming film Venom (Sony Pictures) was released at Brazil’s recent Comic Con. With the film starting to become tangible in our heads, let’s untangle the web of what we can expect from this non-Disney Marvel movie.

In comics, Venom is arguably one of Spider-Man’s greatest arch-enemies. Daily Bugle photographer Eddie Brock becomes Venom with the help of an alien symbiote giving him super strength, and pretty much the same powers as that of Spider-Man after Peter Parker rejects the symbiote. This was shown in Venom’s previous big-screen appearance in Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, where he was played by Topher Grace. However, that incarnation wasn’t entirely faithful to the comics and to the character.

Spider-Man plays a minor part in both story arcs, although in theory his role can be superseded. Maybe Eddie just happens to be in San Francisco as opposed to New York and working for a different newspaper instead of Daily Bugle. That’s an easy enough work around. What’s more curious is the possibility of other Spidey heroes making an appearance. For example, Scarlet Spider appears in the Planet of the Symbiotes story arc however it is unlikely due to the original character being a clone of Peter Parker. Again this can be worked around, as the second Scarlet Spider was Joe Wade, not a clone and it could be done similarly to how Ant Man was handled.

Since Sony announced that Venom would be the start of their own Spidey Marvel Universe, it also opens up the opportunity for Spidey villains to make their debut. A huge contender would be that of Carnage, another popular symbiote character, and albeit psychotic he shows how far the human-symbiote relationship can spiral out of control. This would be an incredible foil on screen to Venom.

Tom Hardy as Venom is certainly nothing to sneeze at. This is the actor who brought us an outstanding Bane and an equally amazing Mad Max. His versatility from playing both a comic villain and dystopian anti-hero certainly makes him well qualified for the job. He even fits the Brock/Venom body type drawn in comics.

With Venom’s director, Ruben Fleischer, at the helm with films like Zombieland under his belt, it’s another wise decision on Sony’s part. Fleischer can balance great action with humour, which is another thing we can anticipate from Venom.

So can there really be a Spidey universe without Spider-Man? Certainly sounds plausible and it’s in the best hands it could be. We’ll find out in October!

Pic: Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) in Venom.