Since 2015, Marvel and Sony have been sharing Spider-Man over several films. A big component of that arrangement is Marvel acting as the producer for both Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home. The arrangement worked nicely, continuing the webslinger’s story in the MCU and sharing the rights (and profits). Their agreement is how we got Spider-Man in with the Avengers films. However, Disney and Sony divorced from that arrangement, citing they are unable to reach new terms on funding of future films. Before that, however, Tom Holland filmed a cameo as Peter Parker in Venom.
“I’ll tell you the truth: Tom Holland did film a scene for Venom… Marvel saw the movie and was like ‘Take him out. Take this scene out.’ Peter Parker was in Venom, not Spider-Man.”
Jay Washington to Collider Live
Speculation swirls on what the scene was, but something that has been made clear is why the scene was cut. The powers that be over at Marvel requested the scene be cut to stop any confusion over there being a future connection of Venom to the MCU. Holland’s appearance out of his Spidey suit would not really have done anything to change what the film was about. But just like in Star Wars, it’s the little seeds that sprout big rumors.
The story goes that Sony always had plans for Spider-Man and Venom to cross webs at some juncture, just not yet. They even made sure Venom got a PG-13 rating. Alas, Marvel had other ideas in store for the wallcrawler. Now the two parties sleep in separate bedrooms, so we may never know what they were.
How would Venom fit in the MCU?
The comic origin of Venom is from Spider-Man as the Secret Wars black suit. He’s a symbiote that gives Spidey a fighting edge in 1984’s 12-book arc, Secret Wars, and he actually bonded with Deadpool first. While that rabbit-hole could be a whole other story, let’s stick to Spider-Man.
Spoilers for Venom ahead: When the Venom film was announced, fans were excited and confused at the same time. Questions on how Spidey would fit in his fan-favorite nemesis’ stand-alone movie were simply answered with: He won’t. And the film’s version of Venom’s origin backed that up.
Oh, he’s still a symbiote. This time he’s plucked from a comet and brought to Earth by a billionaire prepping for the end of the world through space exploration and planet colonization. Other than the Spider-Man connection, the rest of his story is pretty true to the comic. He attaches to Eddie Brock, keeps him healed, creates menace and mayhem, and certainly does not have Earth’s best interests at heart. If he were to join the MCU, and there is no Spider-Man tobattle and torment, it’s difficult to say what hero would be deployed to counter Venom.
What happens to Spider-Man going forward?
As for the next Spider-Man film, Sony has total control. They are likely to keep Holland in the role and will probably bring back some of the supporting characters. That is, unless they really want to earn the ire of the fans. They love Holland as Spider-Man, and he loves playing our favorite web head. Any time you see Tom Holland talk about his run with Spider-Man, you can tell he’s having a blast. He even says so himself:
“Basically, we’ve made five great movies. It’s been five amazing years. I’ve had the time of my life. Who knows what the future holds? But all I know is that I’m going to continue playing Spider-Man and having the time of my life. It’s going to be so fun, however we choose to do it. The future for Spider-Man will be different, but it will be equally as awesome and amazing, and we’ll find new ways to make it even cooler.”
Tom Holland at D23, IGN
Without a doubt, he’s right. This is an opportunity for Spider-Man to break away from a supporting Avengers spin-off sidekick and jump into the spotlight of his own feature. Face it. In the MCU, he was Stark’s pet project and not much else.
What about the future of Venom?
As for Venom, Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings, Black Panther, Star Wars) takes the directorial helm in the next installment. Tom Hardy is supposedly signed on for a Venom trilogy, and with an $800 million earnings statement from one film, Venom 2 is a near guarantee. Current rumors have Venom squaring off with Carnage, another nasty Spider-Man villain that also tangled with Venom on occasion.
Serial killer Cletus Kasady, also known as Carnage, is shown in the post-credits of Venom and will be played by Woody Harrelson. Ironically, this is one of those roles that matches Harrelson’s personality somewhat, so his performance should be stellar. Some thought the clip was a red herring just to generate excitement, but when asked about it by Collider in May 2018, Woody had this to say:
“I’m in a little fraction of this movie (Venom), but I’ll be in the next one (Venom II), you know?”
Woody Harrelson
Who knows? We may yet get to see Spider-Man and Venom go at it with Carnage after all. Sony’s Venom II is rumored to hit theaters in October of 2020.
Source: ComicBookMovie.com
