Venom Director Reveals Creative Constraints in Avoiding spider-Man Connection
LOS ANGELES, CA – Director Kelly Marcel has revealed significant restrictions placed on the venom films by Sony Pictures to deliberately distance the character from Spider-Man, despite the symbiote’s comic book origins. Marcel detailed the need to forge a entirely independent identity for venom, extending to visual design and backstory, to ensure the film franchise wasn’t defined by a potential crossover with Marvel‘s web-slinger.
The directive stemmed from Sony’s ownership of the Venom rights and a strategic decision to build a standalone universe.”Maybe there was the possibility of them crossing paths down the road, but inherent to ours was that it couldn’t be defined by that,” Marcel stated, explaining the creative boundaries. This meant a complete overhaul of iconic Venom imagery; the symbiote’s chest pattern was redesigned to eliminate the spider motif present in the comics, as it would have implied an affiliation with Spider-Man that didn’t exist within the film’s narrative.
Marcel emphasized the success of this approach, noting, “it all worked out the way it was supposed to,” given the financial performance of the Venom films. Though, the path wasn’t without teasing potential connections. In 2021, Venom: The last Dance featured a post-credits scene transporting Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where the symbiote showed interest in news coverage of Spider-Man. Despite this, Venom did not participate in the multiversal battle against Spider-Man in later MCU films and was subsequently sent back to his own universe.
Plans for further Sony spin-offs, including a potential Agent Venom movie starring Hardy, have as been abandoned. Peter Parker is slated to return in Spider-Man: Brand New Day next summer, facing off against The Scorpion. Current speculation suggests Mac Gargan may become the next Venom, potentially acquiring the symbiote after spider-Man retrieves it from Battleworld during Avengers: Secret Wars. The director’s comments offer insight into the complex web of rights and creative decisions shaping the future of these iconic characters and their potential interactions.
