CinemaCon 2025 revealed the Spider-Man 4 title, and in the process, we’ve learned a few things about the upcoming Marvel movie.
However, the saddest news for Spider-Man fans came from across the pond when Tom Hardy sat down with The Playlist to discuss his new crime drama series, MobLand. During their chat, he was asked what happened to the long-rumored Spider-Man/Venom crossover movie, and it’s not happening.
“I don’t know how to answer that question,” he said. “We got close. We got as close as I could possibly imagine getting, apart from doing a film together, which I would have loved to have done because that just means so much fun.”
Unfortunately, The Playlist inferred from their conversation that studio politics prevented what could have been a great superhero movie. Except I’m glad that movie fell apart, and here’s why you should be, too.
Venom in name only
Look, I’m sorry. I know the Venom movies are funny, but the Venom we’ve seen in the SUMC (are we still calling it that?) wasn’t Venom. Sony’s Venom looked right, sounded right, but never felt right. Venom isn’t just goofy – he’s a nightmare for Peter Parker.
Venom – the real Venom, I mean – does have some similarities to Hardy’s version. He can be silly, and he has a dysfunctional, borderline romantic relationship with his “Other,” but that’s not what defines him. What defined the character for the first two decades of his existence was his cruel, petty nature, which made him obsessed with getting revenge on Peter Parker.
This weird, stalker-y behavior made him such a unique and potent threat to the Wallcrawler. He knew all Peter’s secrets and darkest desires and could strike at any time. However, the Venom in the Sony movies was a goofy little guy who liked glowsticks and getting sand in between his toes. Yes, he ate people’s heads, but he was never frightening in the same way the comic version was.
Sony Pictures ReleasingIf Marvel Studios decides to adapt the Venom story (something that seems extremely likely considering the character’s popularity and the Black Suit), you wouldn’t want them to be saddled with SUMC Venom.
The character needs to be menacing, and I just don’t see that working with Hardy in the role; he was too nice and too friendly. Most importantly, he had no reason to loathe Spider-Man, something that’s central to making the character a compelling villain.
And I know what the Spider-Man comic nerds are about to say. Venom has changed. He’s a King in Black now (well, not anymore, thanks to Venom War), and he and Spidey have been friends for years now. I’m sorry, but that’s not how the general audience views the character. In the annals of pop culture history, Eddie Brock and his slimy suit are bad guys. Them’s the facts.
Marvel ComicsI’ll even concede that a Tom two-hander, with Holland and Hardy playing off each other as Spidey and Venom, could have been a fun movie, but is that really what we wanted? The Venom story is one of Spidey’s most iconic arcs, and I want to see it done justice on the big screen.
I don’t want to see Spidey and Venom getting into EDM music, going to the club, and doing TikTok dances. I want to see Eddie Brock’s turn to darkness. Spider-Man grappling with an alien suit that’s slowly taking control of his body. And most of all, I want to see Venom with that damn white spider on his chest.
In my clearly inflated opinion, throwing away the opportunity to do the Venom story justice would be an act of cultural vandalism, and I think, if you’re honest with yourself, you agree with me.
With a Secret Wars adaptation in the works (the story where Peter gets the Black Suit), it feels like we’re on the cusp of greatness. We just need the courage to finish the job, and if that means dropping Hardy, then that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. Basically, Sony had their fun. Now, let’s do Venom right.
Looking for more hot takes? Well, check out our Spider-Man villains ranking or our article revealing who Brand New Day’s villain will be. If that’s not rough we’ve also ranked every MCU movie because we’re that dedicated to the greatest shared universe in cinematic history.
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