Entertainment
Has The MCU Already Secretly Introduced Venom?
By Chris Snellgrove
| Updated
The film rights for Spider-Man are still held by Sony, and he only appears in the MCU through a complex deal the studio made with Disney. So far, that deal has really worked out for the House of Mouse: the presales for Spider-Man: Brand New Day point to the film having a $250 million opening, cementing the thwippy, quippy web-head as the most popular Marvel star. As for Sony, they’ve spent a small fortune trying to create a cinematic universe of Spider-Man’s enemies and allies, but this has led to flops like Morbius, Kraven, and Madame Web. In fact, Sony’s only popular franchise character has been Venom, who had his own hit trilogy.
Ironically, the success of the Venom movies starring Tom Hardy (who was a weirdly perfect Eddie Brock) has caused trouble for Kevin Feige and his writers. Part of the symbiote was left behind in a stinger for Spider-Man: No Way Home, but audiences would likely hate it if the MCU gave us its own version of Eddie Brock turning into Venom. However, Feige may have an alternative plan unfolding before our very eyes. In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, we see the return of Mac Gargan as the Scorpion. In the comics, he becomes a host for Venom, and he is likely to do so in the MCU after Avengers: Secret Wars.
He’s Been Here All Along
Mac Gargan made his MCU debut in Spider-Man: Homecoming. There, he was trying to buy alien weapons from some of the Vulture’s crew. He and Spider-Man fought during the Staten Ferry Incident, and we last saw Gargan in jail, where he met the Vulture and discussed his hatred for the web-head. Now, Gargan is coming back to this cinematic universe in a big way. In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, he plays Scorpion, a supervillain whose armored suit and killer tail make him nearly unstoppable. Nonetheless, in the most recent trailer, we see Spidey defeat him in a particularly brutal beatdown that leaves the hero wondering if he is losing control.
So, what does this have to do with Gargan possibly playing Venom in the MCU? In Marvel comics, there’s a weird period where the symbiote bonds with the criminal, something he agrees to in exchange for new powers. He gets those powers and oscillates between being an outright villain to a kind of antihero, first for the Thunderbolts and then for the Dark Avengers, where he masquerades as Spider-Man. Eventually, he gets caught and thrown in the raft, where the symbiote is forcibly removed. It later returns to Eddie Brock, but not before it bonds with the most unexpected host of them all: Flash Thompson, Peter Parker’s old high school bully.
The Sting Of Venom
Many of the ingredients for Mac Gargan becoming Venom are already in place in the MCU. For example, he’s held a major grudge against Spider-Man since Homecoming, and it looks like that grudge is going to get even worse after he gets his tail handed to him in Brand New Day. At this point, Gargan will likely be interested in anything that gives him an edge over Spidey, including bonding with the symbiote. From the Venom movies, we know how aggro the suit can be on its own. If the symbiote bonds with a supervillain instead of a crusading reporter, the result would be a much deadlier, much more dangerous Venom.
When would this happen, though? It could happen as early as the next Spider-Man movie, especially if rumors that Brand New Day is part of a new trilogy come true. But it could also happen offscreen as a result of Avengers: Secret Wars. Kevin Feige has already confirmed that this movie will reboot the MCU, making way for recasting more established heroes like Iron Man and Captain America. It will also change some of the lore of this cinematic universe (like adding plenty more mutants), so the reset could just transform Gargan into Venom. This would only be fitting since comic book Spidey first merged with the symbiote in the original Secret Wars.
Now, is this likely to happen? At this point, it’s anybody’s guess. MCU executives would definitely love to have Spider-Man fight Venom, but Sony’s own executives may object to the use of their most popular cinematic character. If they agreed at all, it would likely be contingent on his origins being completely different. Making Venom Mac Gargan instead of Eddie Brock might fit the bill, and it would also be kind of poetic. After all, that would mean Spider-Man’s greatest Big Bad got introduced in Homecoming, back when most fans dismissed Gargan as a one-off villain!