By Chris Snellgrove
| Updated 4 minutes ago

Somewhere along the way, the Marvel fandom went a little crazy. I’m not talking about just getting hyped for upcoming releases like Spider-Man: Brand New Day or Avengers: Doomsday; after all, it’s perfectly normal for fans to be excited about their favorite franchises. No, I’m talking about how countless fans have become conspiracy theorists, scouring every trailer discrepancy or every red carpet appearance for secret clues. These fans have embraced their inner Doctor Strange, and they won’t stop until they’ve explored every possible future for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If you doubt this, just check out the recent fan response to the dress Zendaya wore to Brand New Day’s premiere.

Eagle-eyed fans quickly spotted what appeared to be black dahlias on Zendaya’s dress, and this triggered what felt like endless speculation from fans. Some thought that the pattern was a symbolic warning that someone close to Spider-Man (maybe even MJ) would die in the upcoming film, while others thought she might have been mourning the death of a certain character on her breakout show, Euphoria. These are just a few theories thrown out by fans who ignored the likeliest possibility: that the black dahlias are just a symbolic throwback to the necklace Peter Parker got MJ in Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Noticing The Pattern

So, this latest story comes to us from the same place as all good celebrity drama: the red carpet. At the premiere of Brand New Day, Zendaya wore a black dress. Form-fitting at the top and frayed at the bottom, it created a very flattering look for the Euphoria star. But crazed Marvel fans were less concerned with her overall aesthetics and more concerned with what they thought they saw woven into the pattern. Specifically, there were seemingly black dahlias on the dress, and this sent comics nerds into a frenzy on social media.

In case you don’t know, black dahlias have a lot of symbolic meaning. Some think they simply represent mystery, transformation, or even newfound power. Others (thanks largely to the unsolved Black Dahlia murder) believe they are a symbol of sorrow, betrayal, and other tragic events. Many Marvel fans seized on the more negative connotations of the symbol and claimed that Zendaya is mourning the death of a fictional character. Many fans believe this is a reference to her own character, Rue, dying on Euphoria. Others are convinced it is a subtle warning that MJ will die in Brand New Day, possibly making way for a new love interest for Spider-Man.

The Truth Hiding In Plain Sight

Another popular theory is that Zendaya’s dress symbolizes Venom, a character who is defined by betrayal, transformation, and death. It’s an interesting theory, but it wouldn’t really make sense for MJ to become Venom in Brand New Day, a movie that is already crowded with both heroes and villains. However, the movie does notably give a much larger role to Mac Gargan; he is playing Scorpion in the movie, but in the comics, he eventually dons the symbiote and becomes Venom. Given that the comics Peter Parker didn’t get the symbiote until the first Secret Wars event, and the fact that we’ll be getting a Secret Wars movie next year, Gargan as Venom could eventually happen.

While some of these theories are fun and even downright compelling, these Marvel conspiracy theorists are really missing the forest for the trees. If anything, this pattern on Zendaya’s dress is likely a reference to the Black Dahlia necklace that Peter Parker gave MJ in Spider-Man: Far From Home. It could just be a winking homage or, if you’re a hopeful romantic, it could even be a hint that MJ and Peter get back together in Brand New Day. We won’t know until the movie comes out, but my spider-sense is telling me these conspiracy-pilled fans will wish they spent less time cooking up crazy theories and more time simply enjoying these movies!

By Chris Snellgrove
| Updated 18 seconds ago

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!

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 16 seconds ago

Given all of the excitement for the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it’s fair to say that Tom Holland remains one of the most beloved actors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He has great chemistry with just about everyone, which is why the next Spidey film will have him acting alongside Jon Bernthal’s Punisher and Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner. Of course, before Holland could get this sweet superhero gig in the first place, he had to demonstrate chemistry with the most important Marvel actor of them all: Robert Downey Jr.

Because Spider-Man was such an important role, Tom Holland didn’t have a one-and-done audition process. Instead, it was a multi-part process that culminated in one final hurdle: a screen test with Downey. Needless to say, this put extreme pressure on Holland, who was only 19 at the time. He ended up dealing with that stress in an unfortunate but understandable way. The night before his big screen test, he emptied out the hotel minibar, going on a bender and ultimately getting busted by his new employers!

Here’s To Being Spider-Man

This weird story emerged last year when Tom Holland appeared on the Rich Roll Podcast. He mentioned that “When I did my first screen test with Downey, the night before, I polished off the minibar. And Marvel found out about that.” While drinking laws are different in Holland’s native England, his tale raised the eyebrows of many fans here in America, where you have to be 21 or older in order to purchase alcohol. Here was Marvel’s greatest icon admitting to going on an underage bender before the biggest audition of his life!

The host riffed about Marvel being akin to the Eye of Sauron in their ability to see and know everything. As for Holland, he couldn’t remember whether he told Kevin Feige or whether Feige told him. “But whenever it came up in conversation, he was like, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know about that. We asked the hotel.” Holland then relayed his natural reaction to that announcement: “Oh, sh*t!” Of course, as he laughingly relayed to his host, this particular story obviously had a happy ending. “Still got the job, though.”

Sauce Man No More

Eventually, this story had an even happier ending when it came to the actor’s health. Over time, Tom Holland realized he was an alcoholic, and he stopped drinking entirely in 2022. In a recent GQ interview, he described how his habits never led to any wild parties or crazy shenanigans you might normally expect from a celeb. “I was always pretty sensible. I just drank too much.” In a full circle moment, he obliquely referenced his minibar bender before the screen test with Downey, saying, “I wasn’t necessarily the nightclub-going person as much as I could sit at home in my hotel room and finish a minibar and go to work the next day.”

Fortunately, Holland was able to fully kick the habit. He had help with his fellow Marvel icon and fiancée Zendaya, who has always been completely sober. Really, he deserves props for being so honest about his struggle: the only reason we know about Holland’s alcoholism at all is that he was so open with his struggle and why he thought it was so important to finally quit the sauce. That honesty may not be as exciting as watching him swing through the city or punch bad guys in the face, but it might just help Holland do exactly what Spider-Man does every day: save as many lives as he possibly can.