Why I’m Worried About 'Venom'

So far I’ve been torn on what the Venom trailers have to offer. While this version of Venom is already looking better than the one presented in Spider-Man 3, I’m being cautious to not get my expectations too high. Here are my three biggest concerns with the upcoming Venom film:

Riot seems like a weak antagonist.

When the Venom movie was announced, the obvious villain for Venom to be an antihero for was Carnage. Despite rumours of Woody Harrelson playing Kletus Cassidy in the film and Tom Hardy posting then deleting artwork featuring Venom and Carnage on instagram, Carnage’s appearance has yet to be confirmed. Currently the main villain Sony is pushing is known as Riot, a lesser-known symbiote who has battled Venom in the comics. I feel Riot as the villain is problematic for a number of reasons. For starters, fights between symbiotes will be hard to pull off without becoming a CGI mess. Additionally, if symbiote battles can be done well I would rather see Venom vs Carnage, as Carnage is more interesting than Riot. Yet, if they are setting up Carnage to appear in another film, they run the risk of symbiote fights becoming played out. Unfortunately, even if symbiotes other that Riot are also involved they would would not be immune from the same problems. Despite my concerns other superhero films have made lesser known villains more compelling, so maybe this could be a case where deviating from the comics could make things more interesting.

The Lack of Spider-Man

There have been Venom comic series that worked well without Spider-Man but these have at least already established a connection between the two characters. The film seems like it’s completely isolating Venom from Spider-Man. I think this is problematic because a history with Spider-Man is usually a big part of what makes Venom interesting. This includes Venom’s origin where Peter and Eddie are rival photographers and Spider-Man indirectly causes Eddie to be fired for false reporting. This shapes why Venoms is a flawed antihero: He wants to help people, but his hatred for Peter and brutal methods keep him from being a true hero. Their dynamic also fits so well because Venom’s strength allows him to physically bully Spider-Man, so in most cases Peter must outsmart Venom in order to survive. Even Venom’s powers tie back to Spider-Man. In the comics Brock travels on webs as a result of the symbiote first bounding with Spider-Man. Additionally, he is one of the few villains that knows Spider-Man’s identity and can beat his spider-sense. There’s a chance a connection between these characters can be established later but I’m reluctant to think it will be as meaningful as the connection established in the comics.

Brock’s Personality

The struggle for Eddie Brock to control the symbiote looks interesting, especially when paired with Tom Hardy’s great acting. However, so far Eddie seems somewhat meek. I’m more used to Eddie Brock being an angry and violent man but this depiction makes him seem more calm. I’m not completely against this but when Tom Hardy was cast I assumed they would take advantage of his physique like films like Bronson and The Dark Knight Rises did. In the comics, Venom is formidable, but even Eddie without powers is supposed to be intimidating. To be fair, this less abrasive version of Eddie Brock might be more suited to the antihero role of the film. Furthermore, maybe the more violent side of Eddie Brock could emerge if he steps into a villain role in the future.

Despite my concerns about Venom I’m looking forward to seeing it. I would love for the lethal protecter to have his first successful live action appearance. Worries aside I hope this film is great. With Tom Hardy set to star in at least three Venom films it would be a shame to see the series start off on the wrong foot.