A brand Venom 2 fan poster recreates a comic book cover with Carnage and actor Tom Hardy. The sequel was greenlit after the massive success of the original film, which earned an impressive $855 million worldwide in 2018, surpassing Justice League in its box office run. The character has since been confirmed to be sharing the same universe as Jared Leto's Morbius and Tom Holland's Spider-Man.

Venom made his debut in the Spider-Man comics in the 1980s and was created by Todd McFarlane and David Micheline. The story followed a journalist named Eddie Brock who, after being exposed and bonded to an extraterrestrial symbiote from space, gains superhuman strength and other abilities. In the first film, the main villain for the anti-hero was Riot, a far more sinister symbiote that bonds with an evil scientist played by Riz Ahmed. The film's mid-credit scene reveals the appearance of Cletus Kasady in prison, the well-known character who inevitably becomes Venom's most infamous foe, Carnage. The scene also finally confirmed that Woody Harrelson would be filling the shoes of the highly beloved antagonist.

Related: Venom Theory: Riot Will Turn Into Carnage

In a new piece of fan art designed by Instagram user Yadvender Singh Rana, Carnage is depicted going toe to toe with Tom Hardy's Venom. In the image, Carnage is all smiles as he begins to tear the Venom suit off of Hardy's Eddie Brock as the two battle it out. The antagonist appears to have the upper hand as he begins to separate Brock from his symbiote, looking considerably larger and more intimidating than the fan favorite anti-hero. As noted by the artist, the image is an homage to the iconic comic book cover for Venom: Carnage Unleashed by artist Andrew Wildman. The fan poster is below.

Fans are chomping at the bit for more Venom. The sequel recently wrapped its principal photography in February with the film thought to open in October of this year. However, it was recently announced that Morbius has been pushed back to March 2021, a film that takes place in the same universe as Venom. It wouldn't come as a massive surprise if Venom 2 was the next film to be delayed by the studio due to the coronavirus pandemic. After all, the virus has delayed a litany of films from hitting their original release dates this year. However, it's possible there's been no word of the Venom 2 release date being delayed because it was never actually officially announced.

Venom was a genuinely pleasant surprise when it hit theaters in 2018, embracing its B-movie roots and delivering a darkly comedic adaptation of the comics that fell in line with the foundation of the character. It also featured a wildly offbeat performance from Hardy as the titular symbiote, further proving he is one of the most dynamic and magnetic actors working in the industry today. When it was revealed during the credits that Carnage would be making his debut in the sequel, it was difficult to not get excited about the intriguing possibilities his presence could bring, especially since he would be played by the uniquely talented Harrelson. Sweetening the pot is the fact that Andy Serkis is directing Venom 2, lending his sharp sensibilities to a character he should be ideally suited for. Fans will be able to see if the sequel is able to follow through on its potential if the film does indeed hit its intended release date this October. If not, they may have to wait just a little bit longer to see these enemies duke it out on the silver screen in Venom 2.

More: How Tom Holland's Spider-Man Could Appear In Venom 2

Source: Yadvender Singh Rana/Instagram

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