The characters of Venom: Let There Be Carnage don't know about Spider-Man, says director Andy Serkis. Monday morning brought a slew of new information about the long-waited Venom: Let There Be Carnage, the sequel to Sony's surprise 2018 hit Venom. Tom Hardy returns to play Eddie Brock, a journalist who, a year and a half before the new film, became the unwitting host to a symbiote with a passion for chocolate. As Eddie and Venom still struggle to adjust to life together, a new threat emerges in the form of Woody Harrelson's Cletus Kasady, aka Carnage.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage is the second installment in Sony's growing Marvel universe. The studio has held the rights to numerous Spider-Man characters over the years and has long aimed to create their own shared world around these characters. The Jared Leto-starring Morbius will enter the picture next year, but the biggest question is: Where is Spider-Man? Since Sony has worked with Marvel Studios on their iteration of Spider-Man, there's been some confusion over whether Sony's franchise exists within the MCU. This was further complicated by Spider-Man: Homecoming's Michael Keaton appearing in Morbius' trailer last year.
Now we have a bit more clarification on this point from Venom: Let There Be Carnage director Serkis. While speaking to IGN about the film, Serkis said he crafted Venom 2 to exist within its own world - as in, separate from Spider-Man and the MCU. However, this could change in the future. Serkis said:
“Obviously, there are links between Venom and Spider-Man and the Marvel Universe and the Spider-Man story. We're treating this very much as it's his own world. The Venom story is his own world. There are nods and little moments [like the shot of the newspaper the Daily Bugle], of course, but on the whole he's unaware. They are unaware, at this point, of other characters like Spider-Man. So, that's the way we've chosen to play this particular episode of the movie, but, well, we'll wait and see. We'll see what little things you can pick out of it.”
The first Venom: Let There Be Carnage trailer held some connections to the broader Spider-Man universe, such as the aforementioned Daily Bugle shot. However, there are so far no indications that the web-slinger will be mentioned or referenced in any way, or that the movie will connect to the MCU. Serkis' comments certainly suggest as much. Last year, rumors swirled suggesting current Spider-Man Tom Holland will have a cameo in Venom: Let There Be Carnage. If he actually does, Serkis wouldn't say anything about it at this stage, so his above response doesn't necessarily write off the possibility. Still, fans shouldn't get their hopes up too high.
With Sony still growing their Marvel universe, it might actually be smart to avoid any Spider-Man connections at this point in time. Sure, audiences really want to see Venom clash with Spidey, but Sony is working with characters non-comics fans might not be aware of. It would be smarter to build them up on their own before bringing in the main event. With lesser movies, this might sound quite boring, but the first glimpse of Venom: Let There Be Carnage has promised a rollicking adventure. It might not need Spider-Man at all.
Source: IGN
