Why Tom Hardy's Venom Voice Is Different In Let There Be Carnage

Venom: Let There Be Carnage has revamped Venom’s voice – but why did it change? After a not-so-successful debut on the big screen in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, Venom got a second chance to cut his teeth in the 2018 self-titled movie, with Ruben Fleischer's zany take on the symbiote scoring a big hit with audiences. Tom Hardy, whose portrayal of a man seduced by the symbiotic life continues to garner high praise despite Venom: Let There Be Carnage's mixed critical consensus, is central to the Venom franchise's success.

Tom Hardy provides the voice for his CGI counterpart Venom, an unsurprising decision considering he has become known for his different (and at times strange) vocal decisions. The voice of Venom, especially his guttural tones, hinted at a dark Marvel Venom adaptation before Venom 2018's release, leaving many audiences disappointed with the decidedly upbeat and, at times, nonsensical tone of the film.

Therefore, Tom Hardy's Venom vocal changes in Let There Be Carnage were born from a desire to match the symbiote's voice with the film's lighter narrative timbre. In Venom, the symbiote’s voice is deeper and more guttural, adding a menacing tone to the character, while in Let There Be Carnage, his tone is decidedly lively in comparison. Let There Be Carnage's sound team worked tirelessly to affect this change for Venom 2, with Hardy also re-evaluating how his titular antihero should sound to Venom's primarily PG-13 audiences. Here's why Venom's voice is different in Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and what options the MCU has for Venom's voice now the Symbiote is in Earth-616 and no-doubt due for a future encounter with Tom Holland's Spider-Man.

Venom's New Voice Is An Improvement

Venom was a box office hit but wasn’t well-received by critics, who took issue with the movie’s sense of humor after being left feeling deceived by the idea of a dark, almost horror-like story that arose from Venom's initial previews. However, Sony has clearly learned from this experience leaning into the zany elements that made Venom such a hit with audiences. Venom's voice was suitably altered for Venom: Let There Be Carnage, taking on a much lighter tone to better embrace the comical, odd-couple dynamic between Eddie Brock and Venom. In this way, Venom’s voice change also acts as a mirror for how he should be viewed in the Sony-verse; more of a “good guy” who presents as an antiheroic protagonist.

As a result, Hardy stated that despite Venom's look being perfect, his voice needed to be less villainous and in keeping with the slapstick elements that Let There Be Carnage runs with. The Dark Knight Rises actor describes Venom's new vocals as "That kind of bombastic, playful, like dark, witty, clever, you know, honest, but with a power familiar friendly sound which is palatable," which further plays into Venom 2's comedic strategy. The overt changes in Venom's voice are created by vocal layering, with Let There Be Carnage's scene sound technicians laying down a garbled vocal over Hardy's lines before refining the sound in post-production. Additionally, Hardy often wore an earpiece while filming Let There Be Carnage's CGI-heavy scenes to capture the correct tone for Venom's voice. While Venom: Let There Be Carnage received mixed reviews from critics and fans, the more light-hearted voice came just in time. As of Spider-Man: No Way Home, a Venom symbiote exists in the MCU.

Which Voice Will The MCU's Venom Use?

If the MCU Venom has Tom Hardy's voice, it will probably sound similar to Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Hardy's voice was layered with Brad Venable's for certain scenes in the first Venom, which added to the difference between the two (Venable's role is uncredited). With Venable's tragic passing in 2021, he was unable to return for Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Rather than replace him, Hardy took on all of Venom's lines solo. He probably wouldn't want to replace Venables for an MCU Venom at this point, either. Aside from this, the deliberate changes to make Venom's voice more lighthearted are also in keeping with the MCU's direction. It would be strange if Venom's voice returned to a more dark, horror-inspired sound in a movie universe that's considerably more lighthearted than Venom's Sony-verse origins.

The MCU may choose not to use Hardy though and have the current Symbiote host also provide the voice instead. That would probably mean Tom Holland during the period Spider-Man has his famous black suit, and whoever then plays the next Venom host voicing the symbiote after. This could imply an as-yet-uncast MCU Eddie Brock, or (if Marvel Studios adapt a different comic-book Venom than Sony) Tony Revolori as Flash Thompson. Many fans are hopeful that the MCU keeps Tom Hardy as the voice of Venom, though. Despite there being some concerns about the Sony Venom franchise, the voice of the Lethal Protector was almost universally well-received in both Venom and its sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage, not to mention that Hardy and Holland as an on-screen duo of Toms would be an almost guaranteed box-office hit.

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