Update: Here's the scene where Tom Holland's Peter Parker may appear in Venom!

Is Venom in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? It's not been confirmed, but there's a lot of evidence Eddie Brock may actually exist alongside the Avengers.

In March 2016, Sony officially announced that they were launching a spinoff Spider-villains universe. First up is Venom, due for release in October this year. Early reports suggested that these villain movies were envisioned as a completely separate universe to the MCU. But that didn't stop fans speculating, even at that early a stage.

Related: First Look Venom Image Hints at Five Symbiotes

As the months have passed, the situation has become even more confusing. It's currently difficult to say whether or not Venom will be part of the wider MCU, but the evidence is building up. They may not be made by Marvel, but there's a good chance that these R-rated spinoffs may have some sort of link to the mainstream Marvel movies. Let's run through the evidence.

Everything Marvel and Sony Have Said About Venom Being in The MCU (This Page)

Everything Marvel and Sony Have Said About Venom Being in The MCU

Spider-Man Homecoming Marvel and Sony Deal

At first, it seemed clear that the Sony films would have no relationship to the MCU. In March last year, Spider-Man: Homecoming director Jon Watts explicitly said that Venom was "not connected to the Marvel world". Marvel visionary Kevin Feige gave a similar response three months later, but added an important qualification: "For now, there is no plan for Venom in the MCU. It's a Sony project."

Only a few days passed before Homecoming producer Amy Pascal complicated the issue. Pascal left fans thrilled when she described the Sony spinoffs as "adjuncts" to the MCU. She seemed to be describing the same kind of relationship the TV shows have with the main Marvel Studios movies. Marvel's TV series, like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Daredevil, are set in the wider MCU and frequently contain subtle references to Marvel's movies, yet their loose relationship with the PG-13 film franchise means they can explore a wider range of narratives, styles, and tones. Pascal's word "adjunct" describes them perfectly, and she seemed to be suggesting that we'd see a similar approach with Sony's movies.

Pascal and Feige swiftly retracted the statement, and Feige stressed that "right now, Spidey is in the MCU and it's just Spidey." Still, Pascal continued to muddy the water, suggesting that fans may well see a Spider-Man/Venom crossover. "Venom is a character that is closely associated with Spidey," she observed, "and there may be some day where you see them together, you never know."

Related: 2018's Spider-Man Movies Are More Exciting Than The Avengers

Finally, Pascal closed the issue by making a statement that seemed very similar to her "adjunct" comment.

"First, there is Spider-Man happily in the place where he's supposed to be which is in the Marvel Universe. I think everything comes from that. This is the signpost, the tentpole, the signature and¦ the other movies that Sony's going to make, in their relationship to this [MCU] Spider-Man, take place in this world. Although you're not going to see them in the Marvel Universe, it's in the same reality."

Significantly, this time round Feige supported Pascal by declaring she had given "the perfect answer".

So, it really does seem as though Venom - and, of course, Sony's other spinoffs - may well be set in the wider MCU, just without major impact on the Avengers side of the story. At the same time, though, the comments have been ambiguous and confused enough to leave fans wary and uncertain.

Tom Holland as Spider-Man in Spider-Man Homecoming

Will Tom Holland's Spider-Man Appear In Venom?

If Venom is actually part of the MCU, then will we get a cameo from Spider-Man? He's the originating hero, after all, and to not have him feature would feel like lip service.

Related: Why Spider-Man is The Right Property To Launch Marvel Phase 4

The first season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. carefully reinforced the sense that "it's all connected" by tying in with the Marvel films as much as possible. It even featured cameos from Jaimie Alexander's Sif and Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury. If Sony's Spider-villain movies do indeed have a similar relationship to the main MCU films, fans could expect the same kind of approach.

Tom Holland has stressed that he'd definitely be willing to play opposite Tom Hardy. In June, he noted that he's the MCU's Spider-Man, so it would depend on whether or not Venom existed in that world. "That's not something that's up to me," he cautioned fans. Feige seemed to put an end to speculation on that point a few days later, when he told fans Spider-Man would not be appearing in Venom.

More recently, though, matters have become more intriguing. Venom producer Matthew Tolmach was asked whether or not Spider-Man would cameo in the film, and he did everything he could to avoid answering that question. All Tolmach would confirm was the blindingly obvious: "We are making a Venom movie," he explained, "And I think you'll be very pleased." Fans took note, fascinated and curious. It was a true politician's answer and caused yet more speculation.

The most recent news is a new rumor claiming Holland does indeed appear in Venom. Collider's Jon Schnepp has been claiming for months that "it only makes sense" for Sony to have Spider-Man in the films. As he argues, Sony can't reference Iron Man, Captain America, or any other characters; but they can use Spider-Man. Now, he claims that "a little birdie" has told him that "Spider-Man is gonna be in Venom". Schnepp has no information on whether or not this is a cameo, but insists Holland will appear in some form. Unfortunately, he refuses to explain his sources, so it's difficult to determine how reliable this is. The reality is that any appearance by Holland would only be a cameo, simply because Holland has been busy filming Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4, and is starting filming on the Homecoming sequel in June.

The MCU's Norman Osborn Is Rumored To Be Part Of The Villain Universe

In August last year, an intriguing rumor about Silver & Black added to the speculation. According to this rumor, Sony was looking to cast the part of Norman Osborn for their second Spider-villain spinoff. Crucially, though, they planned this to be a voice-only part. The stated reason for this was fascinating. According to the rumor, Sony wanted to avoid actually using the character in case Marvel Studios chose to cast a different actor in the main Spider-Man films. They wanted Osborn to become a possible link between the Sony spinoffs and the main Marvel movies.

At the very least, this suggests Sony and Marvel are trying to carefully avoid casting the same roles, and points towards some casual crossover. Indeed, Sony is carefully shaping their spinoffs so they actually can relate to the MCU, with no villain overlap - every villain with a solo movie in development is pretty much ruled out from the MCU.

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Right now, the evidence is fairly inconclusive. Pascal and Feige confused the issue, and haven't really clarified anything since last June. At the same time, there are a growing number of rumors stressing that the Spider-villain films may well have some sort of relationship to the MCU. If it's confirmed that Tom Holland has indeed played a cameo in Venom, that will settle the issue once and for all. Otherwise, it's possible fans will only find out for sure when Venom is actually released in October.

Next: Every Marvel Movie Coming in 2018

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