The stories of Spider-Man and Venom are linked in the comics, but when it comes to their current big-screen versions, their stories have been different, and Spider-Man has had no hand in Venom’s story so far, and that changed the symbiote's origin in the movie. The current success of the superhero genre has allowed the two dominating studios to bring some of the most popular comic book characters (both heroes and villains) to the big screen, and though it took Marvel a while due to issues with the character’s rights, it finally added Spider-Man to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2016 in Captain America: Civil War.

Meanwhile, Sony was working on its own connected universe, now known as Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, and kicked it off in 2018 with Venom. The symbiote had already had a chance on the big screen in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, but this debut was messy and didn’t connect with the audience. Venom and Eddie Brock were given a second chance now with a solo movie, and while the movie wasn’t the critics’ favorite, it was a success with the audience. Venom got a sequel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and is leading Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, all while leaving the beloved web-slinger out of its story.

Related: Sony's Spider-Man Universe Name Makes Spidey's Return Inevitable

Venom is one of Spider-Man’s most prominent villains in the comics, and the symbiote’s story is closely attached to that of the superhero from Queens, but Sony did things differently when bringing Venom to the big screen again, and Spider-Man hasn’t played a part in its story (yet). This obviously changed the origin story of Venom and Eddie, and not having Spider-Man around has mostly benefited them so far.

Venom attacking Spider-Man from behind in the comics..

Venom was created by elder god Knull, but it refused to obey Knull’s will, so it was cast out and began to wander across the cosmos. After Knull was imprisoned, the symbiote was taken by the Kree and had its memories erased once it separated from a Kree soldier named Tel-Kar. Venom then joined an alien who used it to commit genocide, making the symbiote addicted to rage, but Venom’s desire to protect its hosts instead of taking control of them got him imprisoned. The prison was transported to Battleworld, where Deadpool came across it and wore the symbiote for a few minutes before realizing the damage it was causing, and so he returned it to its prison. Moments later, Spider-Man, whose suit had been damaged in a battle, arrived after Thor and Hulk directed him to the room where Venom’s prison was as there was a machine that could read his thoughts and make any type of clothing for him. Spider-Man activated the machine where the symbiote was kept, releasing it and bonding with it. Venom covered Peter’s body and formed a black-and-white costume.

Venom helped Spider-Man fight crime by enhancing his abilities but it also fed off his desire to be a hero. During Tom DeFalco’s The Amazing Spider-Man run, Venom began taking over Peter’s body while he slept to fight crime, leaving the young hero inexplicably tired the next morning. The costume was later examined by Reed Richards, who discovered it had life of its own, and so Peter rejected it and the symbiote was contained – however, it escaped and bonded to Peter again, who used sound saves from a cathedral’s church bell to get rid of it. Meanwhile, journalist Eddie Brock was going through a tough time after his career was ruined after Spider-Man debunked his biggest story. Eddie sank into a depression and sought solace at the church where Spider-Man got rid of the symbiote, which in turn sensed Eddie’s hatred for Spider-Man and bonded with the disgraced journalist. Together, they fought Spider-Man many times and won on various occasions, and Venom repeatedly tried to kill Peter, both in and out of costume, becoming one of the web-slinger’s most notable enemies.

How Sony’s Spiderverse Got Around Spider-Man

Venom confronts Eddie Brock

When bringing Venom and Eddie Brock to the big screen one more time, Sony got rid of the part of their comic book backstory that includes Spider-Man. In Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, Venom’s bonding to Eddie was also thanks to Spider-Man, as just like in the comics, they bonded at the church where Spider-Man repelled the symbiote and it found Eddie. For Venom, however, Sony did things differently, even though Spider-Man can appear in this universe thanks to the Sony/Marvel deal. Though Venom’s origin wasn’t explored in detail, it’s known that it comes from Klyntar and was found along with other three symbiotes by astronauts from Life Foundation. However, the spaceship crashed and only three of the symbiotes, including Venom, were recovered. Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed), CEO of Life Foundation, began testing the symbiotes on real hosts using homeless people, and after reading about the experiments, Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) confronted Drake, and some time later, with the help of scientist Dora Skirth (Jenny Slate), he broke into the research facility.

Related: How Sony's Spider-Verse Saved Venom After Spider-Man 3 (& Why It Took Years)

Once there, Eddie found a friend of his who had been subject to the experiments and tried to break her out, but as Venom had taken over her, it attacked Eddie and bonded with him. Sony changed Spider-Man and its bonding with the symbiote for a series of experiments and a very curious Eddie Brock who didn’t mind risking his life in order to uncover the truth and save a friend, and together they brought down Carlton, Riot (the symbiote he bonded with), and Life Foundation – and most importantly, there were no signs of Spider-Man through Venom.

Why Venom Is Better Without Spider-Man

Venom and Spider-Man

When a Venom solo movie was announced, rumors about Spider-Man’s appearance quickly emerged, and even shortly before the movie was released, there was a lot of speculation over his possible appearance. While it’s understandable why fans were hoping to see the web-slinger's in Venom’s big return to the big screen, his absence has actually helped Eddie and the symbiote’s story a lot. It was assumed that Venom was not going to be able to make it without Spider-Man, but Sony has proven this wrong by giving it and Eddie a story that is fully their own. Changing Venom’s origins was the first step to getting rid of its believed dependency on Spider-Man, and having Life Foundation being the ones who found the symbiotes was a smooth way to bring Eddie into the mix through his career as a journalist. Not having Spider-Man around has allowed Sony to fully explore the dynamics between Eddie and Venom and their motivations, and it’s just starting to embrace their weirdness in Venom: Let There Be Carnage, all of which wouldn’t have been possible with Spider-Man’s appearance.

Although it seems almost inevitable that Venom and Spider-Man cross paths in the near future, the truth is that Venom has been better off without the web-slinger at least during its first two solo movies, as the audience has gotten to know it, Eddie, and their relationship without major distractions. Sony has gone against all odds and expectations with its approach to Venom, successfully detaching it from Spider-Man but without making it impossible for them to meet at some point.

Next: What If Venom Had Been In The MCU: How He & Spider-Man Would Be Different

Key Release Dates