What Tom Hardy's Venom Could Look Like

Update: We now have our first look at Tom Hardy's Venom, which looks great.

Sony's taking a big risk with Venom, their first foray into stand-alone films starring Spider-Man's rogues gallery, but not the wall-crawler himself. Like the upcoming Silver & Black, Venom may or may not be set in the MCU. There's a lot riding on the Ruben Fleischer-directed film, as it's one of very few R-rated superhero films, and one of fewer still which focuses on a primarily villainous character. Furthermore, Venom is a fan-favorite anti-hero, and his fanbase is very wary of attempts to translate him from the page to the screen; Sam Raimi played a key role in the modern superhero renaissance, and even he couldn't quite nail the character. Fans generally rejected Topher Grace's take on Eddie Brock in 2007's Spider-Man 3, but Sony is giving it another shot.

The first trailer for the anti-hero's first live-action solo film was met with criticism due to its generic imagery and 'smoke and mirrors' storytelling instead of offering any concrete details on the film. Who is the villain? Unknown. What is Brock's motivation? Unknown. What is the movie about? Unknown. One final, extremely important question also went unanswered: What does Venom look like?

This Page: The First Trailer

The Teaser Trailer

The much-maligned teaser clip can be partially excused for its lack of big reveals due to dropping in February, a full eight months before the final release date. The closest thing to a genuine reveal seen in the trailer comes at the very end, in the form of a logo, which appears similar to the recognizable Venom face from the comics, complete with large, white eyes and gnashing teeth. Of course, it's only a teaser image, and isn't necessarily representative of what audiences will see in the finished film.

Viewers are also treated to a look at what appears to be a crashed alien spaceship, which is likely the source of the infamous black goo. It is then shown, contained in a glass canister, in what may be the only shot in the trailer with what appears to be finished CGI effects. Basically, viewers hoping for even a tiny peek at Venom in that trailer came away severely disappointed.

Despite the lack of answers, there are clues as to what audiences can expect when the movie hits theaters in October. There are shots in the trailer which are clearly meant to include CGI effects, such as the moment where a bunch of office workers are scattered by an invisible force. Presumably, the "invisible force" will be revealed to be Venom's symbiote tendrils in the finished film. Also, a lot of the car chase action shown in the trailer will likely be enhanced by computer animation showing off Venom's powers.

There's also a moment while Eddie Brock (or Tom Hardy's stuntman) is riding a motorcycle through a crowded city street while two large vehicles crash behind him, possibly as if they were pushed back by some unseen force. Could this also be a moment where Venom's tendrils lash out at potential threats? Or will the symbiote be able to separate from its host, take down the vehicles, and then return to him? What if Eddie is not on the run from human opponents, but from Venom itself?

What Will Venom Look Like?

Venom is one of the most visually arresting comic book characters in Marvel's stable. He's usually depicted as a muscled-out mass of alien material covering Eddie Brock's body. In the comics (and Spider-Man 3), the symbiote originally took over the shape of Spider-Man's suit before adopting the powers of Spidey himself. After Peter Parker rids himself of the vile creature, it attaches itself to Eddie Brock, giving the disgraced journalist twisted versions of Spider-Man's powers, including his super-strength, wall-crawling, and web-shooters.

In Ruben Fleischer's film, Spider-Man is not expected to make an appearance (probably), so it's likely that Venom's powers will be altered. Super strength and reflexes will probably make the cut, but it's unlikely that Tom Hardy will have access to Spidey's signature web-shooters, since that would be pushing suspension of disbelief just a little bit too far, unless they are altered enough to seem more original to the symbiote rather than a Spider-Man rip-off.

Size, Tendrils, and Tongue

In the comics, Venom has three distinct physical characteristics; his imposing size, his ghastly tendrils, and his slimy tongue. He's usually depicted as larger than a normal man, but not gigantic like The Incredible Hulk. He's also particularly muscle-bound, even by the standards of superhero comic book characters. In Spider-Man 3, Venom was certainly larger than Spider-Man, but not quite the hideous creature from the comics. It still retained the basic shape of Spider-Man's suit, although it did possess the comic book character's signature white eyes and a wide, monstrous mouth full of razor-sharp teeth.

Will Tom Hardy's Venom lean all the way into the comic version of the Symbiote? Or will it go in its own direction, borrowing core ideas from the comics, but applying its own style to the well-known design? Venom, due to his extremely muscular frame and unique proportions might not work well as a man in a suit, although the general shape is not drastically different from Hardy's most bulked out appearance in movies like The Dark Knight Rises or Warrior - only even bigger still. To that end and hinting that the character may look accurate to the comics it has been reported that Tom Hardy is doing motion capture work for the Symbiote creature, meaning Venom will mostly be a CGI character in the film.

One of his unique powers, separate from those learned from Spider-Man, is the symbiote's ability to lash out with tendrils to attack enemies or clear obstacles. Based on that shot in the trailer, this ability is all but confirmed to make an appearance in the movie. Given the film's R-rating (unless Sony changes their minds at the last minute), perhaps audiences will also see Venom capture prey with his tendrils before bringing them in to consume them...

Speaking of consuming his prey, one of Venom's most iconic physical traits is his long tongue. Comic book panels love showing his tongue flailing about outside his mouth, usually accompanied by an uncomfortable amount of drool and slime. This was one aspect where the Spider-Man 3 incarnation was somewhat lacking. Even with the comics-accurate mouth and teeth, Venom's face just didn't look right without that insanely oversized tongue.

If Venom is as cannibalistic in the upcoming film as he is in print (read Venom: The Hunger), then audiences can look forward to some nasty bits of man-eating violence and gore. Of course, if Venom is more of an anti-hero than an outright villain, at least fans will take comfort knowing that his victims probably will have deserved their grisly fate. Hopefully, Tom Hardy's Venom will have a giant tongue to go with his massive teeth and huge eyes.

There's a lot riding on Venom. Ruben Fleischer is a talented director with a variety of high-concept, well-received films under his belt: Zombieland is a cult classic, and Gangster Squad is an underrated gem of a film. Tom Hardy is one of the biggest stars in the world, though he hasn't really led a successful blockbuster on his own he was part of a large ensemble in Dunkirk, and Mad Max: Fury Road clearly belonged to Charlize Theron. Despite his undisputed status as an A-list star, Venom could be his long-awaited breakthrough role as a full-on leading man.

The only problem is, audiences don't even know what Venom will look like. What if he looks dumb? What if he doesn't look exactly like how they want him to look? Internet people tend to get worked up over that sort of thing. Hopefully, fans will finally get a real look at the character as soon as the next trailer releases... Maybe in front of Avengers: Infinity War?

More: Every Upcoming Marvel Movie (2018-2020)