Sony’s Spider-Man Universe is unique for making a largely villainous character its main protagonist. Venom: Let There Be Carnage brought back the symbiote with Eddie Brock as they took on Cletus Kasady and Carnage in a story that also dealt with Venom’s identity crisis.
There were several sad aspects to the symbiote shown in the first movie as well, and combining that with his problems in the second film reveals a heartbreaking narrative underneath the otherwise cool characterization of Venom. To this end, it’s worth looking into Venom’s quotes as a way to understand when the symbiote has been a total badass and where he’s communicated a softer side to his personality.
Badass: "So Many Snacks, So Little Time."
Venom didn’t manifest fully until the moment he confronted one of the attackers after Eddie, with this quote being the first thing he said. Venom couldn’t contain his thirst blood by this point, salivating at the prospect of devouring his victim’s eyes, lungs, and pancreas.
It went a long way to establish that his character was all about satiating his hunger for flesh, as Venom didn’t mind much that he was targeted by a number of other mooks of Carlton Drake. The shot of Venom's trademark fangs and tongue completed this moment and it seemed as if he was about to make do on his claim.
Heartbreaking: "I Need To Be Free, Eddie."
This was one of the best quotes from Venom 2, where the titular character showed off more of his humane side. After putting up a temper tantrum that drove Eddie mad, Venom revealed what he was actually thinking of.
He shared his sadness of being trapped in Eddie’s apartment without anyone to interact with and that he wanted to be free to experience the world. The quote showed that Venom wasn’t just a monster who fed on brains, with the character also thirsting for a fulfilling life rather than spending his days hiding away.
Badass: "The Way I See It - We Can Do Whatever We Want."
Eddie wasn’t sure of Venom’s intentions by the end of the first movie, with their partnership in its early days. Upon asking Venom what he wanted to do now that their conflict with Carlton Drake was resolved, the latter hissed these words to his host.
Venom had clearly realized that the world was his sandbox of sorts, as there were no limitations to what he could achieve. He may even have had carnivorous goals at that point, leaving viewers to ponder if Venom was planning to sway Eddie into sharing his ravenous tendencies.
Heartbreaking: "Eddie, I Apologize. I Can't Mend The Heart."
Although he was erratic for the most part, Venom was still likable in the second movie by giving consideration to Eddie’s feelings. He said these words after Eddie learned of Anne’s engagement to Dr. Dan, with Venom letting go of his own problems for once.
Realizing that Eddie was hurting over the fact that the woman he loved didn’t want him back, Venom apologized for not being able to mend Eddie’s heart even though he felt the same pain. It was a sad moment overall because Venom understood his friend’s sadness but was unable to do anything about it.
Badass: "Responsibility Is For The Mediocre."
There’s no doubt that Venom is one of Spider-Man’s greatest enemies and Let There Be Carnage had the character take a shot at his adversary’s popular quote. When reminded by Eddie that they had a responsibility to avoid hurting others, Venom claimed only mediocre people care about being responsible.
This was a way of setting up Venom’s eventual hunger for Spider-Man as the stinger showed him wanting to eat Peter when he saw him on TV. It also portrayed the anti-hero personality of the symbiote as he did do the right thing but by no means wanted to be an all-loving hero.
Heartbreaking: "That Was Going To Be Us."
Venom seemed to share Eddie’s feelings for Anne because he was just as invested in the possibility. After learning of Anne’s engagement to Dr. Dan, Venom was momentarily speechless and said this quote as a way of letting Eddie know what they had lost.
In a way, Anne had understood Venom better than Eddie did, seeing as every time he bonded with her went without a hitch and with Anne having no issues with Venom. Anne moving on from Eddie pretty much hit Venom just as hard in the feels as he knew she wasn’t coming back.
Badass: "F**k That Guy."
It was unclear if the symbiote shared Eddie’s regret at the way he had hurt Cletus with the exposé, but this quote of Venom more than answered the question. He said this right after Eddie had apologized to Cletus, beginning with Venom chomping Cletus’ head off.
Venom made it known that he had no care for Kasady, showing zero remorse and brushing away the latter’s sob story. It was both a cool and hilarious display of Venom’s ruthlessness with the way he so casually tossed aside what seemed to be a build-up toward an emotional moment.
Heartbreaking: "Look At All These Weirdos! My Kind Of People."
Venom finally found some form of acceptance when he stumbled into the night club and his appearance was mistaken for a costume. Instead of feeling embarrassed, Venom took to acknowledge that the people there were suited to him because they were weird.
It was sad to see him feel accepted in a place where no one really knew who he was and simply considered anything strange to be okay. Although Venom put on an act of enjoying himself, he later stumbled outside in grief as he missed Eddie and knew the people at the club didn’t actually care about him.
Badass: "Cooperate, And You Might Just Survive. That Is The Deal."
Eddie and Venom’s first conversation was a one-way street, with Venom firmly in control. After escaping Carlton Drake’s henchmen and Eddie witnessing Venom’s powers, the latter manifested in his liquid form to tell Eddie what his options were.
Venom claimed that Eddie didn’t really have much of a choice other than to comply and his best-case scenario was to survive the eventual alien invasion. Although Venom was a villain at this point, the total conviction with which he spoke and subjugated Eddie was incredible to behold.
Heartbreaking: "On My Planet, I Am Kind Of A Loser."
Venom changed his mind about helping the symbiotes assimilate Earth when he became attached to Eddie. In what was the first time he genuinely shared information about himself, Venom revealed that he was a loser back in his homeworld and felt more at ease on Earth.
His manner of speaking was much different at this moment, as it was clear that Venom was dropping all pretense and really did want Eddie to understand how lonely he felt. Despite the fact that he was an alien who preyed on humans, Venom’s feelings of inadequacy were very much relatable.