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

While Tom Hardy's Venom exists in Sony's adjacent universe of films, how would he have been different had he entered the MCU alongside Spider-Man? How would Tom Holland's take on the Webslinger be different? At the present, Eddie Brock and Peter Parker have been kept separate, operating in their own worlds despite their many connections. As a result, how different would each of them be had they both been introduced together in 2015 when Disney and Sony began their deal?

Spider-Man was the original host of the symbiote that would one day become Venom. After realizing its overwhelming power and attempts to corrupt and take over his body and mind, Peter Parker abandoned the black alien suit where it then found Eddie Brock. What followed was then a long tenure of Venom being one of Spider-Man's most deadly villains, though he would eventually turn into an anti-hero as a Lethal Protector, much like the version depicted in the films starring Tom Hardy.

However, the majority of the origins for Venom as a villain and his connections to Spider-Man were done away with in 2018's Venom from Sony Pictures. Instead, the film had Eddie Brock as the symbiote's first host, while also connecting him with the Life Foundation symbiotes from Venom: Lethal Protector, one of the character's initial stories that saw him becoming an anti-hero. As a result, had Venom been integrated into the MCU alongside Spider-Man, it seems evident that both of their stories would have been quite different.

Could Venom Have Joined The MCU Alongside Spider-Man?

Spider-Man and Venom's faces in front of a web.

Back in 2015 when Disney acquired the shared rights with Sony to have Spider-Man featured in the MCU, Sony had yet to kickstart their own shared film universe of Spider-Man films (known as Sony's Spider-Man Universe or SSU). As a result, it isn't hard to imagine that if Disney had wanted, they probably could have pushed to gain Venom as well with an expansion of the rights deal. Despite Sony's ongoing development of a Venom film, it had largely been spinning out for years since Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3, meaning that 2015 may have been a prime time for Disney to acquire the rights to Eddie Brock alongside Peter Parker.

Be that as it may, Sony's shared universe of films has well and truly begun with Venom in 2018 (alongside the animated Into the Spider-Verse that same year). Now, Venom: Let There Be Carnage is about to release which will feature Venom taking on his more savage and brutal offspring, making it doubtful that Sony will be giving up their symbiote anytime soon. That being said, Sony and Tom Hardy's take on Venom, and the Venom that the MCU would have developed would have likely been very different.

How Venom Would Be Different In The MCU

It's no secret that Tom Hardy's portrayal of Venom (while impressive) is pretty outside the box, and it would be interesting to wonder if that same depiction would integrate well within the MCU. While it probably could have worked in the MCU of the present that has begun to explore darker characters and themes, Tom Hardy's take on the symbiote had he been introduced a few years ago alongside Spider-Man probably would have been tapered somewhat.

Likewise, being more connected to Spider-Man would inherently mean some significant changes to Venom's film origins, which would have likely resulted in a more accurate adaption from the comics. Venom probably would've begun as a Spider-Man villain before perhaps evolving into the Lethal Protector seen in Sony's Spider-Man universe films. Likewise, Marvel Studios has yet to do any solo films for any villains or anti-heroes like Venom, so he would have likely been featured as a villain that was opposed to the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man in one of the Webslinger's films.

How The MCU's Spider-Man Would Be Different If Venom Existed

Had Venom been integrated into the MCU as well, Spider-Man's arc might have drastically changed to accommodate for Venom's origins. One could imagine the symbiote finding its way to Peter Parker during Avengers: Infinity War when he was in space, which could have then lead to a sequel post-Endgame similar to Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3 (albeit one that would be more Venom-centric), taking the place of Spider-Man: Far From Home.

This hypothetical film could have had Tom Holland's Peter Parker wearing the symbiote for the first half of the film, which would have certainly taken him to a much darker place than he's even been before. Regardless, the Venom symbiote could have found Eddie, starting a journey that would have more than likely seen him as the more classic villain of Spider-Man, rather than the anti-hero seen in the present comics or the actual films from Sony Pictures.

Why It's Good Venom & Spider-Man Were Kept Apart

Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock in Venom Let There Be Carnage

While Spider-Man and Venom fans have been clamoring for a crossover between the MCU and SSU where they either fight, team up, or a combination of the two, it's good that Eddie Brock and Peter Parker have been kept apart thus far. Had they been connected from the start, Venom would have more than likely been characterized and depicted as a villain, leaving little room for the dimensional anti-hero to be seen (at least not until much later on). Likewise, it would have pivoted both Venom and Spider-Man's MCU arcs into something where comparisons to the Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3 would have been inevitable (and likely not desired by either studio).

Having Venom stand on his own has allowed Sony to create a very dynamic version of Venom which has likewise given Tom Hardy the freedom to get weird with the character (in a good way), providing an entertaining and fresh take on the character which has been largely loved by audiences. Furthermore, Tom Holland's Peter Parker has been able to focus on other arcs and narratives for his character that have helped differentiate him from past versions of Spider-Man. That being said, now that they've each had time to grow apart from one another, some sort of crossover for Spider-Man and Venom certainly feels like a win-win with major box office returns and would no doubt carry a lot of excitement for fans.

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