Superhero films have done a good job in making character development a vital experience of the story in recent times. Venom: Let There Be Carnage continued Eddie Brock and the titular character’s adventures as they took on the Carnage symbiote and the dangerous Cletus Kasady, following their first conflict against Riot and Carlton Drake.
As the human main character, Eddie has changed in several ways over the course of the two movies apart from shifting from his job as a reporter to a vigilante superhero. Eddie’s personality has been affected by his experience with the Venom symbiote, and it’s interesting to see the kind of influence this development has made on his life.
He's A Lot More Irritable About Small Things
Despite being the hero of the movie, Eddie wasn’t the most likable character in Venom 2 due to his tendency to be short about most matters. He came around near the end, but the first half of the story saw him go off on little things like Venom’s attempt to make him breakfast or answering questions from Mulligan.
Eddie was much more composed in the first movie where he felt he had control in the interactions he had with others. Venom’s constant nagging in his ear made Eddie easily agitated about things around him, and he had a shorter temper in the second film.
He's Open To Talking About His Feelings
Eddie didn’t trust anyone enough to let them know what he was thinking in the first movie and chose to have a quieter disposition. He was much more willing to let his feelings known in the follow-up, where even his angry moments had him reveal just how he felt about something.
He was so open about this by the end of Venom 2 that Eddie confronted Venom about his indirect confession of loving the bond the two shared. Eddie also let Anne know that he didn’t want her to marry Dr. Dan despite realizing he was wrong, while he had once been tight-lipped about matters of the heart.
Finally Accepting The End Of His Relationship With Anne
Eddie’s obsessive tendencies are all too well known to Venom comic book fans but they didn’t turn up in live-action. However, he still held out hope of reconciling with Anne at the end of his first adventure. He started out the same way in the latest movie but got over it by the end.
Eddie admitted that Dan was indeed the better man that Anne deserved to be with and that he would never get back with her again. This acceptance ended up helping Eddie’s psyche as he found peace with the idea of starting over without holding out for Anne all the time.
He's Not Scared Of Venom Anymore
The depth of the bond between Eddie and Venom has been questioned by fans, with the second film making them out to be an odd couple. Eddie was terrified of the symbiote the entire time in the first movie and was scared of getting eaten.
He didn’t appear to be shaken by Venom’s presence later on, with Eddie openly confronting the symbiote over the constant presence he had over his life. Eddie was brave enough to even attempt to fight Venom, which went to show how he had no fear of the latter anymore.
He's More Willing To Do The Right Thing
While comic book fans will likely continue to see Venom as among Spider-Man’s greatest villains, the live-action version is easily a superhero. Eddie is the one to thank for this, with the protagonist being much more hands-on over doing the right thing in the second movie.
His partnership with Venom was mainly to save his own skin in the original film, but Eddie took charge of the latest story out of his own choice. When he realized he had inadvertently caused Carnage’s creation, Eddie took it upon himself to bond with Venom again to stop him. Eddie also pursued social justice in the first film to stroke his ego but he didn’t look to gain any credit in the follow-up.
He's A Lot Less Confrontational With People Other Than Venom
Venom was the exception to Eddie’s confrontational attitude in Let There Be Carnage and he largely steered clear of getting into trouble. This was in stark contrast with his personality in the first movie, where Eddie made point-blank accusations on Carlton Drake and Anne over his disagreements with their unethical practices.
In the second film, Eddie developed the habit of leaving before he could make things worse, such as when he fled the conversation with Anne over her engagement and when he didn’t trade verbal shots with Cletus Kasady during their interview sessions.
He's More Empathetic Toward Others
Eddie didn’t care for much else other than making a name for himself in his first outing, to the point where he jeopardized his career because he couldn’t help making Carlton Drake look like a fool in their interview. He was a little better with Cletus Kasady and kept his judgments to himself.
While Eddie did publish the exposé in a scathing manner that made Cletus look like a remorseless killer, he ultimately apologized to the latter when Cletus confronted him over it. Eddie also empathized with Venom’s feelings of imprisonment by deciding to move around the world so Venom could experience freedom.
He Owns Up To His Mistakes
The stubbornness of Eddie’s character was in full display in Venom when he wasn’t apologetic for ruining Anne’s career by using her intel on Carlton Drake. He didn’t give much thought toward making up for his faults by the movie’s end either, as he was more focused on his new pairing with Venom.
It was in the climax of Let There Be Carnage that Eddie finally showed this positive change when he acknowledged he was wrong to exploit Cletus’ story to leave out his abused past. Eddie’s letting go of Anne was another way for him to accept that he hadn’t treated her right during their relationship and that she deserved better than to tend to his problems. He also apologized to Venom for hurting his feelings by projecting his insecurities onto the symbiote.