Tom Holland's Venom: Let There Be Carnage Role Could Have Been More Than A Cameo
Despite the fact that the "Venom" franchise is set in its own standalone universe, the natural inclination since the first film has been to expect a meet-up with his arch-nemesis, Spider-Man. "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" looked to hold up their end of the promise with an exciting mid-credits scene that shook up the superhero genre in a big way. Suddenly, Tom Hardy's Venom found himself in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and learning about the existence of Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland. Though it proved to be a brief stint in the MCU, the scene confirmed a crossover was not only possible, but likely at this point. However, it turns out the original plans included bringing him into the "Venom" sequel in more than just a cameo.
In the mid-credit scene of "Venom: Let There Be Carnage," Eddie Brock was zapped into the MCU after becoming a fugitive in his universe. The sequence ends with Eddie witnessing J. Jonah Jameson (J. K. Simmons) talking about the true identity of Spider-Man, plastering an image of him on the television screen. The decision to reveal his identity in the MCU was reversed in "Spider-Man: No Way Home," but Eddie is now quite familiar with the webbed hero. And according to director Andy Serkis, the tease nearly led to a more substantial crossover in "Let There Be Carnage."
'100 percent in flux'
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Serkis revealed that not only was the mid-credits scene a late addition to the film, but earlier ideas included Spider-Man within the actual narrative:
"[The mid-credits scene was] 100 percent in flux, yeah. It couldn't have been more in-flux-y if you tried. Yeah, of course, it was something that they talked about from before I even came on to the movie. There were moments where [Spider-Man] was going to be in the story, potentially, and then he wasn't. But no, we decided that we wanted to really examine the Venom-verse first. So as we were going through principal photography, the inevitable discussions had to be had, but it wasn't until very, very late on that we reached the precise notion of the teaser that we wanted to lay in there."
I'd argue that despite the exciting prospect of Venom interacting with Spider-Man, the sequel works because it does not try to appeal to expectations but rather have fun in the so-called Venom-verse. The credits sequence is a warranted conclusion following the events of the film, but do not make it the only reason to watch "Let There Be Carnage." That said, it was pretty rad to see it finally come to fruition, albeit briefly.
Of course, the question still remains — will the superhero genre juggernauts finally battle on screen? The way we see things, it's not a matter of if, but when.
Where does Spider-Man go from here?
As seen in the mid-credits scene for "No Way Home," Eddie left the MCU before he could come face-to-face with Spider-Man. However, Venom coincidentally left a bit of his symbiotic goo in the bar they were drinking at. The implication seems to be that Spider-Man will get his own symbiote suit at some point, but the scene still leaves Venom himself in another universe. Although it seems the one-sided crossover was to simply add the symbiote to the MCU, it opens the door wide open for the inevitable showdown.
With the Multiverse Saga officially in play, anything is possible now. There is no need to put anyone's eggs in a basket this early, just let things play out and watch where the puzzle pieces fall into place. A possible path to a crossover has been established, so it's just a matter of time until the filmmakers run out of ideas and revert to the inevitable matchup. Or maybe nothing will come of this. After all, Sony has been big on promises and less than stellar on delivering them.
Until we get an official answer, "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" are currently available for purchase/rent on physical and digital platforms.