Marvel Studios will finally adapt symbiotes for the first time later this year in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Sadly, Tom Holland's Peter Parker still hasn't gone toe-to-toe with Venom or bonded with Marvel's infamous black symbiote. While Spider-Man: No Way Home's post-credits scene confirmed that a trace of Tom Hardy's Venom had been left behind in the MCU, it still hasn't crossed paths with the web-slinger yet and seemingly won't in Brand New Day. In the meantime, Disney+'s alternate reality tale of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is preparing to tackle symbiotes and other major villains in Season 2.
Official promo art from Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season 2 unveiled the first look at its Symbiote Spider-Man logo and character design. Presumably, Peter Parker is the one under the black suit, setting up an adaptation of the legendary "Symbiote Saga" storyline in this fall's sophomore season.
A symbiotic alien debuted in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season 1, emerging through a portal across space by Norman Osborn's Project Monolith. It's unclear whether the symbiote was Venom himself or another of his kind.
Doctor Strange and the symbiotic alien were flung back in time to Midtown High on the day that Peter Parker got his powers, leading to its eventual defeat. Still, some symbiote goo was left behind and found by Osborn, presumably setting it up to bond with Peter to turn him into Symbiote Spider-Man in Season 2.
Peter Parker's symbiotic tale was most famously adapted in 2008's Spider-Man 3, in which Tobey Maguire's superhero bonded with the alien Venom. The symbiote greatly elevated his anger and aggression, culminating in the famous Bully Maguire scene that ended with him accidentally striking Kirsten Dunst's M.J.
Venom is one of six characters from Tobey Maguire's trilogy that will appear in Season 2 with a brand-new adaptation, including Gwen Stacy.
Most recently, the symbiote returned in Insomniac Games' Spider-Man 2, bonding with Peter when he was on the verge of death after being stabbed by Kraven. Eventually, there was an epic boss fight between Miles Morales and Peter Parker, before Venom ultimately returned to the terminally ill Harry Osborn in the final act.
The symbiote-centric storyline has also been adapted many times on the animated front, such as in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Spectacular Spider-Man, Ultimate Spider-Man, Spider-Man: Unlimited, and Marvel's Spider-Man (2017).
The symbiote does come with some perks for Peter Parker in most adaptations, such as amplifying his superpowers and healing him from mortal danger, but its impacts on his personality are dire and raise great problems in his life.
Typically, the symbiote bonds with Peter Parker first, before he comes to his senses and frees himself from Venom, often using its weakness to high-frequency sound. It is only after that that the symbiote goes searching for a new host, having bonded with Eddie Brock, Flash Thompson, and more over the years.
Venom's Future In Movies & TV Explained
Marvel Studios already confirmed that Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man won't repeat Spider-Man 2's Venom mistake of having Harry Osborn under the symbiote. It's unclear who the Disney+ series' true Venom villain will turn out to be, but it seems Peter Parker will be the first to wear a black suit.
As there are no signs that Eddie Brock is coming to the show anytime soon, fans must consider other candidates for symbiote bonding. Fans previously speculated that Mac Gargan, aka Scorpion, could bond with a symbiote in Brand New Day, but perhaps that storyline could be better served in YFNSM Season 2.
Sony may be done with Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock after his live-action trilogy, but it is already cooking up an R-rated Venom animated movie. While the studio has been eager to keep Venom out of the MCU during its solo spin-off saga, the window may finally have opened to that web unraveling in Spider-Man 5 or 6.
There have also been reports that Insomniac Games is developing a Venom game alongside Wolverine and Spider-Man 3, seemingly emerging from a major data breach at the studio that revealed its Marvel plans. However, updates on the project have been nonexistent since, leaving its fate uncertain.
