Venom: Let There Be Carnage released to the world in October 2021, and the intense blockbuster saw Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock take on Woody Harrelson's Carnage. The most notable part of the film for most fans, however, was the shocking post-credits scene––one which saw Venom seemingly cross into the MCU and get his first glimpse of Tom Holland's Spider-Man.
It was a big moment, one that led to the creation of countless fan theories as to what it could all mean. Does it hint towards Hardy's symbiote joining Alfred Molina's Doc Ock and Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin in destroying the web-slinger?
Even bigger than Venom himself is how his entrance into the MCU paves the way for much more
So, besides the multiverse being a handle and current tool to utilize, what was the inspiration behind the big crossover tease?
Tom Hardy's Venom Begins to Merge
In an interview with Collider, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige commented on the reasoning behind the MCU-merging cameo in Venom: Let There Be Carnage's post-credits scene.
According to the CCO, the "obvious comic connotations between Venom and Spider-Man" combined with Tom Hardy's "iconic" Venom performance and franchise success helped make the surprise scene come together:
"Well, I mean you look at the obvious comic connotations between Venom and Spider-Man, and it's inherent. So the minute Sony made the Venom movie, and it worked as well as it did, and Tom Hardy has become as iconic as he has become as Venom, then the obvious question is how do we start to merge them."
Venom: Let There Be MCU
As much as it seems that Tom Hardy's Venom is in the MCU, the context behind the scene is still unknown. But Feige is correct: Spider-Man and Venom are intintrinsically linked. Sooner or later, the two were bound to interact in some way.
For many, seeing Hardy's take on the infamous symbiote interact with Holland's Peter Parker would be a mind-blowing time. At some point, at the very least, it has been confirmed that some version of Spider-Man will meet a Variant of Venom.
It's all pretty confusing, and hopefully, Spider-Man's next adventure can give some more context to everything; it could at least paint a clearer picture as to what fans can look forward to in the future.
While seeing Holland and Hardy interact would be great, it would almost be better if this crossover (and the seemingly enhanced relationship between Marvel Studios and Sony) paves the way for the MCU to have its own take on the symbiote - one not beholden to another studio's continuity.
Spider-Man: No Way Home releases in theaters on December 17.
