After an unexpectedly high box-office opening that managed to even surpass MCU theatrical heavy-hitters, Venom: Let There Be Carnage has permeated fan discussion due to its polarizing level of quality and surprisingly huge ramifications.
One of the biggest takeaways for many people was the post-credits scene, which dropped the bombshell that Eddie Brock had somehow been transported to the mainline MCU. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige revealed that the scene took "a lot of coordination" between the Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Spider-Man: No Way Home production teams.
The Spider-Man threequel's star Tom Holland made a sly allusion to the crossover following the film's premiere, sparking conversations as to whether Venom truly could appear in December's No Way Home and other implications the sequence has for the franchise.
Leading star Tom Hardy recently referenced this monumental development between universes, before quickly taking back his comments.
Tom Hardy Teases Spider-Man vs. Venom
Via @SpiderMan3news on Twitter, Venom: Let There Be Carnage actor Tom Hardy recently posted an image to his Instagram depicting artwork of Spider-Man being eaten by a live-action Venom. Hardy has since deleted the post, though for unknown reasons.
Along with the post was the caption "Happy Holidays and Halloween snacks," referencing the image in question and Venom's propensity for eating:
A No Way Home Crossover Inbound?
Hardy's post is peculiar for a multitude of reasons, the first and foremost being his decision to remove the image. This may have been due to a request from the Marvel Studios or Sony Pictures ninjas, wanting to keep the surprise a secret for a bit longer in territories where the film has just been released.
Also peculiar is the origins of this artwork, which seems to be somewhat original. The image is an amalgamation of pre-existing comic artwork of Spider-Man and a screengrab of the live-action incarnation of Venom, overladed on a grainy wall with odd lighting. Why would Hardy have an original image made for this kind of post? Perhaps this was some sort of production gift for the actor following his involvement in Venom: Let There Be Carnage or a potential cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
In any case, this image heavily teases an incoming crossover between Venom and Spider-Man, but will it happen in Peter Parker's third solo outing? It is indeed possible that Eddie Brock could cross paths with Spider-Man now that he has made the jump to the MCU, but Marvel and Sony could always hold off on the character for future installments down the line.
Venom and Spider-Man going one-on-one is a big deal and may feel rushed if it's shoved in with the already overstuffed cast of Spider-Man: No Way Home. With the threequel being described "as the end of a franchise" by Tom Holland, perhaps a Venom crossover would enable Spider-Man's subsequent film after No Way Home to feel distinct from the Homecoming trilogy.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage is out in theaters now, and Spider-Man: No Way Home debuts on December 17, 2021.
