Marvel Studios has the perfect choice of villain forSpider-Man 4after the Russo brothers revealed how much of Marvel Comics will inspire Phase 6’s upcomingAvengers: DoomsdayandSecret Wars. Tom Holland was confirmed to return as Peter Parker in a new trilogy ofSpider-Manmovies in theMCUin November 2021, shortly before the release ofSpider-Man: No Way Home. There has been some dispute aboutwhatSpider-Man 4will be about, but its release date and new details regarding other Phase 6 movies set the stage for one perfect Marvel Comics story to be adapted.
In recent months, not only hasShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringsdirector Destin Daniel Cretton been confirmed to be leadingSpider-Man 4, but cast details have also started to emerge. Holland and Zendaya are expected to return, whileStranger Things’Sadie Sink has also been castin an undisclosed role. While this is exciting,it’s still unclear what story will unfold and what villains Peter Parker will fight inSpider-Man 4. Scheduled to release betweenDoomsdayandSecret Wars, there’s only one perfect villain forPeter Parker in 2026’sSpider-Man 4.
The Russo Brothers’ Comments Make Me Think Spider-Man Will Get His Black Costume In Avengers: Doomsday
Doomsday & Secret Wars Will Be Inspired By Both Of Marvel Comics' Secret Wars Events
During a recent conversation withTechRadar, the Russo brothers,returning MCU directors leadingAvengers: DoomsdayandSecret Wars, revealed which Marvel Comics storylines would inspire Phase 6’s upcoming crossover movies. While there was some discussion about whether these movies would take notes from1984’sSecret Warsor 2015’s story of the same name, the Russo brothers have now confirmed they’ll take inspiration from both. This sets up some wild events forAvengers: DoomsdayandSecret Wars, including one featuring Spider-Man.
Well, we always create our own version of the story, so, we use the comics as loose inspiration. But, you know, I grew up on the original run. That’s something that got me into Marvel comic books. The Hickman run is also fantastic [and they’re] very different from each other in a lot of ways, so we’ll draw inspiration from both of them.
One of the most transformative events of 1984’sSecret Warsstoryline sawPeter Parker gain his black Spider-Man costumefor the first time.The black costume grants Spider-Man even more power, and his acquisition of it leads directly into the Alien Costume Saga, which saw Parker return to New York from Battleworld while keeping the suit. The costume can disguise itself as casual clothing, create its own webbing, and operate Parker’s body even while he’s asleep, leading Mister Fantastic to eventually surmise that the costume is, in fact, a living symbiotic creature: enter Venom.
Venom Would Be The Perfect Villain For Spider-Man 4 After Peter Parker’s Costume Upgrade
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man Getting The Black Suit Sets Up Venom In The MCU
The idea that Tom Holland’s Peter Parker could receive his black Spider-Man costume inAvengers: Doomsdaymeans that the Alien Costume Saga could form the basis forSpider-Man 4’sstoryline, which releases only two months later. This means thatthe Symbiote Venom is the perfect villain forSpider-Man 4, offering Marvel Studios a fantastic opportunity to redesign and revitalize the iconic Spider-Man villainafter Tom Hardy’s portrayal in Sony’s doomed Spider-Man Universe.Venom has already been teased in the MCU, so this is the perfect story for Phase 6.
Doctor Strange’s initial botched spell inSpider-Man: No Way HomebroughtTom Hardy’s Eddie Brock and Venominto the MCU’s Earth-616, while he was returned to the SSU at the end ofNo Way Homewithout ever having met Peter Parker. Nevertheless, asmall piece of the Venom Symbiote was left behind in a Mexican bar, and this piece may have spent the last several years growing in strength and size. This means Venom can return triumphant and altered inAvengers: DoomsdayandSpider-Man 4, which makes Tom Holland’s sequel even more exciting.
How Venom Can Be Different (& Better) In The MCU
Tom Hardy Played Venom In Sony’s Spider-Man Universe Between 2018 & 2024
Tom Hardy first appeared as Venom in the eponymous 2018 movie, and returned in 2021’sLet There Be Carnageand 2024’sThe Last Dance. However, the ending ofThe Last Danceand thecancelation of Sony’s Spider-Man UniverseafterKraven the Hunter’sdismal performance means Hardy likely won’t reprise the role. Instead,Marvel Studios can introduce Venom officially to the MCU, allowing a complete rejuvenation of the legendary villain, who can be vastly different and much more powerful and comic-accurate in the MCU proper.
2007
2018
2021
2024
Tom Hardy
Venom can be depicted as an honest-to-goodness villain for Peter Parker’s Spider-Man in the MCU, rather than the antihero that the SSU introduced.Venom’s connection to Spider-Man is intense and personal in Marvel Comics, but this was never realized in the SSU, and this is something that Marvel Studios can put front-and-center.Venom could also be hosted by other charactersinstead of Eddie Brock in the MCU, soAvengers: DoomsdayandSpider-Man 4can set up the villain for a much brighter future than he ever had under Sony’s thumb.
