MCU Theory - Avengers: Secret Wars Will Finally Depict A Comic-Accurate Origin For Venom
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is an adaptation, not a recreation, of Marvel's comic book catalog. That means that while some things might be similar to how they were on the page, a perfect one-to-one replication is never inherently the goal. So, it's pretty cool when something on the screen lines up with how it was originally represented on the page. And the upcoming "Avengers: Secret Wars," which is currently set to release down the road in 2026, has an opportunity to do that very thing with one of Spider-Man's biggest storylines.
And which storyline is this? Well, the introduction of the symbiote, of course, which goes on to bond with somebody else and call themselves Venom. Because while two versions of Venom have appeared on film, neither of them have been faithful to the origins presented on the page.
First off, though, for casual fans: the upcoming Avengers film in question takes its name (and presumably at least some plot cues) from a massive comic book crossover from the 1980s titled "Secret Wars," in which the obscenely powerful space god known as the Beyonder snatches up all of Earth's heroes and villains and makes them duke it out on a planet of his own creation. And it is there, on Battleworld — yes, that's what it's called, phenomenal cosmic power rarely comes packaged with subtlety — that Spider-Man first officially discovers the symbiote. In the context of the story, Peter believes that this black goo is just a hi-tech suit upgrade. He doesn't discover that Venom is Venom until much later, in his own comics.
The MCU has Venom ready to roll ... just hopefully not too soon
In a two-part post-credit sequence that began in Sony's "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" and ended in Marvel's "Spider-Man: No Way Home," Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and his alien partner took an unexpected trip to the MCU, courtesy of Doctor Strange's bungled multiverse magic spell. They stay in the MCU exactly long enough to hear J. Jonah Jameson's (J. K. Simmons) rant about Spider-Man (Tom Holland), to get totally wasted, and to leave a generous dollop of Venom goo behind before returning home.
It stands to reason that somehow, in one way or another, that leftover droplet of symbiote is going to bond with Tom Holland's Spider-Man. Everyone wants to see it, and Marvel knows that. And while the upcoming "Secret Wars" movie will probably be more inspired by the 2015 comics version than the original 1980s run, it's very easy to imagine that Marvel will be unable to resist finally, finally having Peter Parker discover his black suit in an approximate fashion to the comics, and in a movie with the very same title. Now, as for how Venom gets to Battleworld? That's for the writers to decide. But as long as Spider-Man bonds with the symbiote on Battleworld and brings it to Earth, the comic book storyline has finally been adapted.
The potential hitch here is that Marvel is currently developing a fourth Spider-Man film, which could easily be slotted into one of the many unconfirmed release windows leading up to "Avengers: Secret Wars." If that occurs, and if "Spider-Man 4" decides to use Venom before "Secret Wars," then this whole theory falls apart. But for now, let's assume that they're saving Venom for the future.
The MCU could keep the best part of Venom's comic origins
In 2007, Sony's "Spider-Man 3" chucked a random meteor at Earth (they didn't explain much beyond that), while in 2018, Sony's "Venom" introduced the titular symbiote by chucking a space probe at a meteor. Neither of these things necessarily harmed Venom as a character, but both of them left behind one of the best parts of Venom's comic book origin — the fact that the always guilt-ridden Peter Parker is directly responsible for bringing the symbiote to Earth, before he rejects it, and thus creates a supervillain. "Spider-Man 3" takes away his complicity for this disaster. "Venom" ... well, takes away Spider-Man altogether.
The MCU has a golden chance to do Venom justice in a way even his own weirdly enjoyable films can never accomplish. What's more, the MCU could take Venom's introduction and make it better. Because, in the comic, Spidey finds Venom while using a mind-reading 3D printer to fix his torn costume. It fixed Thors' cape and Hulk's shorts, so why wouldn't it clean up his onesie? Instead, it pops out a ball of black goo that, for some ridiculous reason, the web-head decides to touch. It's ... silly, to say the least. In the MCU, though? Peter can stumble upon Venom on Battleworld without the narrative having him succumb to the "Oooh, let me touch the obviously dangerous thing" trope.
Have it be an accident, and then have him pleasantly surprised by the sheet-wide stat boost, and then wait until his next solo film for Venom to become a problem. That's how you make crossover cinema compelling. And come on, if we want to finally have an onscreen Spider-Man and Venom rivalry worthy of the comics, there's no better way to fire it up.