The Venom and Spider-Man crossover movie that never happened is even more heartbreaking to think about after Tom Hardy’s recent comments. Hardy’s tenure as Eddie Brock in Sony’s now-defunct Spider-Man Universe was among the franchise’s most celebrated aspects. Hardy’s pᴀssion for the character was always evident throughout Venom’s solo movies, helping to make them the best in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. Venom, in particular, set the standard both fiscally and critically that all subsequent Spider-Man movies would struggle to meet.
It wasn’t entirely without fault, however. Venom’s movies were marred by some glaring issues, the most prominent of which being the distinct absence of Venom’s traditional arch-rival, Spider-Man. The iconic wall-crawler is enjoying something of a heyday, with Tom Holland’s rendition receiving the green light for Spider-Man’s first fourth movie. Given the positive response to both him and Hardy’s Venom, it is a huge wonder why the two never faced off or teamed up. There is always hope that a semblance of this eventuality could transpire, but not in the way I wanted it to.
Tom Hardy Wrapped Up His Venom Movie Story Last Year
Venom: The Last Dance Ended With Venom’s Death
Tom Hardy’s Venom was the only character in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe to receive a single sequel, let alone two. In the end, Venom’s billion-dollar trilogy grossed 5.5 times more than Sony’s other Spider-Man movies combined. Given its immense profitability and star power, this might suggest that Sony could be tempted to persist with more sequels.
Nevertheless, Tom Hardy has himself ᴀsserted that Venom: The Last Dance was, in fact, his last dance via social media.
It certainly felt as if Venom: The Last Dance was setting something up. Venom: The Last Dance might have ended in Venom’s apparent death, but it also teased a possible return. A fragment of the Venom symbiote was recovered by General Rex Strickland and remains unaccounted for despite Venom’s apparent death. Another piece of the Venom symbiote is presumably still in Earth-616 after Eddie Brock’s mostly uneventful jaunt into Spider-Man’s universe.
Venom’s symbiote in Earth-616 might be addressed in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Nevertheless, Tom Hardy has himself ᴀsserted that Venom: The Last Dance was, in fact, his last dance via social media. Replying to a promotional post for the movie, Tom Hardy stated:
That’s all she wrote for me and the big guy we promise to make this the best of them all. We’ve loved making these.
\n”‘};
window.arrayOfEmbedScripts[“instagram”] = “null”;
While I maintain hope that Hardy would renege on this sentiment if the right opportunity arose, it’s also hard to ignore how Venom: The Last Dance drew a line beneath Eddie Brock’s story. While the Venom symbiote could live on in other movies, Hardy’s Eddie Brock is no longer his host and is ostensibly making a new life for himself. Still, it leaves a sour taste when considering what fans have been clamoring after for years.
A Venom And Spider-Man Movie Has Been Wanted For Years
Venom And Spider-Man Have A Long Comic Book History
Despite making a name for himself today as one of Marvel’s most popular heroes, Venom is inexorably tied to Spider-Man. The Venom symbiote first appeared in “The Amazing Spider-Man #252,” though Spider-Man first chronologically donned the symbiote suit in 1984’s “Secret Wars #8.” Spider-Man would later rid himself of the symbiote, which then transferred to Eddie Brock to become the most recognizable version of Venom, initially being one of Spider-Man’s foremost enemies.
What makes the lack of Spider-Man and Venom movies even more frustrating, however, is how close Toms Hardy and Holland came.
This history begs for an adaptation. Sony did, of course, attempt to do so with Spider-Man 3, though the overstuffed narrative and fundamental misappropriation of Venom fell flat with the fandom, all but ringing the death knell for Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man franchise. Venom felt shoehorned into the movie, boasting just a few minutes of proper screen time with very little character development. Incidentally, Sony’s push to write Venom into the movie was due to the studio recognizing the character’s popularity.
This speaks to why fans have been desperate to see the Venom vs. Spider-Man story adapted properly. While it could be argued that this story, no matter how poorly received it was, was already well-trodden ground and therefore unlikely to be repeated, this didn’t stop Sony from repeatedly fronting the Green Goblin. Furthermore, the history between Venom and Spider-Man is so rich that there is still a wealth of stories for them both to tell. What makes the lack of Spider-Man and Venom movies even more frustrating, however, is how close Toms Hardy and Holland came.
Tom Hardy Recently Confirmed They Got Close To A Venom And Spider-Man Movie
Studio Politics Got In The Way
Tom Hardy was recently asked by The Playlist’s The Discourse Podcast if he and Sony ever came close to a Spider-Man crossover movie with Tom Holland’s Peter Parker, or whether studio politics got in the way of the collaboration. Sony still owns the movie rights to Spider-Man and his peripheral characters, including such rogues gallery stars as Venom and Kraven the Hunter. Tragically, Tom Hardy confirmed that they got painfully close, though it evidently never came to fruition. His full response is as follows:
We got close. We got as close as I could possibly imagine getting, apart from doing a film together, which I would have loved to have done because that just means so much fun. And for all the reasons that you explained ultimately in there… Fundamentally, for me, it would be for the kids. Because, you know, as much as adults love superhero films, as you can tell by the box office when they’re successful, I think I’m constantly reminded by children how important these characters are. And they don’t know why their favorite characters aren’t in films together.
Hardy’s clarification certainly speaks to a wider sentiment held among those not intimately aware of the Sony/Marvel divide. Spider-Man can only appear in the MCU through a specially crafted deal between the studios, though Sony ultimately holds authority over the character. This means that all the Spider-Man team-ups and collaborations that fans want to see (Spider-Man is a particularly collaborative superhero, after all) have to clear significant hurdles to get going. This instance, unfortunately, was one hurdle that Hardy and Holland could not clear.
Why I’m Even More Heartbroken A Spider-Man And Venom Movie Never Happened
Knowing It Came Close Is Worse Than Knowing It Could Never Have Happened
It is somehow more painful to learn that Tom Hardy came so close to creating a Spider-Man and Venom crossover movie than to learn that it was never going to happen. Being clued-up on the Sony/Marvel relationship might have caused many like myself to simply accept that this was never going to be a possibility, but to hear from Hardy that they actually came so close to creating the movie we all want to see feels particularly frustrating. This is compounded by the fact that Sony heartlessly teased us with the crossover by having Venom recognize Spider-Man in the Venom: Let There Be Carnage post-credits scene.
Hardy bowing out of the franchise also packs an extra sting. Hardy and Holland are excellent at portraying their respective characters, and I would have loved to have seen them both interact on-screen. To know that they shared a universe for a fleeting moment at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, only for the Venom and Spider-Man crossover to be pulled from underneath us all, is exceptionally heartbreaking.
Now, we can only hope for a future Venom and Spider-Man crossover with different actors. Tom Holland is still set to portray Spider-Man in Spider-Man 4, and now that Sony has put an indefinite hold on the cinematic franchise carried by Tom Hardy’s Venom, it feels more likely that the studio will be willing to share the villain. In a way, with Venom: The Last Dance being Venom’s final solo movie, this feels somewhat hopeful, as Sony might feel more at liberty to let a new actor emerge in the MCU with the Venom symbiote in tow.
-
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is the name given to several individuals who have employed a spider-moniker throughout Marvel Comics. Typically gaining their powers through a bite from a radioactive spider, the different Spider-Man heroes employ super-strength, agility, and intellect while utilizing webbing to swing and tangle up their foes. The most notable of these Spider-Men is Peter Parker, who remains one of the most popular superheroes throughout the world.
-
Venom
The Venom franchise is a series of superhero films based on the Marvel Comics character Venom, produced by Sony Pictures as part of their Spider-Man Universe. The franchise began with the 2018 film Venom, which tells the story of Eddie Brock, a journalist who becomes the host for an alien symbiote, giving him superhuman abilities. Despite mixed reviews, the film was a commercial success, leading to a sequel and further expansion of the franchise.
Upcoming MCU Movies
-
Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
-
May 2, 2025
Powered by
-
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
-
July 25, 2025
Powered by
-
Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
Powered by
-
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
- Release Date
-
July 31, 2026
Powered by
-
Avengers: Secret Wars
- Release Date
-
May 7, 2027
Powered by
Source: Tom Hardy/Instagram, The Playlist’s The Discourse Podcast
