Venom sequel: Villains, heroes, and surprises we’d like to see

Now that a Venom sequel is officially in the works, there are a few things fans would like to see during the next installment.

The announcement that last year’s Venom would be getting a sequel may have come as a surprise to some Marvel fans, as the film received quite a few negative reviews from critics, many of them knocking the film for straying so far from Venom’s comic origin story.

In spite of the film’s feedback, though, Variety reports that screenwriter Kelly Marcel will be returning to the Marvel universe to pen another story for the symbiote. Tom Hardy is also set to return as Eddie Brock, and Woody Harrelson has been confirmed as Cletus Kasady, better known as the villain Carnage.

With another installment comes another chance for Venom to wow filmgoers and critics, and there’s plenty the writers and producers can expand upon from the first film.

These are just a few things we’d love to see from the Venom sequel.

1. More about Venom’s home planet

To work around the fact that Venom’s origin story is no longer entwined with Peter Parker’s, Marcel had Venom come from space—where there is supposedly an entire planet of symbiotes just like him, only even more vicious.

We learn more about this planet through the first film’s villain, Riot, but we only skim the surface when it comes to the symbiotes’ home. Riot is defeated by Venom at the end of the film, and Venom decides to remain on Earth with Brock. But it’s unlikely that this is the last we’ll hear of the symbiotes on Venom’s home planet.

From what Venom tells Brock during the film, it seems that Riot was merely the leader of an entire civilization of symbiotes determined to invade Earth. So, while Brock and Venom might have delayed their invasion, it’s probably only a matter of time until another one of Riot’s minions takes charge. Once that happens, Venom and Brock will have to face that threat once more.

And though this is clearly not the main focus of the second Venom film, it could play a bigger role in a later installment. For that reason, it would be interesting to learn more about where Venom comes from during this sequel, even if it’s only in passing.

2. A darker tone

While superhero films tend to mesh humor with the serious moments, Venom often veered toward the comedic end of the spectrum. And while we loved seeing the symbiote banter with Brock and his ex-girlfriend Anne Weying, Sony’s interpretation of Venom as an anti-hero was a little underwhelming at times.

It doesn’t take long for Venom and Brock to form an acceptable bond with one another, and it takes even less time for Venom to realize he doesn’t want to aid Riot in the destruction of the human race. During a comical bit at the end, Brock even tells the symbiote that he can’t just kill and eat anyone—exhibiting a level of control over Venom that downplays the creature’s dangerous nature.

Hopefully, Venom 2 will begin to embrace Venom’s darker nature. Otherwise, Venom could become just another passing superhero flick.

3. An interesting relationship between Venom and Carnage

From the post-credit scene for Venom, fans knew that Cletus Kasady, also known as Carnage,  would play a major role in the next film. It’s still not completely clear, however, how exactly Harrelson’s Carnage will clash with Hardy’s Venom.

In the comics, Brock and Kasady are cellmates in prison when they meet. Venom produces an offspring without Brock’s knowledge, and that offspring bonds with Kasady and becomes Carnage. Judging by the post-credits clip, however, it seems that the backstory between the characters will be a bit different in the film. To start with, Brock is only visiting Kasady in prison for a news story.

It’s possible that Carnage will be created during one of these visits, but the two characters are also missing a major force that drives them together in the comic books: Spider-Man. Both Venom and Carnage are Spider-Man villains, and Spider-Man is the catalyst for their relationship to one another—whether it’s as enemies or allies at the time.

Without their mutual hatred of Spider-Man, it seems that Carnage will simply be another villain for Venom to defeat. This doesn’t exactly match with Venom’s depiction as an anti-hero, though he does eventually attempt to stop Carnage in the comics, too.

The question is, what will the driving force for Venom’s enmity with Carnage be? Will Venom simply want to prevent Carnage from hurting people, or will his reasons for fighting the other symbiote be more complex than that? We’re hoping it’s the latter.

4. An appearance from Spider-Man

Just because Sony’s version of Venom doesn’t have a history with Spider-Man, that doesn’t mean Spider-Man’s story can’t be worked into the sequel somehow. Following confirmation that Venom was slated for another installment, the film’s producer, Jeff Pinkner, revealed that Spider-Man could eventually be added to the fray.

While this addition to the film wouldn’t change the differences in this Venom’s origin story, it might entice disappointed comic fans to give the sequel another chance. Sadly, this would likely mean another Spider-Man reboot, as an MCU crossover with Tom Holland seems out of the question, given that Kevin Fiege confirmed the MCU and Venom are separate entities.

What would you want to see from a Venom sequel?