One of Spider-Man 3’s Venom compare to Tom Hardy’s (and which one did it best)?
Venom’s debut in the comics was in The Amazing Spider-Man #252 in 1984 as Spider-Man’s black costume, and his first full appearance was in The Amazing Spider-Man #300, in 1988, after it bonded with Eddie Brock. Venom has also bonded with other characters, such as Mac Gargan/Scorpion, Flash Thompson, Mysterio, and even Groot, Rocket Raccoon, and Drax. The symbiote has since expanded to other media, most notably to animated TV series, but it’s now enjoying a good run on the big screen after its debut in Spider-Man 3 wasn’t the big success Sony was expecting.
Spider-Man 3 is ed for having too many villains, with Venom being added at the request and pressure of producer Avi Arad, as he saw it as a character the audience would be interested in. While he was not wrong, the way Venom and Eddie were approached and portrayed didn’t appeal to fans, who have criticized the symbiote’s design and actions for years. Venom’s second chance was better received, but it wasn’t safe from criticism, though it was mostly directed at the movie’s story. Although they’re the same character, Spider-Man 3's Venom is different from Tom Hardy’s in many ways – and here’s how they compare.
Spider-Man 3’s Venom Design vs. Tom Hardy’s
Venom has a very peculiar look that can be difficult to replicate on screen, more so when taking into technological advances and budget. The team behind Venom was going to be purple, just like his Ultimate Comics version, which would have brought an interesting visual contrast to the movie. The final version of Venom in Spider-Man 3 didn’t look menacing at all, which is one of the movie’s biggest failures.
Venom’s design in its solo movie was completely different. Contrary to Raimi’s version, once it bonded with Eddie, it increased its size and muscular mass, reaching 7ft 6in tall and weighing 500 pounds, thus giving it that threatening look fans are so familiar with. Hardy’s Venom didn’t have a webbing motif like Grace’s, but white veins were added to the suit – and as his origin story isn’t linked to Spider-Man, instead of a spider emblem, the veins on his chest formed a subtle “V”. Another big improvement was how Venom and Eddie talked to each other, with Venom’s head emerging from Eddie’s body to talk to him face to face.
Spider-Man 3’s Venom Powers Compared To Tom Hardy’s
Spider-Man 3’s Venom was physically similar to Spider-Man, and his powers also mirrored those of the web-slinger, only stronger. Venom had superhuman strength and traveled around the city web-slinging like Spider-Man. As for Peter, when he bonded with the symbiote it enhanced his powers while also bringing out his evil side (making way for the “emo Peter Parker” meme). One big problem Venom came across with in Spider-Man 3 is the story being saturated with antagonists, which didn’t give him enough time to develop and thus didn’t allow the audience to get to know him better, as well as everything he could do.
Venom’s powers in his solo movie were further explored as he was at the front and center of the story. Due to its nature, once Venom bonds with a host, it takes possession of their body and even their mind, suppressing it and thus being able to work collectively with them while sharing the same body, which is exactly what it did with Eddie. Venom also gave him various powers and abilities, such as superhuman strength, durability, agility, speed, and regenerative healing factor. In addition to that, Venom can shapeshift, which not only allows it to create the symbiotic costume that makes Eddie change physically, but it can also change parts of its being into weapons, tendrils, a shield, and more.
Which Movie Version Of Venom Is Closer To Marvel Comics
Each version of Venom stayed true to some elements from the comics while changing many, many others. Venom’s origin in Spider-Man 3 is similar to the one in the comics thanks to Spider-Man’s intervention. In the source material, Spider-Man brings the symbiote from Battleworld and rejects it after realizing it was a parasite looking to bond permanently. The symbiote then finds Eddie and their mutual hatred for Spider-Man makes them bond. Also in the comics, Eddie gets fired from the Daily Bugle for printing fake news, just like in the movie he’s fired from faking Spider-Man photos. When it comes to Venom’s look and powers, however, that’s where the big differences lie.
Venom Eddie is fired for his investigation on the Life Foundation and its experiments, not for making news up, and he’s engaged to Anne Weying (Michelle Williams), while in the comics they were already married. However, Venom was closer to the comics in of design and its violent actions, which is something Spider-Man 3 completely forgot. Fans were expecting action, violence, and blood from the big-screen version of Venom, which they got (though maybe not as graphic as they expected) with Hardy’s version.
Which Movie Version of Venom Is Better
Venom could have had a much better debut on the big-screen had things gone differently during pre-production of Venom’s design was a big disappointment to fans, who didn’t get enough action from the character either, reducing it to swinging around, throwing things, and bringing out Peter’s “evil side” – though it gave viewers that unforgettable dance scene.
The biggest advantage of Hardy’s Venom is that it had a whole movie to develop its story properly, and was the lead instead of a secondary character. This allowed Sony to make a Venom movie that explored its origin (though different to the one in the comics due to legal reasons between Sony and Marvel that made Spider-Man’s inclusion not possible) while also giving it the look, attitude, and rawness that has made the character stand out and be so popular. The change in Venom’s origin was for the best, as it helped the character stand on its own as it didn’t need Spider-Man’s intervention at all. Had things gone differently with Spider-Man 3, its version of Venom could have been – if not the best – at least at the same level as Hardy’s, which is the best movie version of the character so far.
