14 Times Comic Book Movies Completely F*cked Iconic Villains
6. Venom (Spider-Man 3)
In The Comics
As a villain, Venom was a terrifying force of nature, who has fostered a huge cult following not only as one of the few villains in the Spider-verse to have beaten Spider-Man several times, but also as one of the slickest looking designs.
He's been such a revelation over the years that fan appreciation has completely obliterated any concerns over the silliness of his origin (anywhere else, the idea of mysterious black space goo would be sneered at - see Prometheus for further evidence), and has turned him into an anti-hero through sheer force of will.
On Film
You can't blame Sony for wanting to have Venom in their Spider-Man trilogy ender, even if it did mess with Sam Raimi's vision for the sequel: he was so popular that it would have been considered an easy marketing win without half a thought.
Unfortunately, Raimi clearly didn't commit, and coupled with bad casting (Topher Grace's Eddie Brock is a poor stand-in for a really compelling rival) and patchy effects (the foreskin-face effect), the results are a crime against the character. His arc deserved a movie to itself, but he's effectively relegated to third string and feels like an afterthought more than anything, who is hamstrung badly by a lack of screen-time to show off.
Let's just hope Tom Hardy does the character justice finally.