Venom might be enduring a particularly temperamental pre-release existence, but there's no denying the character's relevance to Spider-Man's lore. Eddie Brock, and by extension the symbiote too, are both integral aspects of the Spidey mythos, and while doubts over the film's connection to the MCU linger (no one knows where it's set - let's be honest), if the door's open for it to connect to the MCU, then the slathering monster should be allowed in.
There are reasons to be optimistic about the Cronenberg-inspired effort, which will release in October this year, and though Spider-Man 3 didn't exactly do the character justice, the only thing Marvel need avoid this time is a repeat of Peter Parker's atrocious dance moves.
The likely scenario, at this stage at least, is that Marvel are waiting on the Venom's reception before a decision is made on its links to their guarded cinematic universe. As long as the potential is there for a crossover, however, it should at least be contemplated - particular when it's a character who possesses as much fan appeal as Eddie Brock.
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
