Venom 2: 10 Mistakes Sony Must Avoid This Time

You know what comic book movies don't need? Romantic subplots. Because no one bloody cares.

There is one exception to the rule: Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter, but it's perhaps significant that that relationship is one of unrequited love, loss, and regret. There's no rom-com hijinks to be found, thankfully. The last time a studio force-fed us a superhero/non-superhero romance, we ended up with Jan Foster dumping Thor off-screen. Tony Stark and Pepper Potts work, sure, but their relationship is presented to us at arm's length.

Tom Hardy and Michelle Williams are both accomplished actors and Williams' acclaimed performance in 2010's Blue Valentine in particular proved that she has the acting chops to convince us she can portray a character in a relationship, but neither she nor Hardy can salvage an on-screen partnership when they don't share chemistry.

When your protagonist has better chemistry with an alien organism than he does his partner, things aren't looking good.