It is a fantastic time to be a fan of the wall-crawler, but not to be in his shoes. Recently, the friendly neighborhood hero had to face the likes of Boomerang, Scorpion, Tarantula, Ramrod, the Hulk, Tombstone, the Hand, and Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Furthermore, his latest film culminated with the text "Spider-Man will be back," which means things will only get more complicated for him moving forward.
Multiple reports indicate that Peter Parker will appear in Avengers: Secret Wars, where he will likely come face to face with the ruler of Latveria himself, Doctor Doom. But even if the multiverse is saved, chances are New York will still be plunged into chaos moving forward. After all, it has been reported that Spidey will have fifth and sixth installments in his solo saga, where he will face villains like Kingpin, Tombstone, and even Venom.
The Lethal Protector hasn't crossed paths with the web-slinger since the release of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3 nearly two decades ago. Fortunately, this could be about to change, as teased by a beloved Marvel actor.
Michael Mando teases that his character, Mac Gargan, could become Venom in the MCU
Back in 2017, the post-credits scene of Spider-Man: Homecoming hinted that Mac Gargan would eventually become the Scorpion in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that promise finally came to fruition nearly ten years later, thanks to Spider-Man: Brand New Day. However, the character's story is far from over.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Mac Gargan actor Michael Mando revealed that he discussed the possibility of eventually becoming Venom with Spider-Man: Brand New Day director Destin Daniel Cretton, although nothing is set in stone just yet:
"The potential growth of [Mac Gargan] is enormous. Brand New Day is level one of this character's potential, and he has at least two or three levels up from here, one of them being the ultimate form of Venom. That's exciting to think about for a moment, but I've got to let it go because it's in the hands of Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal. They know what they're doing, and I have to trust that.”
It's important to remember that a piece of the Venom symbiote already roams freely in New York. The post-credits scene of Spider-Man: No Way Home revealed that Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock was mistakenly transported to the MCU, and while he eventually managed to return to his home dimension, he left a piece of the symbiote behind. To add fuel to the fire, multiple reports indicate that Tom Holland's Spider-Man will bond with the parasitic alien in Avengers: Secret Wars, much like it happened in the original Secret Wars comic book storyline.
We all know Peter will eventually ditch the symbiote, opening the door for Venom to enter the picture. However, Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock lives in a completely different universe, and for all we know, there is no alternate version of him living in the MCU. But not all hope is lost, as Mac Gargan has become Venom in the source material, so there's a chance he will do the same on the big screen.
Now that Sony's Spider-Man Universe is officially over and we are unlikely to see Tom Hardy back as the Lethal Protector, there's always the chance that the MCU will simply introduce a new version of the disgraced Daily Bugle reporter. However, Tom Holland's Spider-Man films have actively tried to distance themselves from previous adaptations, and what better way to achieve that than by allowing someone other than Brock to be the host of the Venom symbiote.
Unfortunately, it's unlikely that Spider-Man 5 will come our way anytime soon. But we could get an idea of what's in store for the wall-crawler as soon as next year with the release of Avengers: Secret Wars, and if he indeed wears the Black Suit, Venom's appearance will be all but confirmed.
Avengers: Secret Wars will be released on Dec. 17, 2026.
Add us as a preferred source on Google