Ever since the first Venom movie premiered back in 2018, audiences have been eager to see a crossover between Tom Hardy's iteration of the Lethal Protector and Tom Holland's friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. However, for the past six years, we've lived in a world where these two characters have yet to come face-to-face on the big screen, even if they are both well-established enemies in comic book pages. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe is home to Peter Parker and his alter-ego, Venom was concealed to wreak havoc in Sony's Universe — which unfortunately means multiversal barriers (and licensing rights) prevented them from ever clashing.
Fortunately, there is one saving grace.
During the post-credits scene of Spider-Man: No Way Home audiences were treated to the rather shocking revelation that Eddie and the Venom symbiote traveled to the MCU as if by magic (quite literally). But before they headed home, a piece of the symbiote was left behind and it's now looking for a brand new host. And while we all assumed this was all a hint that Peter would finally don the Black Suit in Spider-Man 4, a new report indicates another victim is first in line.
The Venom symbiote will have an unexpected role to play in Spider-Man 4
Finally, after years of waiting, it looks like a symbiotic storyline will take place in the MCU. According to scooper account Marvel Updates, the Venom symbiote will appear in Spider-Man 4, and it will attach itself to a new host who isn't Peter Parker (at first). So far, we have no reason to believe a variant of Eddie Brock exists in the MCU, which means he could be ruled out of the equation. But the question then becomes: Who could be behind this all-new Venom?
So far, we have seen two unresolved Spider-Man post-credits scenes in the Homecoming saga: The first one teased Mac Gargan would eventually return and become The Scorpion, while the second one hinted that Venom would finally enter the picture. So this is the perfect opportunity for Marvel to tie up both loose ends and bring them together in the same storyline. After all, Mac Gargan was attached to the symbiote and became a new terrifying iteration of Venom for some time in comic book pages. So what if this scenario was adapted on the big screen?
Reliable industry insider Daniel Richtman revealed that whenever Sony uses a villain in any of their movies, they can't be seen again in the MCU. However, if the symbiote does make a return and attaches itself to a new victim, then perhaps Disney has figured out a loophole in which they can legally use Venom as long as it isn't Eddie Brock behind him. After all, "Venom" is technically the combination of two characters and not just the symbiote or the host. That's why his whole tagline is "We are Venom".
This potential storyline would eventually lead to bigger things to come. For starters: Knull could make a comeback in the MCU thanks to the symbiote's presence. Furthermore, Peter could wear the black suit just in time for the events of Avengers: Secret Wars — paying homage to the debut of the beloved costume on comic book pages. And who knows? Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock could even make a return to reclaim what was his in the first place. After all, Sony Japan teased the long-awaited crossover will take place in the future.
While all signs seem to indicate Spider-Man 4 will feature a symbiotic storyline, it's also important to keep our expectations in check. We've also heard other rumors that Mr. Negatvie will be the main antagonist instead of a Venom variant, while credible insider Alex Perez claims he has heard many conflicting things regarding the movie. So it's best to wait until Marvel makes an official announcement, which shouldn't take too long considering that next year will mark the return of the wall-crawler on the big screen. Meanwhile, we can always do another replay of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 to ease the hunger for a fun symbiotic storyline.
Spider-Man 4 will be released on July 31, 2026.