Few supervillains manage to earn a spot in fans' hearts, let alone step out of the shadow of their respective heroes. When it was announced that a movie about Morbius and Kraven would be released, yet Spider-Man would appear in none of them, we all had the same question in mind: "What's the point, then, if the wall-crawler won't get to fight them?". After all, it's rare when bad guys have a long-running comic series of their own without their heroic counterpart, but Venom is among the lucky few.
The Lethal Protector is one of the most recognizable and beloved anti-heroes in Marvel history. As a result, we've seen it appear in numerous exciting projects. Venom acted as one of the main antagonists of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3, took over the third act of Insomniac Games' Marvel's Spider-Man 2, and recently became an outright hero with Mary Jane as the symbiote's host in comic book pages. But as impressive as Venom's track record has been, 2026 might prove to be its best courtesy of three specific projects.
Venom will appear in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season 2
In Fall 2026, audiences will go back to the animated streets of New York courtesy of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season 2, and if you've watched the first season, then you know Marvel was building towards a very big threat. The finale revealed that Norman Osborn was orchestrating the construction of Project Monolith—a gateway to any point in outer space. As you'd imagine, this opened the door for a piece of the symbiote to make its way to our world, and now things are about to get ugly.
During New York Comic Con 2025, Marvel released the very first trailer for Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season 2, and in it was the revelation that the Venom symbiote will make a comeback. Furthermore, the Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation at Marvel Studios, Brad Winderbaum, basically confirmed that the Lethal Protector will be in the show by stating: "Fans of Venom should get excited".
Will Eddie Brock make an appearance? Will Peter get to bond with the symbiote before Venom enters the picture? How will Spider-Gwen factor into this story? There are many mysteries left unsolved for the time being, but it won't be long before we get some much-needed answers.
The Symbiote is reported to play a role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Sony's Spider-Man Universe is officially over, and Venom's big-screen trilogy has come to an end as well. But while the symbiote's story might seem to be over, it's important to remember that a small piece of it was left behind in the Marvel Cinematic Universe during the post-credits scene of Spider-Man: No Way Home. That alone is an indication that Tom Holland's Peter Parker will cross paths with it. But if that isn't enough to convince you, then we have good news.
Insider MyTimeToShineHello revealed that the symbiote will have a role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Furthermore, reliable scooper Alex Perez also teased that we'll see the symbiote in the wall-crawler's upcoming adventure, and that Mac Gargan will eventually become the MCU's version of Venom further down the line (as it happened in comic book pages).
Kingpin and Venom are rumored to be Spider-Man's villains in his upcoming trilogy, so it makes sense that Marvel starts building up towards them. At long last, we could finally see the Lethal Protector fight Peter Parker on the big screen, ever since the release of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3 almost 20 years ago.
A Venom stand-alone video game could be announced next year
All eyes are currently set on Marvel's Wolverine, and with good reason. The highly anticipated video game appears to be filled with memorable set pieces, iconic characters, and no shortage of bloody and violent fights. But what if I told you developer Insomniac Games could also be working on another title based around yet another popular Marvel character?
MP1st not only accurately reported the release window for Marvel's Wolverine before PlayStation released the game's first official trailer, but they also claimed that Insomniac Games is working on a Marvel's Venom game. This information isn't exactly new, as the existence of the game leaked back in December 2023, along with the reveal that it would target a 2027 release date. Apparently, Insomniac is still on track to meet that deadline, which means 2026 could be the year we finally get an official announcement.
There's always the chance that Insomniac pulls yet another "Miles Morales" scenario and reveals an upcoming title just five months before its release. However, it wouldn't be too far-fetched that, after Marvel's Wolverine is released in Fall 2026, Marvel's Venom is finally showcased to the world (potentially during The Game Awards 2026). At the very least, it's exciting to know that this project could be real and not too far away from hitting shelves.