Before the release of Venom, a lot of fans were worried that Sony wouldn’t be able to capture the essence of the head-chomping symbiote as effectively as the MCU. Surprisingly, the film gained a lot more popularity than initially expected, a lot of which can be attributed to the humorously absurd tone present throughout the film.
Venom’s character might seem a little ridiculous, and let’s be honest, the idea of a homeless alien finding sanctuary in the body of a washed-up reporter is pretty out there, but Sony has managed to tap into Venom’s comic book roots and make it work beautifully. Venom’s character in the comics is much the same to his portrayal in the movie, so the light-hearted moments of banter and comedy align with his true self quite flawlessly.
Eddie Brock is a man of sarcasm who lives for the thrill of making hard and fast decisions, so it makes sense why his outer space counterpart is such a sucker for exaggerated displays of power for the sake of his own amusement. Flashing his evil eyes and massive pointy teeth at unsuspecting strangers is just one of the many ways Venom utilizes the character’s over-the-top personality to their advantage.
Venom originates from an intergalactic species called symbiotes, so it’s no surprise that the entire bond between him and Eddie comes from their ability to maintain a steady symbiotic relationship. There needs to be a sense of unity between the two in order for them to save the world and continue living harmoniously, so the hyperbolic feel that Venom gives at times is necessary to exemplify how Venom matches up with who Eddie is as a person. Obviously, there are a lot of genetic factors that determine whether or not someone would make a suitable host for a symbiote, but as fans saw in the first movie, the emotional fortitude the human-alien duo share is what truly takes Venom from parasite to partner.
What’s interesting about Venom is that both parties need to learn something from each other. Rather than simply focusing on Eddie’s journey towards becoming a hero, the movie touches on Venom’s journey towards learning the value of human life, as well. It’s rare to see a superhero origin story pay attention to more than just the hero himself, so watching Eddie and Venom both learn how to work with each other and transform their unwanted union into a well-oiled machine creates more depth within the film.
It also plays a huge role in contributing to the campy tone fans have grown to love (or hate) about Venom. Watching Venom drag Eddie around like a puppet shortly after their merge was a moment of pure comedic gold, and discovering Venom’s penchant for tater tots makes the big big monster a lot less terrifying. The relationship between Eddie and Venom also taps into one of Marvel’s biggest strengths, which is making sure every single one of their heroes still holds on to their humanity, even after they’ve been given superhuman powers.
Rather than making Venom and Eddie out like gods, Venom uses their humorous bickering to highlight the fact that their struggle to find balance in an unfamiliar situation makes them extremely relatable to fans, even though one-half of the symbiotic duo is a people-eating carnivore.
Keeping this tone in the second movie is paramount to ensuring the sequel performs just as well as the first film, which was quite an unexpected victory on Sony’s part. There’s always a risk present when creating a second installment to a successful first film, because it’s hard to live up to viewer expectations. A lot of fans are already disheartened by the fact that Venom: Let There Be Carnage seems to be focusing a little bit too much on absent characters, rather than the bond between Venom and Eddie.
There’s also a chance that Venom 2 will try to recreate Venom’s exaggerated personality with new characters in the film. Although making Venom out to be the type of guy with a flair for theatrics, overusing this idea can take the concept from charming to cheesy. Sony needs to keep all the aspects from the first film that fans loved, without trying to do too much of it.
There’s a fine line between what people see as comedy and what comes off as tacky writing, and whether or not Sony has managed to maintain that balance in the upcoming sequel will determine if fans see it as a victory or a failure. Taking cues from films such as Deadpool will help with the task of figuring out how to combine flamboyant characters with an almost overly dramatic tone to create a cinematic masterpiece that leaves fans feeling satisfied. Hopefully, Sony will draw on their Marvel counterparts in order to make Venom 2 just as great as the first.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage hits theaters September 24, 2021