It’s been a really good couple of years for the Spider-Man franchise. After a disastrous end to the Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire series and an equally confusing and frustrating end to The Amazing Spider-Man series with Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, Sony made the decision to reboot its Spider-Verse yet again. Despite how bad it looked to reboot a twice in the same decade, we’re not complaining that the studio chose to do in the face of a possible partnership with Marvel Studios
Out of that partnership came the addition of Spider-Man to the Avengers as well as the delightful new origin story Spider-Man: Homecoming. The franchise has finally managed to cast the perfect Spidey, make a good movie around him, and bring him into the wider comics universe that licensing prevented before now.
Sony also started developing a standalone movie for one of Spider-Man’s most compelling adversaries, Venom. Ever since the characters mishandled introduction in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, fans have been desperate to see the villain done justice on the big screen. Now, in a movie stacked with Academy Award nominated actors, it seems we might be poised to see just that. Or a movie starring a Spider-Man villain with no Spider-Man might not go down well with Spidey-fans – we’ll have to wait and see.
Here are 25 Hilarious Spider-Man Vs Venom Memes.
JONAH’S NOT WRONG…
When Sony released the first teaser for Venom, it was already fighting an uphill battle by being a Spider-Man universe film that didn’t include Spider-Man. That plus Sony’s hit-or-miss track record with its Spider-Man franchise(s) hasn’t lent a lot of confidence to the Venom project, despite its stellar cast. Oscar nominee Tom Hardy, Emmy winner Riz Ahmed, and Oscar winner Michelle Williams clearly aren’t enough to quell fan’s fears that Venom could be yet another Spider-dud for the studio that has rebooted the franchise two times in a single decade.
When the teaser didn’t even offer a look at the central character, fans were, to put it nicely, perplexed.
To be honest, Jonah James’ reaction in this meme is probably closer to what most fans actually felt while watching what turned out to be a very anticlimactic first glimpse into the film.
While Tom Hardy spends a lot of time looking disturbed and pensive and we do get shots of him running through fallen tree branches to show off his new strength, the actual manifestation of the symbiote was held back. Supposedly, this was because Sony had yet to finish the CGI on Eddie Brock’s alter ego, but that didn’t inspire confidence in a studio that hasn’t had a Spider-Win in far too long.
BANE-OM
We’d give our left arms for a Bane/Venom mash-up. The two characters are nihilistic, lonely creatures who find altruism a huge waste of time. But they’re not all bad – Bane has a soft spot for Talia al Ghul (for better or for worse), and in the comics, Venom eventually lets go of his vendetta against Spider-Man and becomes more of a vigilante and anti-hero once he moves to San Francisco. Presumably we’ll see threads of that storyline in Venom, though without Spider-Man’s part in Brock’s/Venom’s storyline. Supposedly we’ll also see Carnage, Venom’s most famous adversary aside from Spider-Man.
Whereas Eddie Brock had a moral compass (though a slightly broken one), criminal Cletus Kasady 100% did not. His bonding with an offspring of the Venom symbiote created a villain the likes of which neither Venom nor Spider-Man had ever seen. The two had to unite to defeat the supervillain when Spider-Man realized he couldn’t do it on his own.
We’re pretty certain if Bane managed to find his way to a symbiote, he’d more closely resemble Carnage than he would Venom, even at Venom’s worst. That kind of thinking is best kept to headcanon, lest we wind up raising our expectations too high. Considering Venom is a Sony Spider-verse film, high expectations are very dangerous things to have.
THE MCU EFFECT
It only took a decade and a studio change, but the MCU finally found a way to make a Spider-Man movie that was not only faithful to the character, but also ridiculously entertaining. The problem with Tobey Maguire’s Spidey was the imbalance in his characterization. We believed that he would be a nerdy high schooler who had a rough childhood and couldn’t get girls, but we weren’t super sold on him being much of a hero. Andrew Garfield would have been more palatable if the films that surrounded him had been better, or if he’d been given another shot to make the character work before being let go and replace with Tom Holland. Unfortunately, he wasn’t given that opportunity, but fortunately for us, Tom Holland was.
In Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming, we finally got the character we knew was in there all along – an inexperienced kid with a ton of abilities he’s still learning how to use.
He’s vulnerable, but he’s also powerful, and no other iteration of Spider-Man has managed to capture this balance of elements in Peter Parker. Plus, the MCU managed to provide villains that weren’t quite as laughable as Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin. We love us some Dafoe, but it’s really hard to take a villain seriously when he’s a weird mash-up of a jack-in-the-box and Lucky the Leprechaun.
WHAT TOBEY SAID
There are many, many reasons a studio could choose not to show its main attraction in the first teaser for an anticipated movie. They might be to drive up anticipation for a classic character’s cinematic debut. It might be to shift focus from the more superficial elements of the movie – elements they know people already want to see – to more cerebral elements audiences might not be expecting. Or they just might not have finished the CGI. All three of these things could be true, but the one you might not want to lead with as a studio who’s famously ruined Venom once before is the “Oh, we didn’t finish on time” excuse.
We can get behind Sony not wanting to introduce Venom’s visuals in the first of what will no doubt be many trailers and teasers. The same guiding principles behind Steven Spielberg refusing to show Jaws until the second half of the movie could very easily be at work here. Also, this movie has a powerhouse cast the likes of which we haven’t seen since The Dark Knight trilogy – allowing them to shine a little before introducing the main event makes a decent amount of sense.
What doesn’t make sense is not using either of those excuses when fans balked at the lack of Venom in the Venom teaser. No one cares that you didn’t finish on time, multi-million dollar movie studio.
CALL ME, SPIDEY?
Stop us if you’ve heard this, but this isn’t the first time Sony’s attempted to bring one of Spider-Man’s most formidable adversaries to life. As a matter of fact, less than ten years and two franchises ago, Spider-Man 3 starring Tobey Maguire tackled a Venom storyline with mixed results.
The movie more closely follows the Venom’s comic origin, what with Spider-Man actually being in the film and all. Initially, the symbiote finds its way into Peter Parker before it merges with Eddie Brock. Peter enjoys the newfound powers and confidence he has with the presence of the alien, but once he realizes how corrupting it is, he divests himself of the symbiote in a church tower. That’s when it finds its way into Eddie Brock and Venom is born out of Brock’s rage and thirst for revenge against the “hero” who cost him his job.
The most important part of Spider-Man 3 wasn’t the creation of Venom – not even one bit.
The most important part of Spider-Man 3 is the Evil Peter Parker Dance Breaks.
After Peter wakes up with the symbiote, we’re treated to a montage of his new personality. He Saturday Night Fevers his way down a New York street, but instead of John Travolta strutting, it’s Tobey Maguire strutting. It’s not pretty. The montage works if it’s in an SNL sketch, but all it really managed to accomplish was getting us to not take the symbiote as seriously as it deserved.
THAT TOOK A TURN…
This meme should really drive home what a miserable schoolmate Venom would’ve been. Not necessarily because he would’ve been cruel, but because he would’ve been really good at it. As Spider-Man’s antithesis, Venom is possessed of none of Peter Parker’s innocence and good intentions. Venom is here to poison everything you and everything you love with darkness and negativity. To be that kind of villain, you need a wicked sense of humor. Enter Gwen Stacy.
You guys remember Gwen Stacy, right? She was Spider-Man’s first girlfriend, but she didn’t get nearly as happy an ending as Mary Jane - and considering what MJ has gone through in the comics, that’s saying something. After a tumultuous but romantic relationship with Spider-Man, Gwen lost her life after being thrown off the George Washington Bridge by the Green Goblin. Or rather, she lost her life when Peter tried to save her with webbing after she was thrown off the George Washington Bridge by the Green Goblin. She broke her neck due to the sudden stop, which was the first time a superhero had failed so miserably to save the day. Some critics even use her demise in 1973 to mark the end of the less cynical Silver Age of comics.
BURN!
One of the hallmarks of Spider-Man is the hero’s youth and innocence. While other heroes like Batman, Superman, and Wolverine all have arcs that deal with either their passings or their ascendency to old age, Peter Parker has remained youthful throughout his decades-long existence. That’s part of his charm, of course. Where other vigilante heroes often emerge because of a dark trauma that induces them to help others often through violent means, Peter Parker literally describes himself as “Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.” It’s really cute, to be honest, not to mention compelling when that friendly boy lays the smackdown right and left.
That said, when Eric Forman beats you in a fight, it might be time to delve a bit deeper. Another serious problem with Spider-Man 3 was its casting.
Don’t get us wrong, we love Topher Grace, but as one of Marvel’s most diabolical villains, he fell short.
Eric Forman wasn’t even the most compelling character on That 70s Show and he was the star of That ’70s Show. We can’t wait to see what Tom Hardy does with Venom’s inherent darkness (especially after his turn as Bane), though this meme does make us all the more bitter that Spider-Man won’t appear in the film.
THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK, ALWAYS.
If you’re not clear on the confusing state of licensing happening between Sony and Marvel, we’ll break it down for you. Sony owns the film rights to Spider-Man and for all intents and purposes, the Spider-Verse. However, the studio was super cool and decided to work with Marvel on a deal that would allow Spider-Man to appear in two Avengers films, his own solo film, Spider-Man: Homecoming (which Sony would distribute), and possible sequels. However, if Spider-Man is a Sony character and an MCU character, what does that mean for non-MCU films that feature characters from the Spidey-verse?
The question was asked if Venom would technically be part of the MCU by virtue of it featuring characters from the Spidey-verse that is now shared by Sony and the MCU, or if Tom Holland’s lack of presence in the film an indicator that the spin-off is its own beast (no pun intended). During a joint interview, Sony producer Amy Pascal said that all the movies they’d planned (Venom and the announced Silver Sable and Black Cat projects) would take place in the world they were creating for Peter Parker. However, that directly contradicts what Kevin Feige had said previously about Venom et al not taking place in the MCU. .
Eventually the two clarified that the Sony spin-off films all took place in the same reality, but it was unlikely that any MCU characters (including Spider-Man) would cross paths with anyone in the spinoffs, for now.
DANCE, DANCE RETRIBUTION
As much as we love Peter Parker, we still can’t stop thinking about just how ridiculous it was that Spider-Man 3 wasted so much time on dance montages and so little time on one of the greatest villains Marvel ever created. It makes this meme showing Spider-Man clearly in charge of the editing for that film all the more prescient. We’re not sure what the thought process was behind that choice – maybe they just assumed more people would want to watch a creepy version of Peter Parker longer than any of actually did. Regardless, that’s one silver lining to Tom Holland not showing up in Venom – his “dark side” isn’t around to be mishandled anyone.
Maybe it’s a good thing Spider-Man isn’t in this movie. Hear us out – with the absence of the baby-faced Tom Holland, Sony’s free to make a much grittier, much more adult film – the kind of film a villain like Venom deserves. The idea of Tom Hardy facing off with Tom Holland literally makes us fear for Holland’s life, and while that’s usually the point when it comes to villains, Hardy’s touch of madness seems too dark to share a film with Holland’s innocence and might’ve produced just as awkward a project as a Maguire dance montage. Later on, yes, we’d love them to meet, but for now, we’ll take what we’ve got.
MORGAN FREEMAN DELIVERS THE HARD TRUTHS
Despite how intriguing a Spidey-less origin story for Venom could be, Sony is seriously taking its life in its hands with this project. While Venom has the potential to be an incredible film (again, the cast), it also has the potential to alienate even more Spider-fans than the last three films did. Audiences are already gun shy given the studio’s last attempt at bringing Venom to life in the terrible, bloated mess that was Spider-Man 3.
The announcement that neither Venom nor the projected Black Cat and Silver Sable movies will feature an appearance from Spider-Man has only got fans scratching their heads more.
This meme breaking down the fact that Sony appears to be building a Spider-verse that won’t be inhabited by Spider-Man is pretty on point. Also, if the movies are going to be as significantly different in tones as Venom is to Spider-Man: Homecoming, it’s going to be tough to reintroduce Spider-Man to them if they ever intend to do so.
We have to believe they do, considering Holland was reportedly spotted on the Venom set, but as of now there’s no hard evidence that’ll happen any time soon. It’ll be interesting to see if the spinoff movies can hold their own without Spider-Man to anchor them and serve as a bridge to more casual fans.
DON’T SPEAK FOR OTHER PEOPLE
The reason the MCU and Sony had to actually come out and make a joint statement about the nature of Venom’s place in the MCU is that Sony producer Amy Pascal basically said Venom was in the MCU without confirming that with studio head Kevin Feige.
The two were in an interview together and Feige’s face when Pascal said “the movies “are all playing in the world we are creating for Peter Parker” is very telling.
Not only did Pascal’s statement have massive implications for fan expectations of crossovers and whatnot, Feige previously stated the films would not take place in the MCU, and her statement totally contradicted it.
Clearly it’s not that Feige doesn’t think the films are unrelated – the studios confirmed that Venom and further Spider-Man spin-offs would take place within the same reality. But saying a film takes place within the MCU means to many fans that it has a place in Marvel’s overall storyline and could potentially have an impact and take part in ensemble films down the road.
Considering how historic Spider-Man: Homecoming was due to its nature as the first superhero film jointly created by two studios, making a statement implying that further films would have the same distinction was a bold move that potentially committed the MCU and Sony to further partnerships.
SONY BETTER RECOGNIZE
While Spider-Man 3 was poorly received by fans and critics alike, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone was even more so. Despite doing decently well at the box office and Garfield and Stone receiving praise for their chemistry, the film fell down in its insistence on an overabundance of characters – a common pitfall in superhero films desperately trying to make as many comics fans as happy as possible. There are no less than three major villains in play (Green Goblin, Electro and The Rhino) all played by powerhouse actors who no doubt signed on with the understanding they’d get a certain amount of screentime. The film turned out to feel incredibly bloated and wound up doing a disservice to the characters it wanted to pay homage to.
This meme cleverly points out Sony’s poor track record (in the eyes of some fans) with the legacy of Spider-Man and certain characters, and then points out that Sony ia delving back into the Spider-Verse once more instead of just handing the IP to Marvel, which could likely do a better job with it. In real life, studios absolutely do not work that way, but from a fan perspective, the wishful thinking is tempting.
TRAILERS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS
There were plenty of hits in the early Spider-Man movies – the award-winning (literally) Maguire/Dunst kiss, Sam Raimi’s direction, Michael Massee appearing as the Gentleman and the introduction of Gwen Stacy. There were also plenty of misses – Paul Giamatti as the Rhino, the retcon of Uncle Ben’s fate, and let’s not forget Venom 1.0.
Compared to how good a steward the MCU has been of its comic source material, Sony’s dropped the ball on too many occasions to count - at least when it comes to Spider-Man. It’s understandable fans would be nervous that the success of Spider-Man: Homecoming was due to the influence of Marvel Studios, not Sony.
Fans are concerned that, left to its own devices, Sony would not be able to maintain the same level of quality in its Spider-Verse franchise alone.
Unfortunately, despite how good a stand-alone film Venom looks to be, especially given the stellar cast attached, the first trailer absent any real look at the central character did not inspire confidence. The consensus among most fans seemed to be that, since the first attempt to adapt the character of Venom went so poorly, the most important thing to show audiences right off the bat was a glimpse of the main character as sort of a quality “down payment.” Alas, we had to wait a few more weeks.
WE HOPE NOT
Did you guys see Infinity War? Of course you saw Infinity War. If you didn’t see Infinity War, you need to stop reading this list, tell your boss you’re feeling under the weather, and skip over to the nearest theater to finish your homework. You’ll be missing out on pop culture references for easily the next decade if you don’t watch it and there’s no time like the present - unless you have a Time Stone, but how would you even know what that was without seeing the movie?
Take this meme, here. If you haven’t seen Infinity War, you’re probably wondering why some sort of bloated sandworm labeled Sony is telling a floating Dr. Strange to hush while being impaled by icicles.
In case you just kept reading this entry instead of going out and watching the movie, we guess we can explain. The sandworm is Ebony Maw, an agent of Thanos who’s trying to torment Doctor Strange into giving up the Time Stone that Strange possesses. The joke is that Sony is going to mess up the Venom movie irrevocably and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Sony is a supervillain taking what could be a good movie and turning it into a Sony Spider-Verse movie and that is comparable to tormenting someone. The joke is hyperbolic and dramatic, but hey, so are comic book movies, so it’s pretty fitting.
SO MANY SPIDEYS
To even the most casual viewer, the fact that there have been so many different versions of Spider-Man in such a short amount of time would signal that Sony was having a hard time settling into a successful rhythm with Peter Parker. For those who’ve been following the franchise since the beginning, there’s far more evidence to support that claim.
The sheer amount of false starts and canceled films at the tail ends of each of the first two franchises is kind of mind-boggling. The first trilogy attempted to branch off into its own Venom solo film which got scrapped, as did the fourth film in the series.Andrew Garfield reportedly signed on for three films before Sony let him go and moved on to its partnership with Marvel and a new Spidey in Tom Holland.
We’re not complaining overmuch about this latest development considering Tom Holland is delight and Spider-Man: Homecoming was a bigger hit than anyone saw coming, but this needs to be the last time this franchise is rebooted for a long, long time.
The time elapsed between the end of Tobey Maguire’s run and the casting of Tom Holland is less than ten years.
That indicates a little desperation to get things right on the part of the studio, and it also implies the possibility that Sony won’t. The sheer desperation in this meme no doubt echoes that of some fans who are tired of getting their hopes up.
#BEENTHERE
As was explored in Spider-Man 3, but will be ignored in the upcoming Venom movie, the symbiote that bonds with Brock to create Venom initially bonded with Peter Parker. They hung out for a while, but the symbiote was uber possessive and wanted to change Parker in ways he wasn’t comfortable with. Unsolicited relationship advice – if your S.O. wants to literally possess you and control your every move, that’s what we like to call a “red flag.”
Luckily, Parker was able to rid himself of the symbiote with the cunning use of church bells. After being booted out of its home, the symbiote popped into Eddie Brock (after a brief fling with Deadpool, depending on your source material), and the two combined their powers and thirsts for revenge to create Spider-Man’s antithesis, Venom.
It’s a pretty classic story of a relationship that’s run its course, but when only one of parties actually agrees with that analysis. The Venom symbiote isn’t totally without redemptive qualities, but it had a long way to go before being worthy of a host like Spider-Man. The fact that it didn’t understand why Parker wouldn’t want to share his free will with another sentient being that operated his body without his permission was something that, you know, made it hard for the two to co-habitate. Unfortunately, it took a little time for the Venom symbiote to back-off his ex and in the meantime, things got ugly.
MAYBE JUST RINSE?
One of the best things about being a fan of genre entertainment is applying practical rules to impractical situations. When dealing with supernatural, larger-than-life characters, it’s very, very fun to imagine them in mundane situations. It’s part of why Iron Man was such a big hit and set the tone for the MCU going forward. Despite the fact that Tony Stark was a billionaire, genius playboy, he still couldn’t get his suit to fly very the first few times he put it on. The guy was human, and that made it all the more satisfying to watch him become a superhero in the face of his fallibility.
That’s why we dig this simple meme about Venom unable to brush his teeth so perfect and funny.
Venom is still part human, so it follows that occasionally he’d have to do human maintenance. He has to shower, he has to eat, he has to sleep, and yes, he has to brush his teeth.
With the rows and rows of fangs he likes to show off all the time, clearly there would be practical issues in using a normal toothbrush as shown in this hyper-realistic panel. We think something along the lines of a motorized toilet brush would be better, or just a regimen of intense flossing and rinsing until an appropriate solution could be hacked might be the best way to go. Unless everyone’s fine with this guy going through ten toothbrushes a week.
DON’T LOOK BACK IN ANGER
There’s definitely something to be said for encasing a supervillain known for his incredible power and physical prowess in the body of someone more unassuming in appearance. It’s a narrative trope with a long and rich history of exploring Napoleon syndrome. It’s worked spectacularly well in some cases, which is why it’s perennially apparent, but there are also times when it falls incredibly flat. Topher Grace’s Venom is one of those times.
Venom is one of Spider-Man’s most recognizable and lauded adversaries, and the creature almost always appearing as a hulking and terrifying figure. The comics go out of their way to give Eddie Brock a bodybuilding subplot before he meets Venom to hammer home the idea that he’s a boulder of a guy compared to Peter Parker’s sinewy, but formidable body-type.
Venom is Spider-Man’s antithesis in every way, and that includes physically. Topher Grace was still too identified with cracked-voice teen Eric Forman to ever be convincing as the tower of terror Venom became, and the results were, unfortunately, laughable.
Grace wasn’t intimidating as a whiny photographer, and he was only marginally more so when he became Venom.
It also didn’t help that the character was largely unsympathetic before he became Venom, which lessened the dramatic impact of his transformation. Say what you will about that first teaser, but Tom Hardy is already more the Venom we deserve.
GLOW UP
This meme calls attention to the serious upgrade Venom’s gotten since the 2007 Spider-Man 3 appearance. While fans poo-pooed nearly every aspect of the final movie in what would become Sam Raimi’s trilogy, the treatment of Venom, one of Spider-Man’s most compelling adversaries, was chief among complaints levied at the film. While the film tried valiantly to live up to the comics source material by dutifully drawing out Venom’s origin story and trying to distill the very complicated and retconned narrative into a single movie, the result wound up being a serious disservice to one the Spider-Verse’s best-loved characters.
Fast forward to 2018 and we’ve just gotten our first look at Venom 2.0. This time, Sony has made certain to fix at least some of the mistakes from the first film. Venom isn’t a side-villain in a Spider-Man movie, he’s the star of his own film. His backstory is still complicated, but it’s given room to breathe. Thus, we assume we’ll be given the chance to really get to know Venom in a way no adaptation has allowed up until this point.
This, of course, doesn’t mean Sony won’t make any other mistakes - like not including Spider-Man in a movie about a villain who’s been defined by his relationship to Spider-Man - but at the very least, Venom looks better. It’s a start.
GOOD POINT
One of the defining characteristics of Spider-Man is his youth. He’s idealistic, he’s kind, he’s naïve, and perhaps most noticeably, he’s typically of slight build. He’s an agile adversary, not one who fights with brute strength. What makes him different is what makes him so enduringly popular – there are plenty of ripped, mournful, tortured, vigilantes bathed in cynicism to go around. Even Superman has a Fortress of Solitude when the trappings of superhero-dom get too much for him to handle.
Spider-Man’s a kid living his best life. He’s got great girl (most of the time), a family that loves him, a massive intellect, and the coolest after-school job on the planet.
Peter’s youth has the capacity to make him vulnerable for several reasons not the least of which being in his size.
Venom, on the other hand, is distinguished as Spider-Man’s opposite in many ways – a disillusioned strongman bent on Peter Parker’s destruction instead of helping out the neighborhood. Now think about the fact that Tom Hardy (aka Bane, aka the guy who broke Batman) is playing Venom in the new movie and there’s a decent chance he’ll run into Tom Holland (tiny, tiny Tom Holland) at some point. We’d be making some phone calls, too.
