‘Venom’ First Look Gives the Comic Anti-Hero His Due

Drew Dietsch
Movies Marvel
Movies Marvel

Many fans were worried when the first Venom trailer hit. Tom Hardy’s iconic suit was noticeably absent. Well, after screening some extended footage at CinemaCon, we can say that there’s no reason to be anxious. If you’ve been aching for Venom to get his proper big screen treatment, this movie looks to be it.

A lot of what we saw is in the newly released trailer (watch it below!), but we got a little bit more that you didn’t see. And it’s that element that got us very excited about where this adaptation is headed.

The R-Rated Venom Movie You Want

Now, we can’t say for certain that Venom will be rated R when it hits theaters, but it doesn’t look like director Ruben Fleischer is pulling any punches. In the scene where Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) is being chased on his motorcycle, he actually crashes and injures himself in a pretty violent manner. We see his leg is bent backwards, his fingers are gnarled and broken, and his arm is covered in a bloody scrape.

Then, the symbiote begins to emerge over his body. As it oozes over his leg, it snaps it back into place. The same happens with his broken fingers. The symbiote heals Eddie’s wounds and attacks the henchmen that’s chasing him, before uttering his iconic catchphrase, “We are Venom.”

It’s a brutal little scene that stresses the tone this movie is going for. This doesn’t look like a cheery, quip-filled romp like the Marvel Cinematic Universe we’ve come to know. That’s surprisingly refreshing to see. When it comes to bringing a darker tone to the comic book movie landscape, Venom seems to be doing it right without becoming a grimdark sludge.

The Supporting Cast

venom riz ahmed
Dr. Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed) obtains the symbiotes.

While we got to see Tom Hardy take the stage at CinemaCon — it was delightful to hear him say that he wanted to make this movie for his son who loves the character — we also got see Michelle Williams and Riz Ahmed talk a little bit about their characters.

Michelle Williams made it clear that she “had a blast” making Venom. “I’ve always wanted to do a superhero movie, [but] I didn’t want to play a damsel in distress. I wanted to play a woman strong and empowered in her own right.” Williams plays Anne Weying, Eddie’s girlfriend and an employee of Riz Ahmed’s character, Carlton Drake. Hearing her talk about being empowered definitely lends credence to the theory that she will become Lady Venom at some point in the movie.

And this was the most we’ve learned about Drake so far. Ahmed said, “I’ve always wanted to play a big cinematic villain like this.” Considering Ahmed’s amazing talent, it’s going to be great to see him be a big bad in this flick. Drake is clearly committed to doing something diabolical with the symbiotes. We see that his Life Foundation is experimenting on people with terrifying results. If I were a betting man, I’d put some money on him donning his own symbiote before the end of the film. Maybe he uses the Carnage symbiote?

Venom looks like the movie fans have wanted for years. If it can provide a darker alternative to the Marvel universe and deliver a version of the character that feels true, it’s going to be a success in every way possible.

Venom open in theaters on October 4 in Australia and October 5 in the US and UK.

Drew Dietsch
Drew Dietsch has been professionally writing about entertainment for over a decade. His bylines include FANDOM - where he was a founding contributor and Entertainment Editor - Bloody Disgusting, SYFY WIRE, and more. He created and hosts GenreVision, a weekly film discussion show at genrevision.com.