While discussing his latest movie, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Sam Raimi touched on his last Marvel entry, Spider-Man 3, and where he feels he went wrong with Venom.
Spider-Man’s nemesis Venom is a combination of disgraced journalist (or, in Spider-Man 3, photographer) Eddie Brock and a brain-eating alien symbiote. The character has recently gone on to cinematic success in Sony’s ongoing Venom franchise, starring Tom Hardy. While the films have been divisive amongst critics, the response from fans has been generally positive. However, Topher Grace’s turn as Eddie Brock and his symbiotic other half failed to impress in Raimi’s Spider-Man 3.
Tom Hardy’s Venom films have made much of the relationship between Eddie and Venom, treating the two as separate characters and building the comic-book action around a heartfelt buddy comedy. Spider-Man 3, on the other hand, simply dressed Topher Grace’s Eddie Brock in a black Spider-Man suit with a mouth and then had him make creepy comments to Peter Parker throughout a generic final fight. It left a sour taste in the mouth of many ardent fans of the character.
In a recent interview with Uproxx, Sam Raimi was asked about his difficulties with Venom, a character he has previously admitted he hadn’t wanted to include in Spider-Man 3. Raimi explained:
“It was really more just that I didn’t understand the character that well. It wasn’t close to my heart. The best thing I like about Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s Spider-Man is that they made relatable characters that I understand. Even if they were confused, like Norman Osborn, they still have goodness in their heart. They want them to do the right thing, or Peter Parker. Or even J. Jonah Jameson has goodness in his heart. When I read about Venom, which I hadn’t read as a kid, I had to catch up on it when they wanted him to be in the movie. I didn’t recognize enough humanity within that character to be able to identify with him properly. That’s really what it boils down to.”
Raimi also admitted that, while he hasn’t seen Tom Hardy’s Venom movies, he was “glad they were able to make a success out of that.” Spider-Man fans are still waiting on the chance to see Spidey have another showdown with Venom on the big screen. After the post-credits scene of Venom: Let There Be Carnage teased a confrontation between Tom Hardy’s Venom and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, Spider-Man: No Way Home immediately shot down that possibility. However, with a remnant of the Venom symbiote left in the MCU at the end of No Way Home‘s post-credits scene, the door remains open to an MCU Venom appearing in the future.
Here is the synopsis for Sam Raimi’s latest Marvel movie, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness:
The MCU unlocks the Multiverse and pushes its boundaries further than ever before. Journey into the unknown with Doctor Strange, who, with the help of mystical allies both old and new, traverses the mind-bending and dangerous alternate realities of the Multiverse to confront a mysterious new adversary.
Directed by Sam Raimi from a script written by Michael Waldron, the film stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, with Michael Stuhlbarg, Rachel McAdams, and Patrick Stewart.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters on May 6, 2022. Stay tuned for all the latest news surrounding the upcoming film and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content.
Source: Uproxx
