Tom Hardy’s Venom Can’t Be In The Sinister Six As A Villain

Tom Hardy’s Venom cannot appear in the much-mooted Sinister Six movie as a villain, as it would undermine the character’s representation onscreen to date. According to multiple reports, Sony is plotting to use the notorious supervillain group as the basis for its own Avengers-style crossover event, incorporating multiple characters from the studio’s various properties. However, thanks to the first two film’s in the Venom franchise, having Hardy appear in direct opposition to Spider-Man simply wouldn’t make sense.

A Sinister Six movie has supposedly been in development since 2013. Originally planned as an off-shoot from the Andrew Garfield-led Amazing Spider-Man movies, the project was intended to be directed by The Martian screenwriter, Drew Goddard. As time passed, rumors emerged of a planned crossover with the MCU, featuring the likes of Jamie Foxx and Alfred Molina returning to play iconic adversaries Electro and Doctor Octopus respectively. However, eight years after executives initially announced the project, details around the highly-anticipated movie remain frustratingly sketchy.

Although the wealth of available Spider-Man antagonists means that there will be no shortage of choice for potential filmmakers, there is one way in which a Sinister Six movie will have its hands tied – namely, that Venom cannot feature as the main enemy. Thanks to Tom Hardy’s portrayal in both 2018’s Venom and its 2021 follow-up Let There Be Carnage, one of Spider-Man’s most iconic villains is now familiar to audiences as an anti-hero, only ever permitted to eat “bad guys“. As a result, putting him into direct conflict with Spider-Man would fundamentally undermine a key facet of the character.

It is not inconceivable that a Sinister Six film, or indeed another future Venom movie, does bring Hardy into conflict with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. However, the moral compass displayed by Eddie Brock during the first two Venom films suggests that, inevitably, the character will ultimately end up on the side of good. Unlike other members of the Sinister Six group, such as Otto Octavius, Vulture, Green Goblin and Mysterio, the new Sony version of Venom has had his malevolent nature tempered. Despite his undoubtedly predatory and dangerous instincts, the symbiote invariably ends up fighting for good – for instance, battling Riot in order to save the planet at the end of the first film. This inherent morality puts him at odds with every other member of the supergroup and could even see him fight side by side with Spider-Man.

There’s no doubt that in the source material, Spider-Man and Venom have an extremely fractious relationship, regularly coming into direct conflict. While a Sinister Six movie could force the two characters together, Venom’s current onscreen incarnation would inevitably end up siding with his comic book nemesis. While this may deprive fans of one of Marvel’s most legendary match-ups, it makes the prospect of a Sinister Six movie even more intriguing. What may start off as an unwinnable conflict between a team of supervillains supplemented by Venom, could eventually see Eddie Brock and Peter Parker join forces. Given the popularity of both characters, this is a seriously mouthwatering prospect.