BothTopher GraceandTom Hardy’sVenomare the same character in Marvel lore, but understanding exactly how means grasping the truth of the symbiote in Marvel’s modern comics.
The two actors brought Venom to life in separate movies, presumed to be separate universes. But as was revealed and explained in the pages ofVenom #18, the famousVenom symbiote is described as a truly multiversal being,with tendrils of its existence spread across time, reality, and incarnations across the Marvel Multiverse. And it all has to do with the role and purpose of the King in Black - - and we’re not referring toKnull the Symbiote God, either.
Venom began life as a Spider-Man villain, making his first full appearance in 1988’sAmazing Spider-Man #300.
Venom’s True Nature is Bigger Than One (Movie) Universe
Eddie Brock Unlocked The Multiversal, Singular Nature of His Symbiote
The depictions of Venom, first by Topher Grace in 2007’sSpider-Man 3, then Tom Hardy’s trilogy beginning in 2018, are significantly different. But inVenom#18, by Al Ewing, Cafu, and Frank D’Armata, Eddie Brock find himself face to face withThe Eventuality, Venom’s ultimate form. Eddie struggles to wrap his brain around what he is seeing and hearing, leading The Eventuality to revealthe true history of the Kings in Black, and how Knull, the previous King, was not a good fit.
The Eventuality goes on to explain that Knull thought too linearly, and simply opted to destroy everything in his path, but says“the timeline of the true King in Black for this reality is…more complicated.”
It reveals to Eddie that, as the King in Black, he “will travel back and forth, hither and yon, restless, rootless into forgotten pasts and possible futures.”The artwork accompanying this revealtion depicts a mind-bending sequence, showing the various iterations of Venom throughout the Multiverse. Some sporting Wolverine-style claws, and even a Venom/Captain America hybrid (complete with Venom-ized shield). The implication is clear:there is one Venom, one King in Black, existing in all forms and times as one, single entity, expressed multiple ways across the Multiverse.
While Each Venom is Unique, They Are One Being, Across Time
The Lore Which Links Both Movie Versions of Venom Makes a ‘No Way Home’ Reunion Possible
This revelation, that Venom is a truly multiversal being, existing in multiple realities,allows both Topher Grace and Tom Hardy’s interpretations to be valid. It has been established that the MCU exists in the larger Marvel Multiverse as Earth-19999, andSpider-Man: No Way Homerevealed Sam Raimi’sSpider-Manmovies still exist within the MCU, thus linking that trilogy to the Marvel multiverse as well. Now, fans can take comfort that the two portrayals are merely various aspects of the larger, multiversal Venom knows as The Eventuality.
This revelation not only canonizes Topher Grace and Tom Hardy’s Venoms, but also shows the reader just how powerful he really is. As far as character arcs go, Venom has had one of the best in comics, growing from a revenge-driven villain into a cosmic god. But his form as The Eventuality is the one most valuable to film buffs, as the lore which links Hardy and Grace’s performances asVenomto one another, across the wide expanse of the Marvel Multiverse.
