Tom Hardy Crossing Over Into A Billion-Dollar Franchise?
Could Tom Hardy be moving into a massive franchise as part of a huge crossover? Those in charge won't rule out the possibility.
This article is more than 2 years old
With the massive expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it would seem like every character from the comic book pages is coming to either a series or a movie in the franchise. Of course, that isn’t totally the case with the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters (SPUMC) still maintaining some of the rights around Spider-Man folks. But the crossover potential is still very much out there, and now there’s word that Tom Hardy could be bringing Venom to the MCU in some fashion. Marvel chief Kevin Feige wouldn’t rule out the possibility in a recent interview with Rotten Tomatoes.
In his interview, Feige was asked about the possibility of Venom, and maybe other characters working their way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe the way Tom Holland’s Spider-Man currently exists in the universe. That particular character was an important, but somewhat one-time deal. But Feige, in his traditionally cagey way, was careful about saying a lot without saying all that much at all. Here’s how he couched the possibility of Tom Hardy coming over and possibly working his way into the current batch of series and movies.
I don’t want to talk about rumors or speculation on what could happen or couldn’t happen as it relates to characters Marvel Studios hasn’t brought to the screen yet, but I will say what I’ve always said having been at Marvel Studios for 20 years, I wouldn’t dismiss anything. I wouldn’t rule anything out…When and how and where remains to be seen. Any rumor you read online could happen anytime between tomorrow and never.
Is this Feige telling us that Tom Hardy as Venom has an imminent role coming soon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Of course not. But it does speak to the idea that there are ongoing discussions between Sony and Marvel about how these characters could ultimately link up. There’s clearly precedent in the current construct with Spider-Man straddling the line in their current deal. While Holland’s Parker exists in the MCU, the character is still technically owned by Sony. They struck a deal for more movies, but that isn’t necessarily a “forever” thing.
It would make sense, at some point for these two groups to merge in some way. While in the current form, Sony has done a good job with their standalone pieces of this universe, there’s something of a hard ceiling on the upside for how the stories can move forward. While Tom Holland is in the MCU, Tom Hardy as Venom isn’t there yet. For the time being, he’s part of the group of villains Sony is developing around those in the Spider-Man world. Venom is already one movie in, but there are others coming.
Tom Hardy is set to come out with the follow-up Venom: Let There Be Carnage. And Jared Leto is set to enter that world when Morbius finally releases after significant delays because of the pandemic. But there are other plans as well with Aaron Taylor-Johnson set to take on the Kraven the Hunter role in future films as well. Plus, there have been rumors that the studio is considering a Sinister Six movie too.
Spider-Man: No Way Home could begin to act as a bridge between these two worlds, even more than originally thought. Former Sony characters like Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) and Electro (Jamie Foxx) will feature in the film and there are others rumored as well. Could this be the movie that sets up Tom Hardy making a franchise crossover over? It could be what Feige is getting at.
In the meantime, we can next see Tom Hardy in the aforementioned Venom: Let There Be Carnage when it releases in the United States on September 24th.
