The upcoming Venom movie may position the eponymous character as an anti-hero. Omega Underground has reportedly uncovered story details from the Spider-Man spinoff that suggest it will adapt Venom: Lethal Protector, the six-issue miniseries in which Eddie Brock's Venom transitioned from a villain to an anti-hero.
David Michelinie, Mark Bagley and Ron Lim's Venom: Lethal Protector storyline was one of the anti-hero's first solo series, which debuted in 1993. In the miniseries, Venom and Spider-Man reached an agreement that they would leave each other alone -- but only if Venom refrained from committing any more crimes. As part of this transition, Venom moved from New York City to San Francisco, where he was hunted down by the father of one of his prior victims, who targeted him with a group of superpowered mercenaries. Spider-Man subsequently headed to the San Francisco, where he fought alongside Venom against five offshoots of the Venom Symbiote: Scream, Riot, Phage, Agony and Lasher.
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Recent rumors about the film's casting suggest Michelle Williams will play She-Venom and Riz Ahmed will take on the role of Carnage. That considered, it's possible the movie will adapt this storyline with a new group of bad guys.
However, fans definitely shouldn't expect Peter Parker to team up with Venom. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has stated that Venom will exist outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe continuity: “I think they’re focusing on making a great Venom movie, and I don’t know much about it, but I know they’re off to a good start with Tom Hardy.”
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Though he started out as a Marvel Comics villain, Venom has become more of an anti-hero in recent years. If the reports are true, this character trait will be adapted for the upcoming film.
Written by Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg, Venom is expected to begin filming in late October before swinging into theaters October 5, 2018.