Venom: Let There Be Carnage director Andy Serkis would like Eddie Brock/Venom to battle other super-villains before the pair cross paths with Tom Holland's Spider-Man.

Serkis admitted he knows "everyone is desperate for Venom to meet Spider-Man" during an interview with Screen Rant. However, he thinks there's "real mileage" in the other super-villains residing in Ravencroft Institute, which plays a key role in the Venom sequel's story. "There's such fertile ground to be uncovered there. That would be the sandbox I'd be really interested in playing. Who's lurking in there that could break out?"

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Created by writer J.M. DeMatteis and illustrator Sal Buscema, the Ravencroft Institute first appeared in 1991's Spectacular Spider-Man #178 and serves as a maximum security facility for super-powered criminals. The institute was previously featured in 2014's Amazing Spider-Man 2 and provided some of the setup for the Sinister Six spinoff movie Sony was developing at the time. Ultimately, though, the studio abandoned that version of the film after agreeing to share the Spider-Man rights with Marvel Studios. The web-slinger was then rebooted for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Holland taking over the role.

Earlier this month, Serkis acknowledged it's not a question of if but when Holland's Spider-Man will meet Eddie/Venom. "Look, it depends when you want to get there and also what the appetite is," he said. "If people want more Venom stories, then to jump straight to Spider-Man, you could be missing out on so many great super-villain characters between now and then." He added that it's important to avoid "rushing" into a Venom/Spider-Man crossover, lest all that storytelling potential go to waste.

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Sony, for its part, seems to be building steadily towards a full-fledged crossover between its Spider-Man Universe and the MCU, what with this year's Spider-Man: No Way Home delving into the multiverse and the trailer for 2022's Morbius showing the Living Vampire coming face to face with Michael Keaton's Vulture from Spider-Man: Homecoming. At the same time, it's possible the studio plans to release a Spider-Man-free Venom 3 before the symbiote and wall-crawler meet up.

Tom Hardy reprises his role as Eddie/Venom in Let There Be Carnage, with Woody Harrelson playing Cletus Kasady/Carnage and Naomie Harris co-starring as the super-villain Frances Barrison/Shriek. It opens in theaters on Oct. 1.

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Source: Screen Rant