WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Venom: Let There Be Carnage, now playing in theaters.

Avengers: Infinity War connected many threads in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Thanos assembled the Infinity Gauntlet, but its most shocking arc was the Bruce Banner and Hulk dynamic. After Hulk got beat down by the Mad Titan, he refused to come back out, handicapping Earth's Mightiest Heroes. And now, years later, Venom: Let There Be Carnage tries to replicate Hulk's arc, but it ends up failing miserably.

In Infinity War, Hulk seemed scared of Thanos and his forces and was nursing a bruised ego. Eventually, it would be explained as Hulk not wanting to be deployed as a pawn of Banner's when things got bad, but that doesn't change the outcome. Whether he was stubborn or scared, there was psychological trauma inflicted that informed why he took time to himself.

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Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock in Venom: Let There Be Carnage

However, no context is given when Venom wants to do the same in the final act of this sequel. It occurs when Eddie brings Venom to fight Cletus/Carnage at the church where Cletus wants to marry Frances/Shriek. He's kidnapped Eddie's ex, Anne, as part of the torture session, wanting Eddie to suffer. But when Carnage emerges, Venom gets scared and tries to flee at the sight of "a red one." And while he tries to tell Eddie about his trepidation, that angle's quickly dropped, and there's no further background given.

Had Venom shown Eddie through memories the danger of red symbiotes back on their homeworld, it would've informed his fear at the sight of Carnage. Instead, Venom wants to quit because his opponent looks bigger and meaner. Eventually, Eddie agrees to let Venom eat Cletus, which gets him to rush into battle, but this comes off as Eddie coaxing his partner, just like Banner tried to do.

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Carnage in Venom: Let There Be Carnage

On paper, Venom tucking his tail and running is an interesting direction. It would've added to Eddie and the symbiote's sibling relationship and given a nuanced twist to their bond, with Eddie trying to inspire Venom to be the brave hero he knows he can be. But it just doesn't resonate without knowing why red symbiotes are feared.

See how Sony's latest superhero movie fails to copy Avengers: Infinity War's most shocking arc in Venom: Let There Be Carnage, in theaters now.

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