Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage opened to a box office weekend of 90 million USD in ticket sales, the best performance achieved by a movie since the beginning of the pandemic. It's safe to say fans are eager for more adventures between Eddie Brock and his symbiote companion, Venom. This time, the duo are going up against one of their worst rivals – Cletus Kasady's Carnage.

RELATED: Venom 2: 10 Things You Need To Know About Cletus Kasady Before Watching The Sequel

Even with two movies under Venom's proverbial belt, there are still voices that say the concept just doesn't work without Spider-Man. The thing is, Venom's critics aren't completely wrong about the absence of everyone's favorite web-slinger.

10 Doesn’t Work: Venom Is One Of Spider-Man’s Most Iconic Villains

Ultimate Spider-Man Venom

The symbiote that eventually becomes Venom comes from an alien planet called Battleworld. After bonding with Peter Parker, the symbiote gives him some additional powers – but at a cost, unlocking some of his darker impulses. The Spider-Man 3 adaptation of the concept was less than ideal, with the 'dark' version of Peter Parker becoming infamous in all the wrong ways,

Even so, Venom remains one of Spidey's most iconic villains. He has always personified the dangers excessive power represents, something Peter Parker acknowledges. The movies don't quite manage to capture that, as Venom's character arc is far less complex.

Tom Hardy in Venom (2018)

Cluttered with a variety of villains and concepts, Spider-Man 3 was so disjointed its own protagonist was suffocated in it. Venom became an unfortunate casualty as well. It certainly didn't help that his visual representation was nowhere near as impressive as his comic book counterpart. Even the 1994 cartoon Spider-Man created a scarier Venom.

With this series of solo movies, Venom finally gets a chance to shine on his own. He isn't overshadowed by the popular hero, and he gets the chance to be the terrifying alien threat he was written as. It's a welcome development for a character who desperately needed it.

8 Doesn’t Work: Venom's Origin Story Is Lackluster Without Spidey

Spider-Man Venom Symbiote Suit

Without Spider-Man, Venom's story is significantly more lackluster. In the first Venom movie, the symbiote is taken captive and experimented on in a top-secret facility owned by Life Foundation CEO Carlton Drake. An investigative journalist, Eddie is infected after he breaks into the facility and tries to save one of the test subjects. Eddie's subsequent struggle with adjusting to the symbiote does mimic Peter's, but it's not nearly as intense as it could have been.

7 Works: The Humor Compensates For Much Of What Is Lacking

Eddie Brock talking to the Venom symbiote

If there's anything that's truly unique about Venom, it's probably the humor. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has accustomed comic book fans with a light-hearted tone in their superhero movies, but Venom brings its own twist to the table. The dynamic between Venom and Eddie is as funny as it is complex. Venom may be terrifying, but he's also occasionally goofy. He makes strange similes, has a preference for chocolate, and likes keeping pet chickens. Many of these elements are from the comics, and they create a character that is still alien but also has human traits.

6 Doesn’t Work: Eddie Brock’s Rivalry With Peter Parker Is Important To His Character Arc

Spidey, Venom, Carnage

In the Spider-Man comics, Eddie Brock and Peter Parker were mirrors of each other. They were both reporters, but Eddie lost his job after one of his articles was invalidated due to Spider-Man's capture of the villain it was about. He blamed Spider-Man for his misfortune, and his anger later helped the symbiote bond with him better. Eddie's rage initially made him completely focus on revenge, but he later reassessed his actions and began to use his powers for good.

He and Spider-Man even reached a truce of sorts, based on begrudging respect, if not friendship. Obviously, Spider-Man 3's Venom is nowhere near as complex – as the movie's Eddie lacks any kind of redeeming character traits – but his rivalry with Peter remains important. The Tom Hardy movies don't even have that. Without Spidey there, there's an element missing, particularly for those who are familiar with Venom already.

5 Works: There’s More Room To Develop Eddie's Relationship With Venom And Anne

Michelle Williams as She-Venom in Venom

While Peter's enmity with Eddie is important, its disappearance does leave more room to develop Eddie's relationship with Venom. This is where the story truly shines in both Venom 1 and Let There Be Carnage. The characters have a strange relationship of toxic codependency, and they try to make compromises only for them to blow up in their faces. In Venom 2, the symbiote actually leaves Eddie after a bad fight.

RELATED: 10 Reasons Venom Is Becoming An LGBTQA Cult Film

The moment perfectly mimics a violent break-up in a couple, particularly when Venom starts to shout at Eddie to get out of the apartment Eddie actually owns. The unlikely couple reunites with the help of Anne Weying. She tracks down the symbiote and bonds with it, then takes it to Eddie. Eddie does have to apologize to his alien companion, but that only adds to the strange humor of the situation. It's not quite as good as the She-Venom moment in Venom 1, but it has its charms.

4 Doesn’t Work: Spider-Man’s Powers Enhance The Abilities Of The Symbiote

Marvel's Venom Trailer Previews Eddie and Dylan Brock's Dual Stories

Fans of the comics may know that the alien symbiote didn't originally possess all the abilities displayed by Venom. They only appeared because the symbiote bonded with Peter Parker's DNA, then kept his powers after it left him. It's not necessarily a big issue, as this other version of Venom can simply work differently than the original, but some fans may find it disappointing that Spider-Man's influence is completely absent.

3 Works: His New Background Is Part Of What Makes Him Quirky And Peculiar

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

According to the background story established in the canon of the Venom movies, Eddie's symbiote is a 'loser.' He's weaker than other symbiotes, which is partly why he sticks with Eddie. He seems to empathize with the down on his luck reporter, and it's that bond that makes them a force to be reckoned with.

Interestingly enough, Carnage and Cletus Kasady aren't as in sync as Venom and Eddie are. This is what allows Eddie to beat Carnage, even if the symbiote itself is more powerful. This contradicts the comic version of Carnage, where Carnage's power came precisely from how well Kasady's bloodthirst matched that of the symbiote.

2 Doesn’t Work: Venom’s Antagonists Haven’t Been As Memorable As Spidey

Carnage

Venom included villains that have been the main character's opponents in the comics. Unfortunately, Carlton Drake's Riot wasn't very memorable, his motivations making the conflict somewhat unsatisfying. Drake is just another villain who wishes to destroy humanity because they are a plague on the planet. Venom 2 adds the more emotionally intense Carnage, but his background isn't as well-handled as it could have been.

RELATED: The 10 Biggest Differences Between The Venom & Carnage Symbiotes

Cletus Kasady's love interest, Frances Barrison, also shows up in the movie. Her sonic cry superhuman ability is never really explained, but in the comics, she is a mutant and her appearance may suggest similar developments in future films. In every other way, the conflict seems very similar to Venom 1. The Carnage symbiote's desire to destroy Venom echoes the events of the first movie. The series may revolve around conflicts between symbiotes, but a bit of a twist would have been nice. With Spider-Man absent, it seems a little repetitive.

1 Works: The Multiverse Can Still Allow For Venom and Spidey To Meet

Spider-Man Far From Home Venom

In a surprising turn of events, the post-credit scene of Let There Be Carnage drops quite a bombshell. While sitting in a rundown hotel room with Eddie, Venom explains that the knowledge he has at his disposal would be too overwhelming for a human to process. Eddie dares him to show him one thing, and Venom complies.

Unexpectedly, Eddie and Venom travel to another hotel room, where they watch a news clip of J. Jonah Jameson revealing Spider-Man's true identity – the exact clip from Spider-Man: Far From Home. With Spider-Man: No Way Home venturing into the Multiverse, this may suggest that Tom Hardy's Venom will eventually meet Tom Holland's Spider-Man for a proper confrontation.

NEXT: Marvel: Venom's Most Deadly Enemies, Ranked