Let’s be honest with ourselves, although everyone loves Tom Hardy, his rendition of Marvel’s Venom isn’t exactly giving anyone heart palpitations. If anything, he’s more tame than Topher Grace’s version from Spider-Man 3, which isn’t saying much. Unfortunately, we’ve yet to come across a portrayal of Venom that truly fits the bill as far as the character’s terrifying nature, which Marvel Comics has exhibited time and time again. Arguably, one of the best sources for accurate Spider-Man content would be Insomniac Games’ PlayStation exclusive in Spider-Man, the spin-off Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and the upcoming sequel Spider-Man 2, all of which comprise an all-encompassing Spider-Verse. And now, none other than Candyman himself will be joining the line-up as Eddie Brock, aka Venom.
In recent years, the video game franchise has garnered considerable praise and a loyal following, namely due to the multi-faceted gameplay, mind-blowing character designs, and overall connection to the larger Spider-Man lore. If you’ll recall from the first Spider-Man game, the majority of the voice cast were strangers to the Marvel fandom, but were well-known outside of their respective roles. For example, Yuri Lowenthal, the voice of Peter Parker, also voiced Ben Tennyson in the popular children’s show Ben 10. Likewise, Laura Bailey, whom we now know as the voice of Abby Anderson in The Last of Us: Part II (released two years post-Spider-Man), found her footing in the voice-acting world with the part of Mary Jane Watson.
But for all the famous faces mixed in with the Spider-Man cast, we’ve yet to see a living horror legend enter the fray. Cue: Tony Todd, the original Candyman. Released in 1992, Candyman follows graduate student Helen Lyle as she befriends Anne-Marie McCoy while researching the urban legend of the hook-wielding figure known as the Candyman that supposedly “haunts” Chicago’s Near North Side. Real name Daniel Robitaille, the Candyman is the restless and murderous ghost of an African-American artist and son of an enslaved man. He was murdered in the late 19th century due to his relationship with the daughter of a wealthy white man.
We’ve seen him kill it (literally) as Candyman, so there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that Todd can deliver on the Venom front, especially as the two supervillains aren’t so dissimilar. Both were wronged by their community and sought vengeance as a result.
As we know, Candyman was followed by two sequels, Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995) and Candyman: Day of the Dead (1999), as well as a direct sequel (thought to be a remake) of the same name in 2021.
We won’t get to see Todd in action until Fall 2023, when Spider-Man 2 releases on the PlayStation 5.
