R.I.P. John Jameson
The opening sequence of the film follows the evil Riot symbiote making its way to Earth. When the Life Foundation’s ship crashes in Malaysia, only one astronaut survives and he’s briefly named Jameson. Marvel fans’ ears should prick up at the mention of this, as it has to be John Jameson, the heroic astronaut son of Daily Bugle chief J. Jonah Jameson.
This is a twist on his usual story though, when Jameson transforms into Man-Wolf after coming into contact with an alien gem while on a mission to the Moon. However, it does bear resemblance to his role in the Symbiote Saga from the classic 1990s Spider-Man: The Animated Series. Like in Venom, he was one of a team of astronauts who discovered the symbiotes in space and inadvertently brought them back to Earth.
In the cartoon world, though, Spidey was on hand to save him, so it’s a neat and somewhat dark twist that Jameson ends up consumed and killed by the Riot symbiote in Venom‘s Spider-Man-less world.
The Life Foundation
The big evil corporation behind the experiments on the symbiotes in Venom is the Life Foundation. Though not particularly well-known, the organization’s a recurring presence in the comics. Like in the movie, they’re led by Carlton Drake, who believes that humanity are the real parasites bleeding the Earth dry.
Though he’s not usually a host for the Riot symbiote, this does recall the time in the comics when he got powers by injecting himself with Spider-Man’s blood. It’s worth pointing out that Riot itself is also not typically the leader of the symbiotes but rather, a spawn of Venom.
Eddie Brock also mentions that the Life Foundation managed to double the life expectancy of pancreatic cancer sufferers. This recalls Venom’s origins in the Ultimate universe in which it was a bio-engineered suit created by Oscorp that was intended to cure cancer.
Lastly, Drake’s henchman in Venom is Roland Treece. In the comics, Treece is more of a clone of Drake and another corrupt millionaire who featured in the Lethal Protector arc that inspired the plot of the movie.
