10 Fun Easter Eggs In Venom That You Might’ve Missed

Venom has finally got his own movie and though it doesn't feature the cameo from Tom Holland's wall-crawler that we were all hoping for, it's still stuffed full of references to the sinister symbiote's history in the pages of Spider-Man comics. As we all know by now, the movie starring Tom Hardy as reporter Eddie Brock, who gets infected by the alien parasite, makes up its own origin for the anti-hero, but it's one that's derived from the pages of Venom's solo series. As such, there's easter eggs and references aplenty for Marvel comic book fans to sink their teeth into, like Venom itself does when it snacks on a tasty human head. Some are easily spotted - the cameo from a certain famed Marvel creator, for one - while others could slip right by even the most ardent fan. For instance, the creature's line, heard in the trailers, "so many snacks, so little time" is a lift from Amazing Spider-Man #374. On that note, read on for more fun Venom easter eggs you might've missed, and if there's any we didn't catch, be sure to leave them in the comments section below. 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. The Daily Globe When Eddie and Anne go on a date, Anne briefly alludes to how Brock came to leave New York and move to San Francisco - apparently it was due to an incident at the Daily Globe. In the source material, the Globe's a rival publication of the Daily Bugle that Brock works for. While there, he holds an interview with a man claiming to be the Sin-Eater serial killer. Spider-Man eventually captures the real Sin-Eater though, revealing Brock's interviewee to be a fake. This costs Eddie his job and credibility, leading him to become Venom. Anne's brief mention of the Globe suggests that these events have already played out in the film's timeline, then. Though presumably, without the involvement of Peter Parker. The Globe's editor in the comics is also Barney Bushkin, and after being fired by the network in Venom, Eddie texts someone of the same name for a job, likely making one last attempt to get rehired by his former employer. Venom's Kryptonite When Eddie's explaining the ins and outs of the Venom symbiote, the infamous topic of its big weakness - soundwaves - comes up. Anne repeats the information by saying: "So sound is its kryponite?" This is a weird little meta easter egg that tells us the DC universe is fictional in Venom's Marvel-ish universe. It also recalls the line from 2002's Spider-Man when Tobey Maguire tried to get his webs going by saying "Shazam!" We also learn what Venom craves. There's a running gag through the film in which the symbiote has a hunger for human heads, leading him to munch on the craniums of various bad guys. In Venom's final scene, Eddie manages to convince his other half that it can't eat anyone it wants. Venom reluctantly agrees, as long as Eddie picks up some chocolate from the store. This harks back to the time when Venom got hooked on chocolate in the comics. When Eddie was trying to curb Venom's homicidal tendencies, he discovered that the symbiote needs to consume the chemical phenethylamine, which is either found in the human brain or in a bar of chocolate. She-Venom And Venom Dog As was theorized before we saw the movie, Michelle Williams' Anne Weying does become She-Venom, albeit briefly. The look of the character when she rescues Eddie from Treece and his goons in the forest is a close match to the comics. There's a moment when Anne reacts with horror at chomping a guy's head off, too, which feels like a PG-13 version of her reaction to becoming Venom on the page (the guilt led her to commit suicide). Before it hops onto Anne, though, Venom finds a temporary host in a small dog at the hospital. There's a long tradition of Venom dogs in the comics as well, though they're usually of a larger and more fearsome breed than this little papillon pup. It's a shame we don't get to see it fully Venom out, apart from a momentary flash of its eyes, but the homage is welcome all the same. Going back to Anne for a moment, and it's revealed that the law firm she works for is called Michelinie and McFarlane, named after Venom's two creators. Randy Schueller, meanwhile, the fan who first pitched a black-suited Spider-Man to Marvel is honored in the name of Eddie's apartment building. Venom's Kind Of A Loser In the movie's third act, Venom encourages Eddie Brock to stop Riot from bringing the rest of the symbiotes back to Earth. Brock's surprised by its selfless nature, and Venom reveals that he's "kind of a loser, too" on his own homeworld and has come to like it here on Earth and with Eddie. It's unusual for Venom to be portrayed in such a sympathetic way, but the idea that it's an outcast of the symbiote society does have precedent. In Planet of the Symbiotes, the other storyline that factored into Venom alongside Lethal Protector, it's established that the symbiotes want to bleed their hosts dry while Venom craves constant symbiosis with another being. The other symbiotes consider it to be an aberration because of this belief and so, Venom's imprisoned. Though it eventually finds what it's been looking for when it encounters Spidey. The idea that Venom considers itself different from the rest of its parasitic kind is also echoed in the movie's running gag that the symbiote hates being called "a parasite." Stan Lee's Cameo It might not be part of the MCU, but Venom's still a Marvel movie so you know what that means - Stan Lee gets to show up! The legend's customary cameo happens right at the end of the film, and like his previous appearances, it seems to suggest that he knows more than he's letting on. Eddie bumps into Lee when he's just said goodbye to Anne and Stan tells him that he shouldn't let her go - both of them. Brock doesn't seem fazed that this random old man knows that he has a symbiote, but Venom himself doesn't appear to like him. "Who was that guy?" it says, in a great laugh out loud moment. The way Lee apparently knows that Eddie Brock's Venom makes us think of his Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 cameo which revealed that all of his MCU roles are one and the same as he works for the Watchers (presumably to keep an eye on superheroes). There's Gonna Be Carnage The first of Venom's two post-credits scenes take Eddie Brock to San Quentin prison where he's looking to interview convicted serial killer Cletus Kassady, played by Woody Harrelson in a hilariously outrageous red wig. Fans will know that the murderer becomes the host of Carnage, Venom's "son" in the comics. Sure enough, the movie can't end without a little hint at what's to come, as the last line of the scene features Cletus warning Brock that when he gets out "there's gonna be Carnage." In the comics, Eddie Brock is Kassady's cellmate at Ryker's Island until the symbiote returns to him to break him out of jail. Venom's actually pregnant at this moment, though, and leaves its spawn in the cell to bond with Kassady, creating Carnage. There's no hint that Venom's eating for two in the movie, but putting Eddie and Cletus in the same cell together definitely recalls the character's origins on the page. As you might think, the intention of this scene is to tease Carnage's role in a sequel. After all, Woody Harrelson's confirmed that he's expected to return if a Venom 2 is greenlit. Which, going by the box office numbers, it probably will be. Meanwhile, In Another Universe The final post-credits scene isn't another tease for Venom 2 but instead takes the form of an extended look at Sony's next Spider-Man-related movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Beginning with a caption reading "Meanwhile, in another universe," we're then dropped into the middle of the action as the young Miles Morales, the second Spidey, is fleeing from supervillain the Prowler. He escapes his pursuer and visits the grave of Peter Parker to voice his doubts about not being able to continue his heroic work. At this point, a very much alive Parker comes up behind him, causing Miles to lash out with one of his venom blasts. When the cops come, Miles has to grab the unconscious Peter and flee again, resulting in a fun, exciting and beautifully animated chase sequence. We were already sold on Into the Spider-Verse from the trailers, but this snippet makes us even more hyped for December's animated movie. The "in another universe" also reminds us that Sony's committed to building up a Spider-Man multiverse, which will continue after Venom with the Jared Leto-starring Morbius.