With so many characters already stuffed inside The Amazing Spider-Man 2, I can’t say I’m surprised that he doesn’t show up – but that’s not news. Everyone already knew that Electro would be the main focal point in terms of baddies, with Rhino and the Green Goblin making brief appearances to build the Sinister Six theme. While most people see Venom as Spider-Man’s enemy, we can’t forget that sometimes Peter teamed up with Venom in the comics to battle more daunting foes, mainly because Venom can do things Peter can’t.
Spider-Man isn’t a killer – he subdues the bad guys and locks them away. The problem is, these villains want revenge, eventually break out, and Spider-Man has to battle them all over again. Venom, on the other hand, has no problem eviscerating his foes, leaving no survivors. We don’t have any details on Venom’s story just yet, as it’s still being written, but don’t immediately assume that Venom will be just another enemy to Peter Parker. Marc Webb already tackled a very weighty unmentionable arc – maybe he’ll do right and create a flip-flopping Venom as well?
So, what does this mean for release dates? We know The Amazing Spider Man 4 is the last planned film (we’re talking around 2020), which leaves us with three ongoing projects. Since a Venom cameo only seems natural before launching into his solo campaign, you can probably expect The Amazing Spider-Man 3 next, containing a post-credits Eddie Brock cameo, followed by Venom, capped off by the Sinister Six stand-alone. Who knows, maybe Venom will take over as the lead character in The Amazing Spider Man 4 after helping Spider-Man topple the Sinister Six? A fanboy can dream…