Venom Blu-Ray Yields New Marvel Easter Eggs

Venom, like every other superhero of the modern era, is laced with all kinds of Easter eggs and subtle references to the comic book world.

And now that Sony’s standalone superhero adventure is nearing its Blu-ray release, The Hollywood Reporter (h/t ComicBook.com) has uncovered not one, but two new Easter eggs from Venom, and we’re willing to bet that you didn’t catch these cute comic book nods first time around.

Hidden within the movie’s special features is a pair of bonus Blu-ray clips, one of which shows Eddie (Tom Hardy) and Anne (Michelle Williams) situated outside the law offices of Michelinie and McFarlane. Sound familiar? It should. That’s a direct homage to David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane (Spawn), two of Eddie Brock’s founding fathers. The second is much more obscure, so buckle up…

Still with us? Per THR, this other Marvel-related Easter egg concerns Eddie’s apartment complex (see above), and its ties to an unsung hero of Venom history: Randy Schueller. You’d have to cast your mind back to the 1980s to remember Schueller’s slight contribution to Marvel Comics, after he wrote to then-editor-in-chief Jim Shooter about potentially offering Spidey an upgraded black costume – a costume that would later be integrated into the fabric of Marvel’s Secret Wars.

Here’s a brief history lesson, courtesy of THR:

Schueller was a hardcore Spider-Man fan and wrote to Marvel Comics in the 1980s suggesting that Spidey get an upgraded black costume, courtesy of Fantastic Four leader Reed Richards. To his surprise, the Marvel editor-in-chief at the time, Jim Shooter, wrote him back to say the publisher would like to buy his idea for $220 ($566 in today’s dollars). Shooter said Schueller would be given a shot at scripting the story, though that didn’t work out.

Pretty neat, eh? It’s further proof that Venom is jam-packed with hidden Marvel secrets, and the somewhat divisive movie can be yours to own on Blu-ray and DVD from December 18th.