Unexpected antihero.Towering cannibal monstrosity.
Daddy.These are but a few of the words used to describe Eddie Brock’s ooey, gooey symbiotic alter ego Venom after the fan-favorite character clawed his way to box office dominance earlier this year. Not only have Eddie Brock and Venom become one of the most-shipped couples on Tumblr, but the Marvel Comics’ antihero has positioned himself to be the unlikely centerpiece of Sony’s apparently Spider-Man-less cinematic universe. It’s a scenario that few expected but one that Venom co-creator Todd McFarlane is totally fine with.While stopping by our Los Angeles studio to promote Venom‘s release on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital HD, McFarlane sat down with me to talk about why Venom is such an enduring character, why his existence does not need to be defined by Spider-Man, and much more.For naysayers pointing to Venom‘s critical lambasting, McFarlane pointed to the numbers and reminded us that sometimes it’s about having fun rather than pushing the cinematic envelope.€œVenom…[isn’t] necessarily meant to be a high award-winning, elite…it€™s a thrill ride, it€™s a roller coaster,” McFarlane said. “We€™re here to just have fun and the numbers have now proven that there€™s lots of people that want to have fun with these movies.€
Indeed for people looking for a reprieve from the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s brand of interconnected action-comedy, Venom may have felt like a breath of fresh air.”It doesn€™t matter that it€™s not part of the formula,” McFarlane said. “Because you guys think that there€™s a formula called ‘superheroes’ here, and then there€™s geekdom superheroes. It€™s actually way bigger than you think. They€™re just hungry for this type of material”Venom is available on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital HD now. Read our review of the movie here.
Additional Jesse B. Gill and David Palmeri
Images: Sony