There are two camps of people when it comes to Sony’s movie Venom: one side says it’s an aberration, that Venom cannot and should not exist without Spider-Man, therefore the movie is nigh unwatchable; and then there are sane people who liked the blockbuster for what it was instead of hating it for what it could have been. Regardless of your stance on the matter, this is a comic book movie first and foremost, so you gotta have those nerdy Easter eggs!
Here are 9 cool Easter eggs you might have missed in Venom.
1. A cure for cancer?
Remember when Carlton Drake says he was going to use the symbiotes to cure cancer? Well, this is a direct reference to Marvel’s Ultimates comics, where Venom was designed by the scientists to fight cancer, only the patients didn’t live long after the “treatment”.
2. Venom Pooch
That little chihuahua (or whatever that mutant was) that Venom bonded with briefly was also a deep cut into comics, where a couple of dogs, Ivan the sled dog and Samson the German shepherd, unleashed their inner Venom.
3. John Jameson
Remember that one astronaut who survived the crash and had Riot inside of him? His name’s John Jameson, and he’s actually the son of J. Jonah Jameson. John dies in the movie, but in the comics he lives on to become the Man-Wolf.
4. She-Venom
If you thought the female Venom was in the movie just to move the relationship sub-plot forward, you’d only be partially correct. Just so happens that Anne rocked the black alien goo in the comics as well. Although after a night of bloodshed Anne couldn’t live with what she did and committed suicide.
5. Ripping Venom apart from Eddie Brock
In the final battle between Venom and Riot, Riot straight out tears the symbiote from Brock’s body, which is a visual Easter egg for this comic panel where Venom is being forcefully separated from Eddie, but Carnage is doing the damage this time.
6. Venom’s quips
You may have heard comments like “Venom is not a quippy type, why did they turn an R-rated movie into a comedy?” You should read more comics, because Venom loves jokes, and some of his lines in the movie were ripped straight from the comic books! Like this one, for example: “Eyes, lungs, pancreas. So many snacks… so little time” (Amazing Spider-Man #374).
7. Michelinie & McFarlane Law Firm
If you got a keen eye, you may have noticed that Brock’s girlfriend works at Michelinie & McFarlane law firm. These are the names of the artists who created Venom (Amazing Spider-Man #299) in the first place! Also, fun fact, McFarlane is also responsible for giving us Spawn.
8. Carnage
In the post-credits scene we finally see who Brock meant when he told Anne about the “interview of the century” – it’s Woody Harrelson as the psychotic serial killer Cletus Kasady. We didn’t get to spend much time with him, but in the comics he binds himself with Venom’s offspring (don’t ask) and becomes Carnage – one of Marvel’s most bloodthirsty villains. Sequel-baiting at its best!
9. Stan Lee cameo
And of course, what’s a Marvel movie without Stan the Man popping up out of nowhere and saying something cryptic? I don’t want to think of the future movies where he’ll be replaced by a CG copy… Anyway, of course, there’s a Stan Lee cameo in Venom and it’s right near the end. He’s walking a dog just as Eddie passes him by. Stan being the all-knowing benevolent entity that he is, he gives Grock an advice: It’s tough but the two of you can work it out (not verbatim). Did he mean Eddie and Anne, or Venom and Eddie? Or maybe both! Ah, thanks old man. Excelsior!
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