Back in 2018, Tom Hardy starred in the first of Sony’s Marvel universe movies as Spider-Man anti-hero Venom. Despite poor reviews comparing it to a pre-MCU era superhero movie, Hardy’s star power won over the box office, with over $850 million made worldwide. Unsurprisingly then, Venom 2 is on the way this year, in which the symbiotic will face Woody Harrelson’s Carnage.
The red symbiote and Venom’s nemesis was first teased in the end credits scene of the first movie.
The scene saw Hardy’s Eddie Brock, an investigative journalist, visit a prison to interview incarcerated serial killer Cletus Kasady played by Harrelson.
From his cell, the villain promised there would be “carnage” upon his escape.
And now the first set photos from the Andy Serkis directed Venom 2 have landed.
READ MORE: Morbius theory: Trailer teases live-action Spider-Man multiverse movie
The black and white snaps see Hardy and Harrelson having a joke on set in San Francisco.
While another sees him in conversation with director Andy Serkis and one has Eddie Brock drenched from the rain.
Meanwhile, some fans have speculated there will be a cameo from Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in Venom 2.
In October last year, Hardy posted pictures of himself dressed as the MCU Web-Slinger, which he then swiftly deleted from his Instagram
In one scene, Jared Leto’s living vampire walks past a poster of Spider-Man that has the word “MURDERER” graffitied over it, referring to the doctored video in Far From Home’s mid-credits scene which falsely showed Spidey killing Mysterio.
Another nod to the MCU came at the end of the Morbius trailer which saw the return of Michael Keaton’s Vulture.
The villain was last seen in the end credits scene of MCU movie Spider-Man Homecoming, in which he appeared to be plotting the formation of the Sinister Six with Scorpion.
If anything, it looks like Sony are planning for Holland’s Spider-Man to face villains like Vulture, Morbius and Venom in a Sinister Six movie.
The studio had originally planned this for The Amazing Spider-Man 3 starring Andrew Garfield.
However, the movie was shelved when the Web-Slinger was rebooted into the MCU as Holland’s incarnation in Captain America Civil War.
Just how such a crossover would work considering Sony’s deal with Spider-Man to be in Disney’s MCU is anyone’s guess as this stage.
Venom 2 is set for release on October 2, 2020.