Tom Hardy’s time in the MCU was short-lived but he sure has left Earth 616 with a huge problem.

Out of all the characters introduced in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe so far, Tom Hardy’s Venom is undoubtedly fans’ number one choice thanks to the relationship between Eddie Brock and the alien symbiote. However, since Venom is a Marvel Comics character associated with Spider-Man, fans hoped for a long time to see Tom Hardy’s Venom and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man come face-to-face in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

We came so close to this face-off in Venom: Let There Be Carnage when Eddie was transported to Earth 616 because of Doctor Strange’s spell. Unfortunately, the hope for a meet-up was short-lived as the character was sent back to his own universe in Spider-Man: No Way Home. However, Eddie and Venom do not vanish completely as a little bit of the symbiote gets left behind and it looks like this was the only “collaboration” between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures when it comes to Spider-Man and Venom.

Tom Hardy’s Time in the MCU was Short-Lived

When Tom Hardy booked a return ticket to his universe in the post-credits scene for No Way Home, he took our hope of seeing him fight Tom Holland’s Spider-Man with him. While some may find it weird that the two powerhouse studios would go through all that trouble just for 2 post-credit scenes, Hardy’s cameo in the MCU sure played a huge part in changing Earth 616’s course in the future.

If you remember, Hardy’s Eddie Brock was seated at a bar, unable to comprehend that this universe was full of “super people” when he decided to go to New York and have a chat with Spider-Man. For a very brief moment, fans went crazy thinking about a potential meet-up between the two characters. However, only a few seconds later, Eddie and Venom are transported to their universe as Doctor Strange reverses his spell with the latter screaming “No! No! We just got here!.” At the end, the camera focuses on a little piece of the symbiote that gets left behind on Earth 616.

According to a report, the “handshake” between the two studios was letting Hardy’s Eddie be the source of the symbiote in Earth 616, and not the meteor, like it happened originally. The report also adds that Hardy will not be crossing over into the MCU.

Kevin Feige’s potential plan is a huge punch to the guts for fans who have been waiting to see Hardy and Holland collide on the big screen but if the report is true, it looks like the former’s time in the MCU has already come to an end. As for the piece of the symbiote that got left behind, it’s quite clear that it will take up a completely different host who will then fight our beloved Spidey.

Tom Hardy Was Always Ready for a Collaboration

Just before the release of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Hardy sat down with Esquire UK and talked about a possible collision between his Venom and the MCU’s Spider-Man. The actor stated that he wouldn’t be doing justice to his job if he wasn’t open to or excited about such an idea.

However, he knew that there were a lot of technicalities and legalities to take into consideration before the duo could meet.

He stated, I would be remiss if I wasn’t trying to steer any kind of connectivity. I wouldn’t be doing the job if I wasn’t awake and open to any opportunity or eventuality or be excited by that. Obviously, that’s a large canyon to leap, to be bridged by one person alone, and it would take a much higher level of diplomacy and intelligence, sitting down and talking, to take on an arena such as that.

Hardy then added that if both the studios were willing to collaborate on this dream project, he doesn’t see a reason why it shouldn’t happen. In fact, he stated that he would be rather eager to push towards that potential.

Should both sides be willing, and it be beneficial to both sides, I don’t see why it couldn’t be. I hope and strongly, with both hands, push, eagerly, towards that potential, and would do anything to make that happen, within what’s right in business.

Well, looking at how things played out in No Way Home, it seems like Hardy’s wishes will not be turning into reality. Regardless, we are quite excited to see his next adventure as Venom in Venom 3 as well as what happens to the symbiote in the MCU.

Venom 3: The Last Dance will be released in theatres on October 25, 2024. Meanwhile, you can stream Venom and Spider-Man: No Way Home on Disney+. Venom: Let There Be Carnage is available to rent/buy on Prime Video.